* [PATCH v3 1/2] bcache: track active bypass writes to fix read miss race
2026-08-08 4:05 [PATCH v3 0/2] bcache: track active bypass writes to fix read miss race Ankit Kapoor
@ 2026-08-08 4:05 ` Ankit Kapoor
2026-08-08 4:05 ` [PATCH v3 2/2] bcache: inspect active bypass writes lock-free via RCU Ankit Kapoor
1 sibling, 0 replies; 3+ messages in thread
From: Ankit Kapoor @ 2026-08-08 4:05 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Coly Li, linux-bcache; +Cc: Kent Overstreet, linux-kernel, Ankit Kapoor
A race condition exists between a read cache miss and a bypass write
due to either congestion or sequential bypass, which causes stale data
to be cached when the read cache miss runs concurrently with a bypass
write targeting the same sectors. If the read cache miss fetches data
from the backing device before the write to the backing device finishes,
stale data populates the cache.
The root cause is that bcache currently executes btree key
invalidation in parallel with (or prior to) writing the actual data
payload to the backing device. Under this sequence, a concurrent read
path can register a cache miss and insert a placeholder key. If the
write's btree key invalidation completes before the read finishes
fetching old data from the backing device, the read's subsequent key
replacement will not detect a collision, allowing stale data to
persist in the cache.
Fix this by tracking active bypass writes and serializing cache
invalidation.
First, divide the backing device space into 32MB chunks and track
concurrent bypass writes using refcounts. The tracking counters are
stored in dynamically allocated pages backed by a dedicated mempool
to prevent allocation failures under memory pressure, minimizing overall
footprint (a single 4KB page supports 32GB of disk space using u32
counters).
On a cache miss read, bcache checks if there are any active bypass
writes overlapping the target sectors. If an active bypass write is
detected, the read is forced to bypass the cache to ensure data
consistency.
Second, serialize the btree key invalidation (bch_data_insert) for
bypass writes so that it executes in cached_dev_write_complete(), after
the payload has been written to the backing device. This prevents early
invalidation from opening a window where a concurrent read miss could
fetch and re-cache stale data before the bypass write reaches the disk.
Suggested-by: Coly Li <colyli@fygo.io>
Signed-off-by: Ankit Kapoor <ankitkap@google.com>
---
drivers/md/bcache/bcache.h | 35 ++++++++++
drivers/md/bcache/request.c | 131 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
drivers/md/bcache/super.c | 39 +++++++++++
3 files changed, 202 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
diff --git a/drivers/md/bcache/bcache.h b/drivers/md/bcache/bcache.h
index ec9ff9715081..2e50526a52fc 100644
--- a/drivers/md/bcache/bcache.h
+++ b/drivers/md/bcache/bcache.h
@@ -299,6 +299,12 @@ enum stop_on_failure {
BCH_CACHED_DEV_STOP_MODE_MAX,
};
+struct bch_bypass_page {
+ u32 *counts;
+ unsigned int active;
+ spinlock_t lock;
+};
+
struct cached_dev {
struct list_head list;
struct bcache_device disk;
@@ -407,8 +413,37 @@ struct cached_dev {
*/
#define BCH_WBRATE_UPDATE_MAX_SKIPS 15
