From: rafad900 <rafad900@gmail.com>
To: tytso@mit.edu, adilger.kernel@dilger.ca,
libaokun@linux.alibaba.com, jack@suse.cz
Cc: linux-ext4@vger.kernel.org, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org,
rafad900 <rafad900@gmail.com>
Subject: [PATCH] ext4: convert pa_count from atomic_t to refcount_t
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 2026 20:44:41 -0700 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <20260720034441.3900050-1-rafad900@gmail.com> (raw)
The pa_count field in struct ext4_prealloc_space is
reference counter for preallocation descriptors.
Converting it from atomic_t to refcount_t provides
underflow and overflow protection.
This was found using Coccinelle script
atomic_as_refcounter.cocci
Testing was done on a QEMU x86 VM revealing a
pre-existing race condition leading to a
use-after-free.
Signed-off-by: rafad900 <rafad900@gmail.com>
---
fs/ext4/mballoc.c | 22 +++++++++++-----------
fs/ext4/mballoc.h | 2 +-
2 files changed, 12 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-)
diff --git a/fs/ext4/mballoc.c b/fs/ext4/mballoc.c
index ed1bd00e11cd..59b3d4abaab0 100644
--- a/fs/ext4/mballoc.c
+++ b/fs/ext4/mballoc.c
@@ -4823,7 +4823,7 @@ ext4_mb_check_group_pa(ext4_fsblk_t goal_block,
ext4_fsblk_t cur_distance, new_distance;
if (cpa == NULL) {
- atomic_inc(&pa->pa_count);
+ refcount_inc(&pa->pa_count);
return pa;
}
cur_distance = abs(goal_block - cpa->pa_pstart);
@@ -4833,8 +4833,8 @@ ext4_mb_check_group_pa(ext4_fsblk_t goal_block,
return cpa;
/* drop the previous reference */
- atomic_dec(&cpa->pa_count);
- atomic_inc(&pa->pa_count);
+ refcount_dec(&cpa->pa_count);
+ refcount_inc(&pa->pa_count);
return pa;
}
@@ -4993,7 +4993,7 @@ ext4_mb_use_preallocated(struct ext4_allocation_context *ac)
}
if (tmp_pa->pa_free && likely(ext4_mb_pa_goal_check(ac, tmp_pa))) {
- atomic_inc(&tmp_pa->pa_count);
+ refcount_inc(&tmp_pa->pa_count);
ext4_mb_use_inode_pa(ac, tmp_pa);
spin_unlock(&tmp_pa->pa_lock);
read_unlock(&ei->i_prealloc_lock);
@@ -5139,7 +5139,7 @@ static void ext4_mb_mark_pa_deleted(struct super_block *sb,
static inline void ext4_mb_pa_free(struct ext4_prealloc_space *pa)
{
BUG_ON(!pa);
- BUG_ON(atomic_read(&pa->pa_count));
+ BUG_ON(refcount_read(&pa->pa_count));
BUG_ON(pa->pa_deleted == 0);
kmem_cache_free(ext4_pspace_cachep, pa);
}
@@ -5165,7 +5165,7 @@ static void ext4_mb_put_pa(struct ext4_allocation_context *ac,
/* in this short window concurrent discard can set pa_deleted */
spin_lock(&pa->pa_lock);
- if (!atomic_dec_and_test(&pa->pa_count) || pa->pa_free != 0) {
+ if (!refcount_dec_and_test(&pa->pa_count) || pa->pa_free != 0) {
spin_unlock(&pa->pa_lock);
return;
}
@@ -5535,7 +5535,7 @@ ext4_mb_discard_group_preallocations(struct super_block *sb,
list_for_each_entry_safe(pa, tmp,
&grp->bb_prealloc_list, pa_group_list) {
spin_lock(&pa->pa_lock);
- if (atomic_read(&pa->pa_count)) {
+ if (refcount_read(&pa->pa_count)) {
spin_unlock(&pa->pa_lock);
*busy = 1;
continue;
@@ -5637,7 +5637,7 @@ void ext4_discard_preallocations(struct inode *inode)
BUG_ON(pa->pa_node_lock.inode_lock != &ei->i_prealloc_lock);
spin_lock(&pa->pa_lock);
- if (atomic_read(&pa->pa_count)) {
+ if (refcount_read(&pa->pa_count)) {
/* this shouldn't happen often - nobody should
* use preallocation while we're discarding it */
spin_unlock(&pa->pa_lock);
@@ -5720,7 +5720,7 @@ static int ext4_mb_pa_alloc(struct ext4_allocation_context *ac)
pa = kmem_cache_zalloc(ext4_pspace_cachep, GFP_NOFS);
if (!pa)
return -ENOMEM;
- atomic_set(&pa->pa_count, 1);
+ refcount_set(&pa->pa_count, 1);
ac->ac_pa = pa;
return 0;
}
@@ -5731,7 +5731,7 @@ static void ext4_mb_pa_put_free(struct ext4_allocation_context *ac)
BUG_ON(!pa);
ac->ac_pa = NULL;
- WARN_ON(!atomic_dec_and_test(&pa->pa_count));
+ WARN_ON(!refcount_dec_and_test(&pa->pa_count));
/*
* current function is only called due to an error or due to
* len of found blocks < len of requested blocks hence the PA has not
@@ -5948,7 +5948,7 @@ ext4_mb_discard_lg_preallocations(struct super_block *sb,
pa_node.lg_list,
lockdep_is_held(&lg->lg_prealloc_lock)) {
spin_lock(&pa->pa_lock);
- if (atomic_read(&pa->pa_count)) {
+ if (refcount_read(&pa->pa_count)) {
/*
* This is the pa that we just used
* for block allocation. So don't
diff --git a/fs/ext4/mballoc.h b/fs/ext4/mballoc.h
index 39333ce72cbd..f708d303228e 100644
--- a/fs/ext4/mballoc.h
+++ b/fs/ext4/mballoc.h
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ struct ext4_prealloc_space {
struct rcu_head pa_rcu;
} u;
spinlock_t pa_lock;
- atomic_t pa_count;
+ refcount_t pa_count;
unsigned pa_deleted;
ext4_fsblk_t pa_pstart; /* phys. block */
ext4_lblk_t pa_lstart; /* log. block */
--
2.43.0
next reply other threads:[~2026-07-20 3:45 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 2+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2026-07-20 3:44 rafad900 [this message]
2026-07-20 7:25 ` [syzbot ci] Re: ext4: convert pa_count from atomic_t to refcount_t syzbot ci
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