From: Jamal Hadi Salim <jhs@mojatatu.com>
To: netdev@vger.kernel.org
Cc: Jamal Hadi Salim <jhs@mojatatu.com>,
stable@vger.kernel.org, Jiri Pirko <jiri@resnulli.us>,
"David S. Miller" <davem@davemloft.net>,
Eric Dumazet <edumazet@google.com>,
Jakub Kicinski <kuba@kernel.org>, Paolo Abeni <pabeni@redhat.com>,
Simon Horman <horms@kernel.org>,
Victor Nogueira <victor@mojatatu.com>,
Johannes Berg <johannes@sipsolutions.net>,
linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org, Vega <vega@nebusec.ai>
Subject: [PATCH net 1/2] net/sched: codel: bound the dropping loop per dequeue call
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 2026 16:56:15 -0400 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <QDISC-1L5H.v1.20260903184552@mojatatu.com> (raw)
The CoDel control law schedules the next drop one interval/sqrt(count)
after the previous drop, using the configured interval
(codel_params.interval). For very small intervals the scheduled step
rounds down to zero, so the dropping loop in codel_dequeue() never
advances and drains the entire backlog under the qdisc lock in one
call - an unprivileged user can trigger a soft lockup this way.
Fix in the shared codel code used by both codel and fq_codel:
1. Make the control-law step at least 1 tick so the dropping loop
always moves forward.
2. Cap the dropping loop at CODEL_MAX_DROPS_PER_DEQUEUE (256) drops
per codel_dequeue() call, resyncing drop_next to now when the cap
is hit: the catch-up owed to the loop grows with the idle gap and
the backlog, which no interval threshold can bound. This is a
deliberate behaviour change after long idle gaps.
The cap applies to fq_codel (4b549a2ef4be) and the mac80211 TXQ path
(fixed interval, cap only).
The target sojourn delay (codel_params.target) is not validated: it
does not feed the control law, so a sub-tick value is aggressive
rather than deadlock-prone.
Conditions to recreate the bug (repro from vega@nebusec.ai):
- tc qdisc add dev lo root handle 1: tbf rate 1kbit burst 2kb limit 1000000
- tc qdisc add dev lo parent 1:1 handle 10: codel interval 2us target 1ms noecn limit 1000000 (same for fq_codel)
- unpatched kernel: tc accepts it; a UDP flood under the 1kbit tbf
soft-lockups (watchdog: BUG: soft lockup) while one
codel_dequeue() call drops the backlog under the qdisc lock
- patched kernel: same setup, at most 256 drops per dequeue call,
no soft lockup
Fixes: 76e3cc126bb2 ("codel: Controlled Delay AQM")
Reported-by: Vega <vega@nebusec.ai>
Tested-by: Victor Nogueira <victor@mojatatu.com>
Signed-off-by: Jamal Hadi Salim <jhs@mojatatu.com>
---
include/net/codel.h | 5 +++++
include/net/codel_impl.h | 16 +++++++++++++++-
2 files changed, 20 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/include/net/codel.h b/include/net/codel.h
index aa80f744826c..183d43c2bd43 100644
--- a/include/net/codel.h
+++ b/include/net/codel.h
@@ -140,6 +140,11 @@ struct codel_vars {
/* needed shift to get a Q0.32 number from rec_inv_sqrt */
#define REC_INV_SQRT_SHIFT (32 - REC_INV_SQRT_BITS)
+/* Cap on drops per codel_dequeue() call: the loop's work depends on the
+ * idle gap and backlog, both outside our control; resync when exceeded.
+ */
+#define CODEL_MAX_DROPS_PER_DEQUEUE 256
+
/**
* struct codel_stats - contains codel shared variables and stats
* @maxpacket: largest packet we've seen so far
diff --git a/include/net/codel_impl.h b/include/net/codel_impl.h
index 2c1f0ec309e9..9e779cd4d6de 100644
--- a/include/net/codel_impl.h
+++ b/include/net/codel_impl.h
@@ -93,12 +93,17 @@ static void codel_Newton_step(struct codel_vars *vars)
* CoDel control_law is t + interval/sqrt(count)
* We maintain in rec_inv_sqrt the reciprocal value of sqrt(count) to avoid
* both sqrt() and divide operation.
+ *
+ * Clamp the increment to at least 1 tick: a very small interval (or a
+ * large count) can truncate it to zero, stalling the dropping loop.
*/
static codel_time_t codel_control_law(codel_time_t t,
codel_time_t interval,
u32 rec_inv_sqrt)
{
- return t + reciprocal_scale(interval, rec_inv_sqrt << REC_INV_SQRT_SHIFT);
+ return t + max_t(u32, 1,
+ reciprocal_scale(interval,
+ rec_inv_sqrt << REC_INV_SQRT_SHIFT));
}
static bool codel_should_drop(const struct sk_buff *skb,
@@ -156,6 +161,7 @@ static struct sk_buff *codel_dequeue(void *ctx,
struct sk_buff *skb = dequeue_func(vars, ctx);
codel_time_t now;
bool drop;
+ unsigned int drops = 0;
if (!skb) {
vars->first_above_time = 0;
@@ -180,6 +186,14 @@ static struct sk_buff *codel_dequeue(void *ctx,
*/
while (vars->dropping &&
codel_time_after_eq(now, vars->drop_next)) {
+ if (++drops > CODEL_MAX_DROPS_PER_DEQUEUE) {
+ /* fell far behind the schedule */
+ WRITE_ONCE(vars->drop_next,
+ codel_control_law(now,
+ params->interval,
+ vars->rec_inv_sqrt));
+ break;
+ }
/* dont care of possible wrap
* since there is no more divide.
*/
--
2.43.0
next reply other threads:[~2026-09-03 20:56 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 4+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2026-09-03 20:56 Jamal Hadi Salim [this message]
2026-09-03 20:56 ` [PATCH net 2/2] selftests/tc-testing: add codel/fq_codel interval boundary cases Jamal Hadi Salim
2026-09-04 0:35 ` [PATCH net 1/2] net/sched: codel: bound the dropping loop per dequeue call Eric Dumazet
2026-09-04 8:31 ` Jamal Hadi Salim
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