Re: [PATCH v2] mm/truncate: fix data loss when truncating straddling large folios

[Joanne Koong]

On Tue, Sep 8, 2026 at 11:31 PM Zhang Yi <yi.zhang@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> From: Zhang Yi <yi.zhang@xxxxxxxxxx>
>
> truncate_inode_partial_folio() splits a large folio so that the caller's
> truncate loop can drop the in-range sub-folios while keeping the
> out-of-range tail. The first split at the punch start edge is
> non-uniform, which leaves the sub-folio at the truncation end edge as
> large as possible, this means it may still straddle the range, holding
> both zeroed in-range and valid out-of-range data. The function then
> attempts a second split at offset + length to isolate that tail.
>
> If the second split fails the straddling sub-folio stays merged. The
> function returned true unconditionally on all exit paths of the success
> block, telling the caller it was fully handled. The caller kept its
> default end and the truncate loop truncated every sub-folio below it,
> including the merged straddler, discarding the valid out-of-range tail.
>
> For example, a 4-page order-2 folio punched from offset 0 to the middle
> of the last page:
>
>   truncate_inode_pages_range()
>     truncate_inode_partial_folio()      # same_folio == true
>       1st split at page0 -> [p0, p1, p2-3]   # non-uniform, success
>       folio2 = p2-3 # straddles: p2 zeroed, p3 tail valid
>       2nd split of folio2 fails / cannot lock
>       return true                       # BUG: caller keeps default end
>     end = 3
>     loop truncates p0, p1, p2-3        # p3's valid tail is lost
>
> This became reachable after commit 7460b470a131 ("mm/truncate: use
> folio_split() in truncate operation") replaced the atomic split_folio()
> with folio_split(), whose non-uniform split can partially split a folio
> and leave the end edge merged.
>
> It has gone unnoticed because a dirty large folio normally carries the
> filesystem's private data, for example buffer_head, so
> filemap_release_folio() -> iomap_release_folio() returns false on a
> dirty folio and folio_split() aborts with -EBUSY before any split,
> leaving the straddler safely unsplit. The bug is only reachable on paths
> that produce dirty large folios without filesystem private data, and it
> was caught on the upcoming ext4 iomap buffered I/O path when no ifs is
> attached.
>
> In addition, even when both splits succeed, data can still be lost when
> the mapping's minimum folio order (min_order) is non-zero. folio_split()
> stops at min_order instead of order 0, so the sub-folio containing a
> split point stays aligned to 1 << min_order rather than to a page. The
> original success path left start at the page-aligned head of the range
> and set end to the exact page index of the end edge, neither of which is
> a folio boundary in general. Either one could land inside the large
> folio at its edge, and the truncate loop would drop that straddling
> folio together with its valid out-of-range tail.
>
> For example, a 64K (order-4) folio with min_order = 2 punched from
> offset 0 to 36K:
>
>   truncate_inode_pages_range()
>     truncate_inode_partial_folio()        # same_folio == true
>       1st split at p0 -> [p0-p3, p4-p7, p8-p15]  # non-uniform, min_order
>       folio2 = p8-p15 # straddles: p8 in range, p9-p15 tail valid
>       2nd split of folio2 -> [p8-p11, p12-p15]   # success
>       end = p9                           # BUG: p9 inside [p8-p11]
>     loop truncates ... p8-p11           # p9-p11's valid tail is lost
>
> Rework the contract so the caller is told the page range to discard:
>
>   - Return true only when a split occurred, false otherwise. This
>     clarifies the existing confusing return value semantics.
>
>   - Add pgoff_t *pstart and *pend out-parameters that receive the page
>     range fully covered by [lstart, lend] after any split (or none),
>     i.e. the pages wholly within the range and safe to discard. They are
>     aligned up (pstart) and down (pend) to the mapping's minimum folio
>     order so they always fall on a folio boundary.
>
>   - Rename the byte-range parameters start/end to lstart/lend to avoid
>     clashing with the new outputs and to separate byte offsets from
>     folio indices.
>
> Callers in truncate_inode_pages_range() and shmem_undo_range() pass
> &pstart for the folio at the start edge and &pend for the folio at the
> end edge, so the truncate loop drops exactly the fully covered pages and
> never touches a straddling folio that still holds valid out-of-range
> data.
>
> Suggested-by: Brian Foster <bfoster@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Link: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-fsdevel/anH-WKA1coW6wtfG@bfoster/
> Fixes: 7460b470a131 ("mm/truncate: use folio_split() in truncate operation")
> Signed-off-by: Zhang Yi <yi.zhang@xxxxxxxxxx>

