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Christian Brauner de5fefadef
Merge patch series "writeback: fix race between cgroup_writeback_umount() and inode_switch_wbs()"
Baokun Li <libaokun@linux.alibaba.com> says:

When a container exits, a race between cgroup_writeback_umount() and
inode_switch_wbs() / cleanup_offline_cgwb() can trigger
"VFS: Busy inodes after unmount" followed by a use-after-free on
percpu counters.

There is a window between inode_prepare_wbs_switch() returning true
(having passed the SB_ACTIVE check and grabbed the inode) and the
subsequent wb_queue_isw() call.  If cgroup_writeback_umount() observes
the global isw_nr_in_flight counter as non-zero but flush_workqueue()
finds nothing queued, it returns early -- leaving a held inode
reference that blocks evict_inodes() and a later iput() that hits
freed percpu counters.

Patch 1 closes the race by extending the RCU read-side critical
section to cover the window from inode_prepare_wbs_switch() through
wb_queue_isw(), and adding synchronize_rcu() in the umount path so
that all in-flight switchers complete queueing before
flush_workqueue() runs.  rcu_barrier() is intentionally retained so
the same hunk applies cleanly to stable trees that still queue
switches via queue_rcu_work().

Patch 2 removes the now-dead rcu_barrier() that was left over from
the queue_rcu_work() era (replaced by plain queue_work() in commit
e1b849cfa6 "writeback: Avoid contention on wb->list_lock when
switching inodes").  This is mainline-only.

Patch 3 replaces the global synchronize_rcu()/flush_workqueue() pair
with a per-sb counter (s_isw_nr_in_flight) plus three small helpers
(cgroup_writeback_pin / cgroup_writeback_unpin /
cgroup_writeback_drain), eliminating the global serialization
penalty.  This also reverts the RCU extension from patch 1 since the
per-sb counter makes it unnecessary.

Performance
-----------

Measured on a 16 vCPU QEMU guest, all kernels share the same .config.
Background load: 4 ext4 superblocks each running

  while :; do
      mkdir /sys/fs/cgroup/<tag>-tmp$N
      ( echo $BASHPID > <tag>-tmp$N/cgroup.procs
        dd if=/dev/zero of=$mp/burner bs=4k count=256 conv=notrunc \
       oflag=sync)
      rmdir /sys/fs/cgroup/<tag>-tmp$N
  done

This drives both inode_switch_wbs() (different cgroups writing the
same inode) and cleanup_offline_cgwb() (dying memcgs), keeping the
global isw_nr_in_flight non-zero throughout the run.  Latencies are
wall-clock around umount(8) on a separate target sb; only the target
sb's umount is measured.

Four kernels are compared at each step of the series:

  base       pre-fix mainline
  +race      base + patch 1 (race fix, keeps rcu_barrier)
  +rmbarrier +race + patch 2 (drop rcu_barrier)
  +persb     +rmbarrier + patch 3 (per-sb counter)

Target sb runs its own cgwb churn:

                p50      p95      p99      max
  base         99.7 ms 112.9 ms 112.9 ms 127.2 ms
  +race       110.2 ms 153.8 ms 153.8 ms 160.4 ms
  +rmbarrier   67.6 ms  88.3 ms  88.3 ms  96.8 ms
  +persb        7.9 ms  10.0 ms  10.0 ms  10.1 ms

Idle target umount under cross-sb cgwb-switch pressure:

                p50      p95      p99      max
  base         92.0 ms 123.5 ms 136.5 ms 141.3 ms
  +race       118.8 ms 154.6 ms 164.7 ms 165.3 ms
  +rmbarrier   62.7 ms  95.4 ms 108.1 ms 108.6 ms
  +persb        5.3 ms   6.9 ms   7.4 ms   7.4 ms

8 concurrent umounts of idle sbs under the same pressure:

                p50      p95      p99      max
  base        137.5 ms 166.9 ms 166.9 ms 171.3 ms
  +race       162.2 ms 183.9 ms 183.9 ms 217.0 ms
  +rmbarrier   61.3 ms  99.5 ms  99.5 ms 113.7 ms
  +persb        8.1 ms   9.1 ms   9.1 ms   9.5 ms

A no-pressure baseline run (no background load) measures ~5 ms p50
across all four kernels, validating that the methodology has no
systematic bias.

