[PATCH v4 2/3] exfat: retain the next empty directory entry hint

From: Yang Wen

Date: Sun Sep 13 2026 - 10:25:10 EST


After a Bloom filter miss skips the name scan, finding an empty entry
can still rescan the directory from the beginning.

Calculate the next empty-entry hint when a free entry set is found, but
publish it only after the entry set is committed. This prevents failed
create, rename, move, and volume-label operations from advancing the hint
past an unused slot.

Retain the hint while the name filter is active and invalidate it whenever
create rollback, unlink, rmdir, rename, or move can free entries. Also
invalidate the destination name filter on rename or move errors because the
new entry may already exist on disk.

This preserves the fast append path during bulk creation without allowing
stale hints or filters to hide directory entries.

Signed-off-by: Yang Wen <anmuxixixi@xxxxxxxxx>
---
fs/exfat/dir.c | 9 +++++-
fs/exfat/exfat_fs.h | 3 +-
fs/exfat/namei.c | 78 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---
3 files changed, 83 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/fs/exfat/dir.c b/fs/exfat/dir.c
index 5145f09bcee6..aa79954375e0 100644
--- a/fs/exfat/dir.c
+++ b/fs/exfat/dir.c
@@ -1474,7 +1474,9 @@ int exfat_write_volume_label(struct super_block *sb,
struct inode *root_inode = sb->s_root->d_inode;
struct exfat_entry_set_cache es;
struct exfat_chain clu;
+ struct exfat_hint_femp next_hint;
struct exfat_dentry *ep;
+ bool entry_allocated = false;

if (label->name_len > EXFAT_VOLUME_LABEL_LEN)
return -EINVAL;
@@ -1489,7 +1491,10 @@ int exfat_write_volume_label(struct super_block *sb,
goto unlock;
}

- ret = exfat_find_empty_entry(root_inode, &clu, 1, &es);
+ ret = exfat_find_empty_entry(root_inode, &clu, 1, &es,
+ &next_hint);
+ if (!ret)
+ entry_allocated = true;
}

if (ret < 0)
@@ -1514,6 +1519,8 @@ int exfat_write_volume_label(struct super_block *sb,
es.modified = true;

ret = exfat_put_dentry_set(&es, IS_DIRSYNC(root_inode));
+ if (!ret && entry_allocated)
+ EXFAT_I(root_inode)->hint_femp = next_hint;

unlock:
mutex_unlock(&sbi->s_lock);
diff --git a/fs/exfat/exfat_fs.h b/fs/exfat/exfat_fs.h
index 5187dee47cf1..5d4d59da26a0 100644
--- a/fs/exfat/exfat_fs.h
+++ b/fs/exfat/exfat_fs.h
@@ -580,7 +580,8 @@ extern const struct dentry_operations exfat_dentry_ops;
extern const struct dentry_operations exfat_utf8_dentry_ops;
int exfat_find_empty_entry(struct inode *inode,
struct exfat_chain *p_dir, int num_entries,
- struct exfat_entry_set_cache *es);
+ struct exfat_entry_set_cache *es,
+ struct exfat_hint_femp *next_hint);

/* cache.c */
int exfat_cache_init(void);
diff --git a/fs/exfat/namei.c b/fs/exfat/namei.c
index 96f33226f2c0..73682fe82235 100644
--- a/fs/exfat/namei.c
+++ b/fs/exfat/namei.c
@@ -199,6 +199,51 @@ const struct dentry_operations exfat_utf8_dentry_ops = {
.d_compare = exfat_utf8_d_cmp,
};

