[PATCH 2/2] mm/madvise: use vm_normal_folio_pmd() in cold/pageout PMD range

From: Gregory Price

Date: Fri Aug 21 2026 - 10:53:58 EST


mmap a VM_MIXEDMAP region whose ->huge_fault installs a PMD through
vmf_insert_pfn_pmd() - mshv_vtl_low does this, and needs CAP_SYS_ADMIN to
open - then

madvise(p, PMD_SIZE, MADV_PAGEOUT);

With a stand-in module for the driver:

BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: fffff587c0000008
RIP: 0010:madvise_cold_or_pageout_pte_range+0x410/0x9b0
walk_pgd_range+0x52b/0xaf0
__walk_page_range+0x6a/0x1d0
walk_page_range_vma_unsafe+0x8e/0x120
madvise_pageout+0xb2/0x180
madvise_vma_behavior+0x46b/0xa90
do_madvise+0x108/0x190
__x64_sys_madvise+0x26/0x30

Nothing validates the pfn on the way in:

can_madv_lru_vma() rejects VM_PFNMAP, but not VM_MIXEDMAP
can_fault() *pfn = vmf->pgoff & ~(mask >> PAGE_SHIFT);
vmf_insert_pfn_pmd() no pfn_valid() check
pmd_folio() pfn_to_page() -> unpopulated vmemmap

Even with a valid pfn the path is wrong. The mapping carries no rmap, so
folio_maybe_mapped_shared() sees mapcount 0, and the walker goes on to
folio_deactivate(), or folio_isolate_lru() plus reclaim_pages(), against a
folio this mapping does not own.

Use vm_normal_folio_pmd() and skip on NULL, as the PTE half of this same
walker already does with vm_normal_folio(). The huge zero PMD is already
handled further up by is_huge_zero_pmd().

Fixes: 3c8e44c9b369 ("mm: mark special bits for huge pfn mappings when inject")
Reported-by: sashiko-bot <sashiko-bot@xxxxxxxxxx>
Closes: https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/20260817220810.1175596-1-gourry%40gourry.net
Cc: <stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> # v6.19+
Assisted-by: Claude:claude-opus-5
Signed-off-by: Gregory Price (Meta) <gourry@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
mm/madvise.c | 4 +++-
1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/mm/madvise.c b/mm/madvise.c
index ffd6a68320a8..ab362bc482a5 100644
--- a/mm/madvise.c
+++ b/mm/madvise.c
@@ -393,7 +393,9 @@ static int madvise_cold_or_pageout_pte_range(pmd_t *pmd,
goto huge_unlock;
}

- folio = pmd_folio(orig_pmd);
+ folio = vm_normal_folio_pmd(vma, addr, orig_pmd);
+ if (!folio)
+ goto huge_unlock;

if (folio_is_zone_device(folio))
goto huge_unlock;
--
2.55.0