[PATCH v2] sched_ext: sync disable_irq_work in bpf_scx_unreg()

[PATCH v2] sched_ext: sync disable_irq_work in bpf_scx_unreg()

[Richard Cheng]

When unregistered my self-written scx scheduler, the following panic
occurs.

[  229.923133] Kernel text patching generated an invalid instruction at 0xffff80009bc2c1f8!
[  229.923146] Internal error: Oops - BRK: 00000000f2000100 [#1]  SMP
[  230.077871] CPU: 48 UID: 0 PID: 1760 Comm: kworker/u583:7 Not tainted 7.0.0+ #3 PREEMPT(full)
[  230.086677] Hardware name: NVIDIA GB200 NVL/P3809-BMC, BIOS 02.05.12 20251107
[  230.093972] Workqueue: events_unbound bpf_map_free_deferred
[  230.099675] Sched_ext: invariant_0.1.0_aarch64_unknown_linux_gnu_debug (disabling), task: runnable_at=-174ms
[  230.116843] pc : 0xffff80009bc2c1f8
[  230.120406] lr : dequeue_task_scx+0x270/0x2d0
[  230.217749] Call trace:
[  230.228515]  0xffff80009bc2c1f8 (P)
[  230.232077]  dequeue_task+0x84/0x188
[  230.235728]  sched_change_begin+0x1dc/0x250
[  230.240000]  __set_cpus_allowed_ptr_locked+0x17c/0x240
[  230.245250]  __set_cpus_allowed_ptr+0x74/0xf0
[  230.249701]  ___migrate_enable+0x4c/0xa0
[  230.253707]  bpf_map_free_deferred+0x1a4/0x1b0
[  230.258246]  process_one_work+0x184/0x540
[  230.262342]  worker_thread+0x19c/0x348
[  230.266170]  kthread+0x13c/0x150
[  230.269465]  ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20
[  230.281393] Code: d4202000 d4202000 d4202000 d4202000 (d4202000)
[  230.287621] ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]---
[  231.160046] Kernel panic - not syncing: Oops - BRK: Fatal exception in interrupt

The root cause is that the JIT page backing ops->quiescent() is freed
before all callers of that function have stopped.

The expected ordering during teardown is:
    bitmap_zero(sch->has_op) + synchronize_rcu()
        -> guarantees no CPU will ever call sch->ops.* again
    -> only THEN free the BPF struct_ops JIT page

bpf_scx_unreg() is supposed to enforce the order, but after
commit f4a6c506d118 ("sched_ext: Always bounce scx_disable() through
irq_work"), disable_work is no longer queued directly, causing
kthread_flush_work() to be a noop. Thus, the caller drops the struct_ops
map too early and poisoned with AARCH64_BREAK_FAULT before
disable_workfn ever execute.

So the subsequent dequeue_task() still sees SCX_HAS_OP(sch, quiescent)
as true and calls ops.quiescent, which hit on the poisoned page and BRK
panic.

Add a helper scx_flush_disable_work() so the future use cases that want
to flush disable_work can use it.
Also amend the call for scx_root_enable_workfn() and
scx_sub_enable_workfn() which have similar pattern in the error path.

Fixes: f4a6c506d118 ("sched_ext: Always bounce scx_disable() through irq_work")
Signed-off-by: Richard Cheng <icheng@nvidia.com>
Reviewed-by: Andrea Righi <arighi@nvidia.com>
Reviewed-by: Cheng-Yang Chou <yphbchou0911@gmail.com>
---
Changelog:

v1 -> v2:
- Add scx_flush_disable_work() helper
- Amend error path in scx_root_enable_workfn() and
  scx_sub_enable_workfn()

Best regards,
Richard Cheng.
---
 kernel/sched/ext.c | 20 +++++++++++++++++---
 1 file changed, 17 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/kernel/sched/ext.c b/kernel/sched/ext.c
index 012ca8bd70fb..ff42ac197bfd 100644
--- a/kernel/sched/ext.c
+++ b/kernel/sched/ext.c
@@ -5921,6 +5921,20 @@ static void scx_disable(struct scx_sched *sch, enum scx_exit_kind kind)
 		irq_work_queue(&sch->disable_irq_work);
 }
 
+/**
+ * scx_flush_disable_work - flush the disable work and wait for it to finish
+ * @sch: the scheduler
+ *
+ * sch->disable_work might still not queued, causing kthread_flush_work()
+ * as a noop. Syncing the irq_work first is required to guarantee the
+ * kthread work has been queued before waiting for it.
+ */
+static void scx_flush_disable_work(struct scx_sched *sch)
+{
+	irq_work_sync(&sch->disable_irq_work);
+	kthread_flush_work(&sch->disable_work);
+}
+
 static void dump_newline(struct seq_buf *s)
 {
 	trace_sched_ext_dump("");
@@ -6821,7 +6835,7 @@ static void scx_root_enable_workfn(struct kthread_work *work)
 	 * completion. sch's base reference will be put by bpf_scx_unreg().
 	 */
 	scx_error(sch, "scx_root_enable() failed (%d)", ret);
-	kthread_flush_work(&sch->disable_work);
+	scx_flush_disable_work(sch);
 	cmd->ret = 0;
 }
 