+static void exfat_set_next_empty_hint(struct inode *inode,
+ struct exfat_chain *p_dir, int dentry,
+ int num_entries,
+ struct exfat_entry_set_cache *es,
+ struct exfat_hint_femp *hint_femp)
+{
+ struct exfat_sb_info *sbi = EXFAT_SB(inode->i_sb);
+ unsigned int next = dentry + num_entries;
+ unsigned int total = exfat_cluster_to_dentries(sbi, p_dir->size);
+ struct exfat_chain cur;
+
+ if (next >= total) {
+ exfat_chain_set(&hint_femp->cur, EXFAT_EOF_CLUSTER, 0,
+ p_dir->flags);
+ hint_femp->eidx = total;
+ hint_femp->count = 0;
+ return;
+ }
+
+ cur.dir = exfat_sector_to_cluster(sbi,
+ es->bh[es->num_bh - 1]->b_blocknr);
+ cur.flags = p_dir->flags;
+ cur.size = p_dir->size - exfat_dentries_to_cluster(sbi, next);
+ if (!(next & (sbi->dentries_per_clu - 1))) {
+ cur.size++;
+ if (exfat_chain_advance(inode->i_sb, &cur, 1)) {
+ hint_femp->eidx = EXFAT_HINT_NONE;
+ hint_femp->count = 0;
+ return;
+ }
+ }
+
+ hint_femp->cur = cur;
+ hint_femp->eidx = next;
+ hint_femp->count = 0;
+}
+
+static void exfat_invalidate_empty_hint(struct inode *inode)
+{
+ struct exfat_inode_info *ei = EXFAT_I(inode);
+
+ ei->hint_femp.eidx = EXFAT_HINT_NONE;
+ ei->hint_femp.count = 0;
+}
+
/* search EMPTY CONTINUOUS "num_entries" entries */
static int exfat_search_empty_slot(struct super_block *sb,
struct exfat_hint_femp *hint_femp, struct exfat_chain *p_dir,
@@ -295,7 +340,8 @@ static int exfat_check_max_dentries(struct inode *inode)
*/
int exfat_find_empty_entry(struct inode *inode,
struct exfat_chain *p_dir, int num_entries,
- struct exfat_entry_set_cache *es)
+ struct exfat_entry_set_cache *es,
+ struct exfat_hint_femp *next_hint)
{
int dentry, ret;
unsigned int last_clu;
@@ -385,6 +431,9 @@ int exfat_find_empty_entry(struct inode *inode,
inode->i_blocks += sbi->cluster_size >> 9;
}

+ exfat_set_next_empty_hint(inode, p_dir, dentry, num_entries, es,
+ next_hint);
+
p_dir->dir = exfat_sector_to_cluster(sbi, es->bh[0]->b_blocknr);
p_dir->size -= dentry / sbi->dentries_per_clu;

@@ -469,6 +518,7 @@ static int exfat_add_entry(struct inode *inode, const char *path,
struct exfat_chain clu;
struct timespec64 ts = current_time(inode);
struct exfat_entry_set_cache es;
+ struct exfat_hint_femp next_hint;
int clu_size = 0;
unsigned int start_clu = EXFAT_FREE_CLUSTER;
bool dir_allocated = false;
@@ -484,7 +534,8 @@ static int exfat_add_entry(struct inode *inode, const char *path,
}

/* exfat_find_empty_entry must be called before alloc_cluster() */
- dentry = exfat_find_empty_entry(inode, &info->dir, num_entries, &es);
+ dentry = exfat_find_empty_entry(inode, &info->dir, num_entries, &es,
+ &next_hint);
if (dentry < 0) {
ret = dentry; /* -EIO or -ENOSPC */
goto out;
@@ -516,6 +567,7 @@ static int exfat_add_entry(struct inode *inode, const char *path,
dentry, ES_ALL_ENTRIES);
if (!cleanup_ret) {
exfat_remove_entries(inode, &es, ES_IDX_FILE, false);
+ exfat_invalidate_empty_hint(inode);
cleanup_ret = exfat_put_dentry_set(&es,
IS_DIRSYNC(inode));
}
@@ -524,6 +576,7 @@ static int exfat_add_entry(struct inode *inode, const char *path,
exfat_free_cluster(inode, &clu);
goto out;
}
+ EXFAT_I(inode)->hint_femp = next_hint;

info->entry = dentry;
exfat_name_filter_add(inode, &uniname);
@@ -628,7 +681,8 @@ static int exfat_find(struct inode *dir, const struct qstr *qname,
ei->hint_stat.clu = cdir.dir;
ei->hint_stat.eidx = 0;
ei->version = (inode_peek_iversion_raw(dir) & 0xffffffff);
- ei->hint_femp.eidx = EXFAT_HINT_NONE;
+ if (!ei->name_filter)
+ ei->hint_femp.eidx = EXFAT_HINT_NONE;
}

