[PATCH mm-unstable v2] mm/hugetlb_vmemmap: fix memory loads ordering

From: Yu Zhao
Date: Wed Jan 08 2025 - 02:48:34 EST


Using x86_64 as an example, for a 32KB struct page[] area describing a
2MB hugeTLB, HVO reduces the area to 4KB by the following steps:
1. Split the (r/w vmemmap) PMD mapping the area into 512 (r/w) PTEs;
2. For the 8 PTEs mapping the area, remap PTE 1-7 to the page mapped
by PTE 0, and at the same time change the permission from r/w to
r/o;
3. Free the pages PTE 1-7 used to map, hence the reduction from 32KB
to 4KB.

However, the following race can happen due to improperly memory loads
ordering:
CPU 1 (HVO) CPU 2 (speculative PFN walker)

page_ref_freeze()
synchronize_rcu()
rcu_read_lock()
page_is_fake_head() is false
vmemmap_remap_pte()
XXX: struct page[] becomes r/o

page_ref_unfreeze()
page_ref_count() is not zero

atomic_add_unless(&page->_refcount)
XXX: try to modify r/o struct page[]

Specifically, page_is_fake_head() must be ordered after
page_ref_count() on CPU 2 so that it can only return true for this
case, to avoid the later attempt to modify r/o struct page[].

This patch adds the missing memory barrier and makes the tests on
page_is_fake_head() and page_ref_count() done in the proper order.

Fixes: bd225530a4c7 ("mm/hugetlb_vmemmap: fix race with speculative PFN walkers")
Reported-by: Will Deacon <will@xxxxxxxxxx>
Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/20241128142028.GA3506@willie-the-truck/
Signed-off-by: Yu Zhao <yuzhao@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
include/linux/page-flags.h | 37 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
include/linux/page_ref.h | 2 +-
2 files changed, 38 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/include/linux/page-flags.h b/include/linux/page-flags.h
index 691506bdf2c5..16fa8f0cea02 100644
--- a/include/linux/page-flags.h
+++ b/include/linux/page-flags.h
@@ -225,11 +225,48 @@ static __always_inline const struct page *page_fixed_fake_head(const struct page
}
return page;
}
+
+static __always_inline bool page_count_writable(const struct page *page, int u)
+{
+ if (!static_branch_unlikely(&hugetlb_optimize_vmemmap_key))
+ return true;
+
+ /*
+ * The refcount check is ordered before the fake-head check to prevent
+ * the following race:
+ * CPU 1 (HVO) CPU 2 (speculative PFN walker)
+ *
+ * page_ref_freeze()
+ * synchronize_rcu()
+ * rcu_read_lock()
+ * page_is_fake_head() is false
+ * vmemmap_remap_pte()
+ * XXX: struct page[] becomes r/o
+ *
+ * page_ref_unfreeze()
+ * page_ref_count() is not zero
+ *
+ * atomic_add_unless(&page->_refcount)
+ * XXX: try to modify r/o struct page[]
+ *
+ * The refcount check also prevents modification attempts to other (r/o)
+ * tail pages that are not fake heads.
+ */
+ if (atomic_read_acquire(&page->_refcount) == u)
+ return false;
+
+ return page_fixed_fake_head(page) == page;
+}
#else
static inline const struct page *page_fixed_fake_head(const struct page *page)
{
return page;
}
+
+static inline bool page_count_writable(const struct page *page, int u)
+{
+ return true;
+}
#endif

static __always_inline int page_is_fake_head(const struct page *page)
diff --git a/include/linux/page_ref.h b/include/linux/page_ref.h
index 8c236c651d1d..544150d1d5fd 100644
--- a/include/linux/page_ref.h
+++ b/include/linux/page_ref.h
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ static inline bool page_ref_add_unless(struct page *page, int nr, int u)

rcu_read_lock();
/* avoid writing to the vmemmap area being remapped */
- if (!page_is_fake_head(page) && page_ref_count(page) != u)
+ if (page_count_writable(page, u))
ret = atomic_add_unless(&page->_refcount, nr, u);
rcu_read_unlock();

--
2.47.1.613.gc27f4b7a9f-goog