Re: [PATCH] hugetlb: fix uninitialized subpool pointer

From: Mike Kravetz
Date: Tue Feb 23 2021 - 20:53:06 EST


On 2/23/21 3:21 PM, Mike Kravetz wrote:
> On 2/23/21 2:58 PM, Oscar Salvador wrote:
>> On 2021-02-23 23:55, Mike Kravetz wrote:
>>> Yes, that is the more common case where the once active hugetlb page
>>> will be simply added to the free list via enqueue_huge_page(). This
>>> path does not go through prep_new_huge_page.
>>
>> Right, I see.
>>
>> Thanks
>
> You got me thinking ...
> When we dynamically allocate gigantic pages via alloc_contig_pages, we
> will not use the buddy allocator. Therefore, the usual 'page prepping'
> will not take place. Specifically, I could not find anything in that
> path which clears page->private of the head page.
> Am I missing that somewhere? If not, then we need to clear that as well
> in prep_compound_gigantic_page. Or, just clear it in prep_new_huge_page
> to handle any change in assumptions about the buddy allocator.
>
> This is not something introduced with the recent field shuffling, it
> looks like something that existed for some time.

nm, we do end up calling the same page prepping code (post_alloc_hook)
from alloc_contig_range->isolate_freepages_range.

Just to make sure, I purpously dirtied page->private of every page as it
was being freed. Gigantic page allocation was just fine, and I even ran
ltp mm tests with this dirtying in place.
--
Mike Kravetz