Re: [PATCH v2 2/2] wifi: ath12k: Fix firmware stats leak when pdev list is empty

Saikiran B
2026-01-27T04:41:01Z

I have analyzed the logs and code flow in depth to provide more
definitive answers for your questions.

The log entries showing the failure are:
[ 563.574076] ath12k_pci 0004:01:00.0: failed to pull fw stats: -71
[ 564.575896] ath12k_pci 0004:01:00.0: time out while waiting for get fw stats

1. Why are other stats populated?
The "failed to pull fw stats: -71" error is not the initial failure
but a symptom that appears after repeated operations. The leak happens
during *successful* calls prior to this error.

Code flow proving the leak:
- ath12k_mac_get_fw_stats() sends WMI_REQUEST_PDEV_STAT.
- Firmware responds. ath12k_update_stats_event() parses the response.
- ath12k_wmi_fw_stats_process() is called, which splices 'vdevs' and
'beacon' stats into ar->fw_stats.vdevs/bcn.
- ath12k_mac_get_fw_stats() returns 0 (Success).
- In ath12k_mac_op_get_txpower(), the check `if (!pdev)` fails if the
pdev-specific list is empty (but vdev list is NOT empty).
- The function exits via `err_fallback` WITHOUT calling ath12k_fw_stats_reset().
- Result: The 'vdev' and 'beacon' stats that were spliced into
ar->fw_stats remain there, leaking memory and accumulating with every
call.

2. Exact place where -71 is printed:
The error "failed to pull fw stats: -71" is printed in
[ath12k_update_stats_event()](drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/wmi.c).
It corresponds to "ret = ath12k_wmi_pull_fw_stats()" returning -EPROTO.
This propagates from
[ath12k_wmi_tlv_fw_stats_data_parse()](drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/wmi.c),
when buffer validation checks (like `len < sizeof(*src)`) fail.

Conclusion:
The fix in my patch (resetting stats when `!pdev`) is critical because
it ensures that the accumulated 'vdev' and 'beacon' stats are freed
even when the 'pdev' list ends up empty.

Let me know if you need anything else.

Thanks & Regards,
Saikiran

On Tue, Jan 27, 2026 at 9:47 AM Saikiran B <bjsaikiran@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi Baochen,
>
> Regarding your questions:
>
> "Are other stats populated?"
>
> Yes. When ath12k_mac_get_fw_stats() returns success (0), it means the
> firmware response was received and valid WMI events were processed.
> The firmware response to WMI_REQUEST_PDEV_STAT typically includes
> multiple stats TLVs (vdev stats, beacon stats, etc.). Even if the
> "pdev stats" list ends up empty (e.g., due to specific filtering or
> availability), the firmware should have populated other lists (like
> vdevs or beacons) in the ar->fw_stats structure. If we don't reset,
> these valid entries leak and accumulate.
>
> "Where exactly is -71 (EPROTO) printed?"
>
> The log "failed to pull fw stats: -71" is printed in
> ath12k_update_stats_event() (wmi.c line 8500 in my tree). This error
> code (-EPROTO) propagates from ath12k_wmi_tlv_fw_stats_data_parse(),
> where it is returned when buffer validation checks fail (e.g., if (len
> < sizeof(*src))). This failure suggests that the accumulated state or
> memory corruption from the leak eventually causes the parser to fail
> on subsequent events.
>
> So, fixing the leak is necessary for correctness regardless of the
> specific side-effect error code.
>
> Thanks & Regards,
> Saikiran
>
> On Tue, Jan 27, 2026 at 8:57 AM Baochen Qiang
> <baochen.qiang@oss.qualcomm.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > On 1/26/2026 5:52 PM, Saikiran wrote:
> > > The commits bd6ec8111e65 and 2977567b244f changed firmware stats handling
> > > to be caller-driven, requiring explicit ath12k_fw_stats_reset() calls
> > > after using ath12k_mac_get_fw_stats().
> > >
> > > In ath12k_mac_op_get_txpower(), when ath12k_mac_get_fw_stats() succeeds
> > > but the pdev stats list is empty, the function exits without calling
> > > ath12k_fw_stats_reset(). Even though the pdev list is empty, the firmware
> > > may have populated other stats lists (vdevs, beacons, etc.) in the
> >
> > 'may' is not enough, we need to be 100% sure whether other stats are populated. This is
> > critical for us to find the root cause.
> >
> > > ar->fw_stats structure.
> > >
> > > Without resetting the stats buffer, this data accumulates across multiple
> > > calls, eventually causing the stats buffer to overflow and leading to
> > > firmware communication failures (error -71/EPROTO) during subsequent
> > > operations.
> > >
> > > The issue manifests during 5GHz scanning which triggers multiple TX power
> > > queries. Symptoms include:
> > > - "failed to pull fw stats: -71" errors in dmesg
> >
> > still, can you please check the logs to see at which exact place is this printed?
> >
> > > - 5GHz networks not detected despite hardware support
> > > - 2.4GHz networks work normally
> > >
> > > Fix by calling ath12k_fw_stats_reset() when the pdev list is empty,
> > > ensuring the stats buffer is properly cleaned up even when only partial
> > > stats data is received from firmware.
> > >
> > > Fixes: bd6ec8111e65 ("wifi: ath12k: Make firmware stats reset caller-driven")
> > > Link: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu-concept/+bug/2138308
> > > Tested-on: WCN7850 hw2.0 PCI WLAN.HMT.1.1.c5-00302 (Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x)
> > > Signed-off-by: Saikiran <bjsaikiran@gmail.com>
> > > ---
> > > drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/mac.c | 1 +
> > > 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)
> > >
> > > diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/mac.c b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/mac.c
> > > index e0e49f782bf8..6e35c3ee9864 100644
> > > --- a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/mac.c
> > > +++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/mac.c
> > > @@ -5169,6 +5169,7 @@ static int ath12k_mac_op_get_txpower(struct ieee80211_hw *hw,
> > > struct ath12k_fw_stats_pdev, list);
> > > if (!pdev) {
> > > spin_unlock_bh(&ar->data_lock);
> > > + ath12k_fw_stats_reset(ar);
> > > goto err_fallback;
> > > }
> > >
> >