Message-Id: <20260204-unique-ref-v14-2-17cb29ebacbb@kernel.org>
Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2026 12:56:46 +0100
From: Andreas Hindborg <a.hindborg@...nel.org>
To: Miguel Ojeda <ojeda@...nel.org>, Boqun Feng <boqun.feng@...il.com>, 
 Gary Guo <gary@...yguo.net>, 
 Björn Roy Baron <bjorn3_gh@...tonmail.com>, 
 Benno Lossin <lossin@...nel.org>, Alice Ryhl <aliceryhl@...gle.com>, 
 Trevor Gross <tmgross@...ch.edu>, Danilo Krummrich <dakr@...nel.org>, 
 Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>, 
 Dave Ertman <david.m.ertman@...el.com>, Ira Weiny <ira.weiny@...el.com>, 
 Leon Romanovsky <leon@...nel.org>, Paul Moore <paul@...l-moore.com>, 
 Serge Hallyn <sergeh@...nel.org>, "Rafael J. Wysocki" <rafael@...nel.org>, 
 David Airlie <airlied@...il.com>, Simona Vetter <simona@...ll.ch>, 
 Alexander Viro <viro@...iv.linux.org.uk>, 
 Christian Brauner <brauner@...nel.org>, Jan Kara <jack@...e.cz>, 
 Igor Korotin <igor.korotin.linux@...il.com>, 
 Daniel Almeida <daniel.almeida@...labora.com>, 
 Lorenzo Stoakes <lorenzo.stoakes@...cle.com>, 
 "Liam R. Howlett" <Liam.Howlett@...cle.com>, 
 Viresh Kumar <vireshk@...nel.org>, Nishanth Menon <nm@...com>, 
 Stephen Boyd <sboyd@...nel.org>, Bjorn Helgaas <bhelgaas@...gle.com>, 
 Krzysztof Wilczyński <kwilczynski@...nel.org>
Cc: linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, rust-for-linux@...r.kernel.org, 
 linux-block@...r.kernel.org, linux-security-module@...r.kernel.org, 
 dri-devel@...ts.freedesktop.org, linux-fsdevel@...r.kernel.org, 
 linux-mm@...ck.org, linux-pm@...r.kernel.org, linux-pci@...r.kernel.org, 
 Andreas Hindborg <a.hindborg@...nel.org>, 
 Oliver Mangold <oliver.mangold@...me>
Subject: [PATCH v14 2/9] rust: rename `AlwaysRefCounted` to `RefCounted`.

From: Oliver Mangold <oliver.mangold@...me>

There are types where it may both be reference counted in some cases and
owned in others. In such cases, obtaining `ARef<T>` from `&T` would be
unsound as it allows creation of `ARef<T>` copy from `&Owned<T>`.

Therefore, we split `AlwaysRefCounted` into `RefCounted` (which `ARef<T>`
would require) and a marker trait to indicate that the type is always
reference counted (and not `Ownable`) so the `&T` -> `ARef<T>` conversion
is possible.

- Rename `AlwaysRefCounted` to `RefCounted`.
- Add a new unsafe trait `AlwaysRefCounted`.
- Implement the new trait `AlwaysRefCounted` for the newly renamed
  `RefCounted` implementations. This leaves functionality of existing
  implementers of `AlwaysRefCounted` intact.

Original patch by Oliver Mangold <oliver.mangold@...me> [1].

Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20251117-unique-ref-v13-2-b5b243df1250@pm.me [1]
Suggested-by: Alice Ryhl <aliceryhl@...gle.com>
Reviewed-by: Daniel Almeida <daniel.almeida@...labora.com>
Signed-off-by: Andreas Hindborg <a.hindborg@...nel.org>
---
 rust/kernel/auxiliary.rs        |  7 +++++-
 rust/kernel/block/mq/request.rs | 15 +++++++------
 rust/kernel/cred.rs             | 13 ++++++++++--
 rust/kernel/device.rs           | 10 ++++++---
 rust/kernel/device/property.rs  |  7 +++++-
 rust/kernel/drm/device.rs       | 10 ++++++---
 rust/kernel/drm/gem/mod.rs      |  8 ++++---
 rust/kernel/fs/file.rs          | 16 ++++++++++----
 rust/kernel/i2c.rs              | 16 +++++++++-----
 rust/kernel/mm.rs               | 15 +++++++++----
 rust/kernel/mm/mmput_async.rs   |  9 ++++++--
 rust/kernel/opp.rs              | 10 ++++++---
 rust/kernel/owned.rs            |  2 +-
 rust/kernel/pci.rs              | 10 ++++++++-
 rust/kernel/pid_namespace.rs    | 12 +++++++++--
 rust/kernel/platform.rs         |  7 +++++-
 rust/kernel/sync/aref.rs        | 47 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++---------------
 rust/kernel/task.rs             | 10 ++++++---
 rust/kernel/types.rs            |  3 ++-
 19 files changed, 164 insertions(+), 63 deletions(-)

