I found this deadlock with kernel version 4.4.30, when insmod the ftl module, which register_mtd_blktrans.
-> register_mtd_blktrans() -> mutex_lock(&mtd_table_mutex) -> ftl_add_mtd() -> add_mtd_blktrans_dev() -> add_disk() -> register_disk() -> blkdev_get() -> __blkdev_get() -> blktrans_open() -> mutex_lock(&mtd_table_mutex); !!!!!!! I think the lock/unlock of the mtd_table_mutex is not necessary in blktrans_open and blktrans_release, the log message of lockdep output follow: ============================================= [ INFO: possible recursive locking detected ] 4.4.30+siae-g8b14c5b-dirty #23 Not tainted --------------------------------------------- insmod/440 is trying to acquire lock: (mtd_table_mutex){+.+.+.}, at: [<802fe6b0>] blktrans_open+0x30/0x1ac but task is already holding lock: (mtd_table_mutex){+.+.+.}, at: [<802fe93c>] register_mtd_blktrans+0x2c/0x120 other info that might help us debug this: Possible unsafe locking scenario: CPU0 ---- lock(mtd_table_mutex); lock(mtd_table_mutex); *** DEADLOCK *** May be due to missing lock nesting notation 2 locks held by insmod/440: #0: (mtd_table_mutex){+.+.+.}, at: [<802fe93c>] register_mtd_blktrans+0x2c/0x120 #1: (&bdev->bd_mutex){+.+.+.}, at: [<8013c404>] __blkdev_get+0x40/0x398 stack backtrace: CPU: 0 PID: 440 Comm: insmod Not tainted 4.4.30+siae-g8b14c5b-dirty #23 Hardware name: SIAE Microelettronica AGS20 (Device Tree) Backtrace: [<800140e8>] (dump_backtrace) from [<800142dc>] (show_stack+0x18/0x1c) r6:60000093 r5:00000000 r4:8067cb48 r3:00000000 [<800142c4>] (show_stack) from [<8024fe1c>] (dump_stack+0xb4/0xe8) [<8024fd68>] (dump_stack) from [<8006dc48>] (__lock_acquire+0x1a94/0x1f14) r10:807d6db8 r9:8067cc28 r8:bdacd4c0 r7:80e933dc r6:bdacd080 r5:80e84ab4 r4:807d6db8 r3:00000002 [<8006c1b4>] (__lock_acquire) from [<8006e8ec>] (lock_acquire+0x78/0x98) r10:80686c38 r9:00000000 r8:00000001 r7:00000001 r6:802fe6b0 r5:60000013 r4:00000000 [<8006e874>] (lock_acquire) from [<804bc708>] (mutex_lock_nested+0x54/0x3ec) r7:bdacd080 r6:80e84ab4 r5:802fe6b0 r4:00000000 [<804bc6b4>] (mutex_lock_nested) from [<802fe6b0>] (blktrans_open+0x30/0x1ac) r10:00000001 r9:00000000 r8:00000001 r7:be61be10 r6:00000000 r5:bd98a400 r4:be61be00 [<802fe680>] (blktrans_open) from [<8013c464>] (__blkdev_get+0xa0/0x398) r8:00000000 r7:bec24f10 r6:00000000 r5:bd98a400 r4:bec24f00 r3:802fe680 [<8013c3c4>] (__blkdev_get) from [<8013c86c>] (blkdev_get+0x110/0x348) r10:bec24f00 r9:00000001 r8:be831f90 r7:bd98a40c r6:00000000 r5:00000000 r4:bec24f00 [<8013c75c>] (blkdev_get) from [<8024204c>] (add_disk+0x318/0x46c) r10:bec24f00 r9:00000001 r8:be831f90 r7:bd98a40c r6:bd98a480 r5:00000000 r4:bd98a400 [<80241d34>] (add_disk) from [<802fde80>] (add_mtd_blktrans_dev+0x314/0x440) r10:be61be9c r9:00000000 r8:00f68e00 r7:bd98a400 r6:7f00242c r5:00000000 r4:be61be00 [<802fdb6c>] (add_mtd_blktrans_dev) from [<7f000c74>] (ftl_add_mtd+0x490/0x7d8 [ftl]) r10:bd843d28 r9:be61bf00 r8:00000000 r7:000000bf r6:00007b47 r5:00000be0 r4:be61be00 [<7f0007e4>] (ftl_add_mtd [ftl]) from [<802fe9c4>] (register_mtd_blktrans+0xb4/0x120) r10:00000000 r9:be618ec0 r8:7f0024c8 r7:7f004000 r6:00000000 r5:7f00242c r4:be806000 [<802fe910>] (register_mtd_blktrans) from [<7f004014>] (init_ftl+0x14/0x1c [ftl]) r6:be618f80 r5:8066ad20 r4:8066ad20 r3:00000000 [<7f004000>] (init_ftl [ftl]) from [<800097bc>] (do_one_initcall+0x88/0x1e8) [<80009734>] (do_one_initcall) from [<800bf9f4>] (do_init_module+0x60/0x394) r10:00000001 r9:be618ec0 r8:7f0024c8 r7:7f002480 r6:be618700 r5:be618ec8 r4:7f002480 [<800bf994>] (do_init_module) from [<800a1b7c>] (load_module+0x1814/0x1f34) r6:00000001 r5:be618ec8 r4:bd843f34 [<800a0368>] (load_module) from [<800a2370>] (SyS_init_module+0xd4/0x148) r10:bd842000 r9:00000051 r8:c6b16780 r7:76fd8788 r6:00000000 r5:00004780 r4:00000000 [<800a229c>] (SyS_init_module) from [<8000fb60>] (ret_fast_syscall+0x0/0x1c) r10:00000000 r9:bd842000 r8:8000fd04 r7:00000080 r6:00000191 r5:7e8cbf31 r4:00024780 IVan