[PATCH 00/10] rust: refactor ARef and AlwaysRefCounted imports

[PATCH 00/10] rust: refactor ARef and AlwaysRefCounted imports

[Shankari Anand]

This series updates the import sites of `ARef` and
`AlwaysRefCounted` in the Rust kernel code to use `sync::aref` instead
of the previous `types` module.

The refactor to `sync::aref` from `types::` was introduced in the commit: 
commit 07dad44aa9a9 
("rust: kernel: move ARef and AlwaysRefCounted to sync::aref")
link [1]

The goal of this series is to complete the migration of these
types to `sync`, as discussed with Miguel Ojeda [2].
The last commit in this series removes the temporary re-exports
from `types.rs` that were originally added to avoid breaking the
build during the transition.

[1]: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=07dad44aa9a93b16af19e8609a10b241c352b440
[2]: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CANiq72=hSTpAj7w8bvcwoJkivxD_FPKnx9jD6iNvhsENnnXBzg@mail.gmail.com/

Shankari Anand (10):
  drivers: android: binder: Update ARef imports from sync::aref
  drivers: gpu: Update ARef imports from sync::aref
  rust: device: Update ARef and AlwaysRefCounted imports from sync::aref
  rust: drm: Update AlwaysRefCounted imports to use sync::aref
  rust: kernel: Update ARef and AlwaysRefCounted imports to use
    sync::aref
  rust: kernel: Update ARef and AlwaysRefCounted imports to use
    sync::aref
  rust: kernel: Update ARef imports to use sync::aref
  rust: kernel: Update AlwaysRefCounted imports to use sync::aref
  samples: rust: Update ARef imports to use sync::aref
  rust: kernel: remove temporary re-exports of ARef and AlwaysRefCounted

 drivers/android/binder/process.rs      |  2 +-
 drivers/android/binder/thread.rs       |  3 +--
 drivers/gpu/drm/tyr/driver.rs          |  2 +-
 drivers/gpu/nova-core/gsp/sequencer.rs |  2 +-
 drivers/gpu/nova-core/vbios.rs         |  2 +-
 rust/kernel/device.rs                  |  4 ++--
 rust/kernel/device/property.rs         |  5 +++--
 rust/kernel/drm/gem/mod.rs             |  2 +-
 rust/kernel/i2c.rs                     | 10 ++++------
 rust/kernel/pwm.rs                     |  3 ++-
 rust/kernel/scatterlist.rs             |  3 ++-
 rust/kernel/types.rs                   |  2 --
 rust/kernel/usb.rs                     |  3 ++-
 samples/rust/rust_debugfs.rs           |  2 +-
 14 files changed, 22 insertions(+), 23 deletions(-)


base-commit: d724c6f85e80a23ed46b7ebc6e38b527c09d64f5
-- 
2.34.1

[PATCH 01/10] drivers: android: binder: Update ARef imports from sync::aref

[Shankari Anand]

Update call sites in binder files to import `ARef`
from `sync::aref` instead of `types`.

This aligns with the ongoing effort to move `ARef` and
`AlwaysRefCounted` to sync.

Suggested-by: Benno Lossin <lossin@kernel.org>
Link: https://github.com/Rust-for-Linux/linux/issues/1173
Signed-off-by: Shankari Anand <shankari.ak0208@gmail.com>
---
 drivers/android/binder/process.rs | 2 +-
 drivers/android/binder/thread.rs  | 3 +--
 2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/android/binder/process.rs b/drivers/android/binder/process.rs
index e5237e9ec552..1409129ff82a 100644
--- a/drivers/android/binder/process.rs
+++ b/drivers/android/binder/process.rs
@@ -27,11 +27,11 @@
     seq_print,
     sync::poll::PollTable,
     sync::{
+        aref::ARef,
         lock::{spinlock::SpinLockBackend, Guard},
         Arc, ArcBorrow, CondVar, CondVarTimeoutResult, Mutex, SpinLock, UniqueArc,
     },
     task::Task,
-    types::ARef,
     uaccess::{UserSlice, UserSliceReader},
     uapi,
     workqueue::{self, Work},
diff --git a/drivers/android/binder/thread.rs b/drivers/android/binder/thread.rs
index 7e34ccd394f8..033af3ce352e 100644
--- a/drivers/android/binder/thread.rs
+++ b/drivers/android/binder/thread.rs
@@ -16,9 +16,8 @@
     seq_file::SeqFile,
     seq_print,
     sync::poll::{PollCondVar, PollTable},
-    sync::{Arc, SpinLock},
+    sync::{aref::ARef, Arc, SpinLock},
     task::Task,
-    types::ARef,
     uaccess::UserSlice,
     uapi,
 };
-- 
2.34.1

