The loop above the modified code only terminates when rc is a valid pointer.

A simplified version of the semantic patch that makes this change is as
follows: (http://www.emn.fr/x-info/coccinelle/)

// <smpl>
@r exists@
local idexpression x;
expression E;
position p1,p2;
@@

if (x@p1 == NULL || ...) { ... when forall
   return ...; }
... when != \(x=E\|x--\|x++\|--x\|++x\|x-=E\|x+=E\|x|=E\|x&=E\|&x\)
(
x@p2 == NULL
|
x@p2 != NULL
)

// another path to the test that is not through p1?
@s exists@
local idexpression r.x;
position r.p1,r.p2;
@@

... when != x@p1
(
x@p2 == NULL
|
x@p2 != NULL
)

@fix depends on !s@
position r.p1,r.p2;
expression x,E;
statement S1,S2;
@@

(
- if ((x@p2 != NULL) || ...)
  S1
|
- if ((x@p2 == NULL) && ...) S1
|
- BUG_ON(x@p2 == NULL);
)
// </smpl>
Signed-off-by: Julia Lawall <julia@diku.dk>
Signed-off-by: Martin Schwidefsky <schwidefsky@de.ibm.com>