+ mm-eliminate-vm_special-vma_special_flags.patch added to mm-unstable branch

[Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>]

The patch titled
     Subject: mm: eliminate VM_SPECIAL, VMA_SPECIAL_FLAGS
has been added to the -mm mm-unstable branch.  Its filename is
     mm-eliminate-vm_special-vma_special_flags.patch

This patch will shortly appear at
     https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/akpm/25-new.git/tree/patches/mm-eliminate-vm_special-vma_special_flags.patch

This patch will later appear in the mm-unstable branch at
    git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/akpm/mm

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------------------------------------------------------
From: "Lorenzo Stoakes (ARM)" <ljs@kernel.org>
Subject: mm: eliminate VM_SPECIAL, VMA_SPECIAL_FLAGS
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2026 17:22:46 +0100

Every user of the VM_SPECIAL or VMA_SPECIAL_FLAGS has now been converted
to predicates which explicitly express what is actually being checked for
rather than the nebulous concept of possessing 'special' VMA flags.

In any case 'special' is not so special a term of art in mm - it includes
VDSO/VVAR mappings, special in the sense of vm_normal_folio() and probably
other cases too.

Therefore make things less special by eliminating these now unused flags.

No functional change intended.

Link: https://lore.kernel.org/20260917-b4-mmap-prepare-vma-flag-sanify-v3-37-4583d8a23bca@kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Lorenzo Stoakes (ARM) <ljs@kernel.org>
Signed-off-by: Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
Cc: Albert Ou <aou@eecs.berkeley.edu>
Cc: Alexander Gordeev <agordeev@linux.ibm.com>
Cc: Alexei Starovoitov <ast@kernel.org>
Cc: Alistair Popple <apopple@nvidia.com>
Cc: Al Viro <viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk>
Cc: Andreas Larsson <andreas@gaisler.com>
Cc: Andrii Nakryiko <andrii@kernel.org>
Cc: "Aneesh Kumar K.V" <aneesh.kumar@kernel.org>
Cc: Anup Patel <anup@brainfault.org>
Cc: Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo <acme@kernel.org>
Cc: Arnd Bergmann <arnd@arndb.de>
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Cc: Baolin Wang <baolin.wang@linux.alibaba.com>
Cc: Baoquan He <baoquan.he@linux.dev>
Cc: Barry Song <baohua@kernel.org>
Cc: "Borislav Petkov (AMD)" <bp@alien8.de>
Cc: Byungchul Park <byungchul@sk.com>
Cc: Catalin Marinas <catalin.marinas@arm.com>
Cc: Chengming Zhou <chengming.zhou@linux.dev>
Cc: Chris Li <chrisl@kernel.org>
Cc: Christian Borntraeger <borntraeger@linux.ibm.com>
Cc: Christian Brauner <brauner@kernel.org>
Cc: Claudio Imbrenda <imbrenda@linux.ibm.com>
Cc: Dave Airlie <airlied@gmail.com>
Cc: Dave Hansen <dave.hansen@linux.intel.com>
Cc: David Hildenbrand <david@kernel.org>
Cc: David S. Miller <davem@davemloft.net>
Cc: Dennis Dalessandro <dennis.dalessandro@cornelisnetworks.com>
Cc: Dev Jain <dev.jain@arm.com>
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Cc: Zi Yan <ziy@nvidia.com>
---

 include/linux/mm.h              |    8 --------
 tools/testing/vma/include/dup.h |    8 --------
 2 files changed, 16 deletions(-)

--- a/include/linux/mm.h~mm-eliminate-vm_special-vma_special_flags
+++ a/include/linux/mm.h
@@ -577,14 +577,6 @@ enum {
 #define VMA_ACCESS_FLAGS mk_vma_flags(VMA_READ_BIT, VMA_WRITE_BIT, VMA_EXEC_BIT)
 
 /*
- * Special vmas that are non-mergable, non-mlock()able.
- */
-
-#define VMA_SPECIAL_FLAGS mk_vma_flags(VMA_IO_BIT, VMA_DONTEXPAND_BIT, \
-				       VMA_PFNMAP_BIT, VMA_MIXEDMAP_BIT)
-#define VM_SPECIAL vma_flags_to_legacy(VMA_SPECIAL_FLAGS)
-
-/*
  * Physically remapped pages are special. Tell the
  * rest of the world about it:
  *   IO tells people not to look at these pages
--- a/tools/testing/vma/include/dup.h~mm-eliminate-vm_special-vma_special_flags
+++ a/tools/testing/vma/include/dup.h
@@ -352,14 +352,6 @@ enum {
 #define VM_ACCESS_FLAGS (VM_READ | VM_WRITE | VM_EXEC)
 #define VMA_ACCESS_FLAGS mk_vma_flags(VMA_READ_BIT, VMA_WRITE_BIT, VMA_EXEC_BIT)
 
-/*
- * Special vmas that are non-mergable, non-mlock()able.
- */
-#define VM_SPECIAL (VM_IO | VM_DONTEXPAND | VM_PFNMAP | VM_MIXEDMAP)
-
-#define VMA_SPECIAL_FLAGS mk_vma_flags(VMA_IO_BIT, VMA_DONTEXPAND_BIT, \
-				       VMA_PFNMAP_BIT, VMA_MIXEDMAP_BIT)
-
 #define VMA_REMAP_FLAGS mk_vma_flags(VMA_IO_BIT, VMA_PFNMAP_BIT,	\
 				     VMA_DONTEXPAND_BIT, VMA_DONTDUMP_BIT)
 
