<feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom'>
<title>linux.git/fs/namespace.c, branch v2.6.38</title>
<subtitle>Linux kernel source tree</subtitle>
<link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://git.tavy.me/linux.git/'/>
<entry>
<title>Unlock vfsmount_lock in do_umount</title>
<updated>2011-02-24T07:10:57+00:00</updated>
<author>
<name>J. R. Okajima</name>
<email>hooanon05@yahoo.co.jp</email>
</author>
<published>2011-02-23T07:59:49+00:00</published>
<link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://git.tavy.me/linux.git/commit/?id=bf9faa2aa30e2ebf30287536712ed2717bb47002'/>
<id>bf9faa2aa30e2ebf30287536712ed2717bb47002</id>
<content type='text'>
By the commit
	b3e19d9 2011-01-07 fs: scale mntget/mntput
vfsmount_lock was introduced around testing mnt_count.
Fix the mis-typed 'unlock'

Signed-off-by: J. R. Okajima &lt;hooanon05@yahoo.co.jp&gt;
Acked-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
Signed-off-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
</content>
<content type='xhtml'>
<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>
<pre>
By the commit
	b3e19d9 2011-01-07 fs: scale mntget/mntput
vfsmount_lock was introduced around testing mnt_count.
Fix the mis-typed 'unlock'

Signed-off-by: J. R. Okajima &lt;hooanon05@yahoo.co.jp&gt;
Acked-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
Signed-off-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
</pre>
</div>
</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>tidy up around finish_automount()</title>
<updated>2011-01-17T06:47:59+00:00</updated>
<author>
<name>Al Viro</name>
<email>viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk</email>
</author>
<published>2011-01-17T06:47:59+00:00</published>
<link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://git.tavy.me/linux.git/commit/?id=b1e75df45a3d8a490b8648e44632debc5eea04b1'/>
<id>b1e75df45a3d8a490b8648e44632debc5eea04b1</id>
<content type='text'>
do_add_mount() and mnt_clear_expiry() are not needed outside of
namespace.c anymore, now that namei has finish_automount() to
use.

Signed-off-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
</content>
<content type='xhtml'>
<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>
<pre>
do_add_mount() and mnt_clear_expiry() are not needed outside of
namespace.c anymore, now that namei has finish_automount() to
use.

Signed-off-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
</pre>
</div>
</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>don't drop newmnt on error in do_add_mount()</title>
<updated>2011-01-17T06:41:58+00:00</updated>
<author>
<name>Al Viro</name>
<email>viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk</email>
</author>
<published>2011-01-17T06:41:58+00:00</published>
<link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://git.tavy.me/linux.git/commit/?id=15f9a3f3e199647fe0cac19302c5033cf031372d'/>
<id>15f9a3f3e199647fe0cac19302c5033cf031372d</id>
<content type='text'>
That gets rid of the kludge in finish_automount() - we need
to keep refcount on the vfsmount as-is until we evict it from
expiry list.

Signed-off-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
</content>
<content type='xhtml'>
<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>
<pre>
That gets rid of the kludge in finish_automount() - we need
to keep refcount on the vfsmount as-is until we evict it from
expiry list.

Signed-off-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
</pre>
</div>
</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>Take the completion of automount into new helper</title>
<updated>2011-01-17T06:35:23+00:00</updated>
<author>
<name>Al Viro</name>
<email>viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk</email>
</author>
<published>2011-01-17T06:35:23+00:00</published>
<link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://git.tavy.me/linux.git/commit/?id=19a167af7c97248ec646552ebc9140bc6aa3552a'/>
<id>19a167af7c97248ec646552ebc9140bc6aa3552a</id>
<content type='text'>
... and shift it from namei.c to namespace.c

Signed-off-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
</content>
<content type='xhtml'>
<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>
<pre>
... and shift it from namei.c to namespace.c