[PATCH 02/10] drivers: gpu: Update ARef imports from sync::aref

[Shankari Anand]

Update call sites to import `ARef` from `sync::aref`
instead of `types`.

This aligns with the ongoing effort to move `ARef` and
`AlwaysRefCounted` to sync.

Suggested-by: Benno Lossin <lossin@kernel.org>
Link: https://github.com/Rust-for-Linux/linux/issues/1173
Signed-off-by: Shankari Anand <shankari.ak0208@gmail.com>
---
 drivers/gpu/drm/tyr/driver.rs          | 2 +-
 drivers/gpu/nova-core/gsp/sequencer.rs | 2 +-
 drivers/gpu/nova-core/vbios.rs         | 2 +-
 3 files changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/tyr/driver.rs b/drivers/gpu/drm/tyr/driver.rs
index 0389c558c036..264c2362237a 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/tyr/driver.rs
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/tyr/driver.rs
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@
 use kernel::regulator;
 use kernel::regulator::Regulator;
 use kernel::sizes::SZ_2M;
+use kernel::sync::aref::ARef;
 use kernel::sync::Arc;
 use kernel::sync::Mutex;
 use kernel::time;
-use kernel::types::ARef;
 
 use crate::file::File;
 use crate::gem::TyrObject;
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/nova-core/gsp/sequencer.rs b/drivers/gpu/nova-core/gsp/sequencer.rs
index 2d0369c49092..9c689f0b21ab 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/nova-core/gsp/sequencer.rs
+++ b/drivers/gpu/nova-core/gsp/sequencer.rs
@@ -14,12 +14,12 @@
     device,
     io::poll::read_poll_timeout,
     prelude::*,
+    sync::aref::ARef, //
     time::{
         delay::fsleep,
         Delta, //
     },
     transmute::FromBytes,
-    types::ARef, //
 };
 
 use crate::{
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/nova-core/vbios.rs b/drivers/gpu/nova-core/vbios.rs
index abf423560ff4..7c26e4a2d61c 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/nova-core/vbios.rs
+++ b/drivers/gpu/nova-core/vbios.rs
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@
         Alignable,
         Alignment, //
     },
+    sync::aref::ARef,
     transmute::FromBytes,
-    types::ARef,
 };
 
 use crate::{
-- 
2.34.1

[PATCH 03/10] rust: device: Update ARef and AlwaysRefCounted imports from sync::aref

[Shankari Anand]

Update call sites to import `ARef` and `AlwaysRefCounted`
from `sync::aref` instead of `types`.

This aligns with the ongoing effort to move `ARef` and
`AlwaysRefCounted` to sync.

Suggested-by: Benno Lossin <lossin@kernel.org>
Link: https://github.com/Rust-for-Linux/linux/issues/1173
Signed-off-by: Shankari Anand <shankari.ak0208@gmail.com>
---
 rust/kernel/device.rs          | 4 ++--
 rust/kernel/device/property.rs | 5 +++--
 2 files changed, 5 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/rust/kernel/device.rs b/rust/kernel/device.rs
index c79be2e2bfe3..21bde8d95185 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/device.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/device.rs
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@
 /// `bindings::device::release` is valid to be called from any thread, hence `ARef<Device>` can be
 /// dropped from any thread.
 ///
-/// [`AlwaysRefCounted`]: kernel::types::AlwaysRefCounted
+/// [`AlwaysRefCounted`]: kernel::sync::aref::AlwaysRefCounted
 /// [`impl_device_context_deref`]: kernel::impl_device_context_deref
 /// [`pci::Device`]: kernel::pci::Device
 /// [`platform::Device`]: kernel::platform::Device
@@ -540,7 +540,7 @@ pub trait DeviceContext: private::Sealed {}
 /// [`Device<Normal>`]. It is the only [`DeviceContext`] for which it is valid to implement
 /// [`AlwaysRefCounted`] for.
 ///
-/// [`AlwaysRefCounted`]: kernel::types::AlwaysRefCounted
+/// [`AlwaysRefCounted`]: kernel::sync::aref::AlwaysRefCounted
 pub struct Normal;
 
