[PATCH net v2] ice: fix Tx hang dump using stale tx_buf[0].skb

From: Vincent Choiniere via B4 Relay

Date: Mon Oct 26 2026 - 09:31:07 EST


From: Vincent Choiniere <choiniere.vincent@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

ice_tx_hang_reporter_dump() always reads tx_ring->tx_buf[0].skb,
regardless of next_to_clean. The Tx cleanup path frees the skb and
marks the buffer empty without clearing the skb pointer, so slot 0 can
hold a stale pointer. A NULL check alone does not cover this, and
devlink_fmsg_dump_skb() can fault on the freed skb.

Using tx_buf[next_to_clean] alone does not fix the lifetime issues.
The dump runs from the service task without synchronization with Tx
cleanup or ring replacement:

- ice_clean_tx_irq() can free the skb at next_to_clean while the
report is being prepared. It calls napi_consume_skb() before
marking the buffer empty.
- The ring saved by ice_tx_timeout() can be replaced or freed before
the service task runs. ethtool -G replaces the ring contents and
frees tx_buf and desc, while ethtool -L can free whole rings.

Record the queue index, next_to_clean and next_to_use at timeout time.
Before reporting, take RTNL and check that the saved ring is still
one of the PF VSI Tx rings and that the VSI is up. Copy the
descriptors and IRQ name while the ring storage is protected against
replacement. If the ring cannot be used or the copy cannot be made,
report only the values recorded at timeout time.

Tx cleanup can still run while the ring state is copied, so do not
dereference the skb. Retain only its pointer value in the dump and
remove the skb contents.

Release RTNL before calling devlink_health_report(), which takes the
devlink instance lock. Build the dump from the copied data and free
the descriptor copy after reporting.

Observed on an E810 PF passed through to a KVM guest with Ubuntu
kernel 7.0.0-14 (PREEMPT_RT and a local scheduler patch): a delayed
queue IRQ led to a Tx timeout and a page fault in
devlink_fmsg_dump_skb():

BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: 0000000004cd0c11
Workqueue: ice ice_service_task [ice]
RIP: devlink_fmsg_dump_skb+0x2d8/0x5d0
Call Trace:
ice_tx_hang_reporter_dump+0x1ce/0x210 [ice]
devlink_health_do_dump+0xcc/0x190
devlink_health_report+0x1d7/0x260
ice_report_tx_hang+0x7d/0xa0 [ice]

Fixes: 2a82874a3b7b ("ice: add Tx hang devlink health reporter")
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20260327072332.130320-1-aleksandr.loktionov@xxxxxxxxx/
Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Signed-off-by: Vincent Choiniere <choiniere.vincent@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
Changes in v2:
- Validate the saved ring under RTNL before dereferencing it from
the service task, and restrict snapshots to the PF VSI while it
is up (Sashiko).
- Check next_to_clean against count before indexing tx_buf, and
copy the descriptors and IRQ name while ring replacement is
excluded (Sashiko).
- Stop dereferencing the skb and remove its contents from the dump.
Keep only its pointer value (Sashiko).
- Release RTNL before reporting to preserve the devlink instance
lock ordering.
- Record the queue index and ring indices at timeout time as a
fallback when a snapshot cannot be made.
- Drop Paul's Reviewed-by because the patch changed substantially.

v1:
https://lore.kernel.org/netdev/20261016-ice-tx-hang-dump-v1-1-3df0f5979a51@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/

Testing:
- Built ice.ko with x86_64 defconfig, CONFIG_ICE=m, GCC 12.2 and W=1.
Ran sparse with C=2 (sparse git c464045). Neither reported warnings
in the changed files.
- checkpatch --strict reported only an unknown Fixes commit because
the local tree is a shallow clone.
- Runtime testing used an E810 PF passed through to a KVM guest with
Ubuntu kernel 7.0.0-38 (PREEMPT_RT), KASAN, PROVE_LOCKING and
DEBUG_ATOMIC_SLEEP.
- Forced Tx timeouts by starving one queue's IRQ thread. The watchdog
fired after five seconds, the PF recovered, and the dump retained
the v1 fields except for the skb contents.
- Used a test-only kernel patch to insert configurable delays before
ice_report_tx_hang() or the dump callback. Racing ethtool commands
were started when the instrumentation logged the delay.
- With v1 and the same instrumentation, shrinking the ring with
ethtool -G tx 64 while next_to_clean was above 64 triggered a KASAN
slab-out-of-bounds report. This was also reproduced on a non-RT
kernel built from net. Racing ethtool -L combined 1 triggered a
use-after-free followed by a general protection fault.
- With v2, ran 168 forced Tx timeouts, including 149 with concurrent
ethtool -G (tx 64, 128 or 512) or ethtool -L combined 1, before and
after the ring state was copied. No KASAN, lockdep or
sleeping-in-atomic reports were observed. When the saved ring was
no longer present, the dump contained only the timeout-time values.