Signed-off-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
</pre>
</div>
</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>VFS: Fix UP compile error in fs/namespace.c</title>
<updated>2011-01-16T22:59:45+00:00</updated>
<author>
<name>Al Viro</name>
<email>viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk</email>
</author>
<published>2011-01-16T21:32:11+00:00</published>
<link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://git.tavy.me/linux.git/commit/?id=7e3d0eb0b028ed9e9384e6afcae2f22993bbdf25'/>
<id>7e3d0eb0b028ed9e9384e6afcae2f22993bbdf25</id>
<content type='text'>
mnt_longterm is there only on SMP

Reported-and-tested-by: Joachim Eastwood &lt;manabian@gmail.com&gt;
Signed-off-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
Signed-off-by: Linus Torvalds &lt;torvalds@linux-foundation.org&gt;
</content>
<content type='xhtml'>
<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>
<pre>
mnt_longterm is there only on SMP

Reported-and-tested-by: Joachim Eastwood &lt;manabian@gmail.com&gt;
Signed-off-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
Signed-off-by: Linus Torvalds &lt;torvalds@linux-foundation.org&gt;
</pre>
</div>
</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>sanitize vfsmount refcounting changes</title>
<updated>2011-01-16T18:47:07+00:00</updated>
<author>
<name>Al Viro</name>
<email>viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk</email>
</author>
<published>2011-01-15T03:30:21+00:00</published>
<link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://git.tavy.me/linux.git/commit/?id=f03c65993b98eeb909a4012ce7833c5857d74755'/>
<id>f03c65993b98eeb909a4012ce7833c5857d74755</id>
<content type='text'>
Instead of splitting refcount between (per-cpu) mnt_count
and (SMP-only) mnt_longrefs, make all references contribute
to mnt_count again and keep track of how many are longterm
ones.

Accounting rules for longterm count:
	* 1 for each fs_struct.root.mnt
	* 1 for each fs_struct.pwd.mnt
	* 1 for having non-NULL -&gt;mnt_ns
	* decrement to 0 happens only under vfsmount lock exclusive

That allows nice common case for mntput() - since we can't drop the
final reference until after mnt_longterm has reached 0 due to the rules
above, mntput() can grab vfsmount lock shared and check mnt_longterm.
If it turns out to be non-zero (which is the common case), we know
that this is not the final mntput() and can just blindly decrement
percpu mnt_count.  Otherwise we grab vfsmount lock exclusive and
do usual decrement-and-check of percpu mnt_count.

For fs_struct.c we have mnt_make_longterm() and mnt_make_shortterm();
namespace.c uses the latter in places where we don't already hold
vfsmount lock exclusive and opencodes a few remaining spots where
we need to manipulate mnt_longterm.

Note that we mostly revert the code outside of fs/namespace.c back
to what we used to have; in particular, normal code doesn't need
to care about two kinds of references, etc.  And we get to keep
the optimization Nick's variant had bought us...

Signed-off-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
</content>
<content type='xhtml'>
<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>
<pre>
Instead of splitting refcount between (per-cpu) mnt_count
and (SMP-only) mnt_longrefs, make all references contribute
to mnt_count again and keep track of how many are longterm
ones.

Accounting rules for longterm count:
	* 1 for each fs_struct.root.mnt
	* 1 for each fs_struct.pwd.mnt
	* 1 for having non-NULL -&gt;mnt_ns
	* decrement to 0 happens only under vfsmount lock exclusive

That allows nice common case for mntput() - since we can't drop the
final reference until after mnt_longterm has reached 0 due to the rules
above, mntput() can grab vfsmount lock shared and check mnt_longterm.
If it turns out to be non-zero (which is the common case), we know
that this is not the final mntput() and can just blindly decrement
percpu mnt_count.  Otherwise we grab vfsmount lock exclusive and
do usual decrement-and-check of percpu mnt_count.

For fs_struct.c we have mnt_make_longterm() and mnt_make_shortterm();
namespace.c uses the latter in places where we don't already hold
vfsmount lock exclusive and opencodes a few remaining spots where
we need to manipulate mnt_longterm.