 /// The [`Core`] context is the context of a bus specific device when it appears as argument of
diff --git a/rust/kernel/device/property.rs b/rust/kernel/device/property.rs
index 3a332a8c53a9..413221817ef1 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/device/property.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/device/property.rs
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@
     fmt,
     prelude::*,
     str::{CStr, CString},
-    types::{ARef, Opaque},
+    sync::aref::ARef,
+    types::Opaque,
 };
 
 /// A reference-counted fwnode_handle.
@@ -359,7 +360,7 @@ fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
 }
 
 // SAFETY: Instances of `FwNode` are always reference-counted.
-unsafe impl crate::types::AlwaysRefCounted for FwNode {
+unsafe impl crate::sync::aref::AlwaysRefCounted for FwNode {
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         // SAFETY: The existence of a shared reference guarantees that the
         // refcount is non-zero.
-- 
2.34.1

[PATCH 04/10] rust: drm: Update AlwaysRefCounted imports to use sync::aref

[Shankari Anand]

Update call sites to import `AlwaysRefCounted`
from `sync::aref` instead of `types`.

This aligns with the ongoing effort to move `ARef` and
`AlwaysRefCounted` to sync.

Suggested-by: Benno Lossin <lossin@kernel.org>
Link: https://github.com/Rust-for-Linux/linux/issues/1173
Signed-off-by: Shankari Anand <shankari.ak0208@gmail.com>
---
 rust/kernel/drm/gem/mod.rs | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/rust/kernel/drm/gem/mod.rs b/rust/kernel/drm/gem/mod.rs
index a7f682e95c01..76e6c40d525e 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/drm/gem/mod.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/drm/gem/mod.rs
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ extern "C" fn free_callback(obj: *mut bindings::drm_gem_object) {
 }
 
 // SAFETY: Instances of `Object<T>` are always reference-counted.
-unsafe impl<T: DriverObject> crate::types::AlwaysRefCounted for Object<T> {
+unsafe impl<T: DriverObject> crate::sync::aref::AlwaysRefCounted for Object<T> {
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         // SAFETY: The existence of a shared reference guarantees that the refcount is non-zero.
         unsafe { bindings::drm_gem_object_get(self.as_raw()) };
-- 
2.34.1

[PATCH 05/10] rust: kernel: Update ARef and AlwaysRefCounted imports to use sync::aref

[Shankari Anand]

Update call sites in `i2c.rs` to import `ARef` and
`AlwaysRefCounted` from `sync::aref` instead of `types`.

This aligns with the ongoing effort to move `ARef` and
`AlwaysRefCounted` to sync.

Suggested-by: Benno Lossin <lossin@kernel.org>
Link: https://github.com/Rust-for-Linux/linux/issues/1173
Signed-off-by: Shankari Anand <shankari.ak0208@gmail.com>
---
 rust/kernel/i2c.rs | 10 ++++------
 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/rust/kernel/i2c.rs b/rust/kernel/i2c.rs
index 1aee46f59460..c50ca464d87c 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/i2c.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/i2c.rs
@@ -17,10 +17,8 @@
     of,
     prelude::*,
     str::CStrExt as _,
-    types::{
-        AlwaysRefCounted,
-        Opaque, //
-    }, //
+    sync::aref::AlwaysRefCounted,
+    types::Opaque, //
 };
 
 use core::{
@@ -32,7 +30,7 @@
     }, //
 };
 
-use kernel::types::ARef;
+use kernel::sync::aref::ARef;
 
 /// An I2C device id table.
 #[repr(transparent)]
@@ -408,7 +406,7 @@ pub fn get(index: i32) -> Result<ARef<Self>> {
 kernel::impl_device_context_into_aref!(I2cAdapter);
 