/* search the file name for directories */
@@ -803,6 +857,8 @@ static int exfat_unlink(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry)

/* update the directory entry */
exfat_remove_entries(inode, &es, ES_IDX_FILE, true);
+ exfat_invalidate_empty_hint(dir);
+
err = exfat_put_dentry_set(&es, IS_DIRSYNC(inode));
if (err)
goto unlock;
@@ -957,6 +1013,8 @@ static int exfat_rmdir(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry)
exfat_set_volume_dirty(sb);

exfat_remove_entries(inode, &es, ES_IDX_FILE, true);
+ exfat_invalidate_empty_hint(dir);
+
err = exfat_put_dentry_set(&es, IS_DIRSYNC(dir));
if (err)
goto unlock;
@@ -1031,9 +1089,10 @@ static int exfat_rename_file(struct inode *parent_inode,
if (old_es.num_entries < num_total_entries) {
int newentry;
struct exfat_chain dir;
+ struct exfat_hint_femp next_hint;

newentry = exfat_find_empty_entry(parent_inode, &dir,
- num_total_entries, &new_es);
+ num_total_entries, &new_es, &next_hint);
if (newentry < 0) {
ret = newentry; /* -EIO or -ENOSPC */
goto put_old_es;
@@ -1065,6 +1124,7 @@ static int exfat_rename_file(struct inode *parent_inode,
}
goto put_old_es;
}
+ EXFAT_I(parent_inode)->hint_femp = next_hint;

exfat_remove_entries(parent_inode, &old_es, ES_IDX_FILE, false);
ei->dir = dir;
@@ -1092,6 +1152,7 @@ static int exfat_move_file(struct inode *parent_inode,
struct exfat_dentry *epmov, *epnew;
struct exfat_entry_set_cache mov_es, new_es;
struct exfat_chain newdir;
+ struct exfat_hint_femp next_hint;
unsigned int num_extra_entries, num_total_entries;

num_new_entries = exfat_calc_num_entries(p_uniname);
@@ -1109,7 +1170,7 @@ static int exfat_move_file(struct inode *parent_inode,
num_total_entries = num_new_entries + num_extra_entries;

newentry = exfat_find_empty_entry(parent_inode, &newdir,
- num_total_entries, &new_es);
+ num_total_entries, &new_es, &next_hint);
if (newentry < 0) {
ret = newentry; /* -EIO or -ENOSPC */
goto put_mov_es;
@@ -1138,10 +1199,12 @@ static int exfat_move_file(struct inode *parent_inode,
ES_ALL_ENTRIES)) {
exfat_remove_entries(parent_inode, &new_es,
ES_IDX_FILE, false);
+ exfat_invalidate_empty_hint(parent_inode);
exfat_put_dentry_set(&new_es, false);
}
goto put_mov_es;
}
+ EXFAT_I(parent_inode)->hint_femp = next_hint;

exfat_remove_entries(parent_inode, &mov_es, ES_IDX_FILE, false);

@@ -1214,8 +1277,11 @@ static int __exfat_rename(struct inode *old_parent_inode,
ret = exfat_rename_file(new_parent_inode, &uni_name, ei);
else
ret = exfat_move_file(new_parent_inode, &uni_name, ei);
+ exfat_invalidate_empty_hint(old_parent_inode);
if (!ret)
exfat_name_filter_add(new_parent_inode, &uni_name);
+ else
+ exfat_name_filter_free(new_parent_inode);

if (!ret && new_inode) {
struct exfat_entry_set_cache es;
@@ -1228,6 +1294,8 @@ static int __exfat_rename(struct inode *old_parent_inode,
}

exfat_remove_entries(new_inode, &es, ES_IDX_FILE, true);
+ exfat_invalidate_empty_hint(new_parent_inode);
+
ret = exfat_put_dentry_set(&es, IS_DIRSYNC(new_inode));
if (ret)
goto del_out;
--
2.34.1