[RFC PATCH 1/1] binder: switch alloc->mutex back to spinlock

From: Bo Zhang

Date: Wed Aug 05 2026 - 11:28:45 EST


The alloc->mutex was restored by commit 8b52c7261e04 ("Revert binder:
switch alloc->mutex to spinlock_t") to allow zap_vma_range() to be
called under the lock in the shrinker path.

However, holding the lock across zap_vma_range() is unnecessary because
synchronization between page installation and zap is already guaranteed
by the PTE lock. Move spin_unlock() before zap_vma_range() and convert
the mutex back to a spinlock.

This eliminates priority inversion where a low-priority task holding the
mutex sleeps, blocking high-priority binder transactions.

Performance (binderThroughputTest, SM8850, 2 workers, 10 runs):

mutex spinlock
throughput: 27k-59k iter/s 79k-84k iter/s
average: 0.031-0.068ms 0.022-0.023ms
P99: 0.088-0.148ms 0.050-0.062ms

Signed-off-by: Bo Zhang <zhangbo56@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
drivers/android/binder_alloc.c | 36 +++++++++++++++++-----------------
drivers/android/binder_alloc.h | 8 ++++----
2 files changed, 22 insertions(+), 22 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/android/binder_alloc.c b/drivers/android/binder_alloc.c
index e4488ad86a65..9775df3616aa 100644
--- a/drivers/android/binder_alloc.c
+++ b/drivers/android/binder_alloc.c
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ static struct binder_buffer *binder_alloc_prepare_to_free_locked(
struct binder_buffer *binder_alloc_prepare_to_free(struct binder_alloc *alloc,
unsigned long user_ptr)
{
- guard(mutex)(&alloc->mutex);
+ guard(spinlock)(&alloc->lock);
return binder_alloc_prepare_to_free_locked(alloc, user_ptr);
}

@@ -676,10 +676,10 @@ struct binder_buffer *binder_alloc_new_buf(struct binder_alloc *alloc,
if (!next)
return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);

- mutex_lock(&alloc->mutex);
+ spin_lock(&alloc->lock);
buffer = binder_alloc_new_buf_locked(alloc, next, size, is_async);
if (IS_ERR(buffer)) {
- mutex_unlock(&alloc->mutex);
+ spin_unlock(&alloc->lock);
goto out;
}

@@ -687,7 +687,7 @@ struct binder_buffer *binder_alloc_new_buf(struct binder_alloc *alloc,
buffer->offsets_size = offsets_size;
buffer->extra_buffers_size = extra_buffers_size;
buffer->pid = current->tgid;
- mutex_unlock(&alloc->mutex);
+ spin_unlock(&alloc->lock);

ret = binder_install_buffer_pages(alloc, buffer, size);
if (ret) {
@@ -872,9 +872,9 @@ void binder_alloc_free_buf(struct binder_alloc *alloc,
binder_alloc_clear_buf(alloc, buffer);
buffer->clear_on_free = false;
}
- mutex_lock(&alloc->mutex);
+ spin_lock(&alloc->lock);
binder_free_buf_locked(alloc, buffer);
- mutex_unlock(&alloc->mutex);
+ spin_unlock(&alloc->lock);
}
EXPORT_SYMBOL_IF_KUNIT(binder_alloc_free_buf);

@@ -967,7 +967,7 @@ void binder_alloc_deferred_release(struct binder_alloc *alloc)
struct binder_buffer *buffer;

buffers = 0;
- mutex_lock(&alloc->mutex);
+ spin_lock(&alloc->lock);
BUG_ON(alloc->mapped);

while ((n = rb_first(&alloc->allocated_buffers))) {
@@ -1018,7 +1018,7 @@ void binder_alloc_deferred_release(struct binder_alloc *alloc)
page_count++;
}
}
- mutex_unlock(&alloc->mutex);
+ spin_unlock(&alloc->lock);
kvfree(alloc->pages);
if (alloc->mm)
mmdrop(alloc->mm);
@@ -1043,7 +1043,7 @@ void binder_alloc_print_allocated(struct seq_file *m,
struct binder_buffer *buffer;
struct rb_node *n;

- guard(mutex)(&alloc->mutex);
+ guard(spinlock)(&alloc->lock);
for (n = rb_first(&alloc->allocated_buffers); n; n = rb_next(n)) {
buffer = rb_entry(n, struct binder_buffer, rb_node);
seq_printf(m, " buffer %d: %lx size %zd:%zd:%zd %s\n",
@@ -1069,7 +1069,7 @@ void binder_alloc_print_pages(struct seq_file *m,
int lru = 0;
int free = 0;

