From: Andreas Hindborg <a.hindborg@kernel.org>
To: "Miguel Ojeda" <ojeda@kernel.org>, "Gary Guo" <gary@garyguo.net>,
"Björn Roy Baron" <bjorn3_gh@protonmail.com>,
"Benno Lossin" <lossin@kernel.org>,
"Alice Ryhl" <aliceryhl@google.com>,
"Trevor Gross" <tmgross@umich.edu>,
"Danilo Krummrich" <dakr@kernel.org>,
"Greg Kroah-Hartman" <gregkh@linuxfoundation.org>,
"Dave Ertman" <david.m.ertman@intel.com>,
"Ira Weiny" <ira.weiny@intel.com>,
"Leon Romanovsky" <leon@kernel.org>,
"Paul Moore" <paul@paul-moore.com>,
"Serge Hallyn" <sergeh@kernel.org>,
"Rafael J. Wysocki" <rafael@kernel.org>,
"David Airlie" <airlied@gmail.com>,
"Simona Vetter" <simona@ffwll.ch>,
"Alexander Viro" <viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk>,
"Christian Brauner" <brauner@kernel.org>,
"Jan Kara" <jack@suse.cz>,
"Igor Korotin" <igor.korotin.linux@gmail.com>,
"Daniel Almeida" <daniel.almeida@collabora.com>,
"Lorenzo Stoakes" <lorenzo.stoakes@oracle.com>,
"Liam R. Howlett" <Liam.Howlett@oracle.com>,
"Viresh Kumar" <vireshk@kernel.org>, "Nishanth Menon" <nm@ti.com>,
"Stephen Boyd" <sboyd@kernel.org>,
"Bjorn Helgaas" <bhelgaas@google.com>,
"Krzysztof Wilczyński" <kwilczynski@kernel.org>,
"Boqun Feng" <boqun@kernel.org>, "Boqun Feng" <boqun@kernel.org>
Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, rust-for-linux@vger.kernel.org,
linux-block@vger.kernel.org,
linux-security-module@vger.kernel.org,
dri-devel@lists.freedesktop.org, linux-fsdevel@vger.kernel.org,
linux-mm@kvack.org, linux-pm@vger.kernel.org,
linux-pci@vger.kernel.org,
Andreas Hindborg <a.hindborg@kernel.org>,
Asahi Lina <lina+kernel@asahilina.net>,
Oliver Mangold <oliver.mangold@pm.me>
Subject: [PATCH v15 1/9] rust: types: Add Ownable/Owned types
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 10:51:10 +0100 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <20260220-unique-ref-v15-1-893ed86b06cc@kernel.org> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20260220-unique-ref-v15-0-893ed86b06cc@kernel.org>
From: Asahi Lina <lina+kernel@asahilina.net>
By analogy to `AlwaysRefCounted` and `ARef`, an `Ownable` type is a
(typically C FFI) type that *may* be owned by Rust, but need not be. Unlike
`AlwaysRefCounted`, this mechanism expects the reference to be unique
within Rust, and does not allow cloning.
Conceptually, this is similar to a `KBox<T>`, except that it delegates
resource management to the `T` instead of using a generic allocator.
[ om:
- Split code into separate file and `pub use` it from types.rs.
- Make from_raw() and into_raw() public.
- Remove OwnableMut, and make DerefMut dependent on Unpin instead.
- Usage example/doctest for Ownable/Owned.
- Fixes to documentation and commit message.
]
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20250202-rust-page-v1-1-e3170d7fe55e@asahilina.net/
Signed-off-by: Asahi Lina <lina+kernel@asahilina.net>
Co-developed-by: Oliver Mangold <oliver.mangold@pm.me>
Signed-off-by: Oliver Mangold <oliver.mangold@pm.me>
Reviewed-by: Boqun Feng <boqun.feng@gmail.com>
Reviewed-by: Daniel Almeida <daniel.almeida@collabora.com>
[ Andreas: Updated documentation, examples, and formatting ]
Reviewed-by: Gary Guo <gary@garyguo.net>
Co-developed-by: Andreas Hindborg <a.hindborg@kernel.org>
Signed-off-by: Andreas Hindborg <a.hindborg@kernel.org>
---
rust/kernel/lib.rs | 1 +
rust/kernel/owned.rs | 196 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
rust/kernel/sync/aref.rs | 5 ++
rust/kernel/types.rs | 11 ++-
4 files changed, 212 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/rust/kernel/lib.rs b/rust/kernel/lib.rs
index 696f62f85eb5f..a2bec807f03f1 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/lib.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/lib.rs
@@ -121,6 +121,7 @@
pub mod of;
#[cfg(CONFIG_PM_OPP)]
pub mod opp;
+pub mod owned;
pub mod page;
#[cfg(CONFIG_PCI)]
pub mod pci;
diff --git a/rust/kernel/owned.rs b/rust/kernel/owned.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..d566ad0aa1c99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rust/kernel/owned.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,196 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+//! Unique owned pointer types for objects with custom drop logic.
