[PATCH v2 2/8] mm/rmap: skip unfaulted VMAs on anon_vma clone, unlink

From: Lorenzo Stoakes

Date: Tue Jan 06 2026 - 10:13:48 EST


For both anon_vma_clone() and unlink_anon_vmas(), if the source VMA or the
VMA to be linked are unfaulted (e.g. !vma->anon_vma), then the functions do
nothing. Simply exit early in these cases.

In the unlink_anon_vmas() case we can also remove a conditional that checks
whether vma->anon_vma is set.

Signed-off-by: Lorenzo Stoakes <lorenzo.stoakes@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
mm/rmap.c | 22 +++++++++++++---------
1 file changed, 13 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)

diff --git a/mm/rmap.c b/mm/rmap.c
index 54ccf884d90a..de2cbe860566 100644
--- a/mm/rmap.c
+++ b/mm/rmap.c
@@ -314,6 +314,9 @@ int anon_vma_clone(struct vm_area_struct *dst, struct vm_area_struct *src)

check_anon_vma_clone(dst, src);

+ if (!src->anon_vma)
+ return 0;
+
list_for_each_entry_reverse(pavc, &src->anon_vma_chain, same_vma) {
struct anon_vma *anon_vma;

@@ -474,7 +477,10 @@ void unlink_anon_vmas(struct vm_area_struct *vma)
mmap_assert_locked(vma->vm_mm);

/* Unfaulted is a no-op. */
- VM_WARN_ON_ONCE(!vma->anon_vma && !list_empty(&vma->anon_vma_chain));
+ if (!vma->anon_vma) {
+ VM_WARN_ON_ONCE(!list_empty(&vma->anon_vma_chain));
+ return;
+ }

/*
* Unlink each anon_vma chained to the VMA. This list is ordered
@@ -498,15 +504,13 @@ void unlink_anon_vmas(struct vm_area_struct *vma)
list_del(&avc->same_vma);
anon_vma_chain_free(avc);
}
- if (vma->anon_vma) {
- vma->anon_vma->num_active_vmas--;

- /*
- * vma would still be needed after unlink, and anon_vma will be prepared
- * when handle fault.
- */
- vma->anon_vma = NULL;
- }
+ vma->anon_vma->num_active_vmas--;
+ /*
+ * vma would still be needed after unlink, and anon_vma will be prepared
+ * when handle fault.
+ */
+ vma->anon_vma = NULL;
unlock_anon_vma_root(root);

/*
--
2.52.0