_

Patches currently in -mm which might be from ljs@kernel.org are

mm-vmpressure-remove-window-size-todo.patch
tools-testing-selftests-mm-add-missing-gitignore-entries.patch
mm-move-drivers-char-memc-to-mm-char-memc.patch
mm-implement-file_is_dev_zero-to-uniquely-identify-dev-zero.patch
mm-vma-only-permit-map_private-dev-zero-to-be-mapped-anonymous.patch
mm-vma-make-map_private-mapped-dev-zero-mappings-truly-anonymous.patch
tools-testing-vma-add-test-to-assert-map_private-dev-zero-is-anon.patch
tools-testing-selftests-mm-add-map_private-dev-zero-merge-tests.patch
mm-madvise-swap-in-cowd-map_private-file-mappings-on-madv_willneed.patch
mm-huge_memory-zap-deposited-page-tables-after-an-rcu-grace-period.patch
mm-enable-mmu_gather_rcu_table_free-for-most-2-level-architectures.patch
mm-enable-mmu_gather_rcu_table_free-for-mmu-riscv.patch
mm-enable-mmu_gather_rcu_table_free-for-mmu-arm.patch
mm-enable-mmu_gather_rcu_table_free-for-arc-microblaze-xtensa.patch
mm-enable-mmu_gather_rcu_table_free-for-sparc64.patch
mm-enable-mmu_gather_rcu_table_free-for-m68k-coldfire.patch
mm-enable-mmu_gather_rcu_table_free-for-sh-x2.patch
mm-enable-mmu_gather_rcu_table_free-for-m68k-motorola.patch
mm-enable-mmu_gather_rcu_table_free-for-sparc32.patch
mm-make-userland-page-table-freeing-rcu-safe.patch
mm-change-the-contract-for-free_pgtables-update-docs.patch
mm-vma-fix-mmap_prepare-file-handling-remove-file_doesnt_need_get.patch
mm-vma-predicate-setting-mmap_prepare-vma-fields-on-new-vma-alloc.patch
mm-vma-introduce-and-use-vma_can_merge.patch
mm-consistently-validate-vma-state-after-mmap-hooks.patch
mm-vma-ensure-mmap_prepare-doesnt-set-actions-on-a-mergeable-vma.patch
mm-make-map_kernel_pages_-internal-and-unexported.patch
mm-vma-tidy-up-map-kernel-pages-enum-values.patch
mm-add-mmap-action-for-discontiguous-kernel-page-mapping.patch
docs-filesystems-update-mmap_prepare-docs-for-discontig-kernel-pgs.patch
drivers-usb-mon-update-to-use-mmap_prepare-map-kernel-pages.patch
infiniband-update-hfi1-to-use-remap_vmalloc_range.patch
selinux-reject-writable-opens-of-policy-file-drop-mmap-shared-write-check.patch
alsa-pcm-use-vm_insert_page-to-map-pcm-status-page.patch
bpf-arena-mark-arena_map_mmap-mappings-vm_mixedmap.patch
mm-vma-add-vma_is_kernel_owned-predicates.patch
mm-vma-only-allow-mmap-to-clear-vma_maywrite_bit-if-kernel-owned.patch
mm-vma-add-and-use-vma__is_fixed_mapping.patch
scsi-sg-convert-mmap-hook-to-mmap_prepare-and-rework.patch
fbdev-defio-assert-fbinfo_virtfb-drop-vm_io-add-vm_mixedmap.patch
hsi-cmt_speech-convert-mmap-hook-to-mmap_prepare-refactor.patch
mm-gup-error-out-early-on-vma_mayread_bit-vmas.patch
uprobes-remove-vm_io-set-vm_mixedmap-for-mapped-kernel-pages.patch
mm-mlock-clear-vma_locked_mask-over-mmap-callback.patch
mm-mlock-eliminate-weird-vma_io_bit-abuse-and-simplify.patch
mm-vma-enforce-that-only-kernel-owned-mappings-may-set-vma_io_bit.patch
mm-remove-vma_io_bit-check-in-vma_is_kernel_owned.patch
mm-remove-hugetlb_inlineh.patch
mm-rename-is_vm_hugetlb_page-to-vma_is_hugetlb.patch
mm-drop-some-redundant-checks-around-hugetlb-vmas.patch
mm-madvise-update-is_valid_guard_vma-to-use-vma_can_merge.patch
mm-vma-introduce-vma_is_persistent.patch
mm-uffd-use-predicates-for-userfaultfd-checks.patch
mm-madvise-use-predicates-for-madvise-madv_dofork.patch
mm-eliminate-vma_special_flags-usage-when-hugetlb-explicitly-tested.patch
mm-eliminate-vma_special_flags-check-in-lru_gen_look_around.patch
mm-avoid-use-of-vma_special_flags-in-migrate_vma_setup.patch
mm-eliminate-vm_special-vma_special_flags.patch
fuse-dax-do-not-set-vm_mixedmap.patch
mm-huge_memory-remove-vma_is_special_huge.patch
mm-vma-introduce-and-use-vma_can_gup.patch
mm-vma-const-ify-vma_assert_stabilised-and-associated-functions.patch
mm-implement-and-use-vma_has_anon_rmap-silence-kcsan.patch
mm-update-comments-to-refer-to-anon-rmap-rather-than-anon_vma.patch