+//!
+//! These pointer types are useful for C-allocated objects which by API-contract
+//! are owned by Rust, but need to be freed through the C API.
+
+use core::{
+ mem::ManuallyDrop,
+ ops::{
+ Deref,
+ DerefMut, //
+ },
+ pin::Pin,
+ ptr::NonNull, //
+};
+
+/// Types that specify their own way of performing allocation and destruction. Typically, this trait
+/// is implemented on types from the C side.
+///
+/// Implementing this trait allows types to be referenced via the [`Owned<Self>`] pointer type. This
+/// is useful when it is desirable to tie the lifetime of the reference to an owned object, rather
+/// than pass around a bare reference. [`Ownable`] types can define custom drop logic that is
+/// executed when the owned reference [`Owned<Self>`] pointing to the object is dropped.
+///
+/// Note: The underlying object is not required to provide internal reference counting, because it
+/// represents a unique, owned reference. If reference counting (on the Rust side) is required,
+/// [`AlwaysRefCounted`](crate::types::AlwaysRefCounted) should be implemented.
+///
+/// # Safety
+///
+/// Implementers must ensure that the [`release()`](Self::release) function frees the underlying
+/// object in the correct way for a valid, owned object of this type.
+///
+/// # Examples
+///
+/// A minimal example implementation of [`Ownable`] and its usage with [`Owned`] looks like
+/// this:
+///
+/// ```
+/// # #![expect(clippy::disallowed_names)]
+/// # use core::cell::Cell;
+/// # use core::ptr::NonNull;
+/// # use kernel::sync::global_lock;
+/// # use kernel::alloc::{flags, kbox::KBox, AllocError};
+/// # use kernel::types::{Owned, Ownable};
+///
+/// // Let's count the allocations to see if freeing works.
+/// kernel::sync::global_lock! {
+/// // SAFETY: we call `init()` right below, before doing anything else.
+/// unsafe(uninit) static FOO_ALLOC_COUNT: Mutex<usize> = 0;
+/// }
+/// // SAFETY: We call `init()` only once, here.
+/// unsafe { FOO_ALLOC_COUNT.init() };
+///
+/// struct Foo;
+///
+/// impl Foo {
+/// fn new() -> Result<Owned<Self>> {
+/// // We are just using a `KBox` here to handle the actual allocation, as our `Foo` is
+/// // not actually a C-allocated object.
+/// let result = KBox::new(
+/// Foo {},
+/// flags::GFP_KERNEL,
+/// )?;
+/// let result = NonNull::new(KBox::into_raw(result))
+/// .expect("Raw pointer to newly allocation KBox is null, this should never happen.");
+/// // Count new allocation
+/// *FOO_ALLOC_COUNT.lock() += 1;
+/// // SAFETY: We just allocated the `Self`, thus it is valid and there cannot be any other
+/// // Rust references. Calling `into_raw()` makes us responsible for ownership and we won't
+/// // use the raw pointer anymore. Thus we can transfer ownership to the `Owned`.
+/// Ok(unsafe { Owned::from_raw(result) })
+/// }
+/// }
+///
+/// // SAFETY: The implementation of `release` in this trait implementation correctly frees the
+/// // owned `Foo`.
+/// unsafe impl Ownable for Foo {
+/// unsafe fn release(this: NonNull<Self>) {
+/// // SAFETY: The [`KBox<Self>`] is still alive. We can pass ownership to the [`KBox`], as
+/// // by requirement on calling this function, the `Self` will no longer be used by the
+/// // caller.
+/// drop(unsafe { KBox::from_raw(this.as_ptr()) });
+/// // Count released allocation
+/// *FOO_ALLOC_COUNT.lock() -= 1;
+/// }
+/// }
+///
+/// {
+/// let foo = Foo::new().expect("Failed to allocate a Foo. This shouldn't happen");
+/// assert!(*FOO_ALLOC_COUNT.lock() == 1);
+/// }
+/// // `foo` is out of scope now, so we expect no live allocations.
+/// assert!(*FOO_ALLOC_COUNT.lock() == 0);
+/// ```
+pub unsafe trait Ownable {
+ /// Releases the object.
+ ///
+ /// # Safety
+ ///
+ /// Callers must ensure that:
+ /// - `this` points to a valid `Self`.
+ /// - `*this` is no longer used after this call.
+ unsafe fn release(this: NonNull<Self>);
+}
+
+/// A mutable reference to an owned `T`.
+///
+/// The [`Ownable`] is automatically freed or released when an instance of [`Owned`] is
+/// dropped.