diff --git a/rust/kernel/auxiliary.rs b/rust/kernel/auxiliary.rs
index be76f11aecb7e..c410dcfc7b6f7 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/auxiliary.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/auxiliary.rs
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
     driver,
     error::{from_result, to_result, Result},
     prelude::*,
+    sync::aref::{AlwaysRefCounted, RefCounted},
     types::Opaque,
     ThisModule,
 };
@@ -283,7 +284,7 @@ unsafe impl<Ctx: device::DeviceContext> device::AsBusDevice<Ctx> for Device<Ctx>
 kernel::impl_device_context_into_aref!(Device);
 
 // SAFETY: Instances of `Device` are always reference-counted.
-unsafe impl crate::sync::aref::AlwaysRefCounted for Device {
+unsafe impl RefCounted for Device {
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         // SAFETY: The existence of a shared reference guarantees that the refcount is non-zero.
         unsafe { bindings::get_device(self.as_ref().as_raw()) };
@@ -302,6 +303,10 @@ unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: NonNull<Self>) {
     }
 }
 
+// SAFETY: We do not implement `Ownable`, thus it is okay to obtain an `ARef<Device>` from a
+// `&Device`.
+unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for Device {}
+
 impl<Ctx: device::DeviceContext> AsRef<device::Device<Ctx>> for Device<Ctx> {
     fn as_ref(&self) -> &device::Device<Ctx> {
         // SAFETY: By the type invariant of `Self`, `self.as_raw()` is a pointer to a valid
diff --git a/rust/kernel/block/mq/request.rs b/rust/kernel/block/mq/request.rs
index ce3e30c81cb5e..cf013b9e2cacf 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/block/mq/request.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/block/mq/request.rs
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
     block::mq::Operations,
     error::Result,
     sync::{
-        aref::{ARef, AlwaysRefCounted},
+        aref::{ARef, AlwaysRefCounted, RefCounted},
         atomic::Relaxed,
         Refcount,
     },
@@ -229,11 +229,10 @@ unsafe impl<T: Operations> Send for Request<T> {}
 // mutate `self` are internally synchronized`
 unsafe impl<T: Operations> Sync for Request<T> {}
 
-// SAFETY: All instances of `Request<T>` are reference counted. This
-// implementation of `AlwaysRefCounted` ensure that increments to the ref count
-// keeps the object alive in memory at least until a matching reference count
-// decrement is executed.
-unsafe impl<T: Operations> AlwaysRefCounted for Request<T> {
+// SAFETY: All instances of `Request<T>` are reference counted. This implementation of `RefCounted`
+// ensure that increments to the ref count keeps the object alive in memory at least until a
+// matching reference count decrement is executed.
+unsafe impl<T: Operations> RefCounted for Request<T> {
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         self.wrapper_ref().refcount().inc();
     }
@@ -255,3 +254,7 @@ unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: core::ptr::NonNull<Self>) {
         }
     }
 }
+
+// SAFETY: We currently do not implement `Ownable`, thus it is okay to obtain an `ARef<Request>`
+// from a `&Request` (but this will change in the future).
+unsafe impl<T: Operations> AlwaysRefCounted for Request<T> {}
diff --git a/rust/kernel/cred.rs b/rust/kernel/cred.rs
index ffa156b9df377..20ef0144094be 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/cred.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/cred.rs
@@ -8,7 +8,12 @@
 //!
 //! Reference: <https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/security/credentials.html>
 
-use crate::{bindings, sync::aref::AlwaysRefCounted, task::Kuid, types::Opaque};
+use crate::{
+    bindings,
+    sync::aref::RefCounted,
+    task::Kuid,
+    types::{AlwaysRefCounted, Opaque},
+};
 
 /// Wraps the kernel's `struct cred`.
 ///
@@ -76,7 +81,7 @@ pub fn euid(&self) -> Kuid {
 }
 
