[PATCH] ext4: Fix checks for orphan inodes

[PATCH] ext4: Fix checks for orphan inodes

[Jan Kara]

When orphan file feature is enabled, inode can be tracked as orphan
either in the standard orphan list or in the orphan file. The first can
be tested by checking ei->i_orphan list head, the second is recorded by
EXT4_STATE_ORPHAN_FILE inode state flag. There are several places where
we want to check whether inode is tracked as orphan and only some of
them properly check for both possibilities. Luckily the consequences are
mostly minor, the worst that can happen is that we track an inode as
orphan although we don't need to and e2fsck then complains (resulting in
occasional ext4/307 xfstest failures). Fix the problem by introducing a
helper for checking whether an inode is tracked as orphan and use it in
appropriate places.

Fixes: 4a79a98c7b19 ("ext4: Improve scalability of ext4 orphan file handling")
Signed-off-by: Jan Kara <jack@suse.cz>
---
 fs/ext4/ext4.h   | 10 ++++++++++
 fs/ext4/file.c   |  2 +-
 fs/ext4/inode.c  |  2 +-
 fs/ext4/orphan.c |  6 +-----
 fs/ext4/super.c  |  4 ++--
 5 files changed, 15 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)

diff --git a/fs/ext4/ext4.h b/fs/ext4/ext4.h
index 01a6e2de7fc3..72e02df72c4c 100644
--- a/fs/ext4/ext4.h
+++ b/fs/ext4/ext4.h
@@ -1981,6 +1981,16 @@ static inline bool ext4_verity_in_progress(struct inode *inode)
 
 #define NEXT_ORPHAN(inode) EXT4_I(inode)->i_dtime
 
+/*
+ * Check whether the inode is tracked as orphan (either in orphan file or
+ * orphan list).
+ */
+static inline bool ext4_inode_orphan_tracked(struct inode *inode)
+{
+	return ext4_test_inode_state(inode, EXT4_STATE_ORPHAN_FILE) ||
+		!list_empty(&EXT4_I(inode)->i_orphan);
+}
+
 /*
  * Codes for operating systems
  */
diff --git a/fs/ext4/file.c b/fs/ext4/file.c
index 93240e35ee36..7a8b30932189 100644
--- a/fs/ext4/file.c
+++ b/fs/ext4/file.c
@@ -354,7 +354,7 @@ static void ext4_inode_extension_cleanup(struct inode *inode, bool need_trunc)
 	 * to cleanup the orphan list in ext4_handle_inode_extension(). Do it
 	 * now.
 	 */
-	if (!list_empty(&EXT4_I(inode)->i_orphan) && inode->i_nlink) {
+	if (ext4_inode_orphan_tracked(inode) && inode->i_nlink) {
 		handle_t *handle = ext4_journal_start(inode, EXT4_HT_INODE, 2);
 
 		if (IS_ERR(handle)) {
diff --git a/fs/ext4/inode.c b/fs/ext4/inode.c
index 5b7a15db4953..5230452e29dd 100644
--- a/fs/ext4/inode.c
+++ b/fs/ext4/inode.c
@@ -4748,7 +4748,7 @@ static int ext4_fill_raw_inode(struct inode *inode, struct ext4_inode *raw_inode
 		 * old inodes get re-used with the upper 16 bits of the
 		 * uid/gid intact.
 		 */
-		if (ei->i_dtime && list_empty(&ei->i_orphan)) {
+		if (ei->i_dtime && !ext4_inode_orphan_tracked(inode)) {
 			raw_inode->i_uid_high = 0;
 			raw_inode->i_gid_high = 0;
 		} else {
diff --git a/fs/ext4/orphan.c b/fs/ext4/orphan.c
index 524d4658fa40..0fbcce67ffd4 100644
--- a/fs/ext4/orphan.c
+++ b/fs/ext4/orphan.c
@@ -109,11 +109,7 @@ int ext4_orphan_add(handle_t *handle, struct inode *inode)
 
