FAILED: patch "[PATCH] fork: don't create io threads once PF_POSTCOREDUMP is set" failed to apply to 6.12-stable tree

FAILED: patch "[PATCH] fork: don't create io threads once PF_POSTCOREDUMP is set" failed to apply to 6.12-stable tree

[gregkh]

The patch below does not apply to the 6.12-stable tree.
If someone wants it applied there, or to any other stable or longterm
tree, then please email the backport, including the original git commit
id to <stable@vger.kernel.org>.

To reproduce the conflict and resubmit, you may use the following commands:

git fetch https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/ linux-6.12.y
git checkout FETCH_HEAD
git cherry-pick -x 1f978881ce6c9ac4f4d4a7b6a6e52339eadcd350
# <resolve conflicts, build, test, etc.>
git commit -s
git send-email --to '<stable@vger.kernel.org>' --in-reply-to '2026102850-unleveled-version-e04b@gregkh' --subject-prefix 'PATCH 6.12.y' 'HEAD^..'

Possible dependencies:



thanks,

greg k-h

------------------ original commit in Linus's tree ------------------

From 1f978881ce6c9ac4f4d4a7b6a6e52339eadcd350 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Christian Brauner <brauner@kernel.org>
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2026 15:45:03 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] fork: don't create io threads once PF_POSTCOREDUMP is set

zap_process() skips every thread that already has PF_POSTCOREDUMP set.
Such a thread is past synchronize_group_exit(), so a coredump can't
catch it anymore. It isn't counted in core_state->threads_remaining and
it isn't sent SIGKILL.

do_exit() sets PF_POSTCOREDUMP in synchronize_group_exit() and calls
io_uring_files_cancel() right after that. The cancellation runs task
work and a create_worker_cb() that io-wq queued before the exit creates
a new io-wq worker from there. If another thread started a coredump in
the meantime that worker joins a thread-group which is already being
dumped. zap_process() never saw it so it was never counted. But when it
exits it sees signal->core_state in synchronize_group_exit() and
decrements threads_remaining like any other thread.

So the count reaches zero one thread early and the dumper leaves
coredump_wait_inactive() while a thread it counted is still running.

The task has no fatal signal pending because zap_process() deliberately
didn't send it one, and it never went through get_signal() so it doesn't
have PF_SIGNALED either.

Refuse to create an io thread when the creator has PF_POSTCOREDUMP.
That costs nothing. io_uring_files_cancel() raises IO_WQ_BIT_EXIT
before it runs any task work, so a worker created from there only ever
gets to exit again, and io_should_retry_thread() doesn't retry -EINTR.

Clearing PF_POSTCOREDUMP for the new thread in copy_process() was the
other option. It makes the worker a thread like any other, but it only
helps while the dump hasn't started. A worker born after zap_process()
has run is invisible to it whatever its flags say and still decrements
threads_remaining on the way out. Refusing to create it covers both, and
then no task is ever born with the flag, so there is nothing to clear.

Moving io_uring_files_cancel() ahead of synchronize_group_exit() closes
the same window. It runs the cancellation, and whatever that can block
on, before the thread announces itself to the dumper. A thread that
blocks there never reaches coredump_task_exit() at all, so the dumper
ends up waiting for a thread that never parks. Refusing the creation
leaves the cancellation where it is. But it's very ugly to run io_uring
work even before we did all the generic exit work.

Fixes: 92307383082d ("coredump:  Don't perform any cleanups before dumping core")
Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org
Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20260921-work-coredump-fixes-v3-14-8e4adb1619e6@kernel.org
Acked-by: Oleg Nesterov <oleg@redhat.com>
Signed-off-by: Christian Brauner (Amutable) <brauner@kernel.org>

diff --git a/kernel/fork.c b/kernel/fork.c
index 0489d11656d9..623eaead3747 100644
--- a/kernel/fork.c
+++ b/kernel/fork.c
@@ -2700,8 +2700,8 @@ struct task_struct *create_io_thread(int (*fn)(void *), void *arg, int node)
 		.user_worker	= 1,
 	};
 
-	/* A creator past its fatal signal gets no thread. */
-	if (current->flags & PF_SIGNALED)
+	/* A creator past its fatal signal or its coredump point gets no thread. */
+	if (current->flags & (PF_SIGNALED | PF_POSTCOREDUMP))
 		return ERR_PTR(-EINTR);
 
 	return copy_process(NULL, 0, node, &args);

[PATCH 6.12.y 1/2] fork: move the coredump and exec checks into create_io_thread()

[Sasha Levin]

From: Christian Brauner <brauner@kernel.org>

[ Upstream commit e760200370e4de054b6b5f568a7faa911e2956bb ]

Only a PF_USER_WORKER thread returns from get_signal() after a fatal
signal and can go on to create a thread. get_signal() sets PF_SIGNALED
before it dumps core and before it lets a PF_USER_WORKER thread return.
That flags sticks.

