]> git.ipfire.org Git - thirdparty/linux.git/commitdiff
ovl: use linked upper dentry in copy-up tmpfile
authorSouvik Banerjee <souvik@amlalabs.com>
Fri, 1 May 2026 23:27:35 +0000 (23:27 +0000)
committerChristian Brauner <brauner@kernel.org>
Wed, 1 Jul 2026 13:26:24 +0000 (15:26 +0200)
ovl_copy_up_tmpfile() stores the disconnected O_TMPFILE dentry as the
overlay's upper dentry reference via ovl_inode_update().  vfs_tmpfile()
allocated this dentry via d_alloc(parentpath->dentry, &slash_name), so
d_name is "/" and d_parent is c->workdir.  Local upper filesystems
(ext4, btrfs, xfs, ...) immediately rename it to "#<inum>" via
d_mark_tmpfile() inside their ->tmpfile() op; FUSE and virtiofs do
not, so both fields stay that way.  Neither identifies the destination
directory and filename where ovl_do_link() actually linked the file.

When the upper filesystem implements ->d_revalidate() (e.g. FUSE or
virtiofs), ovl_revalidate_real() calls it with the dentry's parent
inode and a snapshot of d_name.  The server tries to look up "/" inside
c->workdir, fails, and overlayfs reports -ESTALE.

This causes persistent ESTALE errors for any file that was copied up via
the tmpfile path, breaking dpkg, apt, and other tools that do
rename-over-existing on overlayfs with a FUSE/virtiofs upper.

Before commit 6b52243f633e ("ovl: fold copy-up helpers into callers"),
the tmpfile copy-up path used a dedicated helper ovl_link_tmpfile()
that captured the linked destination dentry returned by ovl_do_link():

    err = ovl_do_link(temp, udir, upper);
    ...
    if (!err)
        *newdentry = dget(upper);

and published it via ovl_inode_update(d_inode(c->dentry), newdentry).
The fold inlined ovl_do_link() into ovl_copy_up_tmpfile() but dropped
the dget(upper) capture, and rewrote the publish line as
ovl_inode_update(d_inode(c->dentry), dget(temp)) — where temp is the
disconnected O_TMPFILE dentry.

Fix by keeping a reference to the linked destination dentry after
ovl_do_link() succeeds, and publishing that dentry at the existing
ovl_inode_update() call site.  The non-tmpfile/workdir path continues to
publish the renamed temporary dentry.

Reproducer:
  - Mount overlayfs with virtiofs (or a FUSE fs whose server advertises
    FUSE_TMPFILE) as upper
  - Run: dpkg -i <any .deb>
  - Observe: "error installing new file '...': Stale file handle"

Fixes: 6b52243f633e ("ovl: fold copy-up helpers into callers")
Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org # v4.20+
Signed-off-by: Souvik Banerjee <souvik@amlalabs.com>
Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20260501232735.2610824-1-souvik@amlalabs.com
Reviewed-by: Amir Goldstein <amir73il@gmail.com>
Reviewed-by: Miklos Szeredi <mszeredi@redhat.com>
Signed-off-by: Christian Brauner (Amutable) <brauner@kernel.org>
fs/overlayfs/copy_up.c

index 13cb60b52bd6e33f9971aa6e5fea043e1caaf5a2..e963701b4c87754dce8f951c35dae907e860640b 100644 (file)
@@ -853,7 +853,7 @@ static int ovl_copy_up_tmpfile(struct ovl_copy_up_ctx *c)
 {
        struct ovl_fs *ofs = OVL_FS(c->dentry->d_sb);
        struct inode *udir = d_inode(c->destdir);
-       struct dentry *temp, *upper;
+       struct dentry *temp, *upper, *newdentry = NULL;
        struct file *tmpfile;
        int err;
 
@@ -889,6 +889,14 @@ static int ovl_copy_up_tmpfile(struct ovl_copy_up_ctx *c)
        err = PTR_ERR(upper);
        if (!IS_ERR(upper)) {
                err = ovl_do_link(ofs, temp, udir, upper);
+               if (!err) {
+                       /*
+                        * Record the linked dentry -- not the disconnected
+                        * O_TMPFILE dentry -- so that ->d_revalidate() on
+                        * the upper fs sees the real parent/name.
+                        */
+                       newdentry = dget(upper);
+               }
                end_creating(upper);
        }
 
@@ -903,7 +911,7 @@ static int ovl_copy_up_tmpfile(struct ovl_copy_up_ctx *c)
 
        if (!c->metacopy)
                ovl_set_upperdata(d_inode(c->dentry));
-       ovl_inode_update(d_inode(c->dentry), dget(temp));
+       ovl_inode_update(d_inode(c->dentry), newdentry);
 
 out:
        ovl_end_write(c->dentry);