mm-damon-core-fix-damon_call-vs-kdamond_fn-exit-race.patch removed from -mm tree

The quilt patch titled
Subject: mm/damon/core: fix damon_call() vs kdamond_fn() exit race
has been removed from the -mm tree. Its filename was
mm-damon-core-fix-damon_call-vs-kdamond_fn-exit-race.patch

This patch was dropped because it was merged into the mm-stable branch of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/akpm/mm

------------------------------------------------------
From: SeongJae Park <[email protected]>
Subject: mm/damon/core: fix damon_call() vs kdamond_fn() exit race
Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2026 16:33:14 -0700

Patch series "mm/damon/core: fix damon_call()/damos_walk() vs kdmond exit race".

damon_call() and damos_walk() can leak memory and/or deadlock when they race with kdamond terminations. Fix those.

This patch (of 2);

When kdamond_fn() main loop is finished, the function cancels all remaining damon_call() requests and unset the damon_ctx->kdamond so that API callers and API functions themselves can know the context is terminated. damon_call() adds the caller's request to the queue first. After that, it shows if the kdamond of the damon_ctx is still running (damon_ctx->kdamond is set). Only if the kdamond is running, damon_call() starts waiting for the kdamond's handling of the newly added request.

The damon_call() requests registration and damon_ctx->kdamond unset are protected by different mutexes, though. Hence, damon_call() could race with damon_ctx->kdamond unset, and result in deadlocks.

For example, let's suppose kdamond successfully finished the damon_call() requests cancelling. Right after that, damon_call() is called for the context. It registers the new request, and shows the context is still running, because damon_ctx->kdamond unset is not yet done. Hence the damon_call() caller starts waiting for the handling of the request. However, the kdamond is already on the termination steps, so it never handles the new request. As a result, the damon_call() caller threads infinitely waits.

Fix this by introducing another damon_ctx field, namely call_controls_obsolete. It is protected by the damon_ctx->call_controls_lock, which protects damon_call() requests registration. Initialize (unset) it in kdamond_fn() before letting damon_start() returns and set it just before the cancelling of remaining damon_call() requests is executed. damon_call() reads the obsolete field under the lock and avoids adding a new request.

After this change, only requests that are guaranteed to be handled or cancelled are registered. Hence the after-registration DAMON context termination check is no longer needed. Remove it together.

Note that the deadlock will not happen when damon_call() is called for repeat mode request. In tis case, damon_call() returns instead of waiting for the handling when the request registration succeeds and it shows the kdamond is running. However, if the request also has dealloc_on_cancel, the request memory would be leaked.

The issue is found by sashiko [1].

---

 include/linux/damon.h |    1 
 mm/damon/core.c       |   45 ++++++++++++----------------------------
 2 files changed, 15 insertions(+), 31 deletions(-)

@@ -818,6 +818,7 @@ struct damon_ctx {
 
 	/* lists of &struct damon_call_control */
 	struct list_head call_controls;
+	bool call_controls_obsolete;
 	struct mutex call_controls_lock;
 
 	struct damos_walk_control *walk_control;

_

Patches currently in -mm which might be from [email protected] are

mm-damon-core-disallow-time-quota-setting-zero-esz.patch mm-damon-core-disallow-non-power-of-two-min_region_sz-on-damon_start.patch