linux-kernel - [PATCH 11/13] ovl: use is_subdir() for testing if one thing is a subdir of another

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Message-ID: <20260204050726.177283-12-neilb@ownmail.net>
Date: Wed,  4 Feb 2026 15:57:55 +1100
From: NeilBrown <neilb@...mail.net>
To: Christian Brauner <brauner@...nel.org>,
	Alexander Viro <viro@...iv.linux.org.uk>,
	David Howells <dhowells@...hat.com>,
	Jan Kara <jack@...e.cz>,
	Chuck Lever <chuck.lever@...cle.com>,
	Jeff Layton <jlayton@...nel.org>,
	Miklos Szeredi <miklos@...redi.hu>,
	Amir Goldstein <amir73il@...il.com>,
	John Johansen <john.johansen@...onical.com>,
	Paul Moore <paul@...l-moore.com>,
	James Morris <jmorris@...ei.org>,
	"Serge E. Hallyn" <serge@...lyn.com>,
	Stephen Smalley <stephen.smalley.work@...il.com>
Cc: linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	netfs@...ts.linux.dev,
	linux-fsdevel@...r.kernel.org,
	linux-nfs@...r.kernel.org,
	linux-unionfs@...r.kernel.org,
	apparmor@...ts.ubuntu.com,
	linux-security-module@...r.kernel.org,
	selinux@...r.kernel.org
Subject: [PATCH 11/13] ovl: use is_subdir() for testing if one thing is a subdir of another

From: NeilBrown <neil@...wn.name>

Rather than using lock_rename(), use the more obvious is_subdir() for
ensuring that neither upper nor workdir contain the other.
Also be explicit in the comment that the two directories cannot be the
same.

As this is a point-it-time sanity check and does not provide any
on-going guarantees, the removal of locking does not introduce any
interesting races.

Signed-off-by: NeilBrown <neil@...wn.name>
---
 fs/overlayfs/super.c | 15 +++++----------
 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-)

diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/super.c b/fs/overlayfs/super.c
index ba9146f22a2c..2fd3e0aee50e 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/super.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/super.c
@@ -451,18 +451,13 @@ static int ovl_lower_dir(const char *name, const struct path *path,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-/* Workdir should not be subdir of upperdir and vice versa */
+/*
+ * Workdir should not be subdir of upperdir and vice versa, and
+ * they should not be the same.
+ */
 static bool ovl_workdir_ok(struct dentry *workdir, struct dentry *upperdir)
 {
-	bool ok = false;
-
-	if (workdir != upperdir) {
-		struct dentry *trap = lock_rename(workdir, upperdir);
-		if (!IS_ERR(trap))
-			unlock_rename(workdir, upperdir);
-		ok = (trap == NULL);
-	}
-	return ok;
+	return !is_subdir(workdir, upperdir) && !is_subdir(upperdir, workdir);
 }
 
 static int ovl_setup_trap(struct super_block *sb, struct dentry *dir,
-- 
2.50.0.107.gf914562f5916.dirty