printk: ringbuffer: Clarify special lpos values

For empty line records, no data blocks are created. Instead,
these valid records are identified by special logical position
values (in fields of @prb_desc.text_blk_lpos).

Currently the macro NO_LPOS is used for empty line records.
This name is confusing because it does not imply _why_ there is
no data block.

Rename NO_LPOS to EMPTY_LINE_LPOS so that it is clear why there
is no data block.

Also add comments explaining the use of EMPTY_LINE_LPOS as well
as clarification to the values used to represent data-less
blocks.

Signed-off-by: John Ogness <john.ogness@linutronix.de>
Reviewed-by: Petr Mladek <pmladek@suse.com>
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20240207134103.1357162-6-john.ogness@linutronix.de
Signed-off-by: Petr Mladek <pmladek@suse.com>

1 files changed, 16 insertions, 4 deletions

diff --git a/kernel/printk/printk_ringbuffer.c b/kernel/printk/printk_ringbuffer.c
index 04c26cca546f..244d991ffd73 100644
--- a/kernel/printk/printk_ringbuffer.c
+++ b/kernel/printk/printk_ringbuffer.c
@@ -1034,9 +1034,13 @@ static char *data_alloc(struct printk_ringbuffer *rb, unsigned int size,
 	unsigned long next_lpos;
 
 	if (size == 0) {
-		/* Specify a data-less block. */
-		blk_lpos->begin = NO_LPOS;
-		blk_lpos->next = NO_LPOS;
+		/*
+		 * Data blocks are not created for empty lines. Instead, the
+		 * reader will recognize these special lpos values and handle
+		 * it appropriately.
+		 */
+		blk_lpos->begin = EMPTY_LINE_LPOS;
+		blk_lpos->next = EMPTY_LINE_LPOS;
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
@@ -1214,10 +1218,18 @@ static const char *get_data(struct prb_data_ring *data_ring,
 
 	/* Data-less data block description. */
 	if (BLK_DATALESS(blk_lpos)) {
-		if (blk_lpos->begin == NO_LPOS && blk_lpos->next == NO_LPOS) {
+		/*
+		 * Records that are just empty lines are also valid, even
+		 * though they do not have a data block. For such records
+		 * explicitly return empty string data to signify success.
+		 */
+		if (blk_lpos->begin == EMPTY_LINE_LPOS &&
+		    blk_lpos->next == EMPTY_LINE_LPOS) {
 			*data_size = 0;
 			return "";
 		}
+
+		/* Data lost, invalid, or otherwise unavailable. */
 		return NULL;
 	}