unsigned int rate_update_retry;
+
+ /* For tracking active bypass writes */
+#define BCH_BYPASS_CHUNK_SHIFT 16 /* 2^16 sectors = 32MB */
+#define BCH_BYPASS_PAGE_COUNTERS (PAGE_SIZE / sizeof(u32))
+#define BCH_BYPASS_PAGE_SHIFT (PAGE_SHIFT - 2)
+#define BCH_BYPASS_PAGE_MASK ((1UL << BCH_BYPASS_PAGE_SHIFT) - 1)
+ struct bch_bypass_page *bypass_pages;
+ unsigned long bypass_num_pages;
+ mempool_t bypass_mempool;
};
+static inline unsigned long sector_to_bypass_chunk(sector_t sector)
+{
+ return sector >> BCH_BYPASS_CHUNK_SHIFT;
+}
+
+static inline unsigned long bypass_chunk_to_page(unsigned long chunk)
+{
+ return chunk >> BCH_BYPASS_PAGE_SHIFT;
+}
+
+static inline unsigned long bypass_chunk_to_offset(unsigned long chunk)
+{
+ return chunk & BCH_BYPASS_PAGE_MASK;
+}
+
+static inline sector_t bypass_chunk_to_sector(unsigned long chunk)
+{
+ return (sector_t)chunk << BCH_BYPASS_CHUNK_SHIFT;
+}
+
enum alloc_reserve {
RESERVE_BTREE,
RESERVE_PRIO,
diff --git a/drivers/md/bcache/request.c b/drivers/md/bcache/request.c
index 3fa3b13a410f..bfd28b68f499 100644
--- a/drivers/md/bcache/request.c
+++ b/drivers/md/bcache/request.c
@@ -492,6 +492,9 @@ struct search {
struct block_device *orig_bdev;
unsigned long start_time;
+ sector_t bypass_sector;
+ unsigned int bypass_sectors;
+
struct btree_op op;
struct data_insert_op iop;
};
@@ -763,11 +766,16 @@ static inline struct search *search_alloc(struct bio *bio,
/* Cached devices */
+static void bch_bypass_write_end(struct cached_dev *dc, sector_t sector, unsigned int sectors);
+
static CLOSURE_CALLBACK(cached_dev_bio_complete)
{
closure_type(s, struct search, cl);
struct cached_dev *dc = container_of(s->d, struct cached_dev, disk);
+ if (s->iop.bypass && op_is_write(bio_op(s->orig_bio)))
+ bch_bypass_write_end(dc, s->bypass_sector, s->bypass_sectors);
+
cached_dev_put(dc);
search_free(&cl->work);
}
@@ -830,6 +838,110 @@ static CLOSURE_CALLBACK(cached_dev_cache_miss_done)
closure_put(&d->cl);
}
+static void bch_bypass_write_start(struct cached_dev *dc, sector_t sector, unsigned int sectors)
+{
+ unsigned long start_chunk = sector_to_bypass_chunk(sector);
+ unsigned long end_chunk = sector_to_bypass_chunk(sector + sectors - 1);
+ unsigned long end_pg_idx = bypass_chunk_to_page(end_chunk);
+ unsigned long chunk;
+
+ if (WARN_ON_ONCE(end_pg_idx >= dc->bypass_num_pages))
+ return;
+
+ for (chunk = start_chunk; chunk <= end_chunk; chunk++) {
+ unsigned long pg_idx = bypass_chunk_to_page(chunk);
+ unsigned long pg_off = bypass_chunk_to_offset(chunk);
+ struct bch_bypass_page *pg = &dc->bypass_pages[pg_idx];
+ u32 *new_counts;
+ u32 *dup_counts = NULL;
+ unsigned long flags;
+
+ spin_lock_irqsave(&pg->lock, flags);
+ if (!pg->counts) {
+ spin_unlock_irqrestore(&pg->lock, flags);
+ new_counts = mempool_alloc(&dc->bypass_mempool, GFP_NOIO);
+ memset(new_counts, 0, PAGE_SIZE);
+ spin_lock_irqsave(&pg->lock, flags);
+ if (pg->counts)
+ dup_counts = new_counts;
+ else
+ pg->counts = new_counts;
+ }
+ pg->counts[pg_off]++;
+ pg->active++;
+ spin_unlock_irqrestore(&pg->lock, flags);
+
+ if (dup_counts)
+ mempool_free(dup_counts, &dc->bypass_mempool);
+ }
+}
+
+static void bch_bypass_write_end(struct cached_dev *dc, sector_t sector, unsigned int sectors)
