Re: [PATCH] mm/huge_memory: fix a folio_split() race condition with folio_try_get()

Zi Yan
2026-03-02T16:32:53Z

On 2 Mar 2026, at 8:30, Lorenzo Stoakes wrote:

> On Fri, Feb 27, 2026 at 08:06:14PM -0500, Zi Yan wrote:
>> During a pagecache folio split, the values in the related xarray should not
>> be changed from the original folio at xarray split time until all
>> after-split folios are well formed and stored in the xarray. Current use
>> of xas_try_split() in __split_unmapped_folio() lets some after-split folios
>> show up at wrong indices in the xarray. When these misplaced after-split
>> folios are unfrozen, before correct folios are stored via __xa_store(), and
>> grabbed by folio_try_get(), they are returned to userspace at wrong file
>> indices, causing data corruption.
>>
>> Fix it by using the original folio in xas_try_split() calls, so that
>> folio_try_get() can get the right after-split folios after the original
>> folio is unfrozen.
>>
>> Uniform split, split_huge_page*(), is not affected, since it uses
>> xas_split_alloc() and xas_split() only once and stores the original folio
>> in the xarray.
>>
>> Fixes below points to the commit introduces the code, but folio_split() is
>> used in a later commit 7460b470a131f ("mm/truncate: use folio_split() in
>> truncate operation").
>>
>> Fixes: 00527733d0dc8 ("mm/huge_memory: add two new (not yet used) functions for folio_split()")
>> Reported-by: Bas van Dijk <bas@dfinity.org>
>> Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/all/CAKNNEtw5_kZomhkugedKMPOG-sxs5Q5OLumWJdiWXv+C9Yct0w@mail.gmail.com/
>> Signed-off-by: Zi Yan <ziy@nvidia.com>
>> Cc: <stable@vger.kernel.org>
>> ---
>> mm/huge_memory.c | 9 ++++++++-
>> 1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
>>
>> diff --git a/mm/huge_memory.c b/mm/huge_memory.c
>> index 56db54fa48181..e4ed0404e8b55 100644
>> --- a/mm/huge_memory.c
>> +++ b/mm/huge_memory.c
>> @@ -3647,6 +3647,7 @@ static int __split_unmapped_folio(struct folio *folio, int new_order,
>> const bool is_anon = folio_test_anon(folio);
>> int old_order = folio_order(folio);
>> int start_order = split_type == SPLIT_TYPE_UNIFORM ? new_order : old_order - 1;
>> + struct folio *origin_folio = folio;
>
> NIT: 'origin' folio is a bit ambigious, maybe old_folio, since it is of order old_order?

OK, will rename it.

>
>> int split_order;
>>
>> /*
>> @@ -3672,7 +3673,13 @@ static int __split_unmapped_folio(struct folio *folio, int new_order,
>> xas_split(xas, folio, old_order);
>
> Aside, but this 'if (foo) bar(); else { ... }' pattern is horrible, think it's
> justifiable to put both in {}... :)

I can fix it along with this. It should not cause much trouble during backport.

>
>> else {
>> xas_set_order(xas, folio->index, split_order);
>> - xas_try_split(xas, folio, old_order);
>> + /*
>> + * use the original folio, so that a parallel
>> + * folio_try_get() waits on it until xarray is
>> + * updated with after-split folios and
>> + * the original one is unfrozen.
>> + */
>> + xas_try_split(xas, origin_folio, old_order);
>
> Hmm, but won't we have already split the original folio by now? So is
> origin_folio/old_folio a pointer to what was the original folio but now is
> that but with weird tail page setup? :) like:
>
> |------------------------|
> | f |
> |------------------------|
> ^old_folio ^ split_at
>
> |-----------|------------|
> | f | f2 |
> |-----------|------------|
> ^old_folio
>
> |-----------|-----|------|
> | f | f3 | f4 |
> |-----------|-----|------|
> ^old_folio

This should be:

|-----------|-----|------|
| f | f2 | f3 |
|-----------|-----|------|
^old_folio

after split, the head page of f2 does not change,
so f2 becomes f2,f3, where f3 is the tail page
in the middle.

>
> etc.
>
> So the xarray would contain:
>
> |-----------|-----|------|
> | f | f | f |
> |-----------|-----|------|

This is the expected xarray state.

>
> Wouldn't it after this?
>
> Oh I guess before it'd contain:
>
> |-----------|-----|------|
> | f | f4 | f4 |
> |-----------|-----|------|
>
> Right?

You got the gist of it. The reality (see the fix above) is

|-----------|-----|------|
| f | f2 | f3 |
|-----------|-----|------|

But another split comes at f3, the xarray becomes

|-----------|-----|---|---|
| f | f2 |f3 | f3|
|-----------|-----|---|---|

due to how xas_try_split() works. Yeah, feel free to
blame me, since when I wrote xas_try_split(), I did
not get into all the details. I am planning to
change xas_try_split() so that the xarray will become

|-----------|-----|---|---|
| f | f2 |f3 | f4|
|-----------|-----|---|---|

>
>
> You saying you'll later put the correct xas entries in post-split. Where does
> that happen?

After __split_unmmaped_folio(), when __xa_store() is performed.

>
> And why was it a problem when these new folios were unfrozen?
>
> (Since the folio is a pointer to an offset in the vmemmap)
>
> I guess if you update that later in the xas, it's ok, and everything waits on
> the right thing so this is probably fine, and the f4 f4 above is probably not
> fine...
>
> I'm guessing the original folio is kept frozen during the operation?

Right. f is kept frozen until the entire xarray is updated. But if the xarray
is like (before the fix)

|-----------|-----|---|---|
| f | f2 |f3 | f3|
|-----------|-----|---|---|

the code after __split_unmmaped_folio()
1. unfreezes f2, __xa_store(f2)
2. unfreezes f3, __xa_store(f3)
3. unfreezes f4, __xa_store(f4), which overwrites the second f3 to f4,

and a parallel folio_try_get() that looks at the second f3 at step 2
sees f3 is unfrozen, then gives f3 to user but should have given
f4. It only happens when the split is at the second half of the old
folio.

>
> Anyway please help my confusion not so familiar with this code :)
>

Let me know if you have any more questions.

>
>> if (xas_error(xas))
>> return xas_error(xas);
>> }
>> --
>> 2.51.0
>>
>
> Thanks, Lorenzo

Best Regards,
Yan, Zi