 	WARN_ON_ONCE(!(inode->i_state & (I_NEW | I_FREEING)) &&
 		     !inode_is_locked(inode));
-	/*
-	 * Inode orphaned in orphan file or in orphan list?
-	 */
-	if (ext4_test_inode_state(inode, EXT4_STATE_ORPHAN_FILE) ||
-	    !list_empty(&EXT4_I(inode)->i_orphan))
+	if (ext4_inode_orphan_tracked(inode))
 		return 0;
 
 	/*
diff --git a/fs/ext4/super.c b/fs/ext4/super.c
index 699c15db28a8..ba497387b9c8 100644
--- a/fs/ext4/super.c
+++ b/fs/ext4/super.c
@@ -1438,9 +1438,9 @@ static void ext4_free_in_core_inode(struct inode *inode)
 
 static void ext4_destroy_inode(struct inode *inode)
 {
-	if (!list_empty(&(EXT4_I(inode)->i_orphan))) {
+	if (ext4_inode_orphan_tracked(inode)) {
 		ext4_msg(inode->i_sb, KERN_ERR,
-			 "Inode %lu (%p): orphan list check failed!",
+			 "Inode %lu (%p): inode tracked as orphan!",
 			 inode->i_ino, EXT4_I(inode));
 		print_hex_dump(KERN_INFO, "", DUMP_PREFIX_ADDRESS, 16, 4,
 				EXT4_I(inode), sizeof(struct ext4_inode_info),
-- 
2.51.0

Re: [PATCH] ext4: Fix checks for orphan inodes

[Zhang Yi]

On 9/25/2025 8:30 PM, Jan Kara wrote:
> When orphan file feature is enabled, inode can be tracked as orphan
> either in the standard orphan list or in the orphan file. The first can
> be tested by checking ei->i_orphan list head, the second is recorded by
> EXT4_STATE_ORPHAN_FILE inode state flag. There are several places where
> we want to check whether inode is tracked as orphan and only some of
> them properly check for both possibilities. Luckily the consequences are
> mostly minor, the worst that can happen is that we track an inode as
> orphan although we don't need to and e2fsck then complains (resulting in
> occasional ext4/307 xfstest failures). Fix the problem by introducing a
> helper for checking whether an inode is tracked as orphan and use it in
> appropriate places.
> 
> Fixes: 4a79a98c7b19 ("ext4: Improve scalability of ext4 orphan file handling")
> Signed-off-by: Jan Kara <jack@suse.cz>

Ha, this is a good catch!

