buffer: memorder fix

unlock_buffer(), like unlock_page(), must not clear the lock without
ensuring that the critical section is closed.

Mingming later sent the same patch, saying:

We are running SDET benchmark and saw double free issue for ext3 extended
attributes block, which complains the same xattr block already being freed (in
ext3_xattr_release_block()).  The problem could also been triggered by
multiple threads loop untar/rm a kernel tree.

The race is caused by missing a memory barrier at unlock_buffer() before the
lock bit being cleared, resulting in possible concurrent h_refcounter update.
That causes a reference counter leak, then later leads to the double free that
we have seen.

Inside unlock_buffer(), there is a memory barrier is placed *after* the lock
bit is being cleared, however, there is no memory barrier *before* the bit is
cleared.  On some arch the h_refcount update instruction and the clear bit
instruction could be reordered, thus leave the critical section re-entered.

The race is like this: For example, if the h_refcount is initialized as 1,

cpu 0:                                   cpu1
--------------------------------------   -----------------------------------
lock_buffer() /* test_and_set_bit */
clear_buffer_locked(bh);
                                        lock_buffer() /* test_and_set_bit */
h_refcount = h_refcount+1; /* = 2*/     h_refcount = h_refcount + 1; /*= 2 */
                                        clear_buffer_locked(bh);
....                                    ......

We lost a h_refcount here.  We need a memory barrier before the buffer head
lock bit being cleared to force the order of the two writes.  Please apply.

Signed-off-by: Nick Piggin <npiggin@suse.de>
Signed-off-by: Adrian Bunk <bunk@kernel.org>

0 files changed, 0 insertions, 0 deletions