[PATCH v7 4/4] ntfs: persist the dirty state after the final put_super() commits

From: Hongling Zeng

Date: Thu Sep 10 2026 - 02:09:07 EST


The just-in-case mftmirr/mft commits and the final write_inode_now()
in ntfs_put_super() can record NVolErrors() after the dirty state has
been persisted, so errors from those points would leave the volume
unmounted with a clean on-disk dirty bit - contradicting the "cannot
unmount clean" guarantee ntfs_sync_volume_dirty_state() is meant to
provide.

Move the persistence to the end of ntfs_put_super(): keep the gated
re-commits and the tail commits where they are, run
ntfs_sync_volume_dirty_state() and the $Volume commit after the last
write_inode_now(), and release vol->vol_ino only after the sync.

The release order of the special inodes matters for the $Volume
commit: writing the $Volume record mirrors it through
ntfs_sync_mft_mirror() (record number 3 is below vol->mftmirr_size),
which fails with -EIO and leaves the mirror stale once
vol->mftmirr_ino is gone, so the mirror inode is released only after
that commit. vol->vol_ino is then put before vol->mft_ino is dropped:
if the commit failed before it could clear the dirty flag,
ntfs_evict_big_inode() commits the inode again on its way out, and
__ntfs_write_inode() resolves the runlist through vol->mft_ino.

Reported-by: Baolin Liu <liubaolin@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Signed-off-by: Hongling Zeng <zenghongling@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
fs/ntfs/super.c | 75 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---------------
1 file changed, 52 insertions(+), 23 deletions(-)

diff --git a/fs/ntfs/super.c b/fs/ntfs/super.c
index 3e3f71df7363..6960a8ab2cb4 100644
--- a/fs/ntfs/super.c
+++ b/fs/ntfs/super.c
@@ -1889,26 +1889,13 @@ static void ntfs_put_super(struct super_block *sb)
ntfs_commit_inode(vol->mft_ino);

/*
- * If a read-write mount, persist the error state in the volume flags:
- * mark the volume clean if no volume errors have occurred, and make
- * sure VOLUME_IS_DIRTY is on disk if any have, so chkdsk runs on the
- * next mount. Also, re-commit all affected inodes.
+ * If a read-write mount, re-commit all affected inodes once more.
+ * The dirty state itself is persisted at the end of ntfs_put_super(),
+ * after the last commits and the final write_inode_now(): those can
+ * still record errors via __ntfs_write_inode(), and the sync must
+ * evaluate NVolErrors() with the last setter already run.
*/
if (!sb_rdonly(sb)) {
- if (ntfs_sync_volume_dirty_state(vol)) {
- ntfs_warning(sb,
- "Failed to sync dirty bit in volume information flags. Run chkdsk.");
- } else if (NVolErrors(vol)) {
- /*
- * The dirty bit is on disk now; only warn when the
- * sync actually succeeded, or this message would
- * contradict the one above.
- */
- ntfs_warning(sb,
- "Volume has errors. Leaving volume marked dirty. Run chkdsk.");
- }
- /* Commits the updated volume flags if they were written. */
- ntfs_commit_inode(vol->vol_ino);
if (!NVolErrors(vol)) {
ntfs_commit_inode(vol->root_ino);
if (vol->mftmirr_ino)
@@ -1917,9 +1904,6 @@ static void ntfs_put_super(struct super_block *sb)
}
}

- iput(vol->vol_ino);
- vol->vol_ino = NULL;
-
/* NTFS 3.0+ specific clean up. */
if (vol->major_ver >= 3) {
if (vol->extend_ino) {
@@ -1949,8 +1933,6 @@ static void ntfs_put_super(struct super_block *sb)
/* Re-commit the mft mirror and mft just in case. */
ntfs_commit_inode(vol->mftmirr_ino);
ntfs_commit_inode(vol->mft_ino);
- iput(vol->mftmirr_ino);
- vol->mftmirr_ino = NULL;
}
/*
* We should have no dirty inodes left, due to
@@ -1960,6 +1942,53 @@ static void ntfs_put_super(struct super_block *sb)
ntfs_commit_inode(vol->mft_ino);
write_inode_now(vol->mft_ino, 1);

+ /*
+ * If a read-write mount, persist the error state in the volume flags:
+ * mark the volume clean if no volume errors have occurred, and make
+ * sure VOLUME_IS_DIRTY is on disk if any have, so chkdsk runs on the
+ * next mount.
+ */
+ if (!sb_rdonly(sb)) {
+ if (ntfs_sync_volume_dirty_state(vol)) {
+ ntfs_warning(sb,
+ "Failed to sync dirty bit in volume information flags. Run chkdsk.");
+ } else if (NVolErrors(vol)) {
+ /*
+ * The dirty bit is on disk now; only warn when the
+ * sync actually succeeded, or this message would
+ * contradict the one above.
+ */
+ ntfs_warning(sb,
+ "Volume has errors. Leaving volume marked dirty. Run chkdsk.");
+ }
+ /*
+ * Commits the updated volume flags if they were written.
+ * The mft mirror must still be around for this: the
+ * $Volume record (mft record number 3, below
+ * vol->mftmirr_size) is mirrored by write_mft_record()
+ * through ntfs_sync_mft_mirror(), which fails with -EIO
+ * and leaves the mirror stale once vol->mftmirr_ino is
+ * gone, so the mirror inode is only released after this
+ * commit.
+ */
+ ntfs_commit_inode(vol->vol_ino);
+ }
+
+ /*
+ * Release $Volume while the mft inode is still available: if the
+ * commit above failed before it could clear the dirty flag,
+ * ntfs_evict_big_inode() commits the inode again on its way out,
+ * and __ntfs_write_inode() needs vol->mft_ino to look up the
+ * runlist of the record to write.
+ */
+ iput(vol->vol_ino);
+ vol->vol_ino = NULL;
+
+ if (vol->mftmirr_ino) {
+ iput(vol->mftmirr_ino);
+ vol->mftmirr_ino = NULL;
+ }
+
iput(vol->mft_ino);
vol->mft_ino = NULL;
blkdev_issue_flush(sb->s_bdev);
--
2.25.1