+///
+/// # Invariants
+///
+/// - The [`Owned<T>`] has exclusive access to the instance of `T`.
+/// - The instance of `T` will stay alive at least as long as the [`Owned<T>`] is alive.
+pub struct Owned<T: Ownable> {
+ ptr: NonNull<T>,
+}
+
+impl<T: Ownable> Owned<T> {
+ /// Creates a new instance of [`Owned`].
+ ///
+ /// This function takes over ownership of the underlying object.
+ ///
+ /// # Safety
+ ///
+ /// Callers must ensure that:
+ /// - `ptr` points to a valid instance of `T`.
+ /// - Ownership of the underlying `T` can be transferred to the `Self<T>` (i.e. operations
+ /// which require ownership will be safe).
+ /// - An `Owned<T>` is a mutable reference to the underlying object. As such,
+ /// the object must not be accessed (read or mutated) through any pointer
+ /// other than the created `Owned<T>`. Opt-out is still possible similar to
+ /// a mutable reference (e.g. by using [`Opaque`]).
+ ///
+ /// [`Opaque`]: kernel::types::Opaque
+ pub unsafe fn from_raw(ptr: NonNull<T>) -> Self {
+ // INVARIANT: By function safety requirement:
+ // - The resulting object has exclusive access to the `T` pointed to by `ptr`.
+ // - The `T` object pointed to by `ptr` is alive at least as long as the returned `Self`.
+ Self { ptr }
+ }
+
+ /// Consumes the [`Owned`], returning a raw pointer.
+ ///
+ /// This function does not drop the underlying `T`. When this function returns, ownership of the
+ /// underlying `T` is with the caller.
+ pub fn into_raw(me: Self) -> NonNull<T> {
+ ManuallyDrop::new(me).ptr
+ }
+
+ /// Get a pinned mutable reference to the data owned by this `Owned<T>`.
+ pub fn as_pin_mut(&mut self) -> Pin<&mut T> {
+ // SAFETY: The type invariants guarantee that the object is valid, and that we can safely
+ // return a mutable reference to it.
+ let unpinned = unsafe { self.ptr.as_mut() };
+
+ // SAFETY: We never hand out unpinned mutable references to the data in
+ // `Self`, unless the contained type is `Unpin`.
+ unsafe { Pin::new_unchecked(unpinned) }
+ }
+}
+
+// SAFETY: It is safe to send an [`Owned<T>`] to another thread when the underlying `T` is [`Send`],
+// because of the ownership invariant. Sending an [`Owned<T>`] is equivalent to sending the `T`.
+unsafe impl<T: Ownable + Send> Send for Owned<T> {}
+
+// SAFETY: It is safe to send [`&Owned<T>`] to another thread when the underlying `T` is [`Sync`],
+// because of the ownership invariant. Sending an [`&Owned<T>`] is equivalent to sending the `&T`.
+unsafe impl<T: Ownable + Sync> Sync for Owned<T> {}
+
+impl<T: Ownable> Deref for Owned<T> {
+ type Target = T;
+
+ fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
+ // SAFETY: The type invariants guarantee that the object is valid.
+ unsafe { self.ptr.as_ref() }
+ }
+}
+
+impl<T: Ownable + Unpin> DerefMut for Owned<T> {
+ fn deref_mut(&mut self) -> &mut Self::Target {
+ // SAFETY: The type invariants guarantee that the object is valid, and that we can safely
+ // return a mutable reference to it.
+ unsafe { self.ptr.as_mut() }
+ }
+}
+
+impl<T: Ownable> Drop for Owned<T> {
+ fn drop(&mut self) {
+ // SAFETY: The type invariants guarantee that the `Owned` owns the object we're about to
+ // release.
+ unsafe { T::release(self.ptr) };
+ }
+}
diff --git a/rust/kernel/sync/aref.rs b/rust/kernel/sync/aref.rs
index 0d24a0432015d..e175aefe86151 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/sync/aref.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/sync/aref.rs
@@ -29,6 +29,11 @@
/// Rust code, the recommendation is to use [`Arc`](crate::sync::Arc) to create reference-counted
/// instances of a type.
///
+/// Note: Implementing this trait allows types to be wrapped in an [`ARef<Self>`]. It requires an
+/// internal reference count and provides only shared references. If unique references are required
+/// [`Ownable`](crate::types::Ownable) should be implemented which allows types to be wrapped in an
+/// [`Owned<Self>`](crate::types::Owned).
+///
/// # Safety
///
/// Implementers must ensure that increments to the reference count keep the object alive in memory
diff --git a/rust/kernel/types.rs b/rust/kernel/types.rs
index 9c5e7dbf16323..4aec7b699269a 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/types.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/types.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,16 @@
};
use pin_init::{PinInit, Wrapper, Zeroable};
-pub use crate::sync::aref::{ARef, AlwaysRefCounted};
+pub use crate::{
+ owned::{
+ Ownable,
+ Owned, //
+ },
+ sync::aref::{
+ ARef,
+ AlwaysRefCounted, //
+ }, //
+};
/// Used to transfer ownership to and from foreign (non-Rust) languages.