Note that we mostly revert the code outside of fs/namespace.c back
to what we used to have; in particular, normal code doesn't need
to care about two kinds of references, etc.  And we get to keep
the optimization Nick's variant had bought us...

Signed-off-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
</pre>
</div>
</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>fix old umount_tree() breakage</title>
<updated>2011-01-16T18:47:01+00:00</updated>
<author>
<name>Al Viro</name>
<email>viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk</email>
</author>
<published>2011-01-16T01:08:44+00:00</published>
<link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://git.tavy.me/linux.git/commit/?id=7b8a53fd815deb39542085897743fa0063f9fe06'/>
<id>7b8a53fd815deb39542085897743fa0063f9fe06</id>
<content type='text'>
Expiry-related code calls umount_tree() several times with
the same list to collect vfsmounts to.  Which is fine, except
that umount_tree() implicitly assumed that the list would
be empty on each call - it moves the victims over there and
then iterates through the list kicking them out.  It's *almost*
idempotent, so everything nearly worked.  However, mnt-&gt;ghosts
handling (and thus expirability checks) had been broken - that
part was not idempotent...

The fix is trivial - use local temporary list, splice it to
the the collector list when we are through.

Signed-off-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
</content>
<content type='xhtml'>
<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>
<pre>
Expiry-related code calls umount_tree() several times with
the same list to collect vfsmounts to.  Which is fine, except
that umount_tree() implicitly assumed that the list would
be empty on each call - it moves the victims over there and
then iterates through the list kicking them out.  It's *almost*
idempotent, so everything nearly worked.  However, mnt-&gt;ghosts
handling (and thus expirability checks) had been broken - that
part was not idempotent...

The fix is trivial - use local temporary list, splice it to
the the collector list when we are through.

Signed-off-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
</pre>
</div>
</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>Unexport do_add_mount() and add in follow_automount(), not -&gt;d_automount()</title>
<updated>2011-01-16T01:07:48+00:00</updated>
<author>
<name>David Howells</name>
<email>dhowells@redhat.com</email>
</author>
<published>2011-01-14T19:10:03+00:00</published>
<link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://git.tavy.me/linux.git/commit/?id=ea5b778a8b98c85a87d66bf844904f9c3802b869'/>
<id>ea5b778a8b98c85a87d66bf844904f9c3802b869</id>
<content type='text'>
Unexport do_add_mount() and make -&gt;d_automount() return the vfsmount to be
added rather than calling do_add_mount() itself.  follow_automount() will then
do the addition.

This slightly complicates things as -&gt;d_automount() normally wants to add the
new vfsmount to an expiration list and start an expiration timer.  The problem
with that is that the vfsmount will be deleted if it has a refcount of 1 and
the timer will not repeat if the expiration list is empty.

To this end, we require the vfsmount to be returned from d_automount() with a
refcount of (at least) 2.  One of these refs will be dropped unconditionally.
In addition, follow_automount() must get a 3rd ref around the call to
do_add_mount() lest it eat a ref and return an error, leaving the mount we
have open to being expired as we would otherwise have only 1 ref on it.

d_automount() should also add the the vfsmount to the expiration list (by
calling mnt_set_expiry()) and start the expiration timer before returning, if
this mechanism is to be used.  The vfsmount will be unlinked from the
expiration list by follow_automount() if do_add_mount() fails.

This patch also fixes the call to do_add_mount() for AFS to propagate the mount
flags from the parent vfsmount.

Signed-off-by: David Howells &lt;dhowells@redhat.com&gt;
Signed-off-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
</content>
<content type='xhtml'>
<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>
<pre>
Unexport do_add_mount() and make -&gt;d_automount() return the vfsmount to be
added rather than calling do_add_mount() itself.  follow_automount() will then
do the addition.

This slightly complicates things as -&gt;d_automount() normally wants to add the
new vfsmount to an expiration list and start an expiration timer.  The problem
with that is that the vfsmount will be deleted if it has a refcount of 1 and
the timer will not repeat if the expiration list is empty.