 // SAFETY: The type invariants guarantee that `Credential` is always ref-counted.
-unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for Credential {
+unsafe impl RefCounted for Credential {
     #[inline]
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         // SAFETY: The existence of a shared reference means that the refcount is nonzero.
@@ -90,3 +95,7 @@ unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: core::ptr::NonNull<Credential>) {
         unsafe { bindings::put_cred(obj.cast().as_ptr()) };
     }
 }
+
+// SAFETY: We do not implement `Ownable`, thus it is okay to obtain an `ARef<Credential>` from a
+// `&Credential`.
+unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for Credential {}
diff --git a/rust/kernel/device.rs b/rust/kernel/device.rs
index 031720bf5d8ca..e09dad5f9afea 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/device.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/device.rs
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@
 use crate::{
     bindings, fmt,
     prelude::*,
-    sync::aref::ARef,
-    types::{ForeignOwnable, Opaque},
+    sync::aref::{ARef, RefCounted},
+    types::{AlwaysRefCounted, ForeignOwnable, Opaque},
 };
 use core::{any::TypeId, marker::PhantomData, ptr};
 
@@ -492,7 +492,7 @@ pub fn fwnode(&self) -> Option<&property::FwNode> {
 kernel::impl_device_context_into_aref!(Device);
 
 // SAFETY: Instances of `Device` are always reference-counted.
-unsafe impl crate::sync::aref::AlwaysRefCounted for Device {
+unsafe impl RefCounted for Device {
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         // SAFETY: The existence of a shared reference guarantees that the refcount is non-zero.
         unsafe { bindings::get_device(self.as_raw()) };
@@ -504,6 +504,10 @@ unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: ptr::NonNull<Self>) {
     }
 }
 
+// SAFETY: We do not implement `Ownable`, thus it is okay to obtain an `ARef<Device>` from a
+// `&Device`.
+unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for Device {}
+
 // SAFETY: As by the type invariant `Device` can be sent to any thread.
 unsafe impl Send for Device {}
 
diff --git a/rust/kernel/device/property.rs b/rust/kernel/device/property.rs
index 3a332a8c53a9e..a8bb824ad0ec1 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/device/property.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/device/property.rs
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
     fmt,
     prelude::*,
     str::{CStr, CString},
+    sync::aref::{AlwaysRefCounted, RefCounted},
     types::{ARef, Opaque},
 };
 
@@ -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 RefCounted for FwNode {
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         // SAFETY: The existence of a shared reference guarantees that the
         // refcount is non-zero.
@@ -373,6 +374,10 @@ unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: ptr::NonNull<Self>) {
     }
 }
 
+// SAFETY: We do not implement `Ownable`, thus it is okay to obtain an `ARef<FwNode>` from a
+// `&FwNode`.
+unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for FwNode {}
+
 enum Node<'a> {
     Borrowed(&'a FwNode),
     Owned(ARef<FwNode>),
diff --git a/rust/kernel/drm/device.rs b/rust/kernel/drm/device.rs
index 3ce8f62a00569..38ce7f389ed00 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/drm/device.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/drm/device.rs
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@
     error::from_err_ptr,
     error::Result,
     prelude::*,
-    sync::aref::{ARef, AlwaysRefCounted},
-    types::Opaque,
+    sync::aref::{AlwaysRefCounted, RefCounted},
+    types::{ARef, Opaque},
 };
 use core::{alloc::Layout, mem, ops::Deref, ptr, ptr::NonNull};
 
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
 
 // SAFETY: DRM device objects are always reference counted and the get/put functions
 // satisfy the requirements.
-unsafe impl<T: drm::Driver> AlwaysRefCounted for Device<T> {
+unsafe impl<T: drm::Driver> RefCounted for Device<T> {
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         // SAFETY: The existence of a shared reference guarantees that the refcount is non-zero.
         unsafe { bindings::drm_dev_get(self.as_raw()) };
@@ -213,6 +213,10 @@ unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: NonNull<Self>) {
     }
 }
 
+// SAFETY: We do not implement `Ownable`, thus it is okay to obtain an `ARef<Device>` from a
+// `&Device`.
+unsafe impl<T: drm::Driver> AlwaysRefCounted for Device<T> {}
+
 impl<T: drm::Driver> AsRef<device::Device> for Device<T> {
     fn as_ref(&self) -> &device::Device {
         // SAFETY: `bindings::drm_device::dev` is valid as long as the DRM device itself is valid,
diff --git a/rust/kernel/drm/gem/mod.rs b/rust/kernel/drm/gem/mod.rs
index a7f682e95c018..ad6840a440165 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/drm/gem/mod.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/drm/gem/mod.rs
@@ -10,8 +10,7 @@
     drm::driver::{AllocImpl, AllocOps},
     error::{to_result, Result},
     prelude::*,
-    sync::aref::{ARef, AlwaysRefCounted},
-    types::Opaque,
+    types::{ARef, AlwaysRefCounted, Opaque},
 };
 use core::{ops::Deref, ptr::NonNull};
 