 // SAFETY: Instances of `I2cAdapter` are always reference-counted.
-unsafe impl crate::types::AlwaysRefCounted for I2cAdapter {
+unsafe impl crate::sync::aref::AlwaysRefCounted for I2cAdapter {
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         // SAFETY: The existence of a shared reference guarantees that the refcount is non-zero.
         unsafe { bindings::i2c_get_adapter(self.index()) };
-- 
2.34.1

Re: [PATCH 05/10] rust: kernel: Update ARef and AlwaysRefCounted imports to use sync::aref

[Igor Korotin]

Hello Shankari

On 11/23/2025 9:24 AM, Shankari Anand wrote:
> Update call sites in `i2c.rs` to import `ARef` and
> `AlwaysRefCounted` from `sync::aref` instead of `types`.
> 
> This aligns with the ongoing effort to move `ARef` and
> `AlwaysRefCounted` to sync.
> 
> Suggested-by: Benno Lossin <lossin@kernel.org>
> Link: https://github.com/Rust-for-Linux/linux/issues/1173
> Signed-off-by: Shankari Anand <shankari.ak0208@gmail.com>
> ---
>   rust/kernel/i2c.rs | 10 ++++------
>   1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/rust/kernel/i2c.rs b/rust/kernel/i2c.rs
> index 1aee46f59460..c50ca464d87c 100644
> --- a/rust/kernel/i2c.rs
> +++ b/rust/kernel/i2c.rs
> @@ -17,10 +17,8 @@
>       of,
>       prelude::*,
>       str::CStrExt as _,
> -    types::{
> -        AlwaysRefCounted,
> -        Opaque, //
> -    }, //
> +    sync::aref::AlwaysRefCounted,
> +    types::Opaque, //
>   };
>   
>   use core::{
> @@ -32,7 +30,7 @@
>       }, //
>   };
>   
> -use kernel::types::ARef;
> +use kernel::sync::aref::ARef;
>   
>   /// An I2C device id table.
>   #[repr(transparent)]
> @@ -408,7 +406,7 @@ pub fn get(index: i32) -> Result<ARef<Self>> {
>   kernel::impl_device_context_into_aref!(I2cAdapter);
>   
>   // SAFETY: Instances of `I2cAdapter` are always reference-counted.
> -unsafe impl crate::types::AlwaysRefCounted for I2cAdapter {
> +unsafe impl crate::sync::aref::AlwaysRefCounted for I2cAdapter {

NIT: This module already imports `AlwaysRefCounted`, so please use the
imported name instead of the full path for consistency.

>       fn inc_ref(&self) {
>           // SAFETY: The existence of a shared reference guarantees that the refcount is non-zero.
>           unsafe { bindings::i2c_get_adapter(self.index()) };

Thanks
Igor

[PATCH 06/10] rust: kernel: Update ARef and AlwaysRefCounted imports to use sync::aref

[Shankari Anand]

Update call sites in `pwm.rs` to import `ARef`
and `AlwaysRefCounted` from `sync::aref`
instead of `types`.

This aligns with the ongoing effort to move `ARef` and
`AlwaysRefCounted` to sync.

Suggested-by: Benno Lossin <lossin@kernel.org>
Link: https://github.com/Rust-for-Linux/linux/issues/1173
Signed-off-by: Shankari Anand <shankari.ak0208@gmail.com>
---
 rust/kernel/pwm.rs | 3 ++-
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/rust/kernel/pwm.rs b/rust/kernel/pwm.rs
index cb00f8a8765c..1605d13d5d64 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/pwm.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/pwm.rs
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@
     devres,
     error::{self, to_result},
     prelude::*,
-    types::{ARef, AlwaysRefCounted, Opaque}, //
+    sync::aref::{ARef, AlwaysRefCounted},
+    types::Opaque, //
 };
 use core::{marker::PhantomData, ptr::NonNull};
 
-- 
2.34.1

[PATCH 07/10] rust: kernel: Update ARef imports to use sync::aref

[Shankari Anand]

Update call sites in `scatterlist.rs` to import `ARef`
from `sync::aref` instead of `types`.

This aligns with the ongoing effort to move `ARef` and
`AlwaysRefCounted` to sync.