To this end, we require the vfsmount to be returned from d_automount() with a
refcount of (at least) 2.  One of these refs will be dropped unconditionally.
In addition, follow_automount() must get a 3rd ref around the call to
do_add_mount() lest it eat a ref and return an error, leaving the mount we
have open to being expired as we would otherwise have only 1 ref on it.

d_automount() should also add the the vfsmount to the expiration list (by
calling mnt_set_expiry()) and start the expiration timer before returning, if
this mechanism is to be used.  The vfsmount will be unlinked from the
expiration list by follow_automount() if do_add_mount() fails.

This patch also fixes the call to do_add_mount() for AFS to propagate the mount
flags from the parent vfsmount.

Signed-off-by: David Howells &lt;dhowells@redhat.com&gt;
Signed-off-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
</pre>
</div>
</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>Add a dentry op to allow processes to be held during pathwalk transit</title>
<updated>2011-01-16T01:07:31+00:00</updated>
<author>
<name>David Howells</name>
<email>dhowells@redhat.com</email>
</author>
<published>2011-01-14T18:45:26+00:00</published>
<link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://git.tavy.me/linux.git/commit/?id=cc53ce53c86924bfe98a12ea20b7465038a08792'/>
<id>cc53ce53c86924bfe98a12ea20b7465038a08792</id>
<content type='text'>
Add a dentry op (d_manage) to permit a filesystem to hold a process and make it
sleep when it tries to transit away from one of that filesystem's directories
during a pathwalk.  The operation is keyed off a new dentry flag
(DCACHE_MANAGE_TRANSIT).

The filesystem is allowed to be selective about which processes it holds and
which it permits to continue on or prohibits from transiting from each flagged
directory.  This will allow autofs to hold up client processes whilst letting
its userspace daemon through to maintain the directory or the stuff behind it
or mounted upon it.

The -&gt;d_manage() dentry operation:

	int (*d_manage)(struct path *path, bool mounting_here);

takes a pointer to the directory about to be transited away from and a flag
indicating whether the transit is undertaken by do_add_mount() or
do_move_mount() skipping through a pile of filesystems mounted on a mountpoint.

It should return 0 if successful and to let the process continue on its way;
-EISDIR to prohibit the caller from skipping to overmounted filesystems or
automounting, and to use this directory; or some other error code to return to
the user.

-&gt;d_manage() is called with namespace_sem writelocked if mounting_here is true
and no other locks held, so it may sleep.  However, if mounting_here is true,
it may not initiate or wait for a mount or unmount upon the parameter
directory, even if the act is actually performed by userspace.

Within fs/namei.c, follow_managed() is extended to check with d_manage() first
on each managed directory, before transiting away from it or attempting to
automount upon it.

follow_down() is renamed follow_down_one() and should only be used where the
filesystem deliberately intends to avoid management steps (e.g. autofs).

A new follow_down() is added that incorporates the loop done by all other
callers of follow_down() (do_add/move_mount(), autofs and NFSD; whilst AFS, NFS
and CIFS do use it, their use is removed by converting them to use
d_automount()).  The new follow_down() calls d_manage() as appropriate.  It
also takes an extra parameter to indicate if it is being called from mount code
(with namespace_sem writelocked) which it passes to d_manage().  follow_down()
ignores automount points so that it can be used to mount on them.

__follow_mount_rcu() is made to abort rcu-walk mode if it hits a directory with
DCACHE_MANAGE_TRANSIT set on the basis that we're probably going to have to
sleep.  It would be possible to enter d_manage() in rcu-walk mode too, and have
that determine whether to abort or not itself.  That would allow the autofs
daemon to continue on in rcu-walk mode.

Note that DCACHE_MANAGE_TRANSIT on a directory should be cleared when it isn't
required as every tranist from that directory will cause d_manage() to be
invoked.  It can always be set again when necessary.

