Re: [PATCH RFC v7] ocfs2: fix circular locking dependency in ocfs2_init_acl()

#syz upstream

On 7/27/2026 1:49 PM, syzbot wrote:
> A lockdep warning indicates a circular locking dependency between
> `&oi->ip_xattr_sem` and `&journal->j_trans_barrier`:
>
> WARNING: possible circular locking dependency detected
> is trying to acquire lock:
>   (&oi->ip_xattr_sem){++++}-{4:4}, at: ocfs2_init_acl+0x2fd/0x7e0
>   fs/ocfs2/acl.c:367
>
> but task is already holding lock:
>   (&journal->j_trans_barrier){.+.+}-{4:4}, at: ocfs2_start_trans+0x3ab/0x700
>   fs/ocfs2/journal.c:369
>
> The deadlock involves two code paths: Path 1 (setxattr) where
> `ocfs2_xattr_set()` acquires `ip_xattr_sem` (write) and then starts a
> transaction, which acquires `j_trans_barrier` (read); and Path 2
> (mkdir/mknod) where `ocfs2_mknod()` starts a transaction (`j_trans_barrier`
> read) and then calls `ocfs2_init_acl()`, which attempts to acquire
> `ip_xattr_sem` (read) on the parent directory to retrieve the default ACL.
>
> Because rw_semaphores are subject to writer priority, a pending writer on
> `j_trans_barrier` (e.g., the journal commit thread) can cause Path 1 to
> block, while Path 2 is blocked waiting for Path 1 to release
> `ip_xattr_sem`.
>
> The patch fixes the lock ordering by precomputing the ACL state before
> starting the OCFS2 transaction, while preserving POSIX ACL storage
> semantics and the existing inode/security initialization order. By reading
> the parent directory's default ACL and preparing the new inode's ACLs
> outside the transaction, `ip_xattr_sem` is always acquired before
> `j_trans_barrier`.
>
> `struct ocfs2_acl_state` encapsulates the prepared ACL state, while
> `ocfs2_acl_init_prepare()` and `ocfs2_acl_init_release()` avoid code
> duplication between `ocfs2_mknod()` and `ocfs2_init_security_and_acl()`.
> `ocfs2_calc_xattr_init()` and `ocfs2_init_acl()` use this precomputed
> state, removing internal `ip_xattr_sem` acquisition and redundant disk
> reads.
>
> Additionally, remove the `ip_xattr_sem` acquisition from
> `ocfs2_xattr_set_handle()`. This function is only used while initializing a
> new inode that has not yet been inserted into the inode hash or attached to
> a dentry, meaning there is no risk of concurrent access and the lock is
> unnecessary.
>
> Fixes: 16c8d569f570 ("ocfs2/acl: use 'ip_xattr_sem' to protect getting extended attribute")
> Assisted-by: Gemini:gemini-3.5-flash Gemini:gemini-3.1-pro-preview syzbot
> Reported-by: [email protected]
> Closes: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=4007ab5229e732466d9f
> Link: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/ai_job?id=cc75363d-c672-499e-8fc5-44bcdc1cee39
> To: "Joel Becker" <[email protected]>
> To: "Joseph Qi" <[email protected]>
> To: "Mark Fasheh" <[email protected]>
> To: <[email protected]>
> Cc: <[email protected]>
>
> ---
> v7:
> - Improved code formatting and line wrapping in `ocfs2_calc_xattr_init()` and `ocfs2_mknod()`.
> - Updated the commit description to match reviewer feedback.
>
> v6:
> - Updated the comment above ocfs2_xattr_set_handle() to clarify that it is only used on unpublished/unhashed inodes and why omitting ip_xattr_sem is safe.
> - Removed the long hyphen and equal sign separator lines from the lockdep report in the commit message to prevent checkpatch from treating them as patch separators.
> https://lore.kernel.org/all/[email protected]/T/
>
> v5:
> - Removed `ip_xattr_sem` locking from `ocfs2_xattr_set_handle()` as it is only called during initialization of unhashed/unattached inodes.
> https://lore.kernel.org/all/[email protected]/T/
>
> v4:
> - Initialize `ocfs2_acl_state` structures to `{ 0 }` to ensure safe cleanup.