///
--
2.51.2
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2026-02-20 9:52 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 21+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2026-02-20 9:51 [PATCH v15 0/9] rust: add `Ownable` trait and `Owned` type Andreas Hindborg
2026-02-20 9:51 ` Andreas Hindborg [this message]
2026-02-20 10:35 ` [PATCH v15 1/9] rust: types: Add Ownable/Owned types Alice Ryhl
2026-02-23 14:59 ` Andreas Hindborg
2026-02-24 7:37 ` aliceryhl
2026-02-24 10:41 ` Andreas Hindborg
2026-02-20 9:51 ` [PATCH v15 2/9] rust: rename `AlwaysRefCounted` to `RefCounted` Andreas Hindborg
2026-02-20 9:51 ` [PATCH v15 3/9] rust: Add missing SAFETY documentation for `ARef` example Andreas Hindborg
2026-02-20 10:49 ` Alice Ryhl
2026-02-23 14:59 ` Andreas Hindborg
2026-02-20 9:51 ` [PATCH v15 4/9] rust: aref: update formatting of use statements Andreas Hindborg
2026-02-20 9:51 ` [PATCH v15 5/9] rust: Add `OwnableRefCounted` Andreas Hindborg
2026-02-20 9:51 ` [PATCH v15 6/9] rust: page: update formatting of `use` statements Andreas Hindborg
2026-02-20 9:51 ` [PATCH v15 7/9] rust: page: convert to `Ownable` Andreas Hindborg
2026-02-20 9:51 ` [PATCH v15 8/9] rust: implement `ForeignOwnable` for `Owned` Andreas Hindborg
2026-02-20 9:51 ` [PATCH v15 9/9] rust: page: add `from_raw()` Andreas Hindborg
2026-02-20 10:49 ` Alice Ryhl
2026-02-23 14:59 ` Andreas Hindborg
2026-02-20 17:33 ` Miguel Ojeda
2026-02-20 17:50 ` Tamir Duberstein
2026-02-23 15:00 ` Andreas Hindborg
Reply instructions:
You may reply publicly to this message via plain-text email
using any one of the following methods:
* Save the following mbox file, import it into your mail client,
and reply-to-all from there: mbox
Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style
* Reply using the --to, --cc, and --in-reply-to
switches of git-send-email(1):
git send-email \
--in-reply-to=20260220-unique-ref-v15-1-893ed86b06cc@kernel.org \
--to=a.hindborg@kernel.org \
--cc=Liam.Howlett@oracle.com \
--cc=airlied@gmail.com \
--cc=aliceryhl@google.com \
--cc=bhelgaas@google.com \
--cc=bjorn3_gh@protonmail.com \
--cc=boqun@kernel.org \
--cc=brauner@kernel.org \
--cc=dakr@kernel.org \
--cc=daniel.almeida@collabora.com \
--cc=david.m.ertman@intel.com \
--cc=dri-devel@lists.freedesktop.org \
--cc=gary@garyguo.net \
--cc=gregkh@linuxfoundation.org \
--cc=igor.korotin.linux@gmail.com \
--cc=ira.weiny@intel.com \
--cc=jack@suse.cz \
--cc=kwilczynski@kernel.org \
--cc=leon@kernel.org \
--cc=lina+kernel@asahilina.net \
--cc=linux-block@vger.kernel.org \
--cc=linux-fsdevel@vger.kernel.org \
--cc=linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org \
--cc=linux-mm@kvack.org \
--cc=linux-pci@vger.kernel.org \
--cc=linux-pm@vger.kernel.org \
--cc=linux-security-module@vger.kernel.org \
--cc=lorenzo.stoakes@oracle.com \
--cc=lossin@kernel.org \
--cc=nm@ti.com \
--cc=ojeda@kernel.org \
--cc=oliver.mangold@pm.me \
--cc=paul@paul-moore.com \
--cc=rafael@kernel.org \
--cc=rust-for-linux@vger.kernel.org \
--cc=sboyd@kernel.org \
--cc=sergeh@kernel.org \
--cc=simona@ffwll.ch \
--cc=tmgross@umich.edu \
--cc=vireshk@kernel.org \
--cc=viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk \
/path/to/YOUR_REPLY
https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-send-email.html
* If your mail client supports setting the In-Reply-To header
via mailto: links, try the mailto: link
Be sure your reply has a Subject: header at the top and a blank line
before the message body.
This is an external index of several public inboxes,
see mirroring instructions on how to clone and mirror
all data and code used by this external index.