Re: [PATCH net] tcp: fix device binding after failed IPv6 connect
From: Jiayuan Chen
Date: Sun Nov 01 2026 - 05:03:38 EST
On 10/31/26 3:46 PM, Xia Yan wrote:
> tcp_v6_connect() sets sk_bound_dev_if from sin6_scope_id when connecting
> to a link-local address. If the route lookup fails, the failure path
> clears the destination port and route capabilities but leaves the
> device binding in place.
>
> A failed connection through a down interface can therefore leave the
> socket bound to that interface. A subsequent connect() on the same
> socket to ::1 then fails with ENETUNREACH, even though a fresh socket
> can reach the listener.
>
> Save the original device binding before processing the destination and
> restore it on failure.
>
> Found while reviewing the error paths in tcp_v6_connect(). Reproduced
> in UML by connecting to fe80::1 on a down dummy interface, then retrying
> the same socket against a listener on ::1. With the fix, the retry
> succeeds and data flows in both directions. Tests also confirm that
> existing device bindings are retained after failed IPv6, IPv4-mapped
> and link-local connections without an explicit scope ID.
>
> Fixes: 1da177e4c3f4 ("Linux-2.6.12-rc2")
> Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Signed-off-by: Xia Yan <yanxia@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> ---
>
> Tested in UML on net fcc00b15cb21. The complete tcp_ipv6.c file is
> unchanged at the base commit. Before the fix, the socket remains
> bound after the failed link-local connect and cannot reconnect.
> With the fix, all 12 checks pass.
>
> Build-tested on x86_64 with W=1 using configurations based on
> allmodconfig and allyesconfig. The corrected tcp_ipv6.o compiles
> without warnings in both configurations, and incremental kernel
> builds complete successfully. WERROR was disabled for both;
> allyesconfig also had KUNIT_ALL_TESTS disabled.
>
> net/ipv6/tcp_ipv6.c | 2 ++
> 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)
>
> diff --git a/net/ipv6/tcp_ipv6.c b/net/ipv6/tcp_ipv6.c
> index e006a30360eae..7bb8266d9d1b7 100644
> --- a/net/ipv6/tcp_ipv6.c
> +++ b/net/ipv6/tcp_ipv6.c
> @@ -146,6 +146,7 @@ static int tcp_v6_connect(struct sock *sk, struct sockaddr_unsized *uaddr,
> struct flowi6 *fl6;
> int addr_type;
> int err;
> + int old_bound_dev_if = READ_ONCE(sk->sk_bound_dev_if);
>
Reverse xmas tree please
> if (addr_len < SIN6_LEN_RFC2133)
> return -EINVAL;
> @@ -358,6 +359,7 @@ late_failure:
> failure:
> inet->inet_dport = 0;
> sk->sk_route_caps = 0;
> + WRITE_ONCE(sk->sk_bound_dev_if, old_bound_dev_if);
inet_bhash2_reset_saddr uses sk_bound_dev_if too.
inet_bhash2_reset_saddr
__inet_bhash2_update_saddr
inet_sk_bound_l3mdev
So I think we should restore it before inet_bhash2_reset_saddd ?