Re: [PATCH v3 2/2] mm: selftests: Adjust the MADV_COLLAPSE uffd-minor selftests

From: David Hildenbrand (Arm)

Date: Mon Sep 21 2026 - 15:02:45 EST


On 9/10/26 04:34, James Houghton wrote:
> The behavior of MADV_COLLAPSE with uffd-minor VMAs has changed:
> MADV_COLLAPSE will no longer install PTEs where none existed before.

Misleading: MADV_COLLAPSE installed a PMD not PTEs?

> Update the selftest to demonstrate this new behavior.
>
> On an unpatched kernel, the test will hit "unexpected memory contents
> after collapse".
>
> If the selftest is left unpatched but the kernel is patched, the
> selftest will SKIP when it gets EINVAL back from MADV_COLLAPSE.
>
> Signed-off-by: James Houghton <jthoughton@xxxxxxxxxx>
> ---
> tools/testing/selftests/mm/uffd-unit-tests.c | 75 ++++++++++++++++++--
> 1 file changed, 68 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/mm/uffd-unit-tests.c b/tools/testing/selftests/mm/uffd-unit-tests.c
> index ef9b3956bdcf..6f2360f9b75d 100644
> --- a/tools/testing/selftests/mm/uffd-unit-tests.c
> +++ b/tools/testing/selftests/mm/uffd-unit-tests.c
> @@ -518,19 +518,34 @@ static void uffd_wp_fork_pin_with_event_test(uffd_global_test_opts_t *gopts, uff
> uffd_wp_fork_pin_test_common(gopts, args, true);
> }
>
> -static void check_memory_contents(uffd_global_test_opts_t *gopts, char *p)
> +static int __check_memory_contents(unsigned long offset,
> + unsigned long nr_pages,
> + uffd_global_test_opts_t *gopts,
> + char *p)

Two tabs look better ;)

> {
> unsigned long i, j;
> uint8_t expected_byte;
>
> - for (i = 0; i < gopts->nr_pages; ++i) {
> + if (nr_pages + offset < nr_pages)
> + err("overflow in memory check");
> + if (nr_pages + offset > gopts->nr_pages)
> + err("out of bounds memory check");
> +
> + for (i = offset; i < offset + nr_pages; ++i) {
> expected_byte = ~((uint8_t)(i % ((uint8_t)-1)));
> for (j = 0; j < gopts->page_size; j++) {
> uint8_t v = *(uint8_t *)(p + (i * gopts->page_size) + j);
> if (v != expected_byte)
> - err("unexpected page contents");
> + return 1;
> }
> }
> +
> + return 0;
> +}
> +
> +static int check_memory_contents(uffd_global_test_opts_t *gopts, char *p)
> +{
> + return __check_memory_contents(0, gopts->nr_pages, gopts, p);
> }
>
> static void uffd_minor_test_common(uffd_global_test_opts_t *gopts, bool test_collapse, bool test_wp)
> @@ -539,6 +554,8 @@ static void uffd_minor_test_common(uffd_global_test_opts_t *gopts, bool test_col
> pthread_t uffd_mon;
> char c = '\0';
> struct uffd_args args = { 0 };
> + unsigned long checked = 0;
> + bool bad_contents;

Through in an empty line. Or better

struct uffd_args args = { .gopts = gopts };

>
> /*
> @@ -564,24 +581,65 @@ static void uffd_minor_test_common(uffd_global_test_opts_t *gopts, bool test_col
> if (pthread_create(&uffd_mon, NULL, uffd_poll_thread, &args))
> err("uffd_poll_thread create");
>
> + if (test_collapse) {
> + /*
> + * Read just a single page and try collapsing. The collapse
> + * should either be rejected or be a no-op.
> + */
> + if (__check_memory_contents(0, 1, gopts, gopts->area_dst_alias))
> + err("unexpected memory contents before collapse");
> +
> + /* MADV_COLLAPSE might return EINVAL for uffd-minor VMAs. */
> + madvise(gopts->area_dst_alias, gopts->nr_pages * gopts->page_size,
> + MADV_COLLAPSE);

Add an explicit check for expected errnos?

> + /*
> + * If the above collapse mapped pages that were not explicitly
> + * CONTINUE'd, the below __check_memory_contents() will not
> + * fault on some pages, resulting in incorrect contents. The
> + * PTE for the first page may get retracted, so avoid checking
> + * that page, as we might take a second fault, flipping the
> + * contents a second time.
> + */
> + checked = 1;

I'm not an expert on this code. But a trivial check to see whether there is
something in the page tables that shouldn't be there is through the help of
pagemap_is_populated().

Maybe that would help to simplify things, not sure.


--
Cheers,

David