@@ -253,7 +252,7 @@ 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::types::RefCounted 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()) };
@@ -267,6 +266,9 @@ unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: NonNull<Self>) {
         unsafe { bindings::drm_gem_object_put(obj.as_raw()) }
     }
 }
+// SAFETY: We do not implement `Ownable`, thus it is okay to obtain an `ARef<Device>` from a
+// `&Object`.
+unsafe impl<T: DriverObject> crate::types::AlwaysRefCounted for Object<T> {}
 
 impl<T: DriverObject> super::private::Sealed for Object<T> {}
 
diff --git a/rust/kernel/fs/file.rs b/rust/kernel/fs/file.rs
index 23ee689bd2400..06e457d62a939 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/fs/file.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/fs/file.rs
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@
     cred::Credential,
     error::{code::*, to_result, Error, Result},
     fmt,
-    sync::aref::{ARef, AlwaysRefCounted},
-    types::{NotThreadSafe, Opaque},
+    sync::aref::RefCounted,
+    types::{ARef, AlwaysRefCounted, NotThreadSafe, Opaque},
 };
 use core::ptr;
 
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ unsafe impl Sync for File {}
 
 // SAFETY: The type invariants guarantee that `File` is always ref-counted. This implementation
 // makes `ARef<File>` own a normal refcount.
-unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for File {
+unsafe impl RefCounted for File {
     #[inline]
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         // SAFETY: The existence of a shared reference means that the refcount is nonzero.
@@ -212,6 +212,10 @@ unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: ptr::NonNull<File>) {
     }
 }
 
+// SAFETY: We do not implement `Ownable`, thus it is okay to obtain an `ARef<File>` from a
+// `&File`.
+unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for File {}
+
 /// Wraps the kernel's `struct file`. Not thread safe.
 ///
 /// This type represents a file that is not known to be safe to transfer across thread boundaries.
@@ -233,7 +237,7 @@ pub struct LocalFile {
 
 // SAFETY: The type invariants guarantee that `LocalFile` is always ref-counted. This implementation
 // makes `ARef<LocalFile>` own a normal refcount.
-unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for LocalFile {
+unsafe impl RefCounted for LocalFile {
     #[inline]
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         // SAFETY: The existence of a shared reference means that the refcount is nonzero.
@@ -249,6 +253,10 @@ unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: ptr::NonNull<LocalFile>) {
     }
 }
 
+// SAFETY: We do not implement `Ownable`, thus it is okay to obtain an `ARef<LocalFile>` from a
+// `&LocalFile`.
+unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for LocalFile {}
+
 impl LocalFile {
     /// Constructs a new `struct file` wrapper from a file descriptor.
     ///
diff --git a/rust/kernel/i2c.rs b/rust/kernel/i2c.rs
index 39b0a9a207fda..b5e3c236a5c16 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/i2c.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/i2c.rs
@@ -17,8 +17,10 @@
     of,
     prelude::*,
     types::{
+        ARef,
         AlwaysRefCounted,
-        Opaque, //
+        Opaque,
+        RefCounted, //
     }, //
 };
 
@@ -31,8 +33,6 @@
     }, //
 };
 
-use kernel::types::ARef;
-
 /// An I2C device id table.
 #[repr(transparent)]
 #[derive(Clone, Copy)]
@@ -416,7 +416,7 @@ 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::types::RefCounted 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()) };
@@ -427,6 +427,9 @@ unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: NonNull<Self>) {
         unsafe { bindings::i2c_put_adapter(obj.as_ref().as_raw()) }
     }
 }
+// SAFETY: We do not implement `Ownable`, thus it is okay to obtain an `ARef<Device>` from an
+// `&I2cAdapter`.
+unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for I2cAdapter {}
 
 /// The i2c board info representation
 ///
@@ -492,7 +495,7 @@ unsafe impl<Ctx: device::DeviceContext> device::AsBusDevice<Ctx> for I2cClient<C
 kernel::impl_device_context_into_aref!(I2cClient);
 
