Tail Calls were initially disabled for PC Relative code because it was not safe
to make certain assumptions about the tail calls (namely that all compiled
functions no longer used the TOC pointer in R2). However, once all of the
TOC pointer references have been removed it is safe to tail call everything
that was tail called prior to the PC relative additions as well as a number of
new cases.
For example, it is now possible to tail call indirect functions as there is no
need to save and restore the TOC pointer for indirect functions if the caller
is marked as may clobber R2 (st_other=1). For the same reason it is now also
possible to tail call functions that are external.
Differential Revision: https://reviews.llvm.org/D77788
Currently an indirect call produces the following sequence on PCRelative mode:
extern void function( );
extern void (*ptrfunc) ( );
void g() {
ptrfunc=function;
}
void f() {
(*ptrfunc) ( );
}
Producing
paddi 3, 0, .LC0@PCREL, 1
ld 3, 0(3)
std 2, 24(1)
ld 12, 0(3)
mtctr 12
bctrl
ld 2, 24(1)
Though the caller does not use or preserve r2, it is still saved and restored
across a function call. This patch is added to remove these redundant save and
restores for indirect calls.
Differential Revision: https://reviews.llvm.org/D77749
Stefan Pintilie