Expert · Module 10 · Lesson 1 of 12
Hardware Stack Architecture, Stack Frames, and the System V AMD64 ABI
Dissect execution stack frames on x86-64, navigate the System V AMD64 ABI calling convention, inspect caller vs. callee-saved registers, and enforce 16-byte stack alignment.
By the end you can
- Inspect stack frame growth, activation records, and stack pointer (%rsp) movements
- Classify registers under the System V AMD64 ABI into caller-saved vs. callee-saved sets
- Analyze the 128-byte x86-64 Red Zone and its implications for user-space context switches
- Enforce strict 16-byte stack boundary alignment before call instructions to avoid SIMD faults
Builds on eBPF Performance Diagnostics: Kernel Tracepoints, kretprobes, and bpftrace.
01 · A question first
Why does calling a standard C function overwrite registers your code relies on, while leaving others completely intact? Understanding the System V AMD64 register contract and stack frame architecture is the prerequisite for crafting user-space context switches.
Make a guess before you read on.
02 · The idea
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What's inside
- Start with the problem
- How the idea works
- Hands-On Code: Inspecting Stack Frames and Walking the Call Chain
- Why it is correct
- What it costs
- Pitfalls and variations
- Where it is used
03 · Practice
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