Message-ID: <be3ca35e-ec22-47e7-8507-c637fbb39d51@redhat.com>
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:57:15 -0500
From: Waiman Long <llong@...hat.com>
To: Chen Ridong <chenridong@...weicloud.com>, Tejun Heo <tj@...nel.org>,
 Johannes Weiner <hannes@...xchg.org>, Michal Koutný
 <mkoutny@...e.com>, Ingo Molnar <mingo@...hat.com>,
 Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>, Juri Lelli <juri.lelli@...hat.com>,
 Vincent Guittot <vincent.guittot@...aro.org>,
 Steven Rostedt <rostedt@...dmis.org>, Ben Segall <bsegall@...gle.com>,
 Mel Gorman <mgorman@...e.de>, Valentin Schneider <vschneid@...hat.com>,
 Anna-Maria Behnsen <anna-maria@...utronix.de>,
 Frederic Weisbecker <frederic@...nel.org>,
 Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>, Shuah Khan <shuah@...nel.org>
Cc: cgroups@...r.kernel.org, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
 linux-kselftest@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH/for-next 2/2] cgroup/cpuset: Introduce a new top level
 isolcpus_update_mutex

On 1/29/26 3:20 AM, Chen Ridong wrote:
>
> On 2026/1/29 16:01, Chen Ridong wrote:
>>
>> On 2026/1/28 12:42, Waiman Long wrote:
>>> The current cpuset partition code is able to dynamically update
>>> the sched domains of a running system and the corresponding
>>> HK_TYPE_DOMAIN housekeeping cpumask to perform what is essentally the
>>> "isolcpus=domain,..." boot command line feature at run time.
>>>
>>> The housekeeping cpumask update requires flushing a number of different
>>> workqueues which may not be safe with cpus_read_lock() held as the
>>> workqueue flushing code may acquire cpus_read_lock() or acquiring locks
>>> which have locking dependency with cpus_read_lock() down the chain. Below
>>> is an example of such circular locking problem.
>>>
>>>    ======================================================
>>>    WARNING: possible circular locking dependency detected
>>>    6.18.0-test+ #2 Tainted: G S
>>>    ------------------------------------------------------
>>>    test_cpuset_prs/10971 is trying to acquire lock:
>>>    ffff888112ba4958 ((wq_completion)sync_wq){+.+.}-{0:0}, at: touch_wq_lockdep_map+0x7a/0x180
>>>
>>>    but task is already holding lock:
>>>    ffffffffae47f450 (cpuset_mutex){+.+.}-{4:4}, at: cpuset_partition_write+0x85/0x130
>>>
>>>    which lock already depends on the new lock.
>>>
>>>    the existing dependency chain (in reverse order) is:
>>>    -> #4 (cpuset_mutex){+.+.}-{4:4}:
>>>    -> #3 (cpu_hotplug_lock){++++}-{0:0}:
>>>    -> #2 (rtnl_mutex){+.+.}-{4:4}:
>>>    -> #1 ((work_completion)(&arg.work)){+.+.}-{0:0}:
>>>    -> #0 ((wq_completion)sync_wq){+.+.}-{0:0}:
>>>
>>>    Chain exists of:
>>>      (wq_completion)sync_wq --> cpu_hotplug_lock --> cpuset_mutex
>>>
>>>    5 locks held by test_cpuset_prs/10971:
>>>     #0: ffff88816810e440 (sb_writers#7){.+.+}-{0:0}, at: ksys_write+0xf9/0x1d0
>>>     #1: ffff8891ab620890 (&of->mutex#2){+.+.}-{4:4}, at: kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x260/0x5f0
>>>     #2: ffff8890a78b83e8 (kn->active#187){.+.+}-{0:0}, at: kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x2b6/0x5f0
>>>     #3: ffffffffadf32900 (cpu_hotplug_lock){++++}-{0:0}, at: cpuset_partition_write+0x77/0x130
>>>     #4: ffffffffae47f450 (cpuset_mutex){+.+.}-{4:4}, at: cpuset_partition_write+0x85/0x130
>>>
>>>    Call Trace:
>>>     <TASK>
>>>       :
>>>     touch_wq_lockdep_map+0x93/0x180
>>>     __flush_workqueue+0x111/0x10b0
>>>     housekeeping_update+0x12d/0x2d0
>>>     update_parent_effective_cpumask+0x595/0x2440
>>>     update_prstate+0x89d/0xce0
>>>     cpuset_partition_write+0xc5/0x130
>>>     cgroup_file_write+0x1a5/0x680
>>>     kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x3df/0x5f0
>>>     vfs_write+0x525/0xfd0
>>>     ksys_write+0xf9/0x1d0
>>>     do_syscall_64+0x95/0x520
>>>     entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e
>>>
>>> To avoid such a circular locking dependency problem, we have to
>>> call housekeeping_update() without holding the cpus_read_lock()
>>> and cpuset_mutex. One way to do that is to introduce a new top level
>>> isolcpus_update_mutex which will be acquired first if the set of isolated
>>> CPUs may have to be updated. This new isolcpus_update_mutex will provide
>>> the need mutual exclusion without the need to hold cpus_read_lock().
>>>
> When I reviewed Frederic's patches, I concerned about this issue. However, I was
> not certain whether any flush worker would need to acquire cpu_hotplug_lock or
> cpuset_mutex.
>
> Despite this warning, I do not understand how wq_completion would need to
> acquire cpu_hotplug_lock and cpuset_mutex.
>
> The reason I want to understand how wq_completion acquires cpu_hotplug_lock or
> cpuset_mutex is to determine whether isolcpus_update_mutex is truly necessary.
> As I mentioned in my previous email, I am concerned about a potential
> use-after-free (UAF) issue, which might imply that isolcpus_update_mutex is
> required in most places that currently acquire cpuset_mutex, with the possible
> exception of the hotplug path?

A circular lock dependency can invoke more than 2 tasks/parties. In this 
case, the task that hold wq_completion does not need to acquire 
cpu_hotplug_lock. If a worker that flushes a work function required for 
the completion to finish and it happens to acquire cpu_hotplug_lock with 
another task trying to acquire cpus_write_lock in the interim, the 
worker will wait there for the write lock to be released which will not 
happen until the original task that calls flush_workqueue() release its 
read lock. In essence, it is a deadlock.

Cheers,
Longman

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