Re: get_device_parent() race bug

From: Greg KH
Date: Mon Oct 05 2009 - 10:23:54 EST


On Sun, Oct 04, 2009 at 09:35:35AM +0900, Tejun Heo wrote:
> Tejun Heo wrote:
> > Hello, Greg, Kay, Guthrie.
> >
> > This problem was reported in bko#14023. (aiee.. again, sorry about
> > the delay)
> >
> > http://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=14023
> >
> > sysfs is creating several devices in cuse class concurrently and with
> > CONFIG_SYSFS_DEPRECATED turned off, it triggers the following oops.
> >
> > BUG: unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at 0000000000000038
>
> Ping. This one needs to be fixed in -stable. It can be triggered by
> other char devices too.

Sorry, been slowly catching up...

This can be triggered by char devices? Huh? How? I don't see the
failure path that is happening here.

And char devices shouldn't really be using the kobject at all, except
for a very basic reference count.

I keep threatening to rip kobject out of a char device and just use a
kref, as that is all that is really needed. Well, that and the kmap
stuff, but again, it's not a "real" kobject being used there...

Perhaps now is the time to do this.

thanks,

greg k-h
--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/