Re: [PATCH v2 4/8] mm/rmap: remove anon_vma_merge() function

From: Liam R. Howlett

Date: Tue Jan 06 2026 - 13:43:24 EST


* Lorenzo Stoakes <lorenzo.stoakes@xxxxxxxxxx> [260106 10:04]:
> This function is confusing, we already have the concept of anon_vma merge
> to adjacent VMA's anon_vma's to increase probability of anon_vma
> compatibility and therefore VMA merge (see is_mergeable_anon_vma() etc.),
> as well as anon_vma reuse, along side the usual VMA merge logic.
>
> We can remove the anon_vma check as it is redundant - a merge would not
> have been permitted with removal if the anon_vma's were not the same (and
> in the case of an unfaulted/faulted merge, we would have already set the
> unfaulted VMA's anon_vma to vp->remove->anon_vma in dup_anon_vma()).
>
> Avoid overloading this term when we're very simply unlinking anon_vma state
> from a removed VMA upon merge.
>
> Signed-off-by: Lorenzo Stoakes <lorenzo.stoakes@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Reviewed-by: Suren Baghdasaryan <surenb@xxxxxxxxxx>

Reviewed-by: Liam R. Howlett <Liam.Howlett@xxxxxxxxxx>

> ---
> include/linux/rmap.h | 7 -------
> mm/vma.c | 2 +-
> tools/testing/vma/vma_internal.h | 5 -----
> 3 files changed, 1 insertion(+), 13 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/include/linux/rmap.h b/include/linux/rmap.h
> index daa92a58585d..832bfc0ccfc6 100644
> --- a/include/linux/rmap.h
> +++ b/include/linux/rmap.h
> @@ -165,13 +165,6 @@ static inline int anon_vma_prepare(struct vm_area_struct *vma)
> return __anon_vma_prepare(vma);
> }
>
> -static inline void anon_vma_merge(struct vm_area_struct *vma,
> - struct vm_area_struct *next)
> -{
> - VM_BUG_ON_VMA(vma->anon_vma != next->anon_vma, vma);
> - unlink_anon_vmas(next);
> -}
> -
> struct anon_vma *folio_get_anon_vma(const struct folio *folio);
>
> #ifdef CONFIG_MM_ID
> diff --git a/mm/vma.c b/mm/vma.c
> index fb45a6be7417..4294ecdc23a5 100644
> --- a/mm/vma.c
> +++ b/mm/vma.c
> @@ -379,7 +379,7 @@ static void vma_complete(struct vma_prepare *vp, struct vma_iterator *vmi,
> fput(vp->file);
> }
> if (vp->remove->anon_vma)
> - anon_vma_merge(vp->vma, vp->remove);
> + unlink_anon_vmas(vp->remove);
> mm->map_count--;
> mpol_put(vma_policy(vp->remove));
> if (!vp->remove2)
> diff --git a/tools/testing/vma/vma_internal.h b/tools/testing/vma/vma_internal.h
> index 9f0a9f5ed0fe..93e5792306d9 100644
> --- a/tools/testing/vma/vma_internal.h
> +++ b/tools/testing/vma/vma_internal.h
> @@ -1265,11 +1265,6 @@ static inline void i_mmap_unlock_write(struct address_space *mapping)
> {
> }
>
> -static inline void anon_vma_merge(struct vm_area_struct *vma,
> - struct vm_area_struct *next)
> -{
> -}
> -
> static inline int userfaultfd_unmap_prep(struct vm_area_struct *vma,
> unsigned long start,
> unsigned long end,
> --
> 2.52.0
>