From: Yun Zhou <yun.zhou@windriver.com>
To: <tytso@mit.edu>, <adilger.kernel@dilger.ca>,
<libaokun@linux.alibaba.com>, <jack@suse.cz>,
<ojaswin@linux.ibm.com>, <ritesh.list@gmail.com>,
<yi.zhang@huawei.com>
Cc: <linux-ext4@vger.kernel.org>, <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>,
<yun.zhou@windriver.com>
Subject: [PATCH v3] ext4: fix race in ext4_convert_inline_data() leading to BUG_ON in writepages
Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2026 11:23:03 +0800 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <20260703032304.4088040-1-yun.zhou@windriver.com> (raw)
ext4_convert_inline_data() has two unsafe lockless fast paths that can
observe a transient state from a concurrent convert_inline_data_nolock()
that has destroyed inline data but then fails and restores it. A racing
thread sees the transient state, concludes no conversion is needed, and
creates dirty pages via block_page_mkwrite(). The restoring thread then
re-sets inline data + MAY_INLINE_DATA, leaving dirty pages coexisting
with inline data, triggering BUG_ON in ext4_do_writepages().
A similar race exists with ext4_da_convert_inline_data_to_extent():
after it copies data to page cache and clears MAY_INLINE_DATA, a
concurrent convert_inline_data_nolock() can restore MAY_INLINE_DATA.
Simply moving the MAY_INLINE_DATA check inside xattr_sem would require
taking the write lock, starting a journal handle, and reading the inode
location on every call -- even for inodes that have long since been
converted. This causes measurable performance regression on filesystems
with the inline_data feature enabled.
Fix this by introducing EXT4_STATE_INLINE_CONVERTED, a monotonic
(set once, never cleared) per-inode state bit indicating that inline
data has been successfully copied out to page cache or a data block.
This provides:
1. A safe lockless fast path in ext4_convert_inline_data(): once the
bit is set, return 0 immediately without any locking overhead.
2. A WARN_ON_ONCE guard in convert_inline_data_nolock(): if the bit
is unexpectedly set at restore time, warn. This should not happen
given the MAY_INLINE_DATA check prevents entering nolock when DA
conversion is in progress.
3. Inside xattr_sem, only call convert_inline_data_nolock() when both
has_inline_data AND MAY_INLINE_DATA are set. When has_inline_data
is set but MAY_INLINE_DATA is clear, DA conversion is in progress;
skip convert_nolock to avoid destroy+restore re-setting MAY.
The bit is set in all successful conversion paths:
- ext4_convert_inline_data_nolock() on success
- ext4_convert_inline_data() when inline data is gone after nolock
- ext4_da_convert_inline_data_to_extent() after page cache copy
- ext4_convert_inline_data_to_extent() after block_commit_write
Fixes: 7b4cc9787fe3 ("ext4: evict inline data when writing to memory map")
Reported-by: syzbot+d1da16f03614058fdc48@syzkaller.appspotmail.com
Closes: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=d1da16f03614058fdc48
Signed-off-by: Yun Zhou <yun.zhou@windriver.com>
---
v3:
- Introduce EXT4_STATE_INLINE_CONVERTED monotonic bit for safe lockless
fast path, avoiding performance regression from always taking xattr_sem.
- Add WARN_ON_ONCE at restore point as sanity check.
- Skip convert_nolock when MAY_INLINE_DATA is clear (DA convert in
progress) to prevent destroy+restore re-setting MAY.
v2:
- Reworked fix: root cause confirmed via ftrace.
- Removed both unsafe lockless fast paths, serialize under xattr_sem.
- Skip convert_nolock when MAY_INLINE_DATA is clear (DA convert in
progress) to prevent destroy+restore from re-setting MAY.