+{
+ unsigned long start_chunk = sector_to_bypass_chunk(sector);
+ unsigned long end_chunk = sector_to_bypass_chunk(sector + sectors - 1);
+ unsigned long end_pg_idx = bypass_chunk_to_page(end_chunk);
+ unsigned long chunk;
+
+ if (WARN_ON_ONCE(end_pg_idx >= dc->bypass_num_pages))
+ return;
+
+ for (chunk = start_chunk; chunk <= end_chunk; chunk++) {
+ unsigned long pg_idx = bypass_chunk_to_page(chunk);
+ unsigned long pg_off = bypass_chunk_to_offset(chunk);
+ struct bch_bypass_page *pg = &dc->bypass_pages[pg_idx];
+ u32 *counts = NULL;
+ unsigned long flags;
+
+ spin_lock_irqsave(&pg->lock, flags);
+ if (WARN_ON_ONCE(!pg->counts || !pg->counts[pg_off])) {
+ spin_unlock_irqrestore(&pg->lock, flags);
+ continue;
+ }
+
+ pg->counts[pg_off]--;
+ pg->active--;
+ if (!pg->active) {
+ counts = pg->counts;
+ pg->counts = NULL;
+ }
+ spin_unlock_irqrestore(&pg->lock, flags);
+
+ if (counts)
+ mempool_free(counts, &dc->bypass_mempool);
+ }
+}
+
+static bool bch_has_active_bypass_writes(struct cached_dev *dc, sector_t sector,
+ unsigned int sectors)
+{
+ unsigned long start_chunk = sector_to_bypass_chunk(sector);
+ unsigned long end_chunk = sector_to_bypass_chunk(sector + sectors - 1);
+ unsigned long end_pg_idx = bypass_chunk_to_page(end_chunk);
+ unsigned long chunk;
+ bool has_active = false;
+
+ if (WARN_ON_ONCE(end_pg_idx >= dc->bypass_num_pages))
+ return false;
+
+ for (chunk = start_chunk; chunk <= end_chunk; chunk++) {
+ unsigned long pg_idx = bypass_chunk_to_page(chunk);
+ unsigned long pg_off = bypass_chunk_to_offset(chunk);
+ struct bch_bypass_page *pg = &dc->bypass_pages[pg_idx];
+ unsigned long flags;
+
+ spin_lock_irqsave(&pg->lock, flags);
+ if (pg->counts && pg->counts[pg_off] > 0) {
+ has_active = true;
+ spin_unlock_irqrestore(&pg->lock, flags);
+ break;
+ }
+ spin_unlock_irqrestore(&pg->lock, flags);
+ }
+
+ return has_active;
+}
+
static CLOSURE_CALLBACK(cached_dev_read_done)
{
closure_type(s, struct search, cl);
@@ -864,7 +976,9 @@ static CLOSURE_CALLBACK(cached_dev_read_done)
bio_complete(s);
if (s->iop.bio &&
- !test_bit(CACHE_SET_STOPPING, &s->iop.c->flags)) {
+ !test_bit(CACHE_SET_STOPPING, &s->iop.c->flags) &&
+ !bch_has_active_bypass_writes(dc, s->iop.bio->bi_iter.bi_sector,
+ bio_sectors(s->iop.bio))) {
BUG_ON(!s->iop.replace);
closure_call(&s->iop.cl, bch_data_insert, NULL, cl);
}
@@ -975,7 +1089,13 @@ static CLOSURE_CALLBACK(cached_dev_write_complete)
struct cached_dev *dc = container_of(s->d, struct cached_dev, disk);
up_read_non_owner(&dc->writeback_lock);
- cached_dev_bio_complete(&cl->work);
+
+ if (s->iop.bypass) {
+ closure_call(&s->iop.cl, bch_data_insert, NULL, cl);
+ continue_at(cl, cached_dev_bio_complete, NULL);
+ } else {
+ cached_dev_bio_complete(&cl->work);
+ }
}
static void cached_dev_write(struct cached_dev *dc, struct search *s)
@@ -1018,6 +1138,10 @@ static void cached_dev_write(struct cached_dev *dc, struct search *s)
s->iop.bio = s->orig_bio;
bio_get(s->iop.bio);
+ s->bypass_sector = bio->bi_iter.bi_sector;
+ s->bypass_sectors = bio_sectors(bio);
+ bch_bypass_write_start(dc, s->bypass_sector, s->bypass_sectors);
+
if (bio_op(bio) == REQ_OP_DISCARD &&
!bdev_max_discard_sectors(dc->bdev))
goto insert_data;