 // SAFETY: Instances of `I2cClient` are always reference-counted.
-unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for I2cClient {
+unsafe impl RefCounted for I2cClient {
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         // SAFETY: The existence of a shared reference guarantees that the refcount is non-zero.
         unsafe { bindings::get_device(self.as_ref().as_raw()) };
@@ -503,6 +506,9 @@ unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: NonNull<Self>) {
         unsafe { bindings::put_device(&raw mut (*obj.as_ref().as_raw()).dev) }
     }
 }
+// SAFETY: We do not implement `Ownable`, thus it is okay to obtain an `ARef<Device>` from an
+// `&I2cClient`.
+unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for I2cClient {}
 
 impl<Ctx: device::DeviceContext> AsRef<device::Device<Ctx>> for I2cClient<Ctx> {
     fn as_ref(&self) -> &device::Device<Ctx> {
diff --git a/rust/kernel/mm.rs b/rust/kernel/mm.rs
index 4764d7b68f2a7..dd9e3969e7206 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/mm.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/mm.rs
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@
 
 use crate::{
     bindings,
-    sync::aref::{ARef, AlwaysRefCounted},
-    types::{NotThreadSafe, Opaque},
+    sync::aref::RefCounted,
+    types::{ARef, AlwaysRefCounted, NotThreadSafe, Opaque},
 };
 use core::{ops::Deref, ptr::NonNull};
 
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ unsafe impl Send for Mm {}
 unsafe impl Sync for Mm {}
 
 // SAFETY: By the type invariants, this type is always refcounted.
-unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for Mm {
+unsafe impl RefCounted for Mm {
     #[inline]
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         // SAFETY: The pointer is valid since self is a reference.
@@ -69,6 +69,9 @@ unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: NonNull<Self>) {
     }
 }
 
+// SAFETY: We do not implement `Ownable`, thus it is okay to obtain an `ARef<Mm>` from a `&Mm`.
+unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for Mm {}
+
 /// A wrapper for the kernel's `struct mm_struct`.
 ///
 /// This type is like [`Mm`], but with non-zero `mm_users`. It can only be used when `mm_users` can
@@ -91,7 +94,7 @@ unsafe impl Send for MmWithUser {}
 unsafe impl Sync for MmWithUser {}
 
 // SAFETY: By the type invariants, this type is always refcounted.
-unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for MmWithUser {
+unsafe impl RefCounted for MmWithUser {
     #[inline]
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         // SAFETY: The pointer is valid since self is a reference.
@@ -105,6 +108,10 @@ unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: NonNull<Self>) {
     }
 }
 
+// SAFETY: We do not implement `Ownable`, thus it is okay to obtain an `ARef<MmWithUser>` from a
+// `&MmWithUser`.
+unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for MmWithUser {}
+
 // Make all `Mm` methods available on `MmWithUser`.
 impl Deref for MmWithUser {
     type Target = Mm;
diff --git a/rust/kernel/mm/mmput_async.rs b/rust/kernel/mm/mmput_async.rs
index b8d2f051225c7..aba4ce675c860 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/mm/mmput_async.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/mm/mmput_async.rs
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@
 use crate::{
     bindings,
     mm::MmWithUser,
-    sync::aref::{ARef, AlwaysRefCounted},
+    sync::aref::RefCounted,
+    types::{ARef, AlwaysRefCounted},
 };
 use core::{ops::Deref, ptr::NonNull};
 
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ unsafe impl Send for MmWithUserAsync {}
 unsafe impl Sync for MmWithUserAsync {}
 
 // SAFETY: By the type invariants, this type is always refcounted.
-unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for MmWithUserAsync {
+unsafe impl RefCounted for MmWithUserAsync {
     #[inline]
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         // SAFETY: The pointer is valid since self is a reference.
@@ -48,6 +49,10 @@ unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: NonNull<Self>) {
     }
 }
 
+// SAFETY: We do not implement `Ownable`, thus it is okay to obtain an `ARef<MmWithUserAsync>`
+// from a `&MmWithUserAsync`.
+unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for MmWithUserAsync {}
+
 // Make all `MmWithUser` methods available on `MmWithUserAsync`.
 impl Deref for MmWithUserAsync {
     type Target = MmWithUser;
diff --git a/rust/kernel/opp.rs b/rust/kernel/opp.rs
index a760fac287655..06fe2ca776a4f 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/opp.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/opp.rs
@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@
     ffi::{c_char, c_ulong},
     prelude::*,
     str::CString,
-    sync::aref::{ARef, AlwaysRefCounted},
-    types::Opaque,
+    sync::aref::RefCounted,
+    types::{ARef, AlwaysRefCounted, Opaque},
 };
 
 #[cfg(CONFIG_CPU_FREQ)]
@@ -1041,7 +1041,7 @@ unsafe impl Send for OPP {}
 unsafe impl Sync for OPP {}
 
 /// SAFETY: The type invariants guarantee that [`OPP`] is always refcounted.
-unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for OPP {
+unsafe impl RefCounted for OPP {
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         // SAFETY: The existence of a shared reference means that the refcount is nonzero.
         unsafe { bindings::dev_pm_opp_get(self.0.get()) };
@@ -1053,6 +1053,10 @@ unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: ptr::NonNull<Self>) {
     }
 }
 
