[RFC PATCH 2/3] io_uring: add support for utimensat
From: Méven Car
Date: Fri Oct 30 2026 - 08:42:18 EST
A program that copies many files sets the times of every copy after
its last write. On NFS and SMB each of those calls is a round trip to
the server, and with io_uring it is one of the steps of the copy that
still have to leave the ring and run one file at a time.
IORING_OP_UTIMENSAT behaves like utimensat(2). sqe->fd is the directory
fd, sqe->addr the path, sqe->addr2 a pointer to two struct
__kernel_timespec, and sqe->utimes_flags takes AT_SYMLINK_NOFOLLOW and
AT_EMPTY_PATH. An addr2 of zero sets both times to the current time, as
a NULL times argument does. The times and the path are copied at
submission.
As with utimensat(2), a NULL path sets the times of sqe->fd itself, and
two UTIME_OMIT times complete with 0 without a lookup. Unlike the
syscall, a NULL path or AT_EMPTY_PATH also works on an O_PATH
descriptor.
Like the other path ops, the request is issued from io-wq, apart from
the no-op, because the lookup and notify_change() can sleep. A fixed
file is not accepted as the directory fd. A failed request fails the
rest of its link.
Signed-off-by: Méven Car <meven@xxxxxxx>
---
include/uapi/linux/io_uring.h | 2 +
io_uring/fs.c | 99 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
io_uring/fs.h | 4 ++
io_uring/opdef.c | 8 +++
4 files changed, 113 insertions(+)
diff --git a/include/uapi/linux/io_uring.h b/include/uapi/linux/io_uring.h
index b42b66b424a7..6a98c9282e0b 100644
--- a/include/uapi/linux/io_uring.h
+++ b/include/uapi/linux/io_uring.h
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ struct io_uring_sqe {
__u32 install_fd_flags;
__u32 nop_flags;
__u32 pipe_flags;
+ __u32 utimes_flags;
};
__u64 user_data; /* data to be passed back at completion time */
/* pack this to avoid bogus arm OABI complaints */
@@ -319,6 +320,7 @@ enum io_uring_op {
IORING_OP_PIPE,
IORING_OP_NOP128,
IORING_OP_URING_CMD128,
+ IORING_OP_UTIMENSAT,
/* this goes last, obviously */
IORING_OP_LAST,
diff --git a/io_uring/fs.c b/io_uring/fs.c
index 26ea841a22e7..85e0a1cb6b47 100644
--- a/io_uring/fs.c
+++ b/io_uring/fs.c
@@ -304,3 +304,102 @@ void io_link_cleanup(struct io_kiocb *req)
dismiss_delayed_filename(&sl->oldpath);
dismiss_delayed_filename(&sl->newpath);
}
+
+/* Internal flags, above the AT_ flags of the SQE */
+#define IO_UTIMENSAT_NOOP BIT(30) /* both times UTIME_OMIT */
+#define IO_UTIMENSAT_NO_PATH BIT(31) /* NULL path: the dfd itself */
+
+struct io_utimensat {
+ struct file *file;
+ int dfd;
+ unsigned int flags;
+ struct delayed_filename filename;
+ /* NULL sets both times to the current time */
+ struct timespec64 *times;
+ struct timespec64 ts[2];
+};
+
+int io_utimensat_prep(struct io_kiocb *req, const struct io_uring_sqe *sqe)
+{
+ struct io_utimensat *ut = io_kiocb_to_cmd(req, struct io_utimensat);
+ struct __kernel_timespec __user *uts;
+ const char __user *fname;
+ int err;
+
+ if (sqe->len || sqe->buf_index || sqe->splice_fd_in || sqe->addr3 ||
+ sqe->__pad2[0])
+ return -EINVAL;
+ if (unlikely(req->flags & REQ_F_FIXED_FILE))
+ return -EBADF;
+