@@ -1058,7 +1182,8 @@ static void cached_dev_write(struct cached_dev *dc, struct search *s)
}
insert_data:
- closure_call(&s->iop.cl, bch_data_insert, NULL, cl);
+ if (!s->iop.bypass)
+ closure_call(&s->iop.cl, bch_data_insert, NULL, cl);
continue_at(cl, cached_dev_write_complete, NULL);
}
diff --git a/drivers/md/bcache/super.c b/drivers/md/bcache/super.c
index 97d9adb0bf96..b994483511de 100644
--- a/drivers/md/bcache/super.c
+++ b/drivers/md/bcache/super.c
@@ -1346,6 +1346,16 @@ void bch_cached_dev_release(struct kobject *kobj)
{
struct cached_dev *dc = container_of(kobj, struct cached_dev,
disk.kobj);
+ if (dc->bypass_pages) {
+ unsigned long i;
+
+ for (i = 0; i < dc->bypass_num_pages; i++) {
+ if (dc->bypass_pages[i].counts)
+ mempool_free(dc->bypass_pages[i].counts, &dc->bypass_mempool);
+ }
+ kvfree(dc->bypass_pages);
+ mempool_exit(&dc->bypass_mempool);
+ }
kfree(dc);
module_put(THIS_MODULE);
}
@@ -1407,6 +1417,31 @@ static CLOSURE_CALLBACK(cached_dev_flush)
continue_at(cl, cached_dev_free, system_percpu_wq);
}
+static int bch_cached_dev_bypass_init(struct cached_dev *dc, sector_t sectors)
+{
+ unsigned long chunks =
+ sector_to_bypass_chunk(sectors + (1UL << BCH_BYPASS_CHUNK_SHIFT) - 1);
+ unsigned long i;
+
+ dc->bypass_num_pages = DIV_ROUND_UP(chunks, BCH_BYPASS_PAGE_COUNTERS);
+ dc->bypass_pages = kvcalloc(dc->bypass_num_pages,
+ sizeof(struct bch_bypass_page),
+ GFP_KERNEL);
+ if (!dc->bypass_pages)
+ return -ENOMEM;
+
+ for (i = 0; i < dc->bypass_num_pages; i++)
+ spin_lock_init(&dc->bypass_pages[i].lock);
+
+ if (mempool_init_kmalloc_pool(&dc->bypass_mempool, 16, PAGE_SIZE)) {
+ kvfree(dc->bypass_pages);
+ dc->bypass_pages = NULL;
+ return -ENOMEM;
+ }
+
+ return 0;
+}
+
static int cached_dev_init(struct cached_dev *dc, unsigned int block_size)
{
int ret;
@@ -1447,6 +1482,10 @@ static int cached_dev_init(struct cached_dev *dc, unsigned int block_size)
/* default to auto */
dc->stop_when_cache_set_failed = BCH_CACHED_DEV_STOP_AUTO;
+ ret = bch_cached_dev_bypass_init(dc, bdev_nr_sectors(dc->bdev));
+ if (ret)
+ return ret;
+
bch_cached_dev_request_init(dc);
bch_cached_dev_writeback_init(dc);
return 0;
--
2.55.0.679.g6767b8d81c-goog
^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 3+ messages in thread* [PATCH v3 2/2] bcache: inspect active bypass writes lock-free via RCU
2026-08-08 4:05 [PATCH v3 0/2] bcache: track active bypass writes to fix read miss race Ankit Kapoor
2026-08-08 4:05 ` [PATCH v3 1/2] " Ankit Kapoor
@ 2026-08-08 4:05 ` Ankit Kapoor
1 sibling, 0 replies; 3+ messages in thread
From: Ankit Kapoor @ 2026-08-08 4:05 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Coly Li, linux-bcache; +Cc: Kent Overstreet, linux-kernel, Ankit Kapoor
Checking for active bypass writes on the cache miss read path currently
requires acquiring page-level spinlocks across the target sector range.
While contention is low under normal operation, acquiring a lock in the
latency-sensitive read path introduces unnecessary overhead.
Optimize the read path by using RCU to inspect active bypass write
counters lock-free. Writers continue to use page-level spinlocks to
synchronize counter updates and allocations, while readers inspect the
tracking array under rcu_read_lock().