@@ -7088,7 +7102,7 @@ static void scx_sub_enable_workfn(struct kthread_work *work)
 	percpu_up_write(&scx_fork_rwsem);
 err_disable:
 	mutex_unlock(&scx_enable_mutex);
-	kthread_flush_work(&sch->disable_work);
+	scx_flush_disable_work(sch);
 	cmd->ret = 0;
 }
 
@@ -7349,7 +7363,7 @@ static void bpf_scx_unreg(void *kdata, struct bpf_link *link)
 	struct scx_sched *sch = rcu_dereference_protected(ops->priv, true);
 
 	scx_disable(sch, SCX_EXIT_UNREG);
-	kthread_flush_work(&sch->disable_work);
+	scx_flush_disable_work(sch);
 	RCU_INIT_POINTER(ops->priv, NULL);
 	kobject_put(&sch->kobj);
 }
-- 
2.43.0

Re: [PATCH v2] sched_ext: sync disable_irq_work in bpf_scx_unreg()

[Cheng-Yang Chou]

Hi Richard,

On Fri, Apr 24, 2026 at 06:02:21PM +0800, Richard Cheng wrote:
[...]
> ---
>  kernel/sched/ext.c | 20 +++++++++++++++++---
>  1 file changed, 17 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/kernel/sched/ext.c b/kernel/sched/ext.c
> index 012ca8bd70fb..ff42ac197bfd 100644
> --- a/kernel/sched/ext.c
> +++ b/kernel/sched/ext.c
> @@ -5921,6 +5921,20 @@ static void scx_disable(struct scx_sched *sch, enum scx_exit_kind kind)
>  		irq_work_queue(&sch->disable_irq_work);
>  }
>  
> +/**
> + * scx_flush_disable_work - flush the disable work and wait for it to finish
> + * @sch: the scheduler

Not to be picky here, but I think '@sch: the scheduler' is a bit vague.
Since nearly every 'sch' in ext.c is a scheduler instance,
maybe '@sch: sched to be flushed' would be more descriptive?

You can check more specific comments for 'sch' elsewhere in ext.c as well.
WDYT, thanks!

> + *
> + * sch->disable_work might still not queued, causing kthread_flush_work()
> + * as a noop. Syncing the irq_work first is required to guarantee the
> + * kthread work has been queued before waiting for it.
> + */
> +static void scx_flush_disable_work(struct scx_sched *sch)
> +{
> +	irq_work_sync(&sch->disable_irq_work);
> +	kthread_flush_work(&sch->disable_work);
> +}
> +
>  static void dump_newline(struct seq_buf *s)
>  {
>  	trace_sched_ext_dump("");
> @@ -6821,7 +6835,7 @@ static void scx_root_enable_workfn(struct kthread_work *work)
>  	 * completion. sch's base reference will be put by bpf_scx_unreg().
>  	 */
>  	scx_error(sch, "scx_root_enable() failed (%d)", ret);
> -	kthread_flush_work(&sch->disable_work);
> +	scx_flush_disable_work(sch);
>  	cmd->ret = 0;
>  }
>  
> @@ -7088,7 +7102,7 @@ static void scx_sub_enable_workfn(struct kthread_work *work)
>  	percpu_up_write(&scx_fork_rwsem);
>  err_disable:
>  	mutex_unlock(&scx_enable_mutex);
> -	kthread_flush_work(&sch->disable_work);
> +	scx_flush_disable_work(sch);
>  	cmd->ret = 0;
>  }
>  
> @@ -7349,7 +7363,7 @@ static void bpf_scx_unreg(void *kdata, struct bpf_link *link)
>  	struct scx_sched *sch = rcu_dereference_protected(ops->priv, true);
>  
>  	scx_disable(sch, SCX_EXIT_UNREG);
> -	kthread_flush_work(&sch->disable_work);
> +	scx_flush_disable_work(sch);
>  	RCU_INIT_POINTER(ops->priv, NULL);
>  	kobject_put(&sch->kobj);
>  }
> -- 
> 2.43.0
> 

-- 
Cheers,
Cheng-Yang

Re: [PATCH v2] sched_ext: sync disable_irq_work in bpf_scx_unreg()

[Tejun Heo]

Hello,

On Fri, Apr 24, 2026 at 06:02:21PM +0800, Richard Cheng wrote:
> [PATCH v2] sched_ext: sync disable_irq_work in bpf_scx_unreg()

Applied to sched_ext/for-7.1-fixes.

Thanks.

-- 
tejun