[PATCH] neighbour: Move the netdev_put() out of RCU callback

From: Zqiang

Date: Fri Oct 09 2026 - 05:22:32 EST


For builts with CONFIG_NET_DEV_REFCNT_TRACKER=y kernels, netdev_put()
records the caller's stack trace via ref_tracker_free() for debugging
reference leaks. however, the netdev_put() is within pneigh_destroy()
RCU callback, this recorded stack is uninformative, it does not reveal
which code path initiated the deletion.

This commit therefore move netdev_put() from the RCU callback into the
caller's process context, and replace call_rcu() with kfree_rcu().

Fixes: d539d8fbd8fc ("neighbour: Free pneigh_entry after RCU grace period.")
Signed-off-by: Zqiang <qiang.zhang@xxxxxxxxx>
---
net/core/neighbour.c | 14 ++++----------
1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-)

diff --git a/net/core/neighbour.c b/net/core/neighbour.c
index 6ed8eb075146..4263689fc415 100644
--- a/net/core/neighbour.c
+++ b/net/core/neighbour.c
@@ -818,14 +818,6 @@ int pneigh_create(struct neigh_table *tbl,
return err;
}

-static void pneigh_destroy(struct rcu_head *rcu)
-{
- struct pneigh_entry *n = container_of(rcu, struct pneigh_entry, rcu);
-
- netdev_put(n->dev, &n->dev_tracker);
- kfree(n);
-}
-
int pneigh_delete(struct neigh_table *tbl, const void *pkey,
struct net_device *dev)
{
@@ -849,7 +841,8 @@ int pneigh_delete(struct neigh_table *tbl, const void *pkey,
if (tbl->pdestructor)
tbl->pdestructor(n);

- call_rcu(&n->rcu, pneigh_destroy);
+ netdev_put(n->dev, &n->dev_tracker);
+ kfree_rcu(n, rcu);
return 0;
}
}
@@ -891,7 +884,8 @@ static void pneigh_ifdown(struct neigh_table *tbl, struct net_device *dev,
if (tbl->pdestructor)
tbl->pdestructor(n);

- call_rcu(&n->rcu, pneigh_destroy);
+ netdev_put(n->dev, &n->dev_tracker);
+ kfree_rcu(n, rcu);
}
}

--
2.17.1