Reviewed-by: Joanne Koong <joannelkoong@xxxxxxxxx>

> ---
> v1->v2:
>  - Export pstart as a new parameter so that the generic and shmem
>    truncate paths don't need to recompute the start value from the
>    return value. (Brian)
>  - When min_order is nonzero, align [pstart, pend] to the inner
>    boundaries of the folio to ensure they do not point into the middle
>    of a large folio, which could otherwise cause valid data within the
>    folio to be incorrectly cleared. (Joanne)
>
> v1: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-mm/20260903115018.2034541-1-yi.zhang@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/
>
>  mm/internal.h |  4 +--
>  mm/shmem.c    | 13 +++-----
>  mm/truncate.c | 88 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++----------------
>  3 files changed, 67 insertions(+), 38 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/mm/internal.h b/mm/internal.h
> index 68db5abd0a4c..6e6ad3187378 100644
> --- a/mm/internal.h
> +++ b/mm/internal.h
> @@ -627,8 +627,8 @@ unsigned find_lock_entries(struct address_space *mapping, pgoff_t *start,
>  unsigned find_get_entries(struct address_space *mapping, pgoff_t *start,
>                 pgoff_t end, struct folio_batch *fbatch, pgoff_t *indices);
>  int truncate_inode_folio(struct address_space *mapping, struct folio *folio);
> -bool truncate_inode_partial_folio(struct folio *folio, loff_t start,
> -               loff_t end);
> +bool truncate_inode_partial_folio(struct folio *folio, loff_t lstart,
> +               loff_t lend, pgoff_t *pstart, pgoff_t *pend);
>  long mapping_evict_folio(struct address_space *mapping, struct folio *folio);
>  unsigned long mapping_try_invalidate(struct address_space *mapping,
>                 pgoff_t start, pgoff_t end, unsigned long *nr_failed);
> diff --git a/mm/shmem.c b/mm/shmem.c
> index 89a1495e55f7..4efbbbba5da5 100644
> --- a/mm/shmem.c
> +++ b/mm/shmem.c
> @@ -1175,11 +1175,8 @@ static void shmem_undo_range(struct inode *inode, loff_t lstart, uoff_t lend,
>         if (folio) {
>                 same_folio = lend < folio_next_pos(folio);
>                 folio_mark_dirty(folio);
> -               if (!truncate_inode_partial_folio(folio, lstart, lend)) {
> -                       start = folio_next_index(folio);
> -                       if (same_folio)
> -                               end = folio->index;
> -               }
> +               truncate_inode_partial_folio(folio, lstart, lend, &start,
> +                                            same_folio ? &end : NULL);
>                 folio_unlock(folio);
>                 folio_put(folio);
>                 folio = NULL;
> @@ -1189,8 +1186,7 @@ static void shmem_undo_range(struct inode *inode, loff_t lstart, uoff_t lend,
>                 folio = shmem_get_partial_folio(inode, lend >> PAGE_SHIFT);
>         if (folio) {
>                 folio_mark_dirty(folio);
> -               if (!truncate_inode_partial_folio(folio, lstart, lend))
> -                       end = folio->index;
> +               truncate_inode_partial_folio(folio, lstart, lend, NULL, &end);
>                 folio_unlock(folio);
>                 folio_put(folio);
>         }
> @@ -1258,7 +1254,8 @@ static void shmem_undo_range(struct inode *inode, loff_t lstart, uoff_t lend,
>
>                                 if (!folio_test_large(folio)) {
>                                         truncate_inode_folio(mapping, folio);
> -                               } else if (truncate_inode_partial_folio(folio, lstart, lend)) {
> +                               } else if (truncate_inode_partial_folio(folio,
> +                                                       lstart, lend, NULL, NULL)) {
>                                         /*
>                                          * If we split a page, reset the loop so
>                                          * that we pick up the new sub pages.
> diff --git a/mm/truncate.c b/mm/truncate.c
> index b58ba940be47..d88a1b159084 100644
> --- a/mm/truncate.c
> +++ b/mm/truncate.c
> @@ -206,35 +206,41 @@ static int folio_split_or_unmap(struct folio *folio, struct page *split_at,
>  /*
>   * Handle partial folios.  The folio may be entirely within the
>   * range if a split has raced with us.  If not, we zero the part of the
> - * folio that's within the [start, end] range, and then split the folio if
> + * folio that's within the [lstart, lend] range, and then split the folio if
>   * it's large.  split_page_range() will discard pages which now lie beyond
>   * i_size, and we rely on the caller to discard pages which lie within a
>   * newly created hole.
>   *
> - * Returns false if splitting failed so the caller can avoid
> - * discarding the entire folio which is stubbornly unsplit.
> + * When @pstart and/or @pend are non-NULL they receive the indexes of the
> + * page range fully covered by [lstart, lend] after any split (or none),
> + * i.e. the range of pages that are wholly within [lstart, lend] and so safe
> + * to discard.

I think with themin_order > 0 case, pages wholly within [lstart, lend]
can still be excluded, so maybe worth editing this to reflect that.

Thanks,
Joanne

> + *
> + * Return %true if the folio was split, %false otherwise.
>   */
> -bool truncate_inode_partial_folio(struct folio *folio, loff_t start, loff_t end)
> +bool truncate_inode_partial_folio(struct folio *folio, loff_t lstart,
> +                                 loff_t lend, pgoff_t *pstart, pgoff_t *pend)
>  {
>         loff_t pos = folio_pos(folio);
>         size_t size = folio_size(folio);