Limitations:
- The same stress testing was not completed on a non-RT kernel,
where Tx timeouts could not be forced reliably.
- Subfunction VSIs and XDP were not tested. Subfunction VSI rings
are excluded from the snapshot because ice_sf_dev_remove() frees
them without RTNL.
- This patch does not synchronize publication and consumption of
tx_hang_buf between ice_tx_timeout() and the service task. A newer
timeout may still be dropped or its fields mixed with an older
event.

The original devlink_fmsg_dump_skb() crash was reproduced on Ubuntu
kernel 7.0.0-14 with PREEMPT_RT and a local scheduler patch. The
additional race reproductions above used test-only instrumentation.
The affected reporter code is also present in upstream net at
191aa4154.
---
drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ice/devlink/health.c | 117 ++++++++++++++++++++----
drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ice/devlink/health.h | 6 ++
2 files changed, 107 insertions(+), 16 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ice/devlink/health.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ice/devlink/health.c
index 8e9a8a817..b9493ab47 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ice/devlink/health.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ice/devlink/health.c
@@ -382,7 +382,13 @@ struct ice_tx_hang_event {
u16 queue;
u16 next_to_clean;
u16 next_to_use;
- struct ice_tx_ring *tx_ring;
+ /* the fields below are only valid if @desc is set */
+ char irq_name[ICE_INT_NAME_STR_LEN];
+ void *desc_ptr;
+ dma_addr_t dma;
+ void *desc;
+ u32 desc_size;
+ void *skb_ptr; /* pointer value only, never dereferenced */
};

static int ice_tx_hang_reporter_dump(struct devlink_health_reporter *reporter,
@@ -390,12 +396,10 @@ static int ice_tx_hang_reporter_dump(struct devlink_health_reporter *reporter,
struct netlink_ext_ack *extack)
{
struct ice_tx_hang_event *event = priv_ctx;
- struct sk_buff *skb;

if (!event)
return 0;

- skb = event->tx_ring->tx_buf->skb;
devlink_fmsg_obj_nest_start(fmsg);
ICE_DEVLINK_FMSG_PUT_FIELD(fmsg, event, head);
ICE_DEVLINK_FMSG_PUT_FIELD(fmsg, event, intr);
@@ -403,13 +407,14 @@ static int ice_tx_hang_reporter_dump(struct devlink_health_reporter *reporter,
ICE_DEVLINK_FMSG_PUT_FIELD(fmsg, event, queue);
ICE_DEVLINK_FMSG_PUT_FIELD(fmsg, event, next_to_clean);
ICE_DEVLINK_FMSG_PUT_FIELD(fmsg, event, next_to_use);
- devlink_fmsg_put(fmsg, "irq-mapping", event->tx_ring->q_vector->name);
- ice_fmsg_put_ptr(fmsg, "desc-ptr", event->tx_ring->desc);
- ice_fmsg_put_ptr(fmsg, "dma-ptr", (void *)(long)event->tx_ring->dma);
- ice_fmsg_put_ptr(fmsg, "skb-ptr", skb);
- devlink_fmsg_binary_pair_put(fmsg, "desc", event->tx_ring->desc,
- event->tx_ring->count * sizeof(struct ice_tx_desc));
- devlink_fmsg_dump_skb(fmsg, skb);
+ if (event->desc) {
+ devlink_fmsg_put(fmsg, "irq-mapping", event->irq_name);
+ ice_fmsg_put_ptr(fmsg, "desc-ptr", event->desc_ptr);
+ ice_fmsg_put_ptr(fmsg, "dma-ptr", (void *)(long)event->dma);
+ ice_fmsg_put_ptr(fmsg, "skb-ptr", event->skb_ptr);
+ devlink_fmsg_binary_pair_put(fmsg, "desc", event->desc,
+ event->desc_size);
+ }
devlink_fmsg_obj_nest_end(fmsg);