+// SAFETY: We do not implement `Ownable`, thus it is okay to obtain an `ARef<OPP>` from an
+// `&OPP`.
+unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for OPP {}
+
 impl OPP {
     /// Creates an owned reference to a [`OPP`] from a valid pointer.
     ///
diff --git a/rust/kernel/owned.rs b/rust/kernel/owned.rs
index fe30580331df9..b02edda11fcf6 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/owned.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/owned.rs
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 ///
 /// Note: The underlying object is not required to provide internal reference counting, because it
 /// represents a unique, owned reference. If reference counting (on the Rust side) is required,
-/// [`AlwaysRefCounted`](crate::types::AlwaysRefCounted) should be implemented.
+/// [`RefCounted`](crate::types::RefCounted) should be implemented.
 ///
 /// # Safety
 ///
diff --git a/rust/kernel/pci.rs b/rust/kernel/pci.rs
index bea76ca9c3da5..9ee8f2bc6db9e 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/pci.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/pci.rs
@@ -19,6 +19,10 @@
     },
     prelude::*,
     str::CStr,
+    sync::aref::{
+        AlwaysRefCounted,
+        RefCounted, //
+    },
     types::Opaque,
     ThisModule, //
 };
@@ -467,7 +471,7 @@ unsafe impl<Ctx: device::DeviceContext> device::AsBusDevice<Ctx> for Device<Ctx>
 impl crate::dma::Device for Device<device::Core> {}
 
 // SAFETY: Instances of `Device` are always reference-counted.
-unsafe impl crate::sync::aref::AlwaysRefCounted for Device {
+unsafe impl RefCounted for Device {
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         // SAFETY: The existence of a shared reference guarantees that the refcount is non-zero.
         unsafe { bindings::pci_dev_get(self.as_raw()) };
@@ -479,6 +483,10 @@ unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: NonNull<Self>) {
     }
 }
 
+// SAFETY: We do not implement `Ownable`, thus it is okay to obtain an `ARef<Device>` from a
+// `&Device`.
+unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for Device {}
+
 impl<Ctx: device::DeviceContext> AsRef<device::Device<Ctx>> for Device<Ctx> {
     fn as_ref(&self) -> &device::Device<Ctx> {
         // SAFETY: By the type invariant of `Self`, `self.as_raw()` is a pointer to a valid
diff --git a/rust/kernel/pid_namespace.rs b/rust/kernel/pid_namespace.rs
index 979a9718f153d..4f6a94540e33d 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/pid_namespace.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/pid_namespace.rs
@@ -7,7 +7,11 @@
 //! C header: [`include/linux/pid_namespace.h`](srctree/include/linux/pid_namespace.h) and
 //! [`include/linux/pid.h`](srctree/include/linux/pid.h)
 
-use crate::{bindings, sync::aref::AlwaysRefCounted, types::Opaque};
+use crate::{
+    bindings,
+    sync::aref::RefCounted,
+    types::{AlwaysRefCounted, Opaque},
+};
 use core::ptr;
 
 /// Wraps the kernel's `struct pid_namespace`. Thread safe.
@@ -41,7 +45,7 @@ pub unsafe fn from_ptr<'a>(ptr: *const bindings::pid_namespace) -> &'a Self {
 }
 
 // SAFETY: Instances of `PidNamespace` are always reference-counted.
-unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for PidNamespace {
+unsafe impl RefCounted for PidNamespace {
     #[inline]
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         // SAFETY: The existence of a shared reference means that the refcount is nonzero.
@@ -55,6 +59,10 @@ unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: ptr::NonNull<PidNamespace>) {
     }
 }
 
+// SAFETY: We do not implement `Ownable`, thus it is okay to obtain an `ARef<PidNamespace>` from
+// a `&PidNamespace`.
+unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for PidNamespace {}
+
 // SAFETY:
 // - `PidNamespace::dec_ref` can be called from any thread.
 // - It is okay to send ownership of `PidNamespace` across thread boundaries.
diff --git a/rust/kernel/platform.rs b/rust/kernel/platform.rs
index 35a5813ffb33f..139517c21961e 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/platform.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/platform.rs
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
     irq::{self, IrqRequest},
     of,
     prelude::*,
+    sync::aref::{AlwaysRefCounted, RefCounted},
     types::Opaque,
     ThisModule,
 };
@@ -490,7 +491,7 @@ pub fn optional_irq_by_name(&self, name: &CStr) -> Result<IrqRequest<'_>> {
 impl crate::dma::Device for Device<device::Core> {}
 
