On Mon, Sep 14, 2026 at 03:57:21PM +0100, Lorenzo Stoakes (ARM) wrote: > The map->file_doesnt_need_get flag is confusing and the existing > implementation has holes. > > Drivers are permitted to change the owning file of a mapping. If they do > so, they are required to take a reference on that file. > > The mmap() operation which ultimately invokes __mmap_region() is guaranteed > to drop the refcount for the original file the mapping was made under, but > this is not true for the replaced file. > > This has been addressed so far by tracking map->file_doesnt_need_get, which > is rather poorly named and unfortunately fails to correctly track whether > or not an additional put were needed in a number of cases. > > Make life easier by removing this flag, and instead drop the reference for > both mmap_prepare and the deprecated mmap callback in a new function > put_map(). > > Track whether this needs to be done by aligning mmap_state with > vm_area_desc and store the original file in the map->file field, keeping > the updated file in map->vm_file. > > In order to have the same behaviour for both types of hooks, only drop the > reference __mmap_new_file_vma() itself took in its error path, deferring > the replaced file's reference to put_map(). > > To make this work correctly, map->vm_file has to be updated before any > error handling, so update __mmap_new_file_vma() and call_mmap_prepare() to > set this field first. > > Also when mmap_prepare() changes the file and is then merged, the reference > count also must be decremented, so update the logic to call put_map() in > this case too. > > Also update __compat_vma_mmap() to manually perform this step for stacked > file systems using the compatibility layer, and update > compat_set_vma_from_desc() to replace vma_set_file() with a correct > refcount/file update. > > No in-tree driver is impacted by the incorrect implementation of this > currently (no driver that does this is mergeable for one), so this does not > need to be a fix.
But the patch iteslf needs to be fixed :) It seems to be the change that broke the CI. The rest is from LLM, take it with a grain of salt :) mm-ci mm-unstable red build - bisect analysis ============================================== Bad commit: 2a937a04babf1 "mm/vma: fix mmap_prepare file handling, remove file_doesnt_need_get" - first patch of Lorenzo Stoakes' 40-patch series "mm: make VMA flag semantics explicit, eliminate VM_SPECIAL" (v2). https://lore.kernel.org/all/20260914-b4-mmap-prepare-vma-flag-sanify-v2-0-7d9781ed5...@kernel.org Symptom: tools/testing/selftests/mm/pfnmap.c triggers "BUG: Bad page map in process pfnmap" during __zap_vma_range()/vm_normal_page(), seen on process exit/munmap. CI's run-mm-selftests.sh greps guest dmesg for BUG|WARNING and fails the job regardless of the test's own exit code. Root cause: In call_mmap_prepare() (mm/vma.c), the commit reordered: map->vma_flags = desc->vma_flags; to run BEFORE call_action_prepare(). For PFN-remap mmap_prepare drivers (e.g. /dev/mem), VMA_PFNMAP_BIT/VMA_IO_BIT are only added to desc->vma_flags inside remap_pfn_range_prepare(), which runs as part of call_action_prepare(). Snapshotting vma_flags too early means VM_PFNMAP/ VM_IO get silently dropped from the resulting VMA, while the PTEs are still installed as pte_special (real PFN remap). vm_normal_page() then sees a pte_special PTE in a VMA lacking VM_PFNMAP/VM_MIXEDMAP and calls print_bad_page_map(), producing the splat. Confirmed: crash log shows vm_flags:080000d1, missing VM_PFNMAP (0x400). This is a plain ordering bug in this one commit - not a driver-conversion or vma_can_gup()/predicate-logic issue. Bisect method: built/booted via virtme-ng, ran pfnmap selftest directly, restricted to range 2a937a04babf1~1..0a80aa0fb08f1 (the 40-commit series; tip = mm-unstable-2026-09-17). Pre-series commit: clean. First commit of series: already reproduces the bug. All scratch worktrees/branches and bisect state removed after; mm-unstable-2026-09-17/mm-new-2026-09-17 and mmotm remote untouched. Diagnosis only - no fix proposed/applied. > Signed-off-by: Lorenzo Stoakes (ARM) <[email protected]> > --- > mm/internal.h | 1 + > mm/util.c | 5 +++- > mm/vma.c | 95 > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++------------------------- > mm/vma.h | 6 ++-- > 4 files changed, 64 insertions(+), 43 deletions(-) > > diff --git a/mm/internal.h b/mm/internal.h > index 0dca33db068f..fe576d468af4 100644 > --- a/mm/internal.h > +++ b/mm/internal.h > @@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ > #ifndef __MM_INTERNAL_H > #define __MM_INTERNAL_H > > +#include <linux/file.h> > #include <linux/fs.h> > #include <linux/khugepaged.h> > #include <linux/mm.h> > diff --git a/mm/util.c b/mm/util.c > index bf0513d1d3d0..016932780925 100644 > --- a/mm/util.c > +++ b/mm/util.c > @@ -1228,8 +1228,11 @@ int __compat_vma_mmap(struct vm_area_desc *desc, > > /* Perform any preparatory tasks for mmap action. */ > err = mmap_action_prepare(desc); > - if (err) > + if (err) { > + if (desc->vm_file != vma->vm_file) > + fput(desc->vm_file); > return err; > + } > /* Update the VMA from the descriptor. */ > compat_set_vma_from_desc(vma, desc); > /* Complete any specified mmap actions. */ > diff --git a/mm/vma.c b/mm/vma.c > index 55917d097933..a319a9fc2f29 100644 > --- a/mm/vma.c > +++ b/mm/vma.c > @@ -24,7 +24,8 @@ struct mmap_state { > vm_flags_t vm_flags; > vma_flags_t vma_flags; > }; > - struct file *file; > + struct file *file; /* mmap()-specified file. */ > + struct file *vm_file; /* May be updated by mmap_prepare. */ > pgprot_t page_prot; > > /* User-defined fields, perhaps updated by .mmap_prepare(). */ > @@ -43,8 +44,6 @@ struct mmap_state { > > /* Determine if we can check KSM flags early in mmap() logic. */ > bool check_ksm_early :1; > - /* If .mmap_prepare changed the file, we don't need to pin. */ > - bool file_doesnt_need_get :1; > }; > > #define MMAP_STATE(name, mm_, vmi_, addr_, len_, pgoff_, anon_pgoff_, > vma_flags_, file_) \ > @@ -58,6 +57,7 @@ struct mmap_state { > .pglen = PHYS_PFN(len_), \ > .vma_flags = vma_flags_, \ > .file = file_, \ > + .vm_file = file_, \ > .page_prot = vma_flags_to_page_prot(vma_flags_), \ > } > > @@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ struct mmap_state { > .vma_flags = (map_)->vma_flags, \ > .pgoff = (map_)->pgoff, \ > .anon_pgoff = (map_)->anon_pgoff, \ > - .file = (map_)->file, \ > + .file = (map_)->vm_file, \ > .prev = (map_)->prev, \ > .middle = vma_, \ > .next = (vma_) ? NULL : (map_)->next, \ > @@ -2447,7 +2447,7 @@ void mm_drop_all_locks(struct mm_struct *mm) > */ > static bool accountable_mapping(struct mmap_state *map) > { > - const struct file *file = map->file; > + const struct file *file = map->vm_file; > > /* > * hugetlb has its own accounting separate from the core VM > @@ -2496,7 +2496,7 @@ static void vms_abort_munmap_vmas(struct > vma_munmap_struct *vms, > > static void update_ksm_flags(struct mmap_state *map) > { > - map->vma_flags = ksm_vma_flags(map->mm, map->file, map->vma_flags); > + map->vma_flags = ksm_vma_flags(map->mm, map->vm_file, map->vma_flags); > } > > static void set_desc_from_map(struct vm_area_desc *desc, > @@ -2506,7 +2506,7 @@ static void set_desc_from_map(struct vm_area_desc *desc, > desc->end = map->end; > > desc->pgoff = map->pgoff; > - desc->vm_file = map->file; > + desc->vm_file = map->vm_file; > desc->vma_flags = map->vma_flags; > desc->page_prot = map->page_prot; > } > @@ -2586,6 +2586,10 @@ static int __mmap_setup(struct mmap_state *map, struct > vm_area_desc *desc, > return 0; > } > > +static bool map_same_file(struct mmap_state *map) > +{ > + return map->vm_file == map->file; > +} > > static int __mmap_new_file_vma(struct mmap_state *map, > struct vm_area_struct *vma) > @@ -2593,20 +2597,23 @@ static int __mmap_new_file_vma(struct mmap_state *map, > struct vma_iterator *vmi = map->vmi; > int error; > > - vma->vm_file = map->file; > - if (!map->file_doesnt_need_get) > - get_file(map->file); > + vma->vm_file = map->vm_file; > + if (map_same_file(map)) > + get_file(map->vm_file); > > - if (!map->file->f_op->mmap) > + if (!map->vm_file->f_op->mmap) > return 0; > > error = mmap_file(vma->vm_file, vma); > + map->vm_file = vma->vm_file; > + > if (error) { > UNMAP_STATE(unmap, vmi, vma, vma->vm_start, vma->vm_end, > map->prev, map->next); > - fput(vma->vm_file); > - vma->vm_file = NULL; > + if (map_same_file(map)) > + fput(map->vm_file); > > + vma->vm_file = NULL; > vma_iter_set(vmi, vma->vm_end); > /* Undo any partial mapping done by a device driver. */ > unmap_region(&unmap); > @@ -2623,7 +2630,6 @@ static int __mmap_new_file_vma(struct mmap_state *map, > !vma_flags_test(&map->vma_flags, VMA_MAYWRITE_BIT) && > vma_test(vma, VMA_MAYWRITE_BIT)); > > - map->file = vma->vm_file; > map->vma_flags = vma->flags; > > return 0; > @@ -2631,7 +2637,7 @@ static int __mmap_new_file_vma(struct mmap_state *map, > > static void map_set_anon(struct mmap_state *map) > { > - map->file = NULL; > + map->vm_file = NULL; > map->vm_ops = NULL; > map->pgoff = map->addr >> PAGE_SHIFT; > } > @@ -2643,7 +2649,7 @@ static bool map_is_private(const struct mmap_state *map) > > static bool map_is_anon(const struct mmap_state *map) > { > - return map_is_private(map) && !map->file; > + return map_is_private(map) && !map->vm_file; > } > > /* > @@ -2688,7 +2694,7 @@ static int __mmap_new_vma(struct mmap_state *map, > struct vm_area_struct **vmap, > } > > /* Invoke callbacks. */ > - if (map->file) > + if (map->vm_file) > error = __mmap_new_file_vma(map, vma); > else if (!is_anon) > error = shmem_zero_setup(vma); > @@ -2797,36 +2803,34 @@ static int call_mmap_prepare(struct mmap_state *map, > int err; > > /* Invoke the hook. */ > - err = vfs_mmap_prepare(map->file, desc); > - if (err) > - return err; > - > - /* It's invalid for mmap_preprare hooks to clear vm_ops. */ > - if (!desc->vm_ops) > - return -EINVAL; > - > - err = call_action_prepare(map, desc); > + err = vfs_mmap_prepare(map->vm_file, desc); > if (err) > return err; > > /* Update fields permitted to be changed. */ > map->pgoff = desc->pgoff; > - if (desc->vm_file != map->file) { > - map->file_doesnt_need_get = true; > - map->file = desc->vm_file; > - } > + if (desc->vm_file != map->vm_file) > + map->vm_file = desc->vm_file; > map->vma_flags = desc->vma_flags; > map->page_prot = desc->page_prot; > /* User-defined fields. */ > map->vm_ops = desc->vm_ops; > map->vm_private_data = desc->private_data; > > + /* It's invalid for mmap_prepare hooks to clear vm_ops. */ > + if (!desc->vm_ops) > + return -EINVAL; > + > + err = call_action_prepare(map, desc); > + if (err) > + return err; > + > /* > * MAP_PRIVATE-/dev/zero mappings are an ancient way of getting > * anonymous mappings. Rather than allowing these mappings to be odd > * outliers, simply make them truly anonymous. > */ > - if (map_is_private(map) && file_is_dev_zero(map->file)) > + if (map_is_private(map) && file_is_dev_zero(map->vm_file)) > map_set_anon(map); > > return 0; > @@ -2845,7 +2849,7 @@ static void set_vma_user_defined_fields(struct > vm_area_struct *vma, > */ > static bool can_set_ksm_flags_early(struct mmap_state *map) > { > - struct file *file = map->file; > + struct file *file = map->vm_file; > > /* Anonymous mappings have no driver which can change them. */ > if (!file) > @@ -2868,6 +2872,20 @@ static bool can_set_ksm_flags_early(struct mmap_state > *map) > return false; > } > > +static void put_map(struct mmap_state *map) > +{ > + /* > + * An error occurred or the VMA was merged. > + * > + * If the file was changed by the driver (which is required to increment > + * the replacement file's reference count), drop its reference count. > + * > + * On error, the caller always drops the original file regardless. > + */ > + if (map->vm_file && !map_same_file(map)) > + fput(map->vm_file); > +} > + > static unsigned long __mmap_region(struct file *file, unsigned long addr, > unsigned long len, vma_flags_t vma_flags, > unsigned long pgoff, struct list_head *uf) > @@ -2922,7 +2940,10 @@ static unsigned long __mmap_region(struct file *file, > unsigned long addr, > > __mmap_complete(&map, vma); > > - if (have_mmap_prepare && allocated_new) { > + if (!allocated_new) { > + /* Merged, so need to drop refcount. */ > + put_map(&map); > + } else if (have_mmap_prepare) { > error = mmap_action_complete(vma, &desc.action, > /*is_compat=*/false); > if (error) > @@ -2936,13 +2957,7 @@ static unsigned long __mmap_region(struct file *file, > unsigned long addr, > if (map.charged) > vm_unacct_memory(map.charged); > abort_munmap: > - /* > - * This indicates that .mmap_prepare has set a new file, differing from > - * desc->vm_file. But since we're aborting the operation, only the > - * original file will be cleaned up. Ensure we clean up both. > - */ > - if (map.file_doesnt_need_get) > - fput(map.file); > + put_map(&map); > vms_abort_munmap_vmas(&map.vms, &map.mas_detach); > return error; > } > diff --git a/mm/vma.h b/mm/vma.h > index e97bd2dfa786..f15faa83f3d6 100644 > --- a/mm/vma.h > +++ b/mm/vma.h > @@ -394,8 +394,10 @@ static inline void compat_set_vma_from_desc(struct > vm_area_struct *vma, > > /* Mutable fields. Populated with initial state. */ > vma_set_pgoff(vma, desc->pgoff); > - if (desc->vm_file != vma->vm_file) > - vma_set_file(vma, desc->vm_file); > + if (desc->vm_file != vma->vm_file) { > + fput(vma->vm_file); > + vma->vm_file = desc->vm_file; > + } > vma->flags = desc->vma_flags; > vma->vm_page_prot = desc->page_prot; > > > -- > 2.55.0 > -- Sincerely yours, Mike.