Suggested-by: Coly Li <colyli@fygo.io>
Signed-off-by: Ankit Kapoor <ankitkap@google.com>
---
drivers/md/bcache/bcache.h | 14 +++++++--
drivers/md/bcache/request.c | 58 +++++++++++++++++++++++++------------
drivers/md/bcache/super.c | 9 ++++--
3 files changed, 56 insertions(+), 25 deletions(-)
diff --git a/drivers/md/bcache/bcache.h b/drivers/md/bcache/bcache.h
index 2e50526a52fc..2ecff48d8902 100644
--- a/drivers/md/bcache/bcache.h
+++ b/drivers/md/bcache/bcache.h
@@ -299,10 +299,18 @@ enum stop_on_failure {
BCH_CACHED_DEV_STOP_MODE_MAX,
};
+extern struct kmem_cache *bch_bypass_cache;
+
+struct bch_bypass_counts {
+ struct rcu_head rcu;
+ struct cached_dev *dc;
+ u32 counts[PAGE_SIZE / sizeof(u32)];
+};
+
struct bch_bypass_page {
- u32 *counts;
- unsigned int active;
- spinlock_t lock;
+ struct bch_bypass_counts __rcu *counts;
+ unsigned int active;
+ spinlock_t lock;
};
struct cached_dev {
diff --git a/drivers/md/bcache/request.c b/drivers/md/bcache/request.c
index bfd28b68f499..9221db669050 100644
--- a/drivers/md/bcache/request.c
+++ b/drivers/md/bcache/request.c
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
#define CUTOFF_CACHE_READA 90
struct kmem_cache *bch_search_cache;
+struct kmem_cache *bch_bypass_cache;
static CLOSURE_CALLBACK(bch_data_insert_start);
@@ -852,22 +853,28 @@ static void bch_bypass_write_start(struct cached_dev *dc, sector_t sector, unsig
unsigned long pg_idx = bypass_chunk_to_page(chunk);
unsigned long pg_off = bypass_chunk_to_offset(chunk);
struct bch_bypass_page *pg = &dc->bypass_pages[pg_idx];
- u32 *new_counts;
- u32 *dup_counts = NULL;
+ struct bch_bypass_counts *new_counts;
+ struct bch_bypass_counts *dup_counts = NULL;
+ struct bch_bypass_counts *counts;
unsigned long flags;
spin_lock_irqsave(&pg->lock, flags);
- if (!pg->counts) {
+ counts = rcu_dereference_protected(pg->counts, lockdep_is_held(&pg->lock));
+ if (!counts) {
spin_unlock_irqrestore(&pg->lock, flags);
new_counts = mempool_alloc(&dc->bypass_mempool, GFP_NOIO);
- memset(new_counts, 0, PAGE_SIZE);
+ memset(new_counts->counts, 0, PAGE_SIZE);
+ new_counts->dc = dc;
spin_lock_irqsave(&pg->lock, flags);
- if (pg->counts)
+ counts = rcu_dereference_protected(pg->counts, lockdep_is_held(&pg->lock));
+ if (counts) {
dup_counts = new_counts;
- else
- pg->counts = new_counts;
+ } else {
+ counts = new_counts;
+ rcu_assign_pointer(pg->counts, counts);
+ }
}
- pg->counts[pg_off]++;
+ WRITE_ONCE(counts->counts[pg_off], counts->counts[pg_off] + 1);
pg->active++;
spin_unlock_irqrestore(&pg->lock, flags);
@@ -876,6 +883,13 @@ static void bch_bypass_write_start(struct cached_dev *dc, sector_t sector, unsig
}
}
+static void bch_bypass_counts_free_rcu(struct rcu_head *rcu)
+{
+ struct bch_bypass_counts *counts = container_of(rcu, struct bch_bypass_counts, rcu);
+
+ mempool_free(counts, &counts->dc->bypass_mempool);
+}
+
static void bch_bypass_write_end(struct cached_dev *dc, sector_t sector, unsigned int sectors)
{
unsigned long start_chunk = sector_to_bypass_chunk(sector);
@@ -890,25 +904,27 @@ static void bch_bypass_write_end(struct cached_dev *dc, sector_t sector, unsigne
unsigned long pg_idx = bypass_chunk_to_page(chunk);
unsigned long pg_off = bypass_chunk_to_offset(chunk);
