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From: Al Viro <viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk>
To: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>
Cc: linux-fsdevel@vger.kernel.org,
	Christian Brauner <brauner@kernel.org>, Jan Kara <jack@suse.cz>,
	NeilBrown <neil@brown.name>
Subject: [RFC PATCH 18/25] adjust calling conventions of lock_for_kill(), fold __dentry_kill() into dentry_kill()
Date: Tue,  5 May 2026 06:54:05 +0100	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <20260505055412.1261144-19-viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20260505055412.1261144-1-viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk>

Pull dropping ->d_lock on lock_for_kill() failure into lock_for_kill() itself.
That reduces dentry_kill() to
	if (!lock_for_kill(dentry))
		return NULL;
	return __dentry_kill(dentry);
at which point it's easier to move that if (...) into the beginning of __dentry_kill()
itself and rename it into dentry_kill().

Document the new calling conventions of lock_for_kill().

Signed-off-by: Al Viro <viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk>
---
 fs/dcache.c | 99 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++--------------------------
 1 file changed, 50 insertions(+), 49 deletions(-)

diff --git a/fs/dcache.c b/fs/dcache.c
index 6822e8bfc6af..125f280fe6ee 100644
--- a/fs/dcache.c
+++ b/fs/dcache.c
@@ -691,11 +691,60 @@ static inline void dentry_unlist(struct dentry *dentry)
 	}
 }
 
-static struct dentry *__dentry_kill(struct dentry *dentry)
+/*
+ * Prepare locking environment for killing a dentry.
+ * Called under dentry->d_lock.  To proceed with eviction of a positive
+ * dentry we need to get ->i_lock of dentry inode as well and that
+ * needs to be done carefully - ->i_lock nests outside of ->d_lock,
+ * so we might need to drop and regain the latter.  We use rcu_read_lock()
+ * to keep the RCU read-side critical area contiguous, so dentry and
+ * inode won't get freed under us, but dentry state might've changed
+ * while its ->d_lock had not been held - it might end up getting
+ * killed, becoming busy, negative, etc.
+ *
+ * If dentry is busy (or busy dying, or already dead), unlock dentry
+ * and return false.  Otherwise, return true and have that dentry's
+ * inode (if any) locked in addition to dentry itself.
+ */
+static bool lock_for_kill(struct dentry *dentry)
+{
+	struct inode *inode = dentry->d_inode;
+
+	if (unlikely(dentry->d_lockref.count)) {
+		spin_unlock(&dentry->d_lock);
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	if (!inode || likely(spin_trylock(&inode->i_lock)))
+		return true;
+
+	rcu_read_lock();
+	do {
+		spin_unlock(&dentry->d_lock);
+		spin_lock(&inode->i_lock);
+		spin_lock(&dentry->d_lock);
+		if (likely(inode == dentry->d_inode))
+			break;
+		spin_unlock(&inode->i_lock);
+		inode = dentry->d_inode;
+	} while (inode);
+	rcu_read_unlock();
+	if (likely(!dentry->d_lockref.count))
+		return true;
+	if (inode)
+		spin_unlock(&inode->i_lock);
+	spin_unlock(&dentry->d_lock);
+	return false;
+}
+
+static struct dentry *dentry_kill(struct dentry *dentry)
 {
 	struct dentry *parent = NULL;
 	bool can_free = true;
 
+	if (unlikely(!lock_for_kill(dentry)))
+		return NULL;
+
 	/*
 	 * The dentry is now unrecoverably dead to the world.
 	 */
@@ -742,54 +791,6 @@ static struct dentry *__dentry_kill(struct dentry *dentry)
 	return parent;
 }
 
-/*
- * Lock a dentry for feeding it to __dentry_kill().
- * Called under rcu_read_lock() and dentry->d_lock; the former
- * guarantees that nothing we access will be freed under us.
- * Note that dentry is *not* protected from concurrent dentry_kill(),
- * d_delete(), etc.
- *
- * Return false if dentry is busy.  Otherwise, return true and have
- * that dentry's inode locked.
- */
-
-static bool lock_for_kill(struct dentry *dentry)
-{
-	struct inode *inode = dentry->d_inode;
-
-	if (unlikely(dentry->d_lockref.count))
-		return false;
-
-	if (!inode || likely(spin_trylock(&inode->i_lock)))
-		return true;
-
-	rcu_read_lock();
-	do {
-		spin_unlock(&dentry->d_lock);
-		spin_lock(&inode->i_lock);
-		spin_lock(&dentry->d_lock);
-		if (likely(inode == dentry->d_inode))
-			break;
-		spin_unlock(&inode->i_lock);
-		inode = dentry->d_inode;
-	} while (inode);
-	rcu_read_unlock();
-	if (likely(!dentry->d_lockref.count))
-		return true;
-	if (inode)
-		spin_unlock(&inode->i_lock);
-	return false;
-}
-
-static struct dentry *dentry_kill(struct dentry *dentry)
-{
-	if (unlikely(!lock_for_kill(dentry))) {
-		spin_unlock(&dentry->d_lock);
-		return NULL;
-	}
-	return __dentry_kill(dentry);
-}
-
 /*
  * Decide if dentry is worth retaining.  Usually this is called with dentry
  * locked; if not locked, we are more limited and might not be able to tell
-- 
2.47.3