> - Fix memory leaks in `ocfs2_acl_init_prepare()` error paths.
> - Ensure `ocfs2_acl_init_release()` is always called in `ocfs2_init_security_and_acl()`.
> - Reset pointers to `NULL` in `ocfs2_acl_init_release()` after releasing them.
> - Add parameter names to `ocfs2_calc_xattr_init()` prototype in `xattr.h`.
> https://lore.kernel.org/all/[email protected]/T/
>
> v3:
> - Introduced `struct ocfs2_acl_state` to encapsulate the prepared ACL state.
> - Added `ocfs2_acl_init_prepare()` and `ocfs2_acl_init_release()` helpers to avoid code duplication between `ocfs2_mknod()` and `ocfs2_init_security_and_acl()`.
> - Updated `ocfs2_calc_xattr_init()` and `ocfs2_init_acl()` to accept the new `ocfs2_acl_state` structure.
> https://lore.kernel.org/all/[email protected]/T/
>
> v2:
> - Updated ocfs2_calc_xattr_init() to accept precomputed ACLs for more accurate credit and size calculation.
> - Modified ocfs2_mknod() and ocfs2_init_security_and_acl() to fetch and create ACLs before starting a transaction, resolving the lock ordering issue.
> - Ensured inode->i_mode is updated correctly during the pre-transaction ACL creation phase.
> - Added logic to release the access ACL object if it is not required for storage (i.e., matches the file mode).
> https://lore.kernel.org/all/[email protected]/T/
>
> v1:
> https://lore.kernel.org/all/[email protected]/T/
> ---
> diff --git a/fs/ocfs2/acl.c b/fs/ocfs2/acl.c
> index af1e2cedb..090ec60fb 100644
> --- a/fs/ocfs2/acl.c
> +++ b/fs/ocfs2/acl.c
> @@ -110,8 +110,7 @@ static void *ocfs2_acl_to_xattr(const struct posix_acl *acl, size_t *size)
>   	return ocfs2_acl;
>   }
>   
> -static struct posix_acl *ocfs2_get_acl_nolock(struct inode *inode,
> -					      int type,
> +static struct posix_acl *ocfs2_get_acl_nolock(struct inode *inode, int type,
>   					      struct buffer_head *di_bh)
>   {
>   	int name_index;
> @@ -349,63 +348,105 @@ int ocfs2_acl_chmod(struct inode *inode, struct buffer_head *bh)
>    * Initialize the ACLs of a new inode. If parent directory has default ACL,
>    * then clone to new inode. Called from ocfs2_mknod.
>    */
> -int ocfs2_init_acl(handle_t *handle,
> -		   struct inode *inode,
> -		   struct inode *dir,
> -		   struct buffer_head *di_bh,
> -		   struct buffer_head *dir_bh,
> -		   struct ocfs2_alloc_context *meta_ac,
> -		   struct ocfs2_alloc_context *data_ac)
> +void ocfs2_acl_init_release(struct ocfs2_acl_state *state)
> +{
> +	posix_acl_release(state->default_acl);
> +	posix_acl_release(state->acl);
> +	state->default_acl = NULL;
> +	state->acl = NULL;
> +}
> +
> +int ocfs2_acl_init_prepare(struct inode *inode, struct inode *dir,
> +			   struct buffer_head *dir_bh,
> +			   struct ocfs2_acl_state *state)
>   {
>   	struct ocfs2_super *osb = OCFS2_SB(inode->i_sb);
> -	struct posix_acl *acl = NULL;
> -	int ret = 0, ret2;
> -	umode_t mode;
> -
> -	if (!S_ISLNK(inode->i_mode)) {
> -		if (osb->s_mount_opt & OCFS2_MOUNT_POSIX_ACL) {
> -			down_read(&OCFS2_I(dir)->ip_xattr_sem);
> -			acl = ocfs2_get_acl_nolock(dir, ACL_TYPE_DEFAULT,
> -						   dir_bh);
> -			up_read(&OCFS2_I(dir)->ip_xattr_sem);