==========================
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR AUTOFS
==========================

Autofs currently uses the lookup() inode op and the d_revalidate() dentry op to
trigger the automounting of indirect mounts, and both of these can be called
with i_mutex held.

autofs knows that the i_mutex will be held by the caller in lookup(), and so
can drop it before invoking the daemon - but this isn't so for d_revalidate(),
since the lock is only held on _some_ of the code paths that call it.  This
means that autofs can't risk dropping i_mutex from its d_revalidate() function
before it calls the daemon.

The bug could manifest itself as, for example, a process that's trying to
validate an automount dentry that gets made to wait because that dentry is
expired and needs cleaning up:

	mkdir         S ffffffff8014e05a     0 32580  24956
	Call Trace:
	 [&lt;ffffffff885371fd&gt;] :autofs4:autofs4_wait+0x674/0x897
	 [&lt;ffffffff80127f7d&gt;] avc_has_perm+0x46/0x58
	 [&lt;ffffffff8009fdcf&gt;] autoremove_wake_function+0x0/0x2e
	 [&lt;ffffffff88537be6&gt;] :autofs4:autofs4_expire_wait+0x41/0x6b
	 [&lt;ffffffff88535cfc&gt;] :autofs4:autofs4_revalidate+0x91/0x149
	 [&lt;ffffffff80036d96&gt;] __lookup_hash+0xa0/0x12f
	 [&lt;ffffffff80057a2f&gt;] lookup_create+0x46/0x80
	 [&lt;ffffffff800e6e31&gt;] sys_mkdirat+0x56/0xe4

versus the automount daemon which wants to remove that dentry, but can't
because the normal process is holding the i_mutex lock:

	automount     D ffffffff8014e05a     0 32581      1              32561
	Call Trace:
	 [&lt;ffffffff80063c3f&gt;] __mutex_lock_slowpath+0x60/0x9b
	 [&lt;ffffffff8000ccf1&gt;] do_path_lookup+0x2ca/0x2f1
	 [&lt;ffffffff80063c89&gt;] .text.lock.mutex+0xf/0x14
	 [&lt;ffffffff800e6d55&gt;] do_rmdir+0x77/0xde
	 [&lt;ffffffff8005d229&gt;] tracesys+0x71/0xe0
	 [&lt;ffffffff8005d28d&gt;] tracesys+0xd5/0xe0

which means that the system is deadlocked.

This patch allows autofs to hold up normal processes whilst the daemon goes
ahead and does things to the dentry tree behind the automouter point without
risking a deadlock as almost no locks are held in d_manage() and none in
d_automount().

Signed-off-by: David Howells &lt;dhowells@redhat.com&gt;
Was-Acked-by: Ian Kent &lt;raven@themaw.net&gt;
Signed-off-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
</content>
<content type='xhtml'>
<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>
<pre>
Add a dentry op (d_manage) to permit a filesystem to hold a process and make it
sleep when it tries to transit away from one of that filesystem's directories
during a pathwalk.  The operation is keyed off a new dentry flag
(DCACHE_MANAGE_TRANSIT).

The filesystem is allowed to be selective about which processes it holds and
which it permits to continue on or prohibits from transiting from each flagged
directory.  This will allow autofs to hold up client processes whilst letting
its userspace daemon through to maintain the directory or the stuff behind it
or mounted upon it.

The -&gt;d_manage() dentry operation:

	int (*d_manage)(struct path *path, bool mounting_here);

takes a pointer to the directory about to be transited away from and a flag
indicating whether the transit is undertaken by do_add_mount() or
do_move_mount() skipping through a pile of filesystems mounted on a mountpoint.

It should return 0 if successful and to let the process continue on its way;
-EISDIR to prohibit the caller from skipping to overmounted filesystems or
automounting, and to use this directory; or some other error code to return to
the user.

-&gt;d_manage() is called with namespace_sem writelocked if mounting_here is true
and no other locks held, so it may sleep.  However, if mounting_here is true,
it may not initiate or wait for a mount or unmount upon the parameter
directory, even if the act is actually performed by userspace.