  parent reply	other threads:[~2026-05-05  5:54 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 53+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2026-05-05  5:53 [RFC PATCH 00/25] assorted dcache cleanups and fixes Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:53 ` [RFC PATCH 01/25] VFS: use wait_var_event for waiting in d_alloc_parallel() Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:53 ` [RFC PATCH 02/25] alloc_path_pseudo(): make sure we don't end up with NORCU dentries for directories Al Viro
2026-05-05  8:21   ` NeilBrown
2026-05-05 17:48     ` Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:53 ` [RFC PATCH 03/25] fix a race between d_find_any_alias() and final dput() of NORCU dentries Al Viro
2026-05-05 17:06   ` Linus Torvalds
2026-05-05 20:29     ` Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:53 ` [RFC PATCH 04/25] find_acceptable_alias(): skip NORCU aliases with zero refcount Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:53 ` [RFC PATCH 05/25] select_collect(): ignore dentries on shrink lists if they have positive refcounts Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:53 ` [RFC PATCH 06/25] make to_shrink_list() return whether it has moved dentry to list Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:53 ` [RFC PATCH 07/25] kill d_dispose_if_unused() Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:53 ` [RFC PATCH 08/25] d_prune_aliases(): make sure to skip NORCU aliases Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:53 ` [RFC PATCH 09/25] shrink_dentry_list(): start with removing from shrink list Al Viro
2026-05-07 20:39   ` Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:53 ` [RFC PATCH 10/25] fold lock_for_kill() into shrink_kill() Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:53 ` [RFC PATCH 11/25] fold lock_for_kill() and __dentry_kill() into common helper Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:53 ` [RFC PATCH 12/25] reducing rcu_read_lock() scopes in dput and friends, step 1 Al Viro
2026-05-05  8:55   ` NeilBrown
2026-05-05 14:22     ` Al Viro
2026-05-05 21:58       ` NeilBrown
2026-05-05 16:47   ` Linus Torvalds
2026-05-05 22:42     ` Al Viro
2026-05-07  7:35       ` Al Viro
2026-05-07 15:32         ` Linus Torvalds
2026-05-05  5:54 ` [RFC PATCH 13/25] reducing rcu_read_lock() scopes in dput and friends, step 2 Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:54 ` [RFC PATCH 14/25] reducing rcu_read_lock() scopes in dput and friends, step 3 Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:54 ` [RFC PATCH 15/25] reducing rcu_read_lock() scopes in dput and friends, step 4 Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:54 ` [RFC PATCH 16/25] reducing rcu_read_lock() scopes in dput and friends, step 5 Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:54 ` [RFC PATCH 17/25] reducing rcu_read_lock() scopes in dput and friends, step 6 Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:54 ` Al Viro [this message]
2026-05-05  5:54 ` [RFC PATCH 19/25] document dentry_kill() Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:54 ` [RFC PATCH 20/25] d_walk(): shrink rcu_read_lock() scope Al Viro
2026-05-05 17:01   ` Linus Torvalds
2026-05-05 20:05     ` Al Viro
2026-05-05 21:40       ` Frederic Weisbecker
2026-05-05 22:50         ` Al Viro
2026-05-06  3:49           ` Paul E. McKenney
2026-05-07 22:39             ` NeilBrown
2026-05-07 23:21               ` Paul E. McKenney
2026-05-08 14:47                 ` Al Viro
2026-05-08 22:03                   ` Paul E. McKenney
2026-05-08 23:03                     ` Al Viro
2026-05-08  3:01         ` Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:54 ` [RFC PATCH 21/25] shrinking rcu_read_lock() scope in d_alloc_parallel() Al Viro
2026-05-07 21:52   ` Jori Koolstra
2026-05-08  3:12     ` Al Viro
2026-05-08  9:28       ` Jori Koolstra
2026-05-05  5:54 ` [RFC PATCH 22/25] shrink_dentry_tree(): unify the calls of shrink_dentry_list() Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:54 ` [RFC PATCH 23/25] wind ->s_roots via ->d_sib instead of ->d_hash Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:54 ` [RFC PATCH 24/25] nfs: get rid of fake root dentries Al Viro
2026-05-05  5:54 ` [RFC PATCH 25/25] make cursors NORCU Al Viro
2026-05-05 17:09 ` [RFC PATCH 00/25] assorted dcache cleanups and fixes Linus Torvalds

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