> -			if (IS_ERR(acl))
> -				return PTR_ERR(acl);
> +	int ret = 0;
> +
> +	state->default_acl = NULL;
> +	state->acl = NULL;
> +	state->mode = inode->i_mode;
> +
> +	if (S_ISLNK(inode->i_mode))
> +		return 0;
> +
> +	if (osb->s_mount_opt & OCFS2_MOUNT_POSIX_ACL) {
> +		down_read(&OCFS2_I(dir)->ip_xattr_sem);
> +		state->default_acl =
> +			ocfs2_get_acl_nolock(dir, ACL_TYPE_DEFAULT, dir_bh);
> +		up_read(&OCFS2_I(dir)->ip_xattr_sem);
> +		if (IS_ERR(state->default_acl)) {
> +			ret = PTR_ERR(state->default_acl);
> +			state->default_acl = NULL;
> +			return ret;
>   		}
> -		if (!acl) {
> -			mode = inode->i_mode & ~current_umask();
> -			ret = ocfs2_acl_set_mode(inode, di_bh, handle, mode);
> -			if (ret) {
> -				mlog_errno(ret);
> +		if (state->default_acl) {
> +			state->acl = posix_acl_dup(state->default_acl);
> +			if (!state->acl) {
> +				ret = -ENOMEM;
>   				goto cleanup;
>   			}
> +			ret = __posix_acl_create(&state->acl, GFP_NOFS,
> +						 &state->mode);
> +			if (ret < 0)
> +				goto cleanup;
> +			if (ret == 0) {
> +				posix_acl_release(state->acl);
> +				state->acl = NULL;
> +			}
> +			if (!S_ISDIR(inode->i_mode)) {
> +				posix_acl_release(state->default_acl);
> +				state->default_acl = NULL;
> +			}
> +		} else {
> +			state->mode &= ~current_umask();
>   		}
> +	} else {
> +		state->mode &= ~current_umask();
>   	}
> -	if ((osb->s_mount_opt & OCFS2_MOUNT_POSIX_ACL) && acl) {
> -		if (S_ISDIR(inode->i_mode)) {
> +
> +	return 0;
> +cleanup:
> +	ocfs2_acl_init_release(state);
> +	return ret;
> +}
> +
> +int ocfs2_init_acl(handle_t *handle, struct inode *inode,
> +		   struct buffer_head *di_bh,
> +		   struct ocfs2_alloc_context *meta_ac,
> +		   struct ocfs2_alloc_context *data_ac,
> +		   struct ocfs2_acl_state *state)
> +{
> +	struct ocfs2_super *osb = OCFS2_SB(inode->i_sb);
> +	int ret = 0;
> +
> +	if (S_ISLNK(inode->i_mode))
> +		return 0;
> +
> +	if (osb->s_mount_opt & OCFS2_MOUNT_POSIX_ACL) {
> +		if (S_ISDIR(inode->i_mode) && state->default_acl) {
>   			ret = ocfs2_set_acl(handle, inode, di_bh,
> -					    ACL_TYPE_DEFAULT, acl,
> -					    meta_ac, data_ac);
> +					    ACL_TYPE_DEFAULT,
> +					    state->default_acl, meta_ac,
> +					    data_ac);
>   			if (ret)
> -				goto cleanup;
> +				return ret;
>   		}
> -		mode = inode->i_mode;
> -		ret = __posix_acl_create(&acl, GFP_NOFS, &mode);
> -		if (ret < 0)
> -			return ret;
> +	}
>   
> -		ret2 = ocfs2_acl_set_mode(inode, di_bh, handle, mode);
> -		if (ret2) {
> -			mlog_errno(ret2);
> -			ret = ret2;
> -			goto cleanup;
> -		}
> -		if (ret > 0) {
> -			ret = ocfs2_set_acl(handle, inode,
> -					    di_bh, ACL_TYPE_ACCESS,
> -					    acl, meta_ac, data_ac);
> +	ret = ocfs2_acl_set_mode(inode, di_bh, handle, state->mode);
> +	if (ret) {
> +		mlog_errno(ret);
> +		return ret;
> +	}
> +
> +	if (osb->s_mount_opt & OCFS2_MOUNT_POSIX_ACL) {
> +		if (state->acl) {
> +			ret = ocfs2_set_acl(handle, inode, di_bh,
> +					    ACL_TYPE_ACCESS, state->acl,
> +					    meta_ac, data_ac);
>   		}
>   	}
> -cleanup:
> -	posix_acl_release(acl);
> +
>   	return ret;
>   }
> diff --git a/fs/ocfs2/acl.h b/fs/ocfs2/acl.h