return 0;
@@ -424,24 +429,104 @@ void ice_prep_tx_hang_report(struct ice_pf *pf, struct ice_tx_ring *tx_ring,
buf->vsi_num = vsi_num;
buf->head = head;
buf->intr = intr;
+ buf->queue = tx_ring->q_index;
+ buf->next_to_clean = tx_ring->next_to_clean;
+ buf->next_to_use = tx_ring->next_to_use;
+}
+
+/**
+ * ice_tx_hang_snapshot - copy the hung Tx ring state for the dump
+ * @pf: PF on which the Tx hang was detected
+ * @tx_ring: ring saved by ice_tx_timeout(), possibly stale
+ * @ev: event to fill in
+ *
+ * The saved ring may have been freed or replaced since the timeout (e.g. by
+ * ethtool -G or -L). Use it only if it is still one of the PF VSI Tx rings
+ * and the VSI is up: those rings are only replaced or freed under RTNL or
+ * from the service task, so with RTNL held every access below is to live
+ * memory. ice_clean_tx_irq() may still run and free the skb at
+ * next_to_clean at any time, so only the pointer value is recorded and the
+ * skb itself is never dereferenced.
+ */
+static void ice_tx_hang_snapshot(struct ice_pf *pf, struct ice_tx_ring *tx_ring,
+ struct ice_tx_hang_event *ev)
+{
+ struct ice_vsi *vsi = ice_get_main_vsi(pf);
+ struct ice_q_vector *q_vector;
+ struct ice_tx_buf *tx_buf;
+ unsigned int i;
+ u16 ntc, ntu;
+ void *desc;
+ u32 size;
+
+ ASSERT_RTNL();
+
+ if (!tx_ring || !vsi || !vsi->tx_rings ||
+ test_bit(ICE_VSI_DOWN, vsi->state))
+ return;
+
+ ice_for_each_txq(vsi, i)
+ if (vsi->tx_rings[i] == tx_ring)
+ break;
+ if (i == vsi->num_txq)
+ return;
+
+ q_vector = tx_ring->q_vector;
+ if (!q_vector || !tx_ring->desc || !tx_ring->tx_buf || !tx_ring->count)
+ return;
+
+ size = tx_ring->count * sizeof(struct ice_tx_desc);
+ desc = kvmalloc(size, GFP_KERNEL);
+ if (!desc)
+ return;
+
+ ntc = READ_ONCE(tx_ring->next_to_clean);
+ ntu = READ_ONCE(tx_ring->next_to_use);
+
+ if (ntc < tx_ring->count) {
+ tx_buf = &tx_ring->tx_buf[ntc];
+ if (tx_buf->type == ICE_TX_BUF_SKB)
+ ev->skb_ptr = READ_ONCE(tx_buf->skb);
+
+ memcpy(desc, tx_ring->desc, size);
+ ev->next_to_clean = ntc;
+ ev->next_to_use = ntu;
+ strscpy(ev->irq_name, q_vector->name);
+ ev->desc_ptr = tx_ring->desc;
+ ev->dma = tx_ring->dma;
+ ev->desc_size = size;
+ ev->desc = desc;
+ }
+
+ if (!ev->desc)
+ kvfree(desc);
}

void ice_report_tx_hang(struct ice_pf *pf)
{
struct ice_health_tx_hang_buf *buf = &pf->health_reporters.tx_hang_buf;
- struct ice_tx_ring *tx_ring = buf->tx_ring;
-
struct ice_tx_hang_event ev = {
.head = buf->head,
.intr = buf->intr,
.vsi_num = buf->vsi_num,
- .queue = tx_ring->q_index,
- .next_to_clean = tx_ring->next_to_clean,
- .next_to_use = tx_ring->next_to_use,
- .tx_ring = tx_ring,
+ .queue = buf->queue,
+ .next_to_clean = buf->next_to_clean,
+ .next_to_use = buf->next_to_use,
};

+ if (!pf->health_reporters.tx_hang)
+ return;
+
+ rtnl_lock();
+ ice_tx_hang_snapshot(pf, buf->tx_ring, &ev);
+ rtnl_unlock();
+
+ /* devlink_health_report() takes the devlink instance lock, which nests
+ * outside RTNL, so only report once RTNL has been released.
+ */
ice_devlink_health_report(pf->health_reporters.tx_hang, "Tx hang", &ev);
+
+ kvfree(ev.desc);
}

static struct devlink_health_reporter *
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ice/devlink/health.h b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ice/devlink/health.h
index 5edfc4d2a..508e4115d 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ice/devlink/health.h
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ice/devlink/health.h
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@ enum ice_mdd_src {
* @head: descriptor head
* @intr: interrupt register value
* @vsi_num: VSI owning the queue that the hang occurred on
+ * @queue: index of the queue that the hang occurred on
+ * @next_to_clean: next_to_clean of the ring when the hang was detected
+ * @next_to_use: next_to_use of the ring when the hang was detected
* @fw_status: buffer for last received FW Status event
* @port_status: buffer for last received Port Status event
*/
@@ -50,6 +53,9 @@ struct ice_health {
u32 head;
u32 intr;
u16 vsi_num;
+ u16 queue;
+ u16 next_to_clean;
+ u16 next_to_use;
);
struct ice_aqc_health_status_elem fw_status;
struct ice_aqc_health_status_elem port_status;

---
base-commit: 7076f684d5132e6a6145e1da2fa74771ecd052e5
change-id: 20261016-ice-tx-hang-dump-e46b4ed483d6