Re: [RFC v2 PATCH 04/10] vfio/pci: Add a helper to create a DMABUF for a BAR-map VMA

[Matt Evans]

Hi Alex,

On Wed, Mar 18, 2026 at 8:04 PM Alex Williamson <alex@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Thu, 12 Mar 2026 11:46:02 -0700
> Matt Evans <mattev@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > This helper, vfio_pci_core_mmap_prep_dmabuf(), creates a single-range
> > DMABUF for the purpose of mapping a PCI BAR.  This is used in a future
> > commit by VFIO's ordinary mmap() path.
> >
> > This function transfers ownership of the VFIO device fd to the
> > DMABUF, which fput()s when it's released.
> >
> > Refactor the existing vfio_pci_core_feature_dma_buf() to split out
> > export code common to the two paths, VFIO_DEVICE_FEATURE_DMA_BUF and
> > this new VFIO_BAR mmap().
> >
> > Signed-off-by: Matt Evans <mattev@xxxxxxxx>
> > ---
> >  drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_dmabuf.c | 131 +++++++++++++++++++++--------
> >  drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_priv.h   |   4 +
> >  2 files changed, 102 insertions(+), 33 deletions(-)
> >
> > diff --git a/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_dmabuf.c b/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_dmabuf.c
> > index 63140528dbea..76db340ba592 100644
> > --- a/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_dmabuf.c
> > +++ b/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_dmabuf.c
> > @@ -82,6 +82,8 @@ static void vfio_pci_dma_buf_release(struct dma_buf *dmabuf)
> >               up_write(&priv->vdev->memory_lock);
> >               vfio_device_put_registration(&priv->vdev->vdev);
> >       }
> > +     if (priv->vfile)
> > +             fput(priv->vfile);
> >       kfree(priv->phys_vec);
> >       kfree(priv);
> >  }
> > @@ -182,6 +184,41 @@ int vfio_pci_dma_buf_find_pfn(struct vfio_pci_dma_buf *vpdmabuf,
> >       return -EFAULT;
> >  }
> >
> > +static int vfio_pci_dmabuf_export(struct vfio_pci_core_device *vdev,
> > +                               struct vfio_pci_dma_buf *priv, uint32_t flags,
> > +                               size_t size, bool status_ok)
> > +{
> > +     DEFINE_DMA_BUF_EXPORT_INFO(exp_info);
> > +
> > +     if (!vfio_device_try_get_registration(&vdev->vdev))
> > +             return -ENODEV;
> > +
> > +     exp_info.ops = &vfio_pci_dmabuf_ops;
> > +     exp_info.size = size;
> > +     exp_info.flags = flags;
> > +     exp_info.priv = priv;
> > +
> > +     priv->dmabuf = dma_buf_export(&exp_info);
> > +     if (IS_ERR(priv->dmabuf)) {
> > +             vfio_device_put_registration(&vdev->vdev);
> > +             return PTR_ERR(priv->dmabuf);
> > +     }
> > +
> > +     kref_init(&priv->kref);
> > +     init_completion(&priv->comp);
> > +
> > +     /* dma_buf_put() now frees priv */
> > +     INIT_LIST_HEAD(&priv->dmabufs_elm);
> > +     down_write(&vdev->memory_lock);
> > +     dma_resv_lock(priv->dmabuf->resv, NULL);
> > +     priv->revoked = !status_ok;
>
> Testing __vfio_pci_memory_enabled() outside of memory_lock() is
> invalid, so passing it as a parameter outside of the semaphore is
> invalid.  @status_ok is stale here.

So it is, arrrrrgh.  Thank you for that; I've found a couple of other
choice bugs in that RFC, and will resolve all of this in a repost
soon.

[snip]
> > +
> > +     /*
> > +      * The VMA gets the DMABUF file so that other users can locate
> > +      * the DMABUF via a VA.  Ownership of the original VFIO device
> > +      * file being mmap()ed transfers to priv, and is put when the
> > +      * DMABUF is released.
> > +      */
> > +     priv->vfile = vma->vm_file;
> > +     vma->vm_file = priv->dmabuf->file;
>
> AIUI, this affects what the user sees in /proc/<pid>/maps, right?
> Previously a memory range could be clearly associated with a specific
> vfio device, now, only for vfio-pci devices, I think the range is
> associated to a nondescript dmabuf.  If so, is that an acceptable, user
> visible, debugging friendly change (ex. lsof)?  Thanks,

(Jason, your comment noted with thanks, replying to you both here to
save electrons.)

Great question; a formatting change there is inherent to moving to a
DMABUF (which generates a "/dmabuf:" prefix to a user-defined name).
If we can accept that it changes at all, then I agree this then should
output nice debug: at least the cdev name and resource index, and
we've the opportunity to include the BDF too.  I've added this; an
example line of /proc/<pid>/maps:

    ffffb8070000-ffffbc040000 rw-s 00030000 00:0b 5
      /dmabuf:vfio0:0000:00:03.0/1

Note the file offset used to include the resource index up at
VFIO_PCI_OFFSET_SHIFT but this DMABUF version doesn't do that, so I'm
proposing appending a "/%u" for the index.  Above is a map of BAR1,
offset 0x30000.  If people feel strongly about the existing aesthetic
then we could keep the index encoded in vm_pgoff to retain the same
offset field in /proc/<pid>/maps, but it'd be less neat masking it
back out in a few places.

The default name of a DMABUF acquired through
VFIO_DEVICE_FEATURE_DMA_BUF would still be "/dmabuf:" and I think it
should stay this way since a better name should be supplied by
userspace.  The default at least differentiates them from VFIO device
fd mappings.

Many thanks,


Matt


>
> Alex
>
> > +     vma->vm_private_data = priv;
> > +
> > +     return 0;
> > +
> > +err_free_phys:
> > +     kfree(priv->phys_vec);
> > +err_free_priv:
> > +     kfree(priv);
> > +     return ret;
> > +}
> > +
> >  void vfio_pci_dma_buf_move(struct vfio_pci_core_device *vdev, bool revoked)
> >  {
> >       struct vfio_pci_dma_buf *priv;
> > diff --git a/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_priv.h b/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_priv.h
> > index 5cc8c85a2153..5fd3a6e00a0e 100644
> > --- a/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_priv.h
> > +++ b/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_priv.h
> > @@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ struct vfio_pci_dma_buf {
> >       size_t size;
> >       struct phys_vec *phys_vec;
> >       struct p2pdma_provider *provider;
> > +     struct file *vfile;
> >       u32 nr_ranges;
> >       struct kref kref;
> >       struct completion comp;
> > @@ -128,6 +129,9 @@ int vfio_pci_dma_buf_find_pfn(struct vfio_pci_dma_buf *vpdmabuf,
> >                             unsigned long address,
> >                             unsigned int order,
> >                             unsigned long *out_pfn);
> > +int vfio_pci_core_mmap_prep_dmabuf(struct vfio_pci_core_device *vdev,
> > +                                struct vm_area_struct *vma,
> > +                                u64 phys_start, u64 pgoff, u64 req_len);
> >
> >  #ifdef CONFIG_VFIO_PCI_DMABUF
> >  int vfio_pci_core_feature_dma_buf(struct vfio_pci_core_device *vdev, u32 flags,
>