[PATCH 05/14] pidfs: adapt to rhashtable-based simple_xattrs

From: Christian Brauner

Date: Mon Feb 16 2026 - 08:36:29 EST


Adapt pidfs to use the rhashtable-based xattr path by switching from a
dedicated slab cache to simple_xattrs_alloc().

Previously pidfs used a custom kmem_cache (pidfs_xattr_cachep) that
allocated a struct containing an embedded simple_xattrs plus
simple_xattrs_init(). Replace this with simple_xattrs_alloc() which
combines kzalloc + rhashtable_init, and drop the dedicated slab cache
entirely.

Use simple_xattr_free_rcu() for replaced xattr entries to allow
concurrent RCU readers to finish.

Signed-off-by: Christian Brauner <brauner@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
fs/pidfs.c | 65 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-----------------------
1 file changed, 41 insertions(+), 24 deletions(-)

diff --git a/fs/pidfs.c b/fs/pidfs.c
index 1e20e36e0ed5..cb62000681df 100644
--- a/fs/pidfs.c
+++ b/fs/pidfs.c
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
#include <linux/utsname.h>
#include <net/net_namespace.h>
#include <linux/coredump.h>
+#include <linux/llist.h>
#include <linux/xattr.h>

#include "internal.h"
@@ -29,7 +30,6 @@
#define PIDFS_PID_DEAD ERR_PTR(-ESRCH)

static struct kmem_cache *pidfs_attr_cachep __ro_after_init;
-static struct kmem_cache *pidfs_xattr_cachep __ro_after_init;

static struct path pidfs_root_path = {};

@@ -44,9 +44,8 @@ enum pidfs_attr_mask_bits {
PIDFS_ATTR_BIT_COREDUMP = 1,
};

-struct pidfs_attr {
+struct pidfs_anon_attr {
unsigned long attr_mask;
- struct simple_xattrs *xattrs;
struct /* exit info */ {
__u64 cgroupid;
__s32 exit_code;
@@ -55,6 +54,14 @@ struct pidfs_attr {
__u32 coredump_signal;
};

+struct pidfs_attr {
+ struct simple_xattrs *xattrs;
+ union {
+ struct pidfs_anon_attr;
+ struct llist_node pidfs_llist;
+ };
+};
+
static struct rb_root pidfs_ino_tree = RB_ROOT;

#if BITS_PER_LONG == 32
@@ -147,10 +154,30 @@ void pidfs_remove_pid(struct pid *pid)
write_seqcount_end(&pidmap_lock_seq);
}

+static LLIST_HEAD(pidfs_free_list);
+
+static void pidfs_free_attr_work(struct work_struct *work)
+{
+ struct pidfs_attr *attr, *next;
+ struct llist_node *head;
+
+ head = llist_del_all(&pidfs_free_list);
+ llist_for_each_entry_safe(attr, next, head, pidfs_llist) {
+ struct simple_xattrs *xattrs = attr->xattrs;
+
+ if (xattrs) {
+ simple_xattrs_free(xattrs, NULL);
+ kfree(xattrs);
+ }
+ kfree(attr);
+ }
+}
+
+static DECLARE_WORK(pidfs_free_work, pidfs_free_attr_work);
+
void pidfs_free_pid(struct pid *pid)
{
- struct pidfs_attr *attr __free(kfree) = no_free_ptr(pid->attr);
- struct simple_xattrs *xattrs __free(kfree) = NULL;
+ struct pidfs_attr *attr = pid->attr;

/*
* Any dentry must've been wiped from the pid by now.
@@ -169,9 +196,10 @@ void pidfs_free_pid(struct pid *pid)
if (IS_ERR(attr))
return;

- xattrs = no_free_ptr(attr->xattrs);
- if (xattrs)
- simple_xattrs_free(xattrs, NULL);
+ if (likely(!attr->xattrs))
+ kfree(attr);
+ else if (llist_add(&attr->pidfs_llist, &pidfs_free_list))
+ schedule_work(&pidfs_free_work);
}

#ifdef CONFIG_PROC_FS
@@ -998,7 +1026,7 @@ static int pidfs_xattr_get(const struct xattr_handler *handler,

xattrs = READ_ONCE(attr->xattrs);
if (!xattrs)
- return 0;
+ return -ENODATA;

name = xattr_full_name(handler, suffix);
return simple_xattr_get(xattrs, name, value, size);
@@ -1018,22 +1046,16 @@ static int pidfs_xattr_set(const struct xattr_handler *handler,
/* Ensure we're the only one to set @attr->xattrs. */
WARN_ON_ONCE(!inode_is_locked(inode));

- xattrs = READ_ONCE(attr->xattrs);
- if (!xattrs) {
- xattrs = kmem_cache_zalloc(pidfs_xattr_cachep, GFP_KERNEL);
- if (!xattrs)
- return -ENOMEM;
-
- simple_xattrs_init(xattrs);
- smp_store_release(&pid->attr->xattrs, xattrs);
- }
+ xattrs = simple_xattrs_lazy_alloc(&attr->xattrs, value, flags);
+ if (IS_ERR_OR_NULL(xattrs))
+ return PTR_ERR(xattrs);

name = xattr_full_name(handler, suffix);
old_xattr = simple_xattr_set(xattrs, name, value, size, flags);
if (IS_ERR(old_xattr))
return PTR_ERR(old_xattr);

- simple_xattr_free(old_xattr);
+ simple_xattr_free_rcu(old_xattr);
return 0;
}

@@ -1108,11 +1130,6 @@ void __init pidfs_init(void)
(SLAB_HWCACHE_ALIGN | SLAB_RECLAIM_ACCOUNT |
SLAB_ACCOUNT | SLAB_PANIC), NULL);

- pidfs_xattr_cachep = kmem_cache_create("pidfs_xattr_cache",
- sizeof(struct simple_xattrs), 0,
- (SLAB_HWCACHE_ALIGN | SLAB_RECLAIM_ACCOUNT |
- SLAB_ACCOUNT | SLAB_PANIC), NULL);
-
pidfs_mnt = kern_mount(&pidfs_type);
if (IS_ERR(pidfs_mnt))
panic("Failed to mount pidfs pseudo filesystem");

--
2.47.3