Suggested-by: Benno Lossin <lossin@kernel.org>
Link: https://github.com/Rust-for-Linux/linux/issues/1173
Signed-off-by: Shankari Anand <shankari.ak0208@gmail.com>
---
 rust/kernel/scatterlist.rs | 3 ++-
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/rust/kernel/scatterlist.rs b/rust/kernel/scatterlist.rs
index 196fdb9a75e7..b83c468b5c63 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/scatterlist.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/scatterlist.rs
@@ -38,7 +38,8 @@
     io::ResourceSize,
     page,
     prelude::*,
-    types::{ARef, Opaque},
+    sync::aref::ARef,
+    types::Opaque,
 };
 use core::{ops::Deref, ptr::NonNull};
 
-- 
2.34.1

[PATCH 08/10] rust: kernel: Update AlwaysRefCounted imports to use sync::aref

[Shankari Anand]

Update call sites in `usb.rs` to import `AlwaysRefCounted`
from `sync::aref` instead of `types`.

This aligns with the ongoing effort to move `ARef` and
`AlwaysRefCounted` to sync.

Suggested-by: Benno Lossin <lossin@kernel.org>
Link: https://github.com/Rust-for-Linux/linux/issues/1173
Signed-off-by: Shankari Anand <shankari.ak0208@gmail.com>
---
 rust/kernel/usb.rs | 3 ++-
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/rust/kernel/usb.rs b/rust/kernel/usb.rs
index d10b65e9fb6a..79ff2f881572 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/usb.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/usb.rs
@@ -12,7 +12,8 @@
     error::{from_result, to_result, Result},
     prelude::*,
     str::CStr,
-    types::{AlwaysRefCounted, Opaque},
+    sync::aref::AlwaysRefCounted,
+    types::Opaque,
     ThisModule,
 };
 use core::{
-- 
2.34.1

[PATCH 09/10] samples: rust: Update ARef imports to use sync::aref

[Shankari Anand]

Update call sites in `rust_debugfs.rs` to import `ARef`
from `sync::aref` instead of `types`.

This aligns with the ongoing effort to move `ARef` and
`AlwaysRefCounted` to sync.

Suggested-by: Benno Lossin <lossin@kernel.org>
Link: https://github.com/Rust-for-Linux/linux/issues/1173
Signed-off-by: Shankari Anand <shankari.ak0208@gmail.com>
---
 samples/rust/rust_debugfs.rs | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/samples/rust/rust_debugfs.rs b/samples/rust/rust_debugfs.rs
index 025e8f9d12de..be245da577a1 100644
--- a/samples/rust/rust_debugfs.rs
+++ b/samples/rust/rust_debugfs.rs
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
 use kernel::sizes::*;
 use kernel::sync::atomic::{Atomic, Relaxed};
 use kernel::sync::Mutex;
-use kernel::{acpi, device::Core, of, platform, str::CString, types::ARef};
+use kernel::{acpi, device::Core, of, platform, str::CString, sync::aref::ARef};
 
 kernel::module_platform_driver! {
     type: RustDebugFs,
-- 
2.34.1

[PATCH 10/10] rust: kernel: remove temporary re-exports of ARef and AlwaysRefCounted

[Shankari Anand]

Remove the temporary re-exports of `ARef` and `AlwaysRefCounted`
from `types.rs` now that all in-tree users have been updated to
import them directly from `sync::aref`.

These re-exports were originally added to avoid breaking the
kernel build during the transition period while call sites were
incrementally migrated. With all users updated, they are no
longer needed.

Suggested-by: Benno Lossin <lossin@kernel.org>
Link: https://github.com/Rust-for-Linux/linux/issues/1173
Signed-off-by: Shankari Anand <shankari.ak0208@gmail.com>
---
 rust/kernel/types.rs | 2 --
 1 file changed, 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/rust/kernel/types.rs b/rust/kernel/types.rs
index 9c5e7dbf1632..4329d3c2c2e5 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/types.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/types.rs
@@ -11,8 +11,6 @@
 };
 use pin_init::{PinInit, Wrapper, Zeroable};
 
-pub use crate::sync::aref::{ARef, AlwaysRefCounted};
-
 /// Used to transfer ownership to and from foreign (non-Rust) languages.
 ///
 /// Ownership is transferred from Rust to a foreign language by calling [`Self::into_foreign`] and
-- 
2.34.1