Re: [RFC PATCH 3/3] mm/memory-failure: handle min_order_for_split() error code properly

From: Balbir Singh

Date: Wed Nov 19 2025 - 23:45:51 EST


On 11/20/25 14:59, Zi Yan wrote:
> min_order_for_split() returns -EBUSY when the folio is truncated and cannot
> be split. In commit 77008e1b2ef7 ("mm/huge_memory: do not change
> split_huge_page*() target order silently"), memory_failure() does not
> handle it and pass -EBUSY to try_to_split_thp_page() directly.
> try_to_split_thp_page() returns -EINVAL since -EBUSY becomes 0xfffffff0 as
> new_order is unsigned int in __folio_split() and this large new_order is
> rejected as an invalid input. The code does not cause a bug.
> soft_offline_in_use_page() also uses min_order_for_split() but it always
> passes 0 as new_order for split.
>
> Handle it properly by checking min_order_for_split() return value and not
> calling try_to_split_thp_page() if the value is negative. Add a comment
> in soft_offline_in_use_page() to clarify the possible negative new_order
> value.
>
> Signed-off-by: Zi Yan <ziy@xxxxxxxxxx>
> ---
> mm/memory-failure.c | 8 ++++++--
> 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/mm/memory-failure.c b/mm/memory-failure.c
> index 7f908ad795ad..86582f030159 100644
> --- a/mm/memory-failure.c
> +++ b/mm/memory-failure.c
> @@ -2437,8 +2437,11 @@ int memory_failure(unsigned long pfn, int flags)
> * or unhandlable page. The refcount is bumped iff the
> * page is a valid handlable page.
> */
> - folio_set_has_hwpoisoned(folio);
> - err = try_to_split_thp_page(p, new_order, /* release= */ false);
> + if (new_order >= 0) {
> + folio_set_has_hwpoisoned(folio);

if new_order < 0, do we skip setting hwpoisioned bit on the folio?

> + err = try_to_split_thp_page(p, new_order, /* release= */ false);
> + } else
> + err = new_order;
> /*
> * If splitting a folio to order-0 fails, kill the process.
> * Split the folio regardless to minimize unusable pages.
> @@ -2779,6 +2782,7 @@ static int soft_offline_in_use_page(struct page *page)
> /*
> * If new_order (target split order) is not 0, do not split the
> * folio at all to retain the still accessible large folio.
> + * new_order can be -EBUSY, meaning the folio cannot be split.
> * NOTE: if minimizing the number of soft offline pages is
> * preferred, split it to non-zero new_order like it is done in
> * memory_failure().

Balbir