> index 667c6f03f..a91f9ce27 100644
> --- a/fs/ocfs2/acl.h
> +++ b/fs/ocfs2/acl.h
> @@ -20,9 +20,20 @@ struct posix_acl *ocfs2_iop_get_acl(struct inode *inode, int type, bool rcu);
>   int ocfs2_iop_set_acl(struct mnt_idmap *idmap, struct dentry *dentry,
>   		      struct posix_acl *acl, int type);
>   extern int ocfs2_acl_chmod(struct inode *, struct buffer_head *);
> -extern int ocfs2_init_acl(handle_t *, struct inode *, struct inode *,
> -			  struct buffer_head *, struct buffer_head *,
> -			  struct ocfs2_alloc_context *,
> -			  struct ocfs2_alloc_context *);
> +struct ocfs2_acl_state {
> +	struct posix_acl *default_acl;
> +	struct posix_acl *acl;
> +	umode_t mode;
> +};
> +
> +int ocfs2_acl_init_prepare(struct inode *inode, struct inode *dir,
> +			   struct buffer_head *dir_bh,
> +			   struct ocfs2_acl_state *state);
> +void ocfs2_acl_init_release(struct ocfs2_acl_state *state);
> +int ocfs2_init_acl(handle_t *handle, struct inode *inode,
> +		   struct buffer_head *di_bh,
> +		   struct ocfs2_alloc_context *meta_ac,
> +		   struct ocfs2_alloc_context *data_ac,
> +		   struct ocfs2_acl_state *state);
>   
>   #endif /* OCFS2_ACL_H */
> diff --git a/fs/ocfs2/namei.c b/fs/ocfs2/namei.c
> index 1277666c7..ea37a5058 100644
> --- a/fs/ocfs2/namei.c
> +++ b/fs/ocfs2/namei.c
> @@ -256,6 +256,7 @@ static int ocfs2_mknod(struct mnt_idmap *idmap,
>   	sigset_t oldset;
>   	int did_block_signals = 0;
>   	struct ocfs2_dentry_lock *dl = NULL;
> +	struct ocfs2_acl_state acl_state = { 0 };
>   
>   	trace_ocfs2_mknod(dir, dentry, dentry->d_name.len, dentry->d_name.name,
>   			  (unsigned long long)OCFS2_I(dir)->ip_blkno,
> @@ -330,10 +331,14 @@ static int ocfs2_mknod(struct mnt_idmap *idmap,
>   		}
>   	}
>   
> +	status = ocfs2_acl_init_prepare(inode, dir, parent_fe_bh, &acl_state);
> +	if (status < 0)
> +		goto leave;
> +
>   	/* calculate meta data/clusters for setting security and acl xattr */
> -	status = ocfs2_calc_xattr_init(dir, parent_fe_bh, mode,
> -				       &si, &want_clusters,
> -				       &xattr_credits, &want_meta);
> +	status = ocfs2_calc_xattr_init(dir, mode, &si, &want_clusters,
> +				       &xattr_credits, &want_meta,
> +				       &acl_state);
>   	if (status < 0) {
>   		mlog_errno(status);
>   		goto leave;
> @@ -411,8 +416,8 @@ static int ocfs2_mknod(struct mnt_idmap *idmap,
>   		inc_nlink(dir);
>   	}
>   
> -	status = ocfs2_init_acl(handle, inode, dir, new_fe_bh, parent_fe_bh,
> -			 meta_ac, data_ac);
> +	status = ocfs2_init_acl(handle, inode, new_fe_bh, meta_ac, data_ac,
> +				&acl_state);
>   
>   	if (status < 0) {
>   		mlog_errno(status);
> @@ -477,6 +482,8 @@ static int ocfs2_mknod(struct mnt_idmap *idmap,
>   	brelse(parent_fe_bh);
>   	kfree(si.value);
>   
> +	ocfs2_acl_init_release(&acl_state);
> +
>   	ocfs2_free_dir_lookup_result(&lookup);
>   
>   	if (inode_ac)
> diff --git a/fs/ocfs2/xattr.c b/fs/ocfs2/xattr.c
> index fcddd3c13..86f029368 100644
> --- a/fs/ocfs2/xattr.c
> +++ b/fs/ocfs2/xattr.c
> @@ -611,13 +611,10 @@ int ocfs2_calc_security_init(struct inode *dir,
>   	return ret;
>   }
>   