- mutex_lock(&alloc->mutex);
+ spin_lock(&alloc->lock);
/*
* Make sure the binder_alloc is fully initialized, otherwise we might
* read inconsistent state.
@@ -1085,7 +1085,7 @@ void binder_alloc_print_pages(struct seq_file *m,
lru++;
}
}
- mutex_unlock(&alloc->mutex);
+ spin_unlock(&alloc->lock);
seq_printf(m, " pages: %d:%d:%d\n", active, lru, free);
seq_printf(m, " pages high watermark: %zu\n", alloc->pages_high);
}
@@ -1101,7 +1101,7 @@ int binder_alloc_get_allocated_count(struct binder_alloc *alloc)
struct rb_node *n;
int count = 0;

- guard(mutex)(&alloc->mutex);
+ guard(spinlock)(&alloc->lock);
for (n = rb_first(&alloc->allocated_buffers); n != NULL; n = rb_next(n))
count++;
return count;
@@ -1161,8 +1161,8 @@ enum lru_status binder_alloc_free_page(struct list_head *item,
vma = vma_lookup(mm, page_addr);
}

- if (!mutex_trylock(&alloc->mutex))
- goto err_get_alloc_mutex_failed;
+ if (!spin_trylock(&alloc->lock))
+ goto err_get_alloc_lock_failed;

/*
* Since a binder_alloc can only be mapped once, we ensure
@@ -1180,6 +1180,7 @@ enum lru_status binder_alloc_free_page(struct list_head *item,
trace_binder_unmap_kernel_end(alloc, index);

list_lru_isolate(lru, item);
+ spin_unlock(&alloc->lock);
spin_unlock(&lru->lock);

if (vma) {
@@ -1190,7 +1191,6 @@ enum lru_status binder_alloc_free_page(struct list_head *item,
trace_binder_unmap_user_end(alloc, index);
}

- mutex_unlock(&alloc->mutex);
if (mm_locked)
mmap_read_unlock(mm);
else
@@ -1201,8 +1201,8 @@ enum lru_status binder_alloc_free_page(struct list_head *item,
return LRU_REMOVED_RETRY;

err_invalid_vma:
- mutex_unlock(&alloc->mutex);
-err_get_alloc_mutex_failed:
+ spin_unlock(&alloc->lock);
+err_get_alloc_lock_failed:
if (mm_locked)
mmap_read_unlock(mm);
else
@@ -1235,7 +1235,7 @@ VISIBLE_IF_KUNIT void __binder_alloc_init(struct binder_alloc *alloc,
alloc->pid = current->tgid;
alloc->mm = current->mm;
mmgrab(alloc->mm);
- mutex_init(&alloc->mutex);
+ spin_lock_init(&alloc->lock);
INIT_LIST_HEAD(&alloc->buffers);
alloc->freelist = freelist;
}
diff --git a/drivers/android/binder_alloc.h b/drivers/android/binder_alloc.h
index d6f1f6f2d00e..bea5a77bb6da 100644
--- a/drivers/android/binder_alloc.h
+++ b/drivers/android/binder_alloc.h
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
#include <linux/rbtree.h>
#include <linux/list.h>
#include <linux/mm.h>
-#include <linux/rtmutex.h>
+#include <linux/spinlock.h>
#include <linux/vmalloc.h>
#include <linux/slab.h>
#include <linux/list_lru.h>
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ static inline struct list_head *page_to_lru(struct page *p)

/**
* struct binder_alloc - per-binder proc state for binder allocator
- * @mutex: protects binder_alloc fields
+ * @lock: protects binder_alloc fields
* @mm: copy of task->mm (invariant after open)
* @vm_start: base of per-proc address space mapped via mmap
* @buffers: list of all buffers for this proc
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ static inline struct list_head *page_to_lru(struct page *p)
* struct binder_buffer objects used to track the user buffers
*/
struct binder_alloc {
- struct mutex mutex;
+ spinlock_t lock;
struct mm_struct *mm;
unsigned long vm_start;
struct list_head buffers;
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ void binder_alloc_print_pages(struct seq_file *m,
static inline size_t
binder_alloc_get_free_async_space(struct binder_alloc *alloc)
{
- guard(mutex)(&alloc->mutex);
+ guard(spinlock)(&alloc->lock);
return alloc->free_async_space;
}

--
2.34.1