intptrcast.md

MiniRust integer-pointer cast model

This file defines the approach MiniRust takes to integer-pointer casts. It is basically exactly what was outlined in this blog post. The brief summary is that we treat pointer-to-integer casts as having the side-effect of recording, in a piece of global state, that the provenance of this pointer has been exposed. An integer-to-pointer cast then non-deterministically guesses a suitable provenance for the new pointer. Using the predict function means that this guess will be made maximally in the programmer's favor: if there exists a choice for the guess that makes program behavior well-defined, then that is the choice that will be made.

Note that this is entirely independent of how the actual memory model works. We are just parameterized by its type of Provenance.

pub struct IntPtrCast<Provenance> {
    /// The set of exposed provenance.
    exposed: Set<Provenance>,
}

impl<Provenance> IntPtrCast<Provenance> {
    pub fn new() -> Self {
        Self { exposed: Set::new() }
    }

    pub fn expose(&mut self, ptr: Pointer<Provenance>) {
        if let Some(provenance) = ptr.provenance {
            // Remember this provenance as having been exposed.
            self.exposed.insert(provenance);
        }
    }

    pub fn int2ptr(&mut self, addr: Int) -> NdResult<Pointer<Provenance>> {
        // Predict a suitable provenance. It must be either `None` or already exposed.
        let provenance = predict(|prov: Option<Provenance>| {
            prov.map_or(
                true, // `None` is always an option
                |p| self.exposed.contains(p),
            )
        })?;

        // Construct a pointer with that provenance.
        ret(Pointer { addr, provenance })
    }
}