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diff --git a/fs/ntfs/ChangeLog b/fs/ntfs/ChangeLog
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@@ -132,6 +132,48 @@ ToDo/Notes:
the already mapped runlist fragment which causes
ntfs_mapping_pairs_decompress() to fail and return error. Update
ntfs_attr_find_vcn_nolock() accordingly.
+ - Fix a nasty deadlock that appeared in recent kernels.
+ The situation: VFS inode X on a mounted ntfs volume is dirty. For
+ same inode X, the ntfs_inode is dirty and thus corresponding on-disk
+ inode, i.e. mft record, which is in a dirty PAGE_CACHE_PAGE belonging
+ to the table of inodes, i.e. $MFT, inode 0.
+ What happens:
+ Process 1: sys_sync()/umount()/whatever... calls
+ __sync_single_inode() for $MFT -> do_writepages() -> write_page for
+ the dirty page containing the on-disk inode X, the page is now locked
+ -> ntfs_write_mst_block() which clears PageUptodate() on the page to
+ prevent anyone else getting hold of it whilst it does the write out.
+ This is necessary as the on-disk inode needs "fixups" applied before
+ the write to disk which are removed again after the write and
+ PageUptodate is then set again. It then analyses the page looking
+ for dirty on-disk inodes and when it finds one it calls
+ ntfs_may_write_mft_record() to see if it is safe to write this
+ on-disk inode. This then calls ilookup5() to check if the
+ corresponding VFS inode is in icache(). This in turn calls ifind()
+ which waits on the inode lock via wait_on_inode whilst holding the
+ global inode_lock.
+ Process 2: pdflush results in a call to __sync_single_inode for the
+ same VFS inode X on the ntfs volume. This locks the inode (I_LOCK)
+ then calls write-inode -> ntfs_write_inode -> map_mft_record() ->
+ read_cache_page() for the page (in page cache of table of inodes
+ $MFT, inode 0) containing the on-disk inode. This page has
+ PageUptodate() clear because of Process 1 (see above) so
+ read_cache_page() blocks when it tries to take the page lock for the
+ page so it can call ntfs_read_page().
+ Thus Process 1 is holding the page lock on the page containing the
+ on-disk inode X and it is waiting on the inode X to be unlocked in
+ ifind() so it can write the page out and then unlock the page.
+ And Process 2 is holding the inode lock on inode X and is waiting for
+ the page to be unlocked so it can call ntfs_readpage() or discover
+ that Process 1 set PageUptodate() again and use the page.
+ Thus we have a deadlock due to ifind() waiting on the inode lock.
+ The solution: The fix is to use the newly introduced
+ ilookup5_nowait() which does not wait on the inode's lock and hence
+ avoids the deadlock. This is safe as we do not care about the VFS
+ inode and only use the fact that it is in the VFS inode cache and the
+ fact that the vfs and ntfs inodes are one struct in memory to find
+ the ntfs inode in memory if present. Also, the ntfs inode has its
+ own locking so it does not matter if the vfs inode is locked.
2.1.22 - Many bug and race fixes and error handling improvements.