 // SAFETY: Instances of `Device` are always reference-counted.
-unsafe impl crate::sync::aref::AlwaysRefCounted for Device {
+unsafe impl RefCounted for Device {
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         // SAFETY: The existence of a shared reference guarantees that the refcount is non-zero.
         unsafe { bindings::get_device(self.as_ref().as_raw()) };
@@ -502,6 +503,10 @@ unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: NonNull<Self>) {
     }
 }
 
+// SAFETY: We do not implement `Ownable`, thus it is okay to obtain an `ARef<Device>` from a
+// `&Device`.
+unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for Device {}
+
 impl<Ctx: device::DeviceContext> AsRef<device::Device<Ctx>> for Device<Ctx> {
     fn as_ref(&self) -> &device::Device<Ctx> {
         // SAFETY: By the type invariant of `Self`, `self.as_raw()` is a pointer to a valid
diff --git a/rust/kernel/sync/aref.rs b/rust/kernel/sync/aref.rs
index e175aefe86151..61caddfd89619 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/sync/aref.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/sync/aref.rs
@@ -19,11 +19,9 @@
 
 use core::{marker::PhantomData, mem::ManuallyDrop, ops::Deref, ptr::NonNull};
 
-/// Types that are _always_ reference counted.
+/// Types that are internally reference counted.
 ///
 /// It allows such types to define their own custom ref increment and decrement functions.
-/// Additionally, it allows users to convert from a shared reference `&T` to an owned reference
-/// [`ARef<T>`].
 ///
 /// This is usually implemented by wrappers to existing structures on the C side of the code. For
 /// Rust code, the recommendation is to use [`Arc`](crate::sync::Arc) to create reference-counted
@@ -40,9 +38,8 @@
 /// at least until matching decrements are performed.
 ///
 /// Implementers must also ensure that all instances are reference-counted. (Otherwise they
-/// won't be able to honour the requirement that [`AlwaysRefCounted::inc_ref`] keep the object
-/// alive.)
-pub unsafe trait AlwaysRefCounted {
+/// won't be able to honour the requirement that [`RefCounted::inc_ref`] keep the object alive.)
+pub unsafe trait RefCounted {
     /// Increments the reference count on the object.
     fn inc_ref(&self);
 
@@ -55,11 +52,27 @@ pub unsafe trait AlwaysRefCounted {
     /// Callers must ensure that there was a previous matching increment to the reference count,
     /// and that the object is no longer used after its reference count is decremented (as it may
     /// result in the object being freed), unless the caller owns another increment on the refcount
-    /// (e.g., it calls [`AlwaysRefCounted::inc_ref`] twice, then calls
-    /// [`AlwaysRefCounted::dec_ref`] once).
+    /// (e.g., it calls [`RefCounted::inc_ref`] twice, then calls [`RefCounted::dec_ref`] once).
     unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: NonNull<Self>);
 }
 
+/// Always reference-counted type.
+///
+/// It allows deriving a counted reference [`ARef<T>`] from a `&T`.
+///
+/// This provides some convenience, but it allows "escaping" borrow checks on `&T`. As it
+/// complicates attempts to ensure that a reference to T is unique, it is optional to provide for
+/// [`RefCounted`] types. See *Safety* below.
+///
+/// # Safety
+///
+/// Implementers must ensure that no safety invariants are violated by upgrading an `&T` to an
+/// [`ARef<T>`]. In particular that implies [`AlwaysRefCounted`] and [`crate::types::Ownable`]
+/// cannot be implemented for the same type, as this would allow violating the uniqueness guarantee
+/// of [`crate::types::Owned<T>`] by dereferencing it into an `&T` and obtaining an [`ARef`] from
+/// that.
+pub unsafe trait AlwaysRefCounted: RefCounted {}
+
 /// An owned reference to an always-reference-counted object.
 ///
 /// The object's reference count is automatically decremented when an instance of [`ARef`] is
@@ -70,7 +83,7 @@ pub unsafe trait AlwaysRefCounted {
 ///
 /// The pointer stored in `ptr` is non-null and valid for the lifetime of the [`ARef`] instance. In
 /// particular, the [`ARef`] instance owns an increment on the underlying object's reference count.
-pub struct ARef<T: AlwaysRefCounted> {
+pub struct ARef<T: RefCounted> {
     ptr: NonNull<T>,
     _p: PhantomData<T>,
 }
@@ -79,16 +92,16 @@ pub struct ARef<T: AlwaysRefCounted> {
 // it effectively means sharing `&T` (which is safe because `T` is `Sync`); additionally, it needs
 // `T` to be `Send` because any thread that has an `ARef<T>` may ultimately access `T` using a
 // mutable reference, for example, when the reference count reaches zero and `T` is dropped.
-unsafe impl<T: AlwaysRefCounted + Sync + Send> Send for ARef<T> {}
+unsafe impl<T: RefCounted + Sync + Send> Send for ARef<T> {}
 