Within fs/namei.c, follow_managed() is extended to check with d_manage() first
on each managed directory, before transiting away from it or attempting to
automount upon it.

follow_down() is renamed follow_down_one() and should only be used where the
filesystem deliberately intends to avoid management steps (e.g. autofs).

A new follow_down() is added that incorporates the loop done by all other
callers of follow_down() (do_add/move_mount(), autofs and NFSD; whilst AFS, NFS
and CIFS do use it, their use is removed by converting them to use
d_automount()).  The new follow_down() calls d_manage() as appropriate.  It
also takes an extra parameter to indicate if it is being called from mount code
(with namespace_sem writelocked) which it passes to d_manage().  follow_down()
ignores automount points so that it can be used to mount on them.

__follow_mount_rcu() is made to abort rcu-walk mode if it hits a directory with
DCACHE_MANAGE_TRANSIT set on the basis that we're probably going to have to
sleep.  It would be possible to enter d_manage() in rcu-walk mode too, and have
that determine whether to abort or not itself.  That would allow the autofs
daemon to continue on in rcu-walk mode.

Note that DCACHE_MANAGE_TRANSIT on a directory should be cleared when it isn't
required as every tranist from that directory will cause d_manage() to be
invoked.  It can always be set again when necessary.

==========================
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR AUTOFS
==========================

Autofs currently uses the lookup() inode op and the d_revalidate() dentry op to
trigger the automounting of indirect mounts, and both of these can be called
with i_mutex held.

autofs knows that the i_mutex will be held by the caller in lookup(), and so
can drop it before invoking the daemon - but this isn't so for d_revalidate(),
since the lock is only held on _some_ of the code paths that call it.  This
means that autofs can't risk dropping i_mutex from its d_revalidate() function
before it calls the daemon.

The bug could manifest itself as, for example, a process that's trying to
validate an automount dentry that gets made to wait because that dentry is
expired and needs cleaning up:

	mkdir         S ffffffff8014e05a     0 32580  24956
	Call Trace:
	 [&lt;ffffffff885371fd&gt;] :autofs4:autofs4_wait+0x674/0x897
	 [&lt;ffffffff80127f7d&gt;] avc_has_perm+0x46/0x58
	 [&lt;ffffffff8009fdcf&gt;] autoremove_wake_function+0x0/0x2e
	 [&lt;ffffffff88537be6&gt;] :autofs4:autofs4_expire_wait+0x41/0x6b
	 [&lt;ffffffff88535cfc&gt;] :autofs4:autofs4_revalidate+0x91/0x149
	 [&lt;ffffffff80036d96&gt;] __lookup_hash+0xa0/0x12f
	 [&lt;ffffffff80057a2f&gt;] lookup_create+0x46/0x80
	 [&lt;ffffffff800e6e31&gt;] sys_mkdirat+0x56/0xe4

versus the automount daemon which wants to remove that dentry, but can't
because the normal process is holding the i_mutex lock:

	automount     D ffffffff8014e05a     0 32581      1              32561
	Call Trace:
	 [&lt;ffffffff80063c3f&gt;] __mutex_lock_slowpath+0x60/0x9b
	 [&lt;ffffffff8000ccf1&gt;] do_path_lookup+0x2ca/0x2f1
	 [&lt;ffffffff80063c89&gt;] .text.lock.mutex+0xf/0x14
	 [&lt;ffffffff800e6d55&gt;] do_rmdir+0x77/0xde
	 [&lt;ffffffff8005d229&gt;] tracesys+0x71/0xe0
	 [&lt;ffffffff8005d28d&gt;] tracesys+0xd5/0xe0

which means that the system is deadlocked.

This patch allows autofs to hold up normal processes whilst the daemon goes
ahead and does things to the dentry tree behind the automouter point without
risking a deadlock as almost no locks are held in d_manage() and none in
d_automount().