+ ut->dfd = READ_ONCE(sqe->fd);
+ ut->flags = READ_ONCE(sqe->utimes_flags);
+ if (ut->flags & ~(AT_SYMLINK_NOFOLLOW | AT_EMPTY_PATH))
+ return -EINVAL;
+
+ uts = u64_to_user_ptr(READ_ONCE(sqe->addr2));
+ ut->times = NULL;
+ if (uts) {
+ if (get_timespec64(&ut->ts[0], &uts[0]) ||
+ get_timespec64(&ut->ts[1], &uts[1]))
+ return -EFAULT;
+ ut->times = ut->ts;
+ if (ut->ts[0].tv_nsec == UTIME_OMIT &&
+ ut->ts[1].tv_nsec == UTIME_OMIT) {
+ ut->flags |= IO_UTIMENSAT_NOOP;
+ return 0;
+ }
+ }
+
+ fname = u64_to_user_ptr(READ_ONCE(sqe->addr));
+ if (!fname) {
+ if (ut->dfd == AT_FDCWD)
+ return -EFAULT;
+ ut->flags |= IO_UTIMENSAT_NO_PATH;
+ goto out;
+ }
+ err = delayed_getname_uflags(&ut->filename, fname, ut->flags);
+ if (unlikely(err))
+ return err;
+ req->flags |= REQ_F_NEED_CLEANUP;
+out:
+ req->flags |= REQ_F_FORCE_ASYNC;
+ return 0;
+}
+
+static int __io_utimensat(struct io_utimensat *ut, struct filename *name)
+{
+ int flags = ut->flags & (AT_SYMLINK_NOFOLLOW | AT_EMPTY_PATH);
+
+ return filename_utimensat(ut->dfd, name, ut->times, flags);
+}
+
+int io_utimensat(struct io_kiocb *req, unsigned int issue_flags)
+{
+ struct io_utimensat *ut = io_kiocb_to_cmd(req, struct io_utimensat);
+ int ret = 0;
+
+ WARN_ON_ONCE((issue_flags & IO_URING_F_NONBLOCK) &&
+ !(ut->flags & IO_UTIMENSAT_NOOP));
+
+ if (ut->flags & IO_UTIMENSAT_NO_PATH) {
+ CLASS(filename_kernel, name)("");
+ ret = __io_utimensat(ut, name);
+ } else if (!(ut->flags & IO_UTIMENSAT_NOOP)) {
+ CLASS(filename_complete_delayed, name)(&ut->filename);
+ ret = __io_utimensat(ut, name);
+ }
+
+ req->flags &= ~REQ_F_NEED_CLEANUP;
+ if (ret < 0)
+ req_set_fail(req);
+ io_req_set_res(req, ret, 0);
+ return IOU_COMPLETE;
+}
+
+void io_utimensat_cleanup(struct io_kiocb *req)
+{
+ struct io_utimensat *ut = io_kiocb_to_cmd(req, struct io_utimensat);
+
+ dismiss_delayed_filename(&ut->filename);
+}
diff --git a/io_uring/fs.h b/io_uring/fs.h
index 0bb5efe3d6bb..2812dc3b4b2f 100644
--- a/io_uring/fs.h
+++ b/io_uring/fs.h
@@ -18,3 +18,7 @@ int io_symlinkat(struct io_kiocb *req, unsigned int issue_flags);
int io_linkat_prep(struct io_kiocb *req, const struct io_uring_sqe *sqe);
int io_linkat(struct io_kiocb *req, unsigned int issue_flags);
void io_link_cleanup(struct io_kiocb *req);
+
+int io_utimensat_prep(struct io_kiocb *req, const struct io_uring_sqe *sqe);
+int io_utimensat(struct io_kiocb *req, unsigned int issue_flags);
+void io_utimensat_cleanup(struct io_kiocb *req);
diff --git a/io_uring/opdef.c b/io_uring/opdef.c
index cf3aa2242cd7..383a9b9d1df4 100644
--- a/io_uring/opdef.c
+++ b/io_uring/opdef.c
@@ -591,6 +591,10 @@ const struct io_issue_def io_issue_defs[] = {
.prep = io_uring_cmd_prep,
.issue = io_uring_cmd,
},
+ [IORING_OP_UTIMENSAT] = {
+ .prep = io_utimensat_prep,
+ .issue = io_utimensat,
+ },
};
const struct io_cold_def io_cold_defs[] = {
@@ -849,6 +853,10 @@ const struct io_cold_def io_cold_defs[] = {
.sqe_copy = io_uring_cmd_sqe_copy,
.cleanup = io_uring_cmd_cleanup,
},
+ [IORING_OP_UTIMENSAT] = {
+ .name = "UTIMENSAT",
+ .cleanup = io_utimensat_cleanup,
+ },
};
const char *io_uring_get_opcode(u8 opcode)
--
2.56.0