The exec'ing thread itself is never signaled. But it doesn't need the check
anyway as we moved cancellation of io_uring requests before de_thread().
create_io_thread() is the only way a signaled thread creates another
one. vhost_task_create() is reached from ioctls alone.

io_should_retry_thread() doesn't retry -EINTR, so io-wq callers give up
the same way they did when copy_process() refused.

Suggested-by: Oleg Nesterov <oleg@redhat.com>
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/aq0VLTyxNatFmLOK@redhat.com
Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20260921-work-coredump-fixes-v3-13-8e4adb1619e6@kernel.org
Acked-by: Oleg Nesterov <oleg@redhat.com>
Signed-off-by: Christian Brauner (Amutable) <brauner@kernel.org>
Stable-dep-of: 1f978881ce6c ("fork: don't create io threads once PF_POSTCOREDUMP is set")
Signed-off-by: Sasha Levin <sashal@kernel.org>
---
 kernel/fork.c | 4 ++++
 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+)

diff --git a/kernel/fork.c b/kernel/fork.c
index f22b79d9954a8..c82956f8fc9d5 100644
--- a/kernel/fork.c
+++ b/kernel/fork.c
@@ -2774,6 +2774,10 @@ struct task_struct *create_io_thread(int (*fn)(void *), void *arg, int node)
 		.user_worker	= 1,
 	};
 
+	/* A creator past its fatal signal gets no thread. */
+	if (current->flags & PF_SIGNALED)
+		return ERR_PTR(-EINTR);
+
 	return copy_process(NULL, 0, node, &args);
 }
 
-- 
2.53.0

[PATCH 6.12.y 2/2] fork: don't create io threads once PF_POSTCOREDUMP is set

[Sasha Levin]

From: Christian Brauner <brauner@kernel.org>

[ Upstream commit 1f978881ce6c9ac4f4d4a7b6a6e52339eadcd350 ]

zap_process() skips every thread that already has PF_POSTCOREDUMP set.
Such a thread is past synchronize_group_exit(), so a coredump can't
catch it anymore. It isn't counted in core_state->threads_remaining and
it isn't sent SIGKILL.

do_exit() sets PF_POSTCOREDUMP in synchronize_group_exit() and calls
io_uring_files_cancel() right after that. The cancellation runs task
work and a create_worker_cb() that io-wq queued before the exit creates
a new io-wq worker from there. If another thread started a coredump in
the meantime that worker joins a thread-group which is already being
dumped. zap_process() never saw it so it was never counted. But when it
exits it sees signal->core_state in synchronize_group_exit() and
decrements threads_remaining like any other thread.

So the count reaches zero one thread early and the dumper leaves
coredump_wait_inactive() while a thread it counted is still running.

The task has no fatal signal pending because zap_process() deliberately
didn't send it one, and it never went through get_signal() so it doesn't
have PF_SIGNALED either.

Refuse to create an io thread when the creator has PF_POSTCOREDUMP.
That costs nothing. io_uring_files_cancel() raises IO_WQ_BIT_EXIT
before it runs any task work, so a worker created from there only ever
gets to exit again, and io_should_retry_thread() doesn't retry -EINTR.

Clearing PF_POSTCOREDUMP for the new thread in copy_process() was the
other option. It makes the worker a thread like any other, but it only
helps while the dump hasn't started. A worker born after zap_process()
has run is invisible to it whatever its flags say and still decrements
threads_remaining on the way out. Refusing to create it covers both, and
then no task is ever born with the flag, so there is nothing to clear.

Moving io_uring_files_cancel() ahead of synchronize_group_exit() closes
the same window. It runs the cancellation, and whatever that can block
on, before the thread announces itself to the dumper. A thread that
blocks there never reaches coredump_task_exit() at all, so the dumper
ends up waiting for a thread that never parks. Refusing the creation
leaves the cancellation where it is. But it's very ugly to run io_uring
work even before we did all the generic exit work.

Fixes: 92307383082d ("coredump:  Don't perform any cleanups before dumping core")
Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org
Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20260921-work-coredump-fixes-v3-14-8e4adb1619e6@kernel.org
Acked-by: Oleg Nesterov <oleg@redhat.com>
Signed-off-by: Christian Brauner (Amutable) <brauner@kernel.org>
Signed-off-by: Sasha Levin <sashal@kernel.org>
---
 kernel/fork.c | 4 ++--
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/kernel/fork.c b/kernel/fork.c
index c82956f8fc9d5..140a615daf42e 100644
--- a/kernel/fork.c
+++ b/kernel/fork.c
@@ -2774,8 +2774,8 @@ struct task_struct *create_io_thread(int (*fn)(void *), void *arg, int node)
 		.user_worker	= 1,
 	};
 
-	/* A creator past its fatal signal gets no thread. */
-	if (current->flags & PF_SIGNALED)
+	/* A creator past its fatal signal or its coredump point gets no thread. */
+	if (current->flags & (PF_SIGNALED | PF_POSTCOREDUMP))
 		return ERR_PTR(-EINTR);
 
 	return copy_process(NULL, 0, node, &args);
-- 
2.53.0