> -int ocfs2_calc_xattr_init(struct inode *dir,
> -			  struct buffer_head *dir_bh,
> -			  umode_t mode,
> +int ocfs2_calc_xattr_init(struct inode *dir, umode_t mode,
>   			  struct ocfs2_security_xattr_info *si,
> -			  int *want_clusters,
> -			  int *xattr_credits,
> -			  int *want_meta)
> +			  int *want_clusters, int *xattr_credits,
> +			  int *want_meta, struct ocfs2_acl_state *acl_state)
>   {
>   	int ret = 0;
>   	struct ocfs2_super *osb = OCFS2_SB(dir->i_sb);
> @@ -628,19 +625,15 @@ int ocfs2_calc_xattr_init(struct inode *dir,
>   						     si->value_len);
>   
>   	if (osb->s_mount_opt & OCFS2_MOUNT_POSIX_ACL) {
> -		down_read(&OCFS2_I(dir)->ip_xattr_sem);
> -		acl_len = ocfs2_xattr_get_nolock(dir, dir_bh,
> -					OCFS2_XATTR_INDEX_POSIX_ACL_DEFAULT,
> -					"", NULL, 0);
> -		up_read(&OCFS2_I(dir)->ip_xattr_sem);
> -		if (acl_len > 0) {
> -			a_size = ocfs2_xattr_entry_real_size(0, acl_len);
> -			if (S_ISDIR(mode))
> -				a_size <<= 1;
> -		} else if (acl_len != 0 && acl_len != -ENODATA) {
> -			ret = acl_len;
> -			mlog_errno(ret);
> -			return ret;
> +		if (acl_state->default_acl && S_ISDIR(mode)) {
> +			acl_len = acl_state->default_acl->a_count *
> +				  sizeof(struct ocfs2_acl_entry);
> +			a_size += ocfs2_xattr_entry_real_size(0, acl_len);
> +		}
> +		if (acl_state->acl) {
> +			acl_len = acl_state->acl->a_count *
> +				  sizeof(struct ocfs2_acl_entry);
> +			a_size += ocfs2_xattr_entry_real_size(0, acl_len);
>   		}
>   	}
>   
> @@ -683,14 +676,33 @@ int ocfs2_calc_xattr_init(struct inode *dir,
>   							   new_clusters);
>   		*want_clusters += new_clusters;
>   	}
> -	if (osb->s_mount_opt & OCFS2_MOUNT_POSIX_ACL &&
> -	    acl_len > OCFS2_XATTR_INLINE_SIZE) {
> -		/* for directory, it has DEFAULT and ACCESS two types of acls */
> -		new_clusters = (S_ISDIR(mode) ? 2 : 1) *
> -				ocfs2_clusters_for_bytes(dir->i_sb, acl_len);
> -		*xattr_credits += ocfs2_clusters_to_blocks(dir->i_sb,
> -							   new_clusters);
> -		*want_clusters += new_clusters;
> +	if (osb->s_mount_opt & OCFS2_MOUNT_POSIX_ACL) {
> +		if (acl_state->default_acl && S_ISDIR(mode)) {
> +			acl_len = acl_state->default_acl->a_count *
> +				  sizeof(struct ocfs2_acl_entry);
> +			if (acl_len > OCFS2_XATTR_INLINE_SIZE) {
> +				new_clusters =
> +					ocfs2_clusters_for_bytes(dir->i_sb,
> +								 acl_len);
> +				*xattr_credits +=
> +					ocfs2_clusters_to_blocks(dir->i_sb,
> +								 new_clusters);
> +				*want_clusters += new_clusters;
> +			}
> +		}
> +		if (acl_state->acl) {
> +			acl_len = acl_state->acl->a_count *
> +				  sizeof(struct ocfs2_acl_entry);
> +			if (acl_len > OCFS2_XATTR_INLINE_SIZE) {
> +				new_clusters =
> +					ocfs2_clusters_for_bytes(dir->i_sb,
> +								 acl_len);
> +				*xattr_credits +=
> +					ocfs2_clusters_to_blocks(dir->i_sb,
> +								 new_clusters);
> +				*want_clusters += new_clusters;
> +			}
> +		}
>   	}
>   
>   	return ret;
> @@ -3483,9 +3495,10 @@ static int __ocfs2_xattr_set_handle(struct inode *inode,
>   }
>   
>   /*
> - * This function only called duing creating inode
> - * for init security/acl xattrs of the new inode.
