C++ in the Linux Kernel

We have implemented a complete kernel level run-time support for C++ in the Linux kernel. In particular our run-time support enables the full use of C++ exceptions in the Linux kernel, but notably also includes support for global constructors and destructors, and dynamic type checking. Our kernel level support is based on open source commodity components, specifically the GNU gcc/g++ compiler and its exception implementation, the C++ ABI version independent standard interface.

The code is installed by applying a patch to the Linux kernel and enables the full use of C++ using the GNU g++ compiler. Programmers who have used C++ in Linux kernel modules have primarily been using classes and virtual functions, but not global constructors, dynamic type checking and exceptions. Using even this small part of C++ requires each programmer to write some supporting routines. Using the rest of C++ includes porting the C++ ABI that accompanies GNU g++ to the Linux kernel, and to enable global constructors and destructors.

The implementation of the C++ ABI is based on the implementation provided with the source of the GNU g++ compiler. We modified it to run in kernel space, and performed optimizations that reduces the cost of exceptions and dynamic cast considerably. Our paper contains thorough explanations of these optimizations. The cost of throwing an exception one level on a 990 MHz Intel Pentium is around 12-13 micro seconds in the plain GNU g++ implementation, which we reduced to 2.1 micro seconds by modifying the runtime library, including unwinding the stack in one phase, and caching information on exception paths. In contrast the cost of a trivial printk operation — printk(”Error\n”) — is 18 micro seconds.

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