Signed-off-by: David Howells &lt;dhowells@redhat.com&gt;
Was-Acked-by: Ian Kent &lt;raven@themaw.net&gt;
Signed-off-by: Al Viro &lt;viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk&gt;
</pre>
</div>
</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>fs: scale mntget/mntput</title>
<updated>2011-01-07T06:50:33+00:00</updated>
<author>
<name>Nick Piggin</name>
<email>npiggin@kernel.dk</email>
</author>
<published>2011-01-07T06:50:11+00:00</published>
<link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://git.tavy.me/linux.git/commit/?id=b3e19d924b6eaf2ca7d22cba99a517c5171007b6'/>
<id>b3e19d924b6eaf2ca7d22cba99a517c5171007b6</id>
<content type='text'>
The problem that this patch aims to fix is vfsmount refcounting scalability.
We need to take a reference on the vfsmount for every successful path lookup,
which often go to the same mount point.

The fundamental difficulty is that a "simple" reference count can never be made
scalable, because any time a reference is dropped, we must check whether that
was the last reference. To do that requires communication with all other CPUs
that may have taken a reference count.

We can make refcounts more scalable in a couple of ways, involving keeping
distributed counters, and checking for the global-zero condition less
frequently.

- check the global sum once every interval (this will delay zero detection
  for some interval, so it's probably a showstopper for vfsmounts).

- keep a local count and only taking the global sum when local reaches 0 (this
  is difficult for vfsmounts, because we can't hold preempt off for the life of
  a reference, so a counter would need to be per-thread or tied strongly to a
  particular CPU which requires more locking).

- keep a local difference of increments and decrements, which allows us to sum
  the total difference and hence find the refcount when summing all CPUs. Then,
  keep a single integer "long" refcount for slow and long lasting references,
  and only take the global sum of local counters when the long refcount is 0.

This last scheme is what I implemented here. Attached mounts and process root
and working directory references are "long" references, and everything else is
a short reference.

This allows scalable vfsmount references during path walking over mounted
subtrees and unattached (lazy umounted) mounts with processes still running
in them.

This results in one fewer atomic op in the fastpath: mntget is now just a
per-CPU inc, rather than an atomic inc; and mntput just requires a spinlock
and non-atomic decrement in the common case. However code is otherwise bigger
and heavier, so single threaded performance is basically a wash.

Signed-off-by: Nick Piggin &lt;npiggin@kernel.dk&gt;
</content>
<content type='xhtml'>
<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>
<pre>
The problem that this patch aims to fix is vfsmount refcounting scalability.
We need to take a reference on the vfsmount for every successful path lookup,
which often go to the same mount point.

The fundamental difficulty is that a "simple" reference count can never be made
scalable, because any time a reference is dropped, we must check whether that
was the last reference. To do that requires communication with all other CPUs
that may have taken a reference count.

We can make refcounts more scalable in a couple of ways, involving keeping
distributed counters, and checking for the global-zero condition less
frequently.

- check the global sum once every interval (this will delay zero detection
  for some interval, so it's probably a showstopper for vfsmounts).

- keep a local count and only taking the global sum when local reaches 0 (this
  is difficult for vfsmounts, because we can't hold preempt off for the life of
  a reference, so a counter would need to be per-thread or tied strongly to a
  particular CPU which requires more locking).

- keep a local difference of increments and decrements, which allows us to sum
  the total difference and hence find the refcount when summing all CPUs. Then,
  keep a single integer "long" refcount for slow and long lasting references,
  and only take the global sum of local counters when the long refcount is 0.

This last scheme is what I implemented here. Attached mounts and process root
and working directory references are "long" references, and everything else is
a short reference.

This allows scalable vfsmount references during path walking over mounted
subtrees and unattached (lazy umounted) mounts with processes still running
in them.

This results in one fewer atomic op in the fastpath: mntget is now just a
per-CPU inc, rather than an atomic inc; and mntput just requires a spinlock
and non-atomic decrement in the common case. However code is otherwise bigger
and heavier, so single threaded performance is basically a wash.

Signed-off-by: Nick Piggin &lt;npiggin@kernel.dk&gt;
</pre>
</div>
</content>
</entry>
</feed>
