[PATCH v6 1/9] vfio/pci: Remove DMABUF export dependency on vdev->memory_lock

From: Matt Evans

Date: Fri Sep 11 2026 - 17:47:48 EST


The VFIO_DEVICE_FEATURE_DMA_BUF export previously used
vdev->memory_lock to protect VFIO's list of exported DMABUFs
(vdev->dmabufs) and their revocation status. When adding a new
export, memory_lock was taken for write.

A future commit will refactor DMABUF export into a function used from
mmap(), which would create a new mmap_lock -> memory_lock dependency.

In preparation, this commit introduces a vdev->dmabuf_lock that
protects the dmabufs list, per-DMABUF revocation state, and a new
bars_revoked flag. The flag tracks the device-wide BAR revocation
state set via vfio_pci_dma_buf_move() under dmabuf_lock, removing the
test of __vfio_pci_memory_enabled() and dependency on
vdev->memory_lock.

This is a cleanup currently, but allows the future export path to
avoid holding memory_lock under mmap_lock and a deadlock scenario (a
fault handler attempting to take mmap_lock in a vfio-pci variant
driver thread that holds memory_lock).

Signed-off-by: Matt Evans <matt@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_core.c | 2 ++
drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_dmabuf.c | 30 +++++++++++++++++++++++++-----
include/linux/vfio_pci_core.h | 2 ++
3 files changed, 29 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_core.c b/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_core.c
index 3f11a9624b9c..7d090be8c9c1 100644
--- a/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_core.c
+++ b/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_core.c
@@ -659,6 +659,7 @@ int vfio_pci_core_enable(struct vfio_pci_core_device *vdev)
vdev->has_vga = true;

vfio_pci_core_map_bars(vdev);
+ vdev->bars_revoked = false;

return 0;

@@ -2195,6 +2196,7 @@ int vfio_pci_core_init_dev(struct vfio_device *core_vdev)
return ret;
INIT_LIST_HEAD(&vdev->dmabufs);
init_rwsem(&vdev->memory_lock);
+ init_rwsem(&vdev->dmabuf_lock);
xa_init(&vdev->ctx);

return 0;
diff --git a/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_dmabuf.c b/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_dmabuf.c
index c16f460c01d6..847ee5cc78e7 100644
--- a/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_dmabuf.c
+++ b/drivers/vfio/pci/vfio_pci_dmabuf.c
@@ -90,9 +90,9 @@ static void vfio_pci_dma_buf_release(struct dma_buf *dmabuf)
* The refcount prevents both.
*/
if (priv->vdev) {
- down_write(&priv->vdev->memory_lock);
+ down_write(&priv->vdev->dmabuf_lock);
list_del_init(&priv->dmabufs_elm);
- up_write(&priv->vdev->memory_lock);
+ up_write(&priv->vdev->dmabuf_lock);
vfio_device_put_registration(&priv->vdev->vdev);
}
kfree(priv->phys_vec);
@@ -305,12 +305,27 @@ int vfio_pci_core_feature_dma_buf(struct vfio_pci_core_device *vdev, u32 flags,

/* dma_buf_put() now frees priv */
INIT_LIST_HEAD(&priv->dmabufs_elm);
- down_write(&vdev->memory_lock);
+
+ /*
+ * dmabuf_lock synchronises access (R) or updates (W) to the
+ * vdev->dmabufs list and to bars_revoked (see below). The
+ * revocation state of DMABUF elements in the list is written
+ * holding both dmabuf_lock(W) and resv, and tested with
+ * either.
+ *
+ * dmabuf_lock -> resv
+ *
+ * vdev->bars_revoked tracks the BAR revocation status updated
+ * via vfio_pci_dma_buf_move(), so the initial DMABUF state
+ * follows the same criteria that later update the DMABUF
+ * state (BAR zap, etc.).
+ */
+ down_write(&vdev->dmabuf_lock);
dma_resv_lock(priv->dmabuf->resv, NULL);
- priv->revoked = !__vfio_pci_memory_enabled(vdev);
+ priv->revoked = vdev->bars_revoked;
list_add_tail(&priv->dmabufs_elm, &vdev->dmabufs);
dma_resv_unlock(priv->dmabuf->resv);
- up_write(&vdev->memory_lock);
+ up_write(&vdev->dmabuf_lock);

/*
* dma_buf_fd() consumes the reference, when the file closes the dmabuf
@@ -340,6 +355,8 @@ void vfio_pci_dma_buf_move(struct vfio_pci_core_device *vdev, bool revoked)

lockdep_assert_held_write(&vdev->memory_lock);

+ down_write(&vdev->dmabuf_lock);
+ vdev->bars_revoked = revoked;
list_for_each_entry_safe(priv, tmp, &vdev->dmabufs, dmabufs_elm) {
if (!get_file_active(&priv->dmabuf->file))
continue;
@@ -375,6 +392,7 @@ void vfio_pci_dma_buf_move(struct vfio_pci_core_device *vdev, bool revoked)
}
fput(priv->dmabuf->file);
}
+ up_write(&vdev->dmabuf_lock);
}

void vfio_pci_dma_buf_cleanup(struct vfio_pci_core_device *vdev)
@@ -393,6 +411,7 @@ void vfio_pci_dma_buf_cleanup(struct vfio_pci_core_device *vdev)
*/
vfio_pci_dma_buf_move(vdev, true);

+ down_write(&vdev->dmabuf_lock);
list_for_each_entry_safe(priv, tmp, &vdev->dmabufs, dmabufs_elm) {
if (!get_file_active(&priv->dmabuf->file))
continue;
@@ -402,5 +421,6 @@ void vfio_pci_dma_buf_cleanup(struct vfio_pci_core_device *vdev)
vfio_device_put_registration(&vdev->vdev);
fput(priv->dmabuf->file);
}
+ up_write(&vdev->dmabuf_lock);
up_write(&vdev->memory_lock);
}
diff --git a/include/linux/vfio_pci_core.h b/include/linux/vfio_pci_core.h
index 9a1674c152aa..f99b152edcca 100644
--- a/include/linux/vfio_pci_core.h
+++ b/include/linux/vfio_pci_core.h
@@ -134,6 +134,7 @@ struct vfio_pci_core_device {
bool pm_intx_masked;
bool pm_runtime_engaged;
bool sriov_active;
+ bool bars_revoked;
struct pci_saved_state *pci_saved_state;
struct pci_saved_state *pm_save;
int ioeventfds_nr;
@@ -148,6 +149,7 @@ struct vfio_pci_core_device {
struct vfio_pci_core_device *sriov_pf_core_dev;
struct notifier_block nb;
struct rw_semaphore memory_lock;
+ struct rw_semaphore dmabuf_lock;
struct list_head dmabufs;
};

--
2.50.1 (Apple Git-155)