> - * All transanction credits have been reserved in mknod.
> + * This helper is only for setting initial ACL or security xattrs on an inode
> + * that is still unpublished, unhashed, and unattached to a dentry.
> + * Ordinary xattr updates must use ocfs2_xattr_set().
> + * All transaction credits have been reserved in mknod or symlink callers.
>    */
>   int ocfs2_xattr_set_handle(handle_t *handle,
>   			   struct inode *inode,
> @@ -3542,8 +3555,6 @@ int ocfs2_xattr_set_handle(handle_t *handle,
>   	xis.inode_bh = xbs.inode_bh = di_bh;
>   	di = (struct ocfs2_dinode *)di_bh->b_data;
>   
> -	down_write(&OCFS2_I(inode)->ip_xattr_sem);
> -
>   	ret = ocfs2_xattr_ibody_find(inode, name_index, name, &xis);
>   	if (ret)
>   		goto cleanup;
> @@ -3556,7 +3567,6 @@ int ocfs2_xattr_set_handle(handle_t *handle,
>   	ret = __ocfs2_xattr_set_handle(inode, di, &xi, &xis, &xbs, &ctxt);
>   
>   cleanup:
> -	up_write(&OCFS2_I(inode)->ip_xattr_sem);
>   	brelse(xbs.xattr_bh);
>   	ocfs2_xattr_bucket_free(xbs.bucket);
>   
> @@ -7257,6 +7267,7 @@ int ocfs2_init_security_and_acl(struct inode *dir,
>   {
>   	int ret = 0;
>   	struct buffer_head *dir_bh = NULL;
> +	struct ocfs2_acl_state acl_state = { 0 };
>   
>   	ret = ocfs2_init_security_get(inode, dir, qstr, NULL);
>   	if (ret) {
> @@ -7269,10 +7280,17 @@ int ocfs2_init_security_and_acl(struct inode *dir,
>   		mlog_errno(ret);
>   		goto leave;
>   	}
> -	ret = ocfs2_init_acl(NULL, inode, dir, NULL, dir_bh, NULL, NULL);
> +
> +	ret = ocfs2_acl_init_prepare(inode, dir, dir_bh, &acl_state);
> +	if (ret)
> +		goto unlock;
> +
> +	ret = ocfs2_init_acl(NULL, inode, NULL, NULL, NULL, &acl_state);
>   	if (ret)
>   		mlog_errno(ret);
>   
> +unlock:
> +	ocfs2_acl_init_release(&acl_state);
>   	ocfs2_inode_unlock(dir, 0);
>   	brelse(dir_bh);
>   leave:
> diff --git a/fs/ocfs2/xattr.h b/fs/ocfs2/xattr.h
> index 65e9aa743..5cdd6c6b4 100644
> --- a/fs/ocfs2/xattr.h
> +++ b/fs/ocfs2/xattr.h
> @@ -55,9 +55,12 @@ int ocfs2_init_security_set(handle_t *, struct inode *,
>   int ocfs2_calc_security_init(struct inode *,
>   			     struct ocfs2_security_xattr_info *,
>   			     int *, int *, struct ocfs2_alloc_context **);
> -int ocfs2_calc_xattr_init(struct inode *, struct buffer_head *,
> -			  umode_t, struct ocfs2_security_xattr_info *,
> -			  int *, int *, int *);
> +
> +struct ocfs2_acl_state;
> +int ocfs2_calc_xattr_init(struct inode *dir, umode_t mode,
> +			  struct ocfs2_security_xattr_info *si,
> +			  int *want_clusters, int *xattr_credits,
> +			  int *want_meta, struct ocfs2_acl_state *acl_state);
>   
>   /*
>    * xattrs can live inside an inode, as part of an external xattr block,
>
>
> base-commit: dc59e4fea9d83f03bad6bddf3fa2e52491777482