Reviewed-by: Zhang Yi <yi.zhang@huawei.com>

> ---
>  fs/ext4/ext4.h   | 10 ++++++++++
>  fs/ext4/file.c   |  2 +-
>  fs/ext4/inode.c  |  2 +-
>  fs/ext4/orphan.c |  6 +-----
>  fs/ext4/super.c  |  4 ++--
>  5 files changed, 15 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/fs/ext4/ext4.h b/fs/ext4/ext4.h
> index 01a6e2de7fc3..72e02df72c4c 100644
> --- a/fs/ext4/ext4.h
> +++ b/fs/ext4/ext4.h
> @@ -1981,6 +1981,16 @@ static inline bool ext4_verity_in_progress(struct inode *inode)
>  
>  #define NEXT_ORPHAN(inode) EXT4_I(inode)->i_dtime
>  
> +/*
> + * Check whether the inode is tracked as orphan (either in orphan file or
> + * orphan list).
> + */
> +static inline bool ext4_inode_orphan_tracked(struct inode *inode)
> +{
> +	return ext4_test_inode_state(inode, EXT4_STATE_ORPHAN_FILE) ||
> +		!list_empty(&EXT4_I(inode)->i_orphan);
> +}
> +
>  /*
>   * Codes for operating systems
>   */
> diff --git a/fs/ext4/file.c b/fs/ext4/file.c
> index 93240e35ee36..7a8b30932189 100644
> --- a/fs/ext4/file.c
> +++ b/fs/ext4/file.c
> @@ -354,7 +354,7 @@ static void ext4_inode_extension_cleanup(struct inode *inode, bool need_trunc)
>  	 * to cleanup the orphan list in ext4_handle_inode_extension(). Do it
>  	 * now.
>  	 */
> -	if (!list_empty(&EXT4_I(inode)->i_orphan) && inode->i_nlink) {
> +	if (ext4_inode_orphan_tracked(inode) && inode->i_nlink) {
>  		handle_t *handle = ext4_journal_start(inode, EXT4_HT_INODE, 2);
>  
>  		if (IS_ERR(handle)) {
> diff --git a/fs/ext4/inode.c b/fs/ext4/inode.c
> index 5b7a15db4953..5230452e29dd 100644
> --- a/fs/ext4/inode.c
> +++ b/fs/ext4/inode.c
> @@ -4748,7 +4748,7 @@ static int ext4_fill_raw_inode(struct inode *inode, struct ext4_inode *raw_inode
>  		 * old inodes get re-used with the upper 16 bits of the
>  		 * uid/gid intact.
>  		 */
> -		if (ei->i_dtime && list_empty(&ei->i_orphan)) {
> +		if (ei->i_dtime && !ext4_inode_orphan_tracked(inode)) {
>  			raw_inode->i_uid_high = 0;
>  			raw_inode->i_gid_high = 0;
>  		} else {
> diff --git a/fs/ext4/orphan.c b/fs/ext4/orphan.c
> index 524d4658fa40..0fbcce67ffd4 100644
> --- a/fs/ext4/orphan.c
> +++ b/fs/ext4/orphan.c
> @@ -109,11 +109,7 @@ int ext4_orphan_add(handle_t *handle, struct inode *inode)
>  
>  	WARN_ON_ONCE(!(inode->i_state & (I_NEW | I_FREEING)) &&
>  		     !inode_is_locked(inode));
> -	/*
> -	 * Inode orphaned in orphan file or in orphan list?
> -	 */
> -	if (ext4_test_inode_state(inode, EXT4_STATE_ORPHAN_FILE) ||
> -	    !list_empty(&EXT4_I(inode)->i_orphan))
> +	if (ext4_inode_orphan_tracked(inode))
>  		return 0;
>  
>  	/*
> diff --git a/fs/ext4/super.c b/fs/ext4/super.c
> index 699c15db28a8..ba497387b9c8 100644
> --- a/fs/ext4/super.c
> +++ b/fs/ext4/super.c
> @@ -1438,9 +1438,9 @@ static void ext4_free_in_core_inode(struct inode *inode)
>  
>  static void ext4_destroy_inode(struct inode *inode)
>  {
> -	if (!list_empty(&(EXT4_I(inode)->i_orphan))) {
> +	if (ext4_inode_orphan_tracked(inode)) {
>  		ext4_msg(inode->i_sb, KERN_ERR,
> -			 "Inode %lu (%p): orphan list check failed!",
> +			 "Inode %lu (%p): inode tracked as orphan!",
>  			 inode->i_ino, EXT4_I(inode));
>  		print_hex_dump(KERN_INFO, "", DUMP_PREFIX_ADDRESS, 16, 4,
>  				EXT4_I(inode), sizeof(struct ext4_inode_info),

Re: [PATCH] ext4: Fix checks for orphan inodes

[Theodore Ts'o]

On Thu, 25 Sep 2025 14:30:39 +0200, Jan Kara wrote:
> When orphan file feature is enabled, inode can be tracked as orphan
> either in the standard orphan list or in the orphan file. The first can
> be tested by checking ei->i_orphan list head, the second is recorded by
> EXT4_STATE_ORPHAN_FILE inode state flag. There are several places where
> we want to check whether inode is tracked as orphan and only some of
> them properly check for both possibilities. Luckily the consequences are
> mostly minor, the worst that can happen is that we track an inode as
> orphan although we don't need to and e2fsck then complains (resulting in
> occasional ext4/307 xfstest failures). Fix the problem by introducing a
> helper for checking whether an inode is tracked as orphan and use it in
> appropriate places.
> 
> [...]

Applied, thanks!

[1/1] ext4: Fix checks for orphan inodes
      commit: acf943e9768ec9d9be80982ca0ebc4bfd6b7631e

Best regards,
-- 
Theodore Ts'o <tytso@mit.edu>