struct bch_bypass_page *pg = &dc->bypass_pages[pg_idx];
- u32 *counts = NULL;
+ struct bch_bypass_counts *counts = NULL;
+ struct bch_bypass_counts *current_counts;
unsigned long flags;
spin_lock_irqsave(&pg->lock, flags);
- if (WARN_ON_ONCE(!pg->counts || !pg->counts[pg_off])) {
+ current_counts = rcu_dereference_protected(pg->counts, lockdep_is_held(&pg->lock));
+ if (WARN_ON_ONCE(!current_counts || !current_counts->counts[pg_off])) {
spin_unlock_irqrestore(&pg->lock, flags);
continue;
}
- pg->counts[pg_off]--;
+ WRITE_ONCE(current_counts->counts[pg_off], current_counts->counts[pg_off] - 1);
pg->active--;
if (!pg->active) {
- counts = pg->counts;
- pg->counts = NULL;
+ counts = current_counts;
+ rcu_assign_pointer(pg->counts, NULL);
}
spin_unlock_irqrestore(&pg->lock, flags);
if (counts)
- mempool_free(counts, &dc->bypass_mempool);
+ call_rcu(&counts->rcu, bch_bypass_counts_free_rcu);
}
}
@@ -924,20 +940,19 @@ static bool bch_has_active_bypass_writes(struct cached_dev *dc, sector_t sector,
if (WARN_ON_ONCE(end_pg_idx >= dc->bypass_num_pages))
return false;
+ rcu_read_lock();
for (chunk = start_chunk; chunk <= end_chunk; chunk++) {
unsigned long pg_idx = bypass_chunk_to_page(chunk);
unsigned long pg_off = bypass_chunk_to_offset(chunk);
struct bch_bypass_page *pg = &dc->bypass_pages[pg_idx];
- unsigned long flags;
+ struct bch_bypass_counts *current_counts = rcu_dereference(pg->counts);
- spin_lock_irqsave(&pg->lock, flags);
- if (pg->counts && pg->counts[pg_off] > 0) {
+ if (current_counts && READ_ONCE(current_counts->counts[pg_off]) > 0) {
has_active = true;
- spin_unlock_irqrestore(&pg->lock, flags);
break;
}
- spin_unlock_irqrestore(&pg->lock, flags);
}
+ rcu_read_unlock();
return has_active;
}
@@ -1458,6 +1473,7 @@ void bch_flash_dev_request_init(struct bcache_device *d)
void bch_request_exit(void)
{
+ kmem_cache_destroy(bch_bypass_cache);
kmem_cache_destroy(bch_search_cache);
}
@@ -1467,5 +1483,9 @@ int __init bch_request_init(void)
if (!bch_search_cache)
return -ENOMEM;
+ bch_bypass_cache = KMEM_CACHE(bch_bypass_counts, 0);
+ if (!bch_bypass_cache)
+ return -ENOMEM;
+
return 0;
}
diff --git a/drivers/md/bcache/super.c b/drivers/md/bcache/super.c
index b994483511de..75aa6bb2e00b 100644
--- a/drivers/md/bcache/super.c
+++ b/drivers/md/bcache/super.c
@@ -1350,9 +1350,12 @@ void bch_cached_dev_release(struct kobject *kobj)
unsigned long i;
for (i = 0; i < dc->bypass_num_pages; i++) {
- if (dc->bypass_pages[i].counts)
- mempool_free(dc->bypass_pages[i].counts, &dc->bypass_mempool);
+ struct bch_bypass_counts *counts =
+ rcu_dereference_protected(dc->bypass_pages[i].counts, 1);
+ if (counts)
+ mempool_free(counts, &dc->bypass_mempool);
}
+ rcu_barrier();
kvfree(dc->bypass_pages);
mempool_exit(&dc->bypass_mempool);
}
@@ -1433,7 +1436,7 @@ static int bch_cached_dev_bypass_init(struct cached_dev *dc, sector_t sectors)
for (i = 0; i < dc->bypass_num_pages; i++)
spin_lock_init(&dc->bypass_pages[i].lock);
- if (mempool_init_kmalloc_pool(&dc->bypass_mempool, 16, PAGE_SIZE)) {
+ if (mempool_init_slab_pool(&dc->bypass_mempool, 16, bch_bypass_cache)) {
kvfree(dc->bypass_pages);
dc->bypass_pages = NULL;
return -ENOMEM;
--
2.55.0.679.g6767b8d81c-goog
^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 3+ messages in thread