Re: [PATCH v2 2/4] mm/slub: preserve one previous object lifetime

[Hao Li <hao.li@linux.dev>]

On Fri, Aug 14, 2026 at 12:12:44AM +0800, Pengpeng Hou wrote:
> SLAB_STORE_USER replaces the allocation track when an object is reused.  A
> later stale free can then replace the free track as well, leaving the
> report without the completed lifetime that created the stale reference.
> 
> Store one additional alloc/free pair.  Before recording a new allocation,
> copy the current pair to the previous slots only when both records exist.
> Keep the current free track intact to preserve existing SLAB_STORE_USER
> behavior during the reuse window.
> 
> Print the previous pair when available.  These records are diagnostic
> history and do not infer semantic ownership.
> 
> Assisted-by: Codex:gpt-5
> Signed-off-by: Pengpeng Hou <pengpeng@iscas.ac.cn>
> ---
>  mm/slub.c | 45 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---------
>  1 file changed, 36 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/mm/slub.c b/mm/slub.c
> index 0653def0fe36..355fbffb981f 100644
> --- a/mm/slub.c
> +++ b/mm/slub.c
> @@ -329,7 +329,13 @@ struct track {
>  	unsigned long when;	/* When did the operation occur */
>  };
>  
> -enum track_item { TRACK_ALLOC, TRACK_FREE, TRACK_NR };
> +enum track_item {
> +	TRACK_ALLOC,
> +	TRACK_FREE,
> +	TRACK_PREV_ALLOC,
> +	TRACK_PREV_FREE,
> +	TRACK_NR,
> +};
>  
>  #ifdef SLAB_SUPPORTS_SYSFS
>  static int sysfs_slab_add(struct kmem_cache *);
> @@ -1074,12 +1080,23 @@ static void set_track_update(struct kmem_cache *s, void *object,
>  	p->when = jiffies;
>  }
>  
> -static __always_inline void set_track(struct kmem_cache *s, void *object,
> -				      enum track_item alloc, unsigned long addr, gfp_t gfp_flags)
> +static __always_inline void set_alloc_track(struct kmem_cache *s, void *object,
> +					    unsigned long addr, gfp_t gfp_flags)
>  {
>  	depot_stack_handle_t handle = set_track_prepare(gfp_flags);
> +	struct track *alloc = get_track(s, object, TRACK_ALLOC);
> +	struct track *free = get_track(s, object, TRACK_FREE);
> +	struct track *prev_alloc;
> +	struct track *prev_free;
> +
> +	if (alloc->addr && free->addr) {
> +		prev_alloc = get_track(s, object, TRACK_PREV_ALLOC);
> +		prev_free = get_track(s, object, TRACK_PREV_FREE);
> +		*prev_alloc = *alloc;
> +		*prev_free = *free;
> +	}
>  
> -	set_track_update(s, object, alloc, addr, handle);
> +	set_track_update(s, object, TRACK_ALLOC, addr, handle);
>  }
>  
>  static void init_tracking(struct kmem_cache *s, void *object)
> @@ -1113,12 +1130,22 @@ static void print_track(const char *s, struct track *t, unsigned long pr_time)
>  
>  void print_tracking(struct kmem_cache *s, void *object)
>  {
> +	struct track *prev_alloc;
>  	unsigned long pr_time = jiffies;
> +
>  	if (!(s->flags & SLAB_STORE_USER))
>  		return;
>  
>  	print_track("Allocated", get_track(s, object, TRACK_ALLOC), pr_time);
>  	print_track("Freed", get_track(s, object, TRACK_FREE), pr_time);

When object is in allocated state, under normal case, this "Freed" line
duplicates with the "Freed" line under "Previous object lifetime:"

Would it make sense to add a check here? something like:

if ("free track" isn't the same as "prev_free track")
	print_track("Freed", get_track(s, object, TRACK_FREE), pr_time);

> +
> +	prev_alloc = get_track(s, object, TRACK_PREV_ALLOC);
> +	if (!prev_alloc->addr)
> +		return;
> +
> +	pr_err("Previous object lifetime:\n");
> +	print_track("Allocated", prev_alloc, pr_time);
> +	print_track("Freed", get_track(s, object, TRACK_PREV_FREE), pr_time);
>  }
>  
>  static void print_slab_info(const struct slab *slab)
> @@ -1366,8 +1393,8 @@ check_bytes_and_report(struct kmem_cache *s, struct slab *slab,
>   *
>   * [Metadata starts at object + s->inuse]
>   *   - A. freelist pointer (if freeptr_outside_object)
> - *   - B. alloc tracking (SLAB_STORE_USER)
> - *   - C. free tracking (SLAB_STORE_USER)
> + *   - B. current alloc/free tracking (SLAB_STORE_USER)
> + *   - C. previous alloc/free tracking (SLAB_STORE_USER)
>   *   - D. original request size (SLAB_KMALLOC && SLAB_STORE_USER)
>   *   - E. KASAN metadata (if enabled)
>   *
> @@ -2024,8 +2051,8 @@ static inline void slab_pad_check(struct kmem_cache *s, struct slab *slab) {}
>  static inline int check_object(struct kmem_cache *s, struct slab *slab,
>  			void *object, u8 val) { return 1; }
>  static inline depot_stack_handle_t set_track_prepare(gfp_t gfp_flags) { return 0; }
> -static inline void set_track(struct kmem_cache *s, void *object,
> -			     enum track_item alloc, unsigned long addr, gfp_t gfp_flags) {}
> +static inline void set_alloc_track(struct kmem_cache *s, void *object,
> +				   unsigned long addr, gfp_t gfp_flags) {}
>  static inline void add_full(struct kmem_cache *s, struct kmem_cache_node *n,
>  					struct slab *slab) {}
>  static inline void remove_full(struct kmem_cache *s, struct kmem_cache_node *n,
> @@ -4493,7 +4520,7 @@ static void *___slab_alloc(struct kmem_cache *s, gfp_t gfpflags, int node,
>  
>  success:
>  	if (kmem_cache_debug_flags(s, SLAB_STORE_USER))
> -		set_track(s, object, TRACK_ALLOC, ac->caller_addr, gfpflags);
> +		set_alloc_track(s, object, ac->caller_addr, gfpflags);
>  
>  	return object;
>  }
> -- 
> 2.50.1 (Apple Git-155)
> 

-- 
Thanks,
Hao