[PATCH 11/21] selftests/filesystems: check the atime of the empty mount namespace root

From: Christian Brauner

Date: Fri Oct 02 2026 - 09:54:41 EST


No access time updates for immutable nullfs.

Signed-off-by: Christian Brauner (Amutable) <brauner@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
.../selftests/filesystems/empty_mntns/.gitignore | 1 +
.../selftests/filesystems/empty_mntns/Makefile | 2 +-
.../filesystems/empty_mntns/nullfs_atime_test.c | 129 +++++++++++++++++++++
3 files changed, 131 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/filesystems/empty_mntns/.gitignore b/tools/testing/selftests/filesystems/empty_mntns/.gitignore
index 32125b3eaa80..8ea166068d6b 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/filesystems/empty_mntns/.gitignore
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/filesystems/empty_mntns/.gitignore
@@ -3,3 +3,4 @@ clone3_empty_mntns_test
empty_mntns_test
overmount_chroot_test
internal_sb_reconfigure_test
+nullfs_atime_test
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/filesystems/empty_mntns/Makefile b/tools/testing/selftests/filesystems/empty_mntns/Makefile
index b64818b962ca..4b2ea6acec1c 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/filesystems/empty_mntns/Makefile
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/filesystems/empty_mntns/Makefile
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ CFLAGS += -Wall -O2 -g $(KHDR_INCLUDES) $(TOOLS_INCLUDES)
LDLIBS += -lcap

TEST_GEN_PROGS := empty_mntns_test overmount_chroot_test clone3_empty_mntns_test
-TEST_GEN_PROGS += internal_sb_reconfigure_test
+TEST_GEN_PROGS += internal_sb_reconfigure_test nullfs_atime_test

include ../../lib.mk

diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/filesystems/empty_mntns/nullfs_atime_test.c b/tools/testing/selftests/filesystems/empty_mntns/nullfs_atime_test.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..51e34f3c4f54
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/filesystems/empty_mntns/nullfs_atime_test.c
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+/*
+ * The root of every empty mount namespace is the same nullfs inode. A read
+ * of it by one user must not change the access time another user sees.
+ */
+#define _GNU_SOURCE
+#include <dirent.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+#include <sched.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <sys/wait.h>
+
+#include "../../kselftest_harness.h"
+
+#ifndef UNSHARE_EMPTY_MNTNS
+#define UNSHARE_EMPTY_MNTNS 0x00100000
+#endif
+
+enum {
+ CHILD_OK,
+ CHILD_UNSUPPORTED,
+ CHILD_SETUP,
+ CHILD_CHANGED,
+};
+
+static int wait_byte(int fd)
+{
+ char c;
+
+ return read(fd, &c, 1) == 1 ? 0 : -1;
+}
+
+static int send_byte(int fd)
+{
+ return write(fd, "x", 1) == 1 ? 0 : -1;
+}
+
+static int empty_mntns(void)
+{
+ if (!unshare(UNSHARE_EMPTY_MNTNS))
+ return 0;
+ return errno == EINVAL ? CHILD_UNSUPPORTED : CHILD_SETUP;
+}
+
+/* the watcher: stats its root before and after the reader read its own */
+static int watcher(int to_reader, int from_reader)
+{
+ struct stat before, after;
+ int ret;
+
+ ret = empty_mntns();
+ if (ret)
+ return ret;
+ if (stat("/", &before))
+ return CHILD_SETUP;
+ if (send_byte(to_reader) || wait_byte(from_reader))
+ return CHILD_SETUP;
+ if (stat("/", &after))
+ return CHILD_SETUP;
+ if (before.st_atim.tv_sec != after.st_atim.tv_sec ||
+ before.st_atim.tv_nsec != after.st_atim.tv_nsec)
+ return CHILD_CHANGED;
+ return CHILD_OK;
+}
+
+/* the reader: lists its own root, which is the same inode */
+static int reader(int to_watcher, int from_watcher)
+{
+ struct dirent *de;
+ DIR *d;
+ int ret;
+
+ ret = empty_mntns();
+ if (ret)
+ return ret;
+ if (wait_byte(from_watcher))
+ return CHILD_SETUP;
+ d = opendir("/");
+ if (!d)
+ return CHILD_SETUP;
+ while ((de = readdir(d)))
+ ;
+ closedir(d);
+ return send_byte(to_watcher) ? CHILD_SETUP : CHILD_OK;
+}
+
+static int wait_child(pid_t pid)
+{
+ int status;
+
+ if (waitpid(pid, &status, 0) != pid || !WIFEXITED(status))
+ return -1;
+ return WEXITSTATUS(status);
+}
+
+TEST(empty_mntns_root_atime)
+{
+ int to_reader[2], to_watcher[2], w, r;
+ pid_t watcher_pid, reader_pid;
+
+ if (geteuid())
+ SKIP(return, "test requires root");
+ ASSERT_EQ(pipe(to_reader), 0);
+ ASSERT_EQ(pipe(to_watcher), 0);
+
+ watcher_pid = fork();
+ ASSERT_GE(watcher_pid, 0);
+ if (watcher_pid == 0)
+ _exit(watcher(to_reader[1], to_watcher[0]));
+ reader_pid = fork();
+ ASSERT_GE(reader_pid, 0);
+ if (reader_pid == 0)
+ _exit(reader(to_watcher[1], to_reader[0]));
+
+ r = wait_child(reader_pid);
+ w = wait_child(watcher_pid);
+ if (r == CHILD_UNSUPPORTED || w == CHILD_UNSUPPORTED)
+ SKIP(return, "UNSHARE_EMPTY_MNTNS not supported");
+ EXPECT_EQ(r, CHILD_OK);
+ EXPECT_EQ(w, CHILD_OK)
+ TH_LOG("the access time of the root changed while this namespace did nothing");
+}
+
+TEST_HARNESS_MAIN

--
2.53.0