fs/ext4/ext4.h | 1 +
fs/ext4/inline.c | 44 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++------------------
2 files changed, 27 insertions(+), 18 deletions(-)
diff --git a/fs/ext4/ext4.h b/fs/ext4/ext4.h
index b9b0ada7774b..310aeb14f9f0 100644
--- a/fs/ext4/ext4.h
+++ b/fs/ext4/ext4.h
@@ -2049,6 +2049,7 @@ enum {
EXT4_STATE_FC_FLUSHING_DATA, /* Fast commit flushing data */
EXT4_STATE_ORPHAN_FILE, /* Inode orphaned in orphan file */
EXT4_STATE_FC_REQUEUE, /* Inode modified during fast commit */
+ EXT4_STATE_INLINE_CONVERTED, /* inline data copied out, do not restore */
};
#define EXT4_INODE_BIT_FNS(name, field, offset) \
diff --git a/fs/ext4/inline.c b/fs/ext4/inline.c
index 8045e4ff270c..1b6abacf12e6 100644
--- a/fs/ext4/inline.c
+++ b/fs/ext4/inline.c
@@ -671,6 +671,8 @@ static int ext4_convert_inline_data_to_extent(struct address_space *mapping,
if (folio)
block_commit_write(folio, from, to);
+ if (folio && !ret)
+ ext4_set_inode_state(inode, EXT4_STATE_INLINE_CONVERTED);
out:
if (folio) {
folio_unlock(folio);
@@ -921,6 +923,7 @@ static int ext4_da_convert_inline_data_to_extent(struct address_space *mapping,
clear_buffer_new(folio_buffers(folio));
folio_mark_dirty(folio);
folio_mark_uptodate(folio);
+ ext4_set_inode_state(inode, EXT4_STATE_INLINE_CONVERTED);
ext4_clear_inode_state(inode, EXT4_STATE_MAY_INLINE_DATA);
*fsdata = (void *)CONVERT_INLINE_DATA;
@@ -1172,8 +1175,14 @@ static int ext4_convert_inline_data_nolock(handle_t *handle,
}
out_restore:
- if (error)
- ext4_restore_inline_data(handle, inode, iloc, buf, inline_size);
+ if (error) {
+ WARN_ON_ONCE(ext4_test_inode_state(inode,
+ EXT4_STATE_INLINE_CONVERTED));
+ ext4_restore_inline_data(handle, inode, iloc, buf,
+ inline_size);
+ } else {
+ ext4_set_inode_state(inode, EXT4_STATE_INLINE_CONVERTED);
+ }
out:
brelse(data_bh);
@@ -1959,22 +1968,16 @@ int ext4_convert_inline_data(struct inode *inode)
handle_t *handle;
struct ext4_iloc iloc;
- if (!ext4_has_inline_data(inode)) {
- ext4_clear_inode_state(inode, EXT4_STATE_MAY_INLINE_DATA);
+ if (!ext4_has_feature_inline_data(inode->i_sb))
+ return 0;
+
+ /*
+ * Once inline data has been successfully copied out (to page
+ * cache or a data block), this bit is set and never cleared.
+ * It is safe to check without locks -- the bit is monotonic.
+ */
+ if (ext4_test_inode_state(inode, EXT4_STATE_INLINE_CONVERTED))
return 0;
- } else if (!ext4_test_inode_state(inode, EXT4_STATE_MAY_INLINE_DATA)) {
- /*
- * Inode has inline data but EXT4_STATE_MAY_INLINE_DATA is
- * cleared. This means we are in the middle of moving of
- * inline data to delay allocated block. Just force writeout
- * here to finish conversion.
- */
- error = filemap_flush(inode->i_mapping);
- if (error)
- return error;
- if (!ext4_has_inline_data(inode))
- return 0;
- }
needed_blocks = ext4_chunk_trans_extent(inode, 1);
@@ -1990,8 +1993,13 @@ int ext4_convert_inline_data(struct inode *inode)
}
ext4_write_lock_xattr(inode, &no_expand);
- if (ext4_has_inline_data(inode))
+ if (ext4_has_inline_data(inode) &&
+ ext4_test_inode_state(inode, EXT4_STATE_MAY_INLINE_DATA))
error = ext4_convert_inline_data_nolock(handle, inode, &iloc);
+ if (!ext4_has_inline_data(inode)) {
+ ext4_set_inode_state(inode, EXT4_STATE_INLINE_CONVERTED);
+ ext4_clear_inode_state(inode, EXT4_STATE_MAY_INLINE_DATA);
+ }
ext4_write_unlock_xattr(inode, &no_expand);
ext4_journal_stop(handle);
out_free:
--
2.43.0
next reply other threads:[~2026-07-03 3:23 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 2+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2026-07-03 3:23 Yun Zhou [this message]
2026-07-03 13:23 ` [PATCH v3] ext4: fix race in ext4_convert_inline_data() leading to BUG_ON in writepages Zhou, Yun
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