linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] remove BUG() in possible but rare condition

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Date:	Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:24:15 +0200
From:	Michal Hocko <mhocko@...e.cz>
To:	Glauber Costa <glommer@...allels.com>
Cc:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, devel@...nvz.org, linux-mm@...ck.org,
	cgroups@...r.kernel.org, Johannes Weiner <hannes@...xchg.org>,
	kamezawa.hiroyu@...fujitsu.com, Greg Thelen <gthelen@...gle.com>,
	Suleiman Souhlal <suleiman@...gle.com>,
	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
	Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] remove BUG() in possible but rare condition

On Wed 11-04-12 15:10:24, Glauber Costa wrote:
> While stressing the kernel with with failing allocations today,
> I hit the following chain of events:
> 
> alloc_page_buffers():
> 
> 	bh = alloc_buffer_head(GFP_NOFS);
> 	if (!bh)
> 		goto no_grow; <= path taken
> 
> grow_dev_page():
>         bh = alloc_page_buffers(page, size, 0);
>         if (!bh)
>                 goto failed;  <= taken, consequence of the above
> 
> and then the failed path BUG()s the kernel.
> 
> The failure is inserted a litte bit artificially, but even then,
> I see no reason why it should be deemed impossible in a real box.
> 
> Even though this is not a condition that we expect to see
> around every time, failed allocations are expected to be handled,
> and BUG() sounds just too much. As a matter of fact, grow_dev_page()
> can return NULL just fine in other circumstances, so I propose we just
> remove it, then.

I had to be blind yesterday. I have double checked the call chain and
this is safe already because __getblk_slow tries to free some memory and
then retry the allocation if it gets allocation failure from
grow_buffers (grow_dev_page).

> 
> Signed-off-by: Glauber Costa <glommer@...allels.com>
> CC: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
> CC: Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>

Reviewed-by: Michal Hocko <mhocko@...e.cz>

> ---
>  fs/buffer.c |    1 -
>  1 files changed, 0 insertions(+), 1 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/fs/buffer.c b/fs/buffer.c
> index 36d6665..351e18e 100644
> --- a/fs/buffer.c
> +++ b/fs/buffer.c
> @@ -985,7 +985,6 @@ grow_dev_page(struct block_device *bdev, sector_t block,
>  	return page;
>  
>  failed:
> -	BUG();
>  	unlock_page(page);
>  	page_cache_release(page);
>  	return NULL;
> -- 
> 1.7.7.6
> 
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-- 
Michal Hocko
SUSE Labs
SUSE LINUX s.r.o.
Lihovarska 1060/12
190 00 Praha 9    
Czech Republic
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