From: Alexander Sverdlin <alexander.sverdlin@xxxxxxxxx> Drop the mutex earlier in the loop so that LOCKDEP is not being provoked: WARNING: possible circular locking dependency detected .../9201 is trying to acquire lock: ffffff85656d4e78 (kn->count#159){++++}, at: kernfs_remove_by_name_ns+0x5c/0xac but task is already holding lock: ffffff857b329e80 (&adap->userspace_clients_lock){+.+.}, at: i2c_sysfs_delete_device+0x8c/0x1f0 which lock already depends on the new lock. the existing dependency chain (in reverse order) is: -> #1 (&adap->userspace_clients_lock){+.+.}: __mutex_lock+0xa4/0x924 mutex_lock_nested+0x48/0x5c i2c_sysfs_new_device+0x108/0x220 dev_attr_store+0x48/0x60 sysfs_kf_write+0x54/0x80 kernfs_fop_write+0x120/0x240 __vfs_write+0x4c/0x90 vfs_write+0xe8/0x1d0 ksys_write+0x7c/0x104 __arm64_sys_write+0x28/0x3c el0_svc_handler+0x90/0x200 el0_svc+0x8/0x16c -> #0 (kn->count#159){++++}: __lock_acquire+0xe8c/0x1a90 lock_acquire+0xd8/0x270 __kernfs_remove+0x2fc/0x360 kernfs_remove_by_name_ns+0x5c/0xac remove_files+0x48/0x90 sysfs_remove_group+0x50/0xa0 sysfs_remove_groups+0x44/0x60 device_remove_attrs+0x60/0x80 device_del+0x134/0x360 device_unregister+0x28/0x80 i2c_del_adapter+0x210/0x2a4 i2c_mux_del_adapters+0xa4/0xfc pca9641_remove+0x24/0x34 [i2c_mux_pca9641] i2c_device_remove+0x60/0xd4 __device_release_driver+0x164/0x1f4 device_release_driver+0x38/0x4c bus_remove_device+0xe0/0x15c device_del+0x13c/0x360 device_unregister+0x28/0x80 i2c_unregister_device+0x5c/0x70 i2c_sysfs_delete_device+0x1b8/0x1f0 dev_attr_store+0x48/0x60 sysfs_kf_write+0x54/0x80 kernfs_fop_write+0x120/0x240 __vfs_write+0x4c/0x90 vfs_write+0xe8/0x1d0 ksys_write+0x7c/0x104 __arm64_sys_write+0x28/0x3c el0_svc_handler+0x90/0x200 el0_svc+0x8/0x16c other info that might help us debug this: Possible unsafe locking scenario: CPU0 CPU1 ---- ---- lock(&adap->userspace_clients_lock); lock(kn->count#159); lock(&adap->userspace_clients_lock); lock(kn->count#159); *** DEADLOCK *** 5 locks held by .../9201: #0: ffffff83f29c3ce0 (&f->f_pos_lock){+.+.}, at: __fdget_pos+0x74/0xe0 #1: ffffff857a2f0410 (sb_writers#4){.+.+}, at: vfs_write+0x174/0x1d0 #2: ffffff856bbbe680 (&of->mutex){+.+.}, at: kernfs_fop_write+0xf0/0x240 #3: ffffff857b329e80 (&adap->userspace_clients_lock){+.+.}, at: i2c_sysfs_delete_device+0x8c/0x1f0 #4: ffffff83f134ad80 (&dev->mutex){....}, at: device_release_driver+0x2c/0x4c stack backtrace: Call trace: dump_backtrace+0x0/0x180 show_stack+0x28/0x3c dump_stack+0xf4/0x150 print_circular_bug+0x21c/0x22c check_noncircular+0x15c/0x1e0 __lock_acquire+0xe8c/0x1a90 lock_acquire+0xd8/0x270 __kernfs_remove+0x2fc/0x360 kernfs_remove_by_name_ns+0x5c/0xac remove_files+0x48/0x90 sysfs_remove_group+0x50/0xa0 sysfs_remove_groups+0x44/0x60 device_remove_attrs+0x60/0x80 device_del+0x134/0x360 device_unregister+0x28/0x80 i2c_del_adapter+0x210/0x2a4 i2c_mux_del_adapters+0xa4/0xfc pca9641_remove+0x24/0x34 [i2c_mux_pca9641] i2c_device_remove+0x60/0xd4 __device_release_driver+0x164/0x1f4 device_release_driver+0x38/0x4c bus_remove_device+0xe0/0x15c device_del+0x13c/0x360 device_unregister+0x28/0x80 i2c_unregister_device+0x5c/0x70 i2c_sysfs_delete_device+0x1b8/0x1f0 dev_attr_store+0x48/0x60 sysfs_kf_write+0x54/0x80 kernfs_fop_write+0x120/0x240 __vfs_write+0x4c/0x90 vfs_write+0xe8/0x1d0 ksys_write+0x7c/0x104 __arm64_sys_write+0x28/0x3c el0_svc_handler+0x90/0x200 el0_svc+0x8/0x16c Signed-off-by: Alexander Sverdlin <alexander.sverdlin@xxxxxxxxx> --- drivers/i2c/i2c-core-base.c | 9 +++++++-- 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) diff --git a/drivers/i2c/i2c-core-base.c b/drivers/i2c/i2c-core-base.c index d43db2c..bd2e3e4 100644 --- a/drivers/i2c/i2c-core-base.c +++ b/drivers/i2c/i2c-core-base.c @@ -1272,9 +1272,14 @@ delete_device_store(struct device *dev, struct device_attribute *attr, "delete_device", client->name, client->addr); list_del(&client->detected); + /* + * We drop the mutex here, because device unregister + * will take sysfs lock (kn->count) which, as LOCKDEP + * would think, depends on this mutex + */ + mutex_unlock(&adap->userspace_clients_lock); i2c_unregister_device(client); - res = count; - break; + return count; } } mutex_unlock(&adap->userspace_clients_lock); -- 2.10.2