Re: [PATCH net-next 2/6] vsock: add IOCTL_VM_SOCKETS_ASSIGN_G2H_NETNS

[Bobby Eshleman]

On Wed, Sep 02, 2026 at 04:35:59PM -0700, Randy Dunlap wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> On 9/2/26 4:00 PM, Bobby Eshleman wrote:
> > From: Bobby Eshleman <bobbyeshleman@xxxxxxxx>
> > 
> > Namespaces let a host isolate a VM's vsock traffic to a specific
> > namespace, but in a guest vsock traffic cannot be isolated to a
> > namespace. The vsock device is hardcoded to global mode and can't be
> > moved into a local-mode namespace.
> > 
> > Introduce ioctl IOCTL_VM_SOCKETS_ASSIGN_G2H_NETNS on /dev/vsock that
> > gives userspace a way to move the device to the calling pid's namespace.
> > The call requires CAP_NET_ADMIN in the root user namespace. A privileged
> > user wishing to "unassign" the device can move it to the init_netns,
> > which is hardcoded to global mode (so no unassign call is necessary).
> > 
> > A getter to read the current assignment back was considered, returning
> > either the namespace's net_cookie or its nsfs inode number, but neither
> > seemed useful enough to bake into the uAPI now. It can be added later if
> > a user turns up that needs it.
> > 
> > Add a transport hook to indicate support for guest namespacing, so that
> > transports may opt in/out. A transport that opts out keeps the
> > reachability rules it had before this ioctl existed.
> > 
> > Sockets are reset when the underlying device moves to a different
> > namespace, so as to prevent reachability from the previous and now
> > disallowed namespace.
> > 
> > Following the approach of netdevs, the device returns to init_net when
> 
> I'm confused by the use of "init_net" several times and "init_netns" at
> least 2 times. "init_net" is the initial, boot-time net namespace.
> 
> And is one of these what is referred to in the Documentation/ file below
> as "initial namespace"?

Good point, init_netns should be init_net everywhere here (and in the
Documentation/).

> 
> > its namespace is removed. Care is taken to not break flows when the
> > device is inside a global namespace that is being torn down and alive
> > sockets are in a different global namespace. In this scenario, the
> > device's netns getter pre-emptively falls back to the init_net (always
> > global) so that these flows are not disrupted. If init_netns ever
> 
>                                            maybe    init_netns()
> if you are referring to a function...

Same here, should be init_net.

> 
> > supports local-mode in the future, this logic will have to be changed.
> > 
> > Suggested-by: Stefano Garzarella <sgarzare@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > Link: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20200427142518.uwssa6dtasrp3bfc@steredhat/
> > Signed-off-by: Bobby Eshleman <bobbyeshleman@xxxxxxxx>
> > ---
> >  Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/net.rst |  18 +++
> >  include/net/af_vsock.h                   |   7 ++
> >  include/uapi/linux/vm_sockets.h          |   6 +
> >  net/vmw_vsock/af_vsock.c                 | 198 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
> >  4 files changed, 228 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
> > 
> > diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/net.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/net.rst
> > index e586e17fc7a5..1e9c0d2be7b8 100644
> > --- a/Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/net.rst
> > +++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/net.rst
> > @@ -515,6 +515,24 @@ their hosts. The behavior of VSOCK sockets in a network namespace is determined
> >  by the namespace's mode (``global`` or ``local``), which controls how CIDs
> >  (Context IDs) are allocated and how sockets interact across namespaces.
> >  
> > +In a guest, the vsock device owned by the guest-to-host (G2H) transport belongs
> > +to one network namespace at a time. The ``IOCTL_VM_SOCKETS_ASSIGN_G2H_NETNS``
> > +ioctl on ``/dev/vsock`` moves it to the namespace of the calling process, which
> > +requires ``CAP_NET_ADMIN`` in the initial user namespace. The namespace's mode
> 
>                               Is this the caller's namespace?

Yes. I'll clarify that in the next revision.

> 
> > +decides who may then use the device:
> > +
> > +- ``global`` - every ``global`` mode namespace may use it.
> > +- ``local`` - only that namespace may use it, which reserves the connection to
> > +  the host for it alone.
> > +
> > +The device starts out in the initial namespace, so until the ioctl is issued
> > +nothing has moved and no mode has changed.
> > +
> > +Connections made before the move, from a namespace that can no longer reach the
> > +device, are reset. The device returns to the initial namespace when the
> > +namespace it was moved to is deleted, so assigning it to the initial namespace
> > +is how an assignment is undone.
> > +
> >  ns_mode
> >  -------
> >  
> thanks.
> -- 
> ~Randy
> 

Thanks for the review.

Best,
Bobby