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authordgarrett@chromium.org <dgarrett@chromium.org@0039d316-1c4b-4281-b951-d872f2087c98>2013-08-28 23:09:07 +0000
committerdgarrett@chromium.org <dgarrett@chromium.org@0039d316-1c4b-4281-b951-d872f2087c98>2013-08-28 23:09:07 +0000
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Added documentation for Courgette internals.
It consists of a markdown file, png diagrams, and the generated html output. BUG=274829 R=benchan@chromium.org, dgarrett@chromium.org Review URL: https://codereview.chromium.org/23003015 git-svn-id: svn://svn.chromium.org/chrome/trunk/src@220113 0039d316-1c4b-4281-b951-d872f2087c98
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+Courgette Internals
+===================
+
+Patch Generation
+----------------
+
+![Patch Generation](generation.png)
+
+- courgette\_tool.cc:GenerateEnsemblePatch kicks off the patch
+ generation by calling ensemble\_create.cc:GenerateEnsemblePatch
+
+- The files are read in by in courgette:SourceStream objects
+
+- ensemble\_create.cc:GenerateEnsemblePatch uses FindGenerators, which
+ uses MakeGenerator to create
+ patch\_generator\_x86\_32.h:PatchGeneratorX86\_32 classes.
+
+- PatchGeneratorX86\_32's Transform method transforms the input file
+ using Courgette's core techniques that make the bsdiff delta
+ smaller. The steps it takes are the following:
+
+ - _disassemble_ the old and new binaries into AssemblyProgram
+ objects,
+
+ - _adjust_ the new AssemblyProgram object, and
+
+ - _encode_ the AssemblyProgram object back into raw bytes.
+
+### Disassemble
+
+- The input is a pointer to a buffer containing the raw bytes of the
+ input file.
+
+- Disassembly converts certain machine instructions that reference
+ addresses to Courgette instructions. It is not actually
+ disassembly, but this is the term the code-base uses. Specifically,
+ it detects instructions that use absolute addresses given by the
+ binary file's relocation table, and relative addresses used in
+ relative branches.
+
+- Done by disassemble:ParseDetectedExecutable, which selects the
+ appropriate Disassembler subclass by looking at the binary file's
+ headers.
+
+ - disassembler\_win32\_x86.h defines the PE/COFF x86 disassembler
+
+ - disassembler\_elf\_32\_x86.h defines the ELF 32-bit x86 disassembler
+
+ - disassembler\_elf\_32\_arm.h defines the ELF 32-bit arm disassembler
+
+- The Disassembler replaces the relocation table with a Courgette
+ instruction that can regenerate the relocation table.
+
+- The Disassembler builds a list of addresses referenced by the
+ machine code, numbering each one.
+
+- The Disassembler replaces and address used in machine instructions
+ with its index number.
+
+- The output is an assembly\_program.h:AssemblyProgram class, which
+ contains a list of instructions, machine or Courgette, and a mapping
+ of indices to actual addresses.
+
+### Adjust
+
+- This step takes the AssemblyProgram for the old file and reassigns
+ the indices that map to actual addresses. It is performed by
+ adjustment_method.cc:Adjust().
+
+- The goal is the match the indices from the old program to the new
+ program as closely as possible.
+
+- When matched correctly, machine instructions that jump to the
+ function in both the new and old binary will look the same to
+ bsdiff, even the function is located in a different part of the
+ binary.
+
+### Encode
+
+- This step takes an AssemblyProgram object and encodes both the
+ instructions and the mapping of indices to addresses as byte
+ vectors. This format can be written to a file directly, and is also
+ more appropriate for bsdiffing. It is done by
+ AssemblyProgram.Encode().
+
+- encoded_program.h:EncodedProgram defines the binary format and a
+ WriteTo method that writes to a file.
+
+### bsdiff
+
+- simple_delta.c:GenerateSimpleDelta
+
+Patch Application
+-----------------
+
+![Patch Application](application.png)
+
+- courgette\_tool.cc:ApplyEnsemblePatch kicks off the patch generation
+ by calling ensemble\_apply.cc:ApplyEnsemblePatch
+
+- ensemble\_create.cc:ApplyEnsemblePatch, reads and verifies the
+ patch's header, then calls the overloaded version of
+ ensemble\_create.cc:ApplyEnsemblePatch.
+
+- The patch is read into an ensemble_apply.cc:EnsemblePatchApplication
+ object, which generates a set of patcher_x86_32.h:PatcherX86_32
+ objects for the sections in the patch.
+
+- The original file is disassembled and encoded via a call
+ EnsemblePatchApplication.TransformUp, which in turn call
+ patcher_x86_32.h:PatcherX86_32.Transform.
+
+- The transformed file is then bspatched via
+ EnsemblePatchApplication.SubpatchTransformedElements, which calls
+ EnsemblePatchApplication.SubpatchStreamSets, which calls
+ simple_delta.cc:ApplySimpleDelta, Courgette's built-in
+ implementation of bspatch.
+
+- Finally, EnsemblePatchApplication.TransformDown assembles, i.e.,
+ reverses the encoding and disassembly, on the patched binary data.
+ This is done by calling PatcherX86_32.Reform, which in turn calls
+ the global function encoded_program.cc:Assemble, which calls
+ EncodedProgram.AssembleTo.
+
+
+Glossary
+--------
+
+**Adjust**: Reassign address indices in the new program to match more
+ closely those from the old.
+
+**Assembly program**: The output of _disassembly_. Contains a list of
+ _Courgette instructions_ and an index of branch target addresses.
+
+**Assemble**: Convert an _assembly program_ back into an object file
+ by evaluating the _Courgette instructions_ and leaving the machine
+ instructions in place.
+
+**Courgette instruction**: Replaces machine instructions in the
+ program. Courgette instructions replace branches with an index to
+ the target addresses and replace part of the relocation table.
+
+**Disassembler**: Takes a binary file and produces an _assembly
+ program_.
+
+**Encode**: Convert an _assembly program_ into an _encoded program_ by
+ serializing its data structures into byte vectors more appropriate
+ for storage in a file.
+
+**Encoded Program**: The output of encoding.
+
+**Ensemble**: A Courgette-style patch containing sections for the list
+ of branch addresses, the encoded program. It supports patching
+ multiple object files at once.
+
+**Opcode**: The number corresponding to either a machine or _Courgette
+ instruction_.