In-kernel cgroup_writeback_umount() cumulative cost across the same
run (bpftrace, ~340 calls covering all four scenarios):

                                cgroup_writeback_umount() time
  base                          21240 ms total  (~62 ms / call)
  +race      (rcu_barrier+sync) 24966 ms total  (~73 ms / call)
  +rmbarrier (synchronize_rcu)  12371 ms total  (~36 ms / call)
  +persb     (per-sb counter)    1.37 ms total  ( ~4 us / call)

Under +persb the wait_var_event() condition is true on entry
whenever the target sb has nothing in flight, so synchronize_rcu()
and flush_workqueue() are never called on this path.

Notes:

  - Patch 1 adds ~10-27 ms p50 over base by introducing
    synchronize_rcu().  This is the cost of closing the race
    correctly and is paid by stable backports as well.
  - Patch 2 ("drop rcu_barrier()") was expected to be a pure cleanup
    on mainline, but actually removes a real wait: rcu_barrier()
    drains call_rcu() callbacks from *all* subsystems, and the
    cgroup teardown path keeps that pipeline busy under this
    workload.  Removing it cuts ~43-101 ms p50 on top of patch 1.
  - Patch 3 (per-sb counter) replaces the global wait entirely; the
    target sb no longer waits for activity on unrelated sbs,
    recovering near-baseline latency in all three scenarios.

* patches from https://patch.msgid.link/20260521095016.2791354-1-libaokun@linux.alibaba.com:
  writeback: use a per-sb counter to drain inode wb switches at umount
  writeback: drop now-unnecessary rcu_barrier() in cgroup_writeback_umount()
  writeback: fix race between cgroup_writeback_umount() and inode_switch_wbs()

Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20260521095016.2791354-1-libaokun@linux.alibaba.com
Signed-off-by: Christian Brauner <brauner@kernel.org>
2026-05-22 12:06:42 +02:00
arch ARM development for 7.1-rc1 2026-04-25 07:44:26 -07:00
block block: only restrict bio allocation gfp mask asked to block 2026-04-21 11:42:12 -06:00
certs Clang build fixes for 7.1 2026-04-24 09:29:51 -07:00
crypto This push contains the following changes: 2026-04-21 08:06:43 -07:00
Documentation RTC for 7.1 2026-04-25 16:39:03 -07:00
drivers One more fix for the merge window to avoid a boot hang on 2026-04-26 14:03:20 -07:00
fs writeback: use a per-sb counter to drain inode wb switches at umount 2026-05-22 12:06:35 +02:00
include writeback: use a per-sb counter to drain inode wb switches at umount 2026-05-22 12:06:35 +02:00
init memblock: updates for 7.0-rc1 2026-04-18 11:29:14 -07:00
io_uring io_uring: take page references for NOMMU pbuf_ring mmaps 2026-04-21 20:14:39 -06:00
ipc Convert 'alloc_obj' family to use the new default GFP_KERNEL argument 2026-02-21 17:09:51 -08:00
kernel ring-buffer fix for 7.1: 2026-04-24 15:17:23 -07:00
lib RISC-V updates for v7.1 2026-04-24 10:00:37 -07:00
LICENSES LICENSES: Add modern form of the LGPL-2.1 tags to the usage guide section 2025-10-22 07:58:19 +02:00
mm slab fix for 7.1 2026-04-24 09:39:03 -07:00
net NFS client updates for Linux 7.1 2026-04-24 14:20:03 -07:00
rust Char/Misc/IIO/and others driver updates for 7.1-rc1 2026-04-24 13:23:50 -07:00
samples soc: drivers for 7.1 2026-04-16 20:34:34 -07:00
scripts First round of Kbuild fixes for 7.1 2026-04-25 17:04:15 -07:00
security + Cleanups 2026-04-24 09:22:21 -07:00
sound sound fixes for 7.1-rc1 2026-04-24 11:49:20 -07:00
tools Power Utilities 2026.04.25 2026-04-25 16:58:34 -07:00
usr kbuild: uapi: also test UAPI headers against C++ compilers 2026-03-25 13:24:42 +01:00
virt Arm: 2026-04-17 07:18:03 -07:00
.clang-format Devicetree updates for v7.0: 2026-02-11 18:27:08 -08:00
.clippy.toml rust: bump Clippy's MSRV and clean incompatible_msrv allows 2026-04-07 09:51:39 +02:00
.cocciconfig
.editorconfig editorconfig: add rst extension 2026-01-26 19:07:09 -08:00
.get_maintainer.ignore .get_maintainer.ignore: add myself 2026-04-02 16:48:25 +02:00
.gitattributes .gitattributes: set diff driver for Rust source code files 2023-05-31 17:48:25 +02:00
.gitignore kbuild: rust: provide an option to inline C helpers into Rust 2026-03-30 02:03:52 +02:00
.mailmap Char/Misc/IIO/and others driver updates for 7.1-rc1 2026-04-24 13:23:50 -07:00
.pylintrc docs: Move the python libraries to tools/lib/python 2025-11-18 09:22:40 -07:00
.rustfmt.toml rust: add .rustfmt.toml 2022-09-28 09:02:20 +02:00
COPYING
CREDITS Delete some obsolete networking code 2026-04-24 09:41:58 -07:00
Kbuild checksyscalls: move instance functionality into generic code 2026-04-05 09:21:32 +02:00
Kconfig io_uring: Rename KConfig to Kconfig 2025-02-19 14:53:27 -07:00
MAINTAINERS Char/Misc/IIO/and others driver updates for 7.1-rc1 2026-04-24 13:23:50 -07:00
Makefile Linux 7.1-rc1 2026-04-26 14:19:00 -07:00
README docs: add AI Coding Assistants documentation 2026-01-06 14:55:06 -07:00

Linux kernel
============

The Linux kernel is the core of any Linux operating system. It manages hardware,
system resources, and provides the fundamental services for all other software.

Quick Start
-----------

* Report a bug: See Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-issues.rst
* Get the latest kernel: https://kernel.org
* Build the kernel: See Documentation/admin-guide/quickly-build-trimmed-linux.rst
* Join the community: https://lore.kernel.org/

Essential Documentation
-----------------------

All users should be familiar with:

* Building requirements: Documentation/process/changes.rst
* Code of Conduct: Documentation/process/code-of-conduct.rst
* License: See COPYING

Documentation can be built with make htmldocs or viewed online at:
https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/


Who Are You?
============

Find your role below:

* New Kernel Developer - Getting started with kernel development
* Academic Researcher - Studying kernel internals and architecture
* Security Expert - Hardening and vulnerability analysis
* Backport/Maintenance Engineer - Maintaining stable kernels
* System Administrator - Configuring and troubleshooting
* Maintainer - Leading subsystems and reviewing patches
* Hardware Vendor - Writing drivers for new hardware
* Distribution Maintainer - Packaging kernels for distros
* AI Coding Assistant - LLMs and AI-powered development tools


For Specific Users
==================

New Kernel Developer
--------------------

Welcome! Start your kernel development journey here:

* Getting Started: Documentation/process/development-process.rst
* Your First Patch: Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst
* Coding Style: Documentation/process/coding-style.rst
* Build System: Documentation/kbuild/index.rst
* Development Tools: Documentation/dev-tools/index.rst
* Kernel Hacking Guide: Documentation/kernel-hacking/hacking.rst
* Core APIs: Documentation/core-api/index.rst

Academic Researcher
-------------------

Explore the kernel's architecture and internals:

* Researcher Guidelines: Documentation/process/researcher-guidelines.rst
* Memory Management: Documentation/mm/index.rst
* Scheduler: Documentation/scheduler/index.rst
* Networking Stack: Documentation/networking/index.rst
* Filesystems: Documentation/filesystems/index.rst
* RCU (Read-Copy Update): Documentation/RCU/index.rst
* Locking Primitives: Documentation/locking/index.rst
* Power Management: Documentation/power/index.rst

Security Expert
---------------

Security documentation and hardening guides:

* Security Documentation: Documentation/security/index.rst
* LSM Development: Documentation/security/lsm-development.rst
* Self Protection: Documentation/security/self-protection.rst
* Reporting Vulnerabilities: Documentation/process/security-bugs.rst
* CVE Procedures: Documentation/process/cve.rst
* Embargoed Hardware Issues: Documentation/process/embargoed-hardware-issues.rst
* Security Features: Documentation/userspace-api/seccomp_filter.rst

Backport/Maintenance Engineer
-----------------------------

Maintain and stabilize kernel versions:

* Stable Kernel Rules: Documentation/process/stable-kernel-rules.rst
* Backporting Guide: Documentation/process/backporting.rst
* Applying Patches: Documentation/process/applying-patches.rst
* Subsystem Profile: Documentation/maintainer/maintainer-entry-profile.rst
* Git for Maintainers: Documentation/maintainer/configure-git.rst

System Administrator
--------------------

Configure, tune, and troubleshoot Linux systems:

* Admin Guide: Documentation/admin-guide/index.rst
* Kernel Parameters: Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst
* Sysctl Tuning: Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/index.rst
* Tracing/Debugging: Documentation/trace/index.rst
* Performance Security: Documentation/admin-guide/perf-security.rst
* Hardware Monitoring: Documentation/hwmon/index.rst

Maintainer
----------

Lead kernel subsystems and manage contributions:

* Maintainer Handbook: Documentation/maintainer/index.rst
* Pull Requests: Documentation/maintainer/pull-requests.rst
* Managing Patches: Documentation/maintainer/modifying-patches.rst
* Rebasing and Merging: Documentation/maintainer/rebasing-and-merging.rst
* Development Process: Documentation/process/maintainer-handbooks.rst
* Maintainer Entry Profile: Documentation/maintainer/maintainer-entry-profile.rst
* Git Configuration: Documentation/maintainer/configure-git.rst

Hardware Vendor
---------------

Write drivers and support new hardware:

* Driver API Guide: Documentation/driver-api/index.rst
* Driver Model: Documentation/driver-api/driver-model/driver.rst
* Device Drivers: Documentation/driver-api/infrastructure.rst
* Bus Types: Documentation/driver-api/driver-model/bus.rst
* Device Tree Bindings: Documentation/devicetree/bindings/
* Power Management: Documentation/driver-api/pm/index.rst
* DMA API: Documentation/core-api/dma-api.rst

Distribution Maintainer
-----------------------

Package and distribute the kernel:

* Stable Kernel Rules: Documentation/process/stable-kernel-rules.rst
* ABI Documentation: Documentation/ABI/README
* Kernel Configuration: Documentation/kbuild/kconfig.rst
* Module Signing: Documentation/admin-guide/module-signing.rst
* Kernel Parameters: Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst
* Tainted Kernels: Documentation/admin-guide/tainted-kernels.rst

AI Coding Assistant
-------------------

CRITICAL: If you are an LLM or AI-powered coding assistant, you MUST read and
follow the AI coding assistants documentation before contributing to the Linux
kernel:

* Documentation/process/coding-assistants.rst

This documentation contains essential requirements about licensing, attribution,
and the Developer Certificate of Origin that all AI tools must comply with.


Communication and Support
=========================

* Mailing Lists: https://lore.kernel.org/
* IRC: #kernelnewbies on irc.oftc.net
* Bugzilla: https://bugzilla.kernel.org/
* MAINTAINERS file: Lists subsystem maintainers and mailing lists
* Email Clients: Documentation/process/email-clients.rst