Re: [PATCH] to deal with bad dev->refcnt in unregister_netdevice()

From: Thomas Hood (jdthoodREMOVETHIS@yahoo.co.uk)
Date: Sat Feb 10 2001 - 01:01:52 EST


> > Here is a patch which may not solve the underlying
>
> This does not. refcnt cannot be <1 at this point.

The refcnt shouldn't be less than 1, but it is in fact
less than 1. (As I'm sure you understand.)

> > assuming that the latter messages aren't serious?
>
> They are fatal. Machine must be rebooted after them.

True. I found that with testing---lots of ifups and ifdowns,
etc.---the kernel becomes unstable.

> > I hope the networking gurus can find the real bugs here.
>
> Well, someone forgets to grab refcnt or makes redundant dev_put.
> Try to catch this, f.e. adding BUG() to the places where fatal
> messages are generated to get backtraces.
> Alexey

I think that the ipx driver makes an inappropriate dev_put
in its notifier callback. However that is for people better
acquainted with the come than I to judge. Removing the ipx
driver does work around the problem though.

Thomas
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