 // SAFETY: It is safe to send `&ARef<T>` to another thread when the underlying `T` is `Sync`
 // because it effectively means sharing `&T` (which is safe because `T` is `Sync`); additionally,
 // it needs `T` to be `Send` because any thread that has a `&ARef<T>` may clone it and get an
 // `ARef<T>` on that thread, so the thread may ultimately access `T` using a mutable reference, for
 // example, when the reference count reaches zero and `T` is dropped.
-unsafe impl<T: AlwaysRefCounted + Sync + Send> Sync for ARef<T> {}
+unsafe impl<T: RefCounted + Sync + Send> Sync for ARef<T> {}
 
-impl<T: AlwaysRefCounted> ARef<T> {
+impl<T: RefCounted> ARef<T> {
     /// Creates a new instance of [`ARef`].
     ///
     /// It takes over an increment of the reference count on the underlying object.
@@ -117,12 +130,12 @@ pub unsafe fn from_raw(ptr: NonNull<T>) -> Self {
     ///
     /// ```
     /// use core::ptr::NonNull;
-    /// use kernel::sync::aref::{ARef, AlwaysRefCounted};
+    /// use kernel::sync::aref::{ARef, RefCounted};
     ///
     /// struct Empty {}
     ///
     /// # // SAFETY: TODO.
-    /// unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for Empty {
+    /// unsafe impl RefCounted for Empty {
     ///     fn inc_ref(&self) {}
     ///     unsafe fn dec_ref(_obj: NonNull<Self>) {}
     /// }
@@ -140,7 +153,7 @@ pub fn into_raw(me: Self) -> NonNull<T> {
     }
 }
 
-impl<T: AlwaysRefCounted> Clone for ARef<T> {
+impl<T: RefCounted> Clone for ARef<T> {
     fn clone(&self) -> Self {
         self.inc_ref();
         // SAFETY: We just incremented the refcount above.
@@ -148,7 +161,7 @@ fn clone(&self) -> Self {
     }
 }
 
-impl<T: AlwaysRefCounted> Deref for ARef<T> {
+impl<T: RefCounted> Deref for ARef<T> {
     type Target = T;
 
     fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
@@ -165,7 +178,7 @@ fn from(b: &T) -> Self {
     }
 }
 
-impl<T: AlwaysRefCounted> Drop for ARef<T> {
+impl<T: RefCounted> Drop for ARef<T> {
     fn drop(&mut self) {
         // SAFETY: The type invariants guarantee that the `ARef` owns the reference we're about to
         // decrement.
diff --git a/rust/kernel/task.rs b/rust/kernel/task.rs
index 49fad6de06740..0a6e38d984560 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/task.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/task.rs
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@
     ffi::{c_int, c_long, c_uint},
     mm::MmWithUser,
     pid_namespace::PidNamespace,
-    sync::aref::ARef,
-    types::{NotThreadSafe, Opaque},
+    sync::aref::{AlwaysRefCounted, RefCounted},
+    types::{ARef, NotThreadSafe, Opaque},
 };
 use core::{
     cmp::{Eq, PartialEq},
@@ -348,7 +348,7 @@ pub fn active_pid_ns(&self) -> Option<&PidNamespace> {
 }
 
 // SAFETY: The type invariants guarantee that `Task` is always refcounted.
-unsafe impl crate::sync::aref::AlwaysRefCounted for Task {
+unsafe impl RefCounted for Task {
     #[inline]
     fn inc_ref(&self) {
         // SAFETY: The existence of a shared reference means that the refcount is nonzero.
@@ -362,6 +362,10 @@ unsafe fn dec_ref(obj: ptr::NonNull<Self>) {
     }
 }
 
+// SAFETY: We do not implement `Ownable`, thus it is okay to obtain an `ARef<Task>` from a
+// `&Task`.
+unsafe impl AlwaysRefCounted for Task {}
+
 impl Kuid {
     /// Get the current euid.
     #[inline]
diff --git a/rust/kernel/types.rs b/rust/kernel/types.rs
index 4aec7b699269a..9b96aa2ebdb7e 100644
--- a/rust/kernel/types.rs
+++ b/rust/kernel/types.rs
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@
     },
     sync::aref::{
         ARef,
-        AlwaysRefCounted, //
+        AlwaysRefCounted,
+        RefCounted, //
     }, //
 };
 

-- 
2.51.2

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