KDB can interrupt any console to execute the "mirrored printing" at any
time, so add an exception to nbcon_context_try_acquire_direct to allow
to get the context if the current CPU is the same as kdb_printf_cpu.

This change will be necessary for the next patch, which fixes
kdb_msg_write to work with NBCON consoles by calling ->write_atomic on
such consoles. But to print it first needs to acquire the ownership of
the console, so nbcon_context_try_acquire_direct is fixed here.

Signed-off-by: Marcos Paulo de Souza <mpdesouza@suse.com>
---
 include/linux/kdb.h   | 15 +++++++++++++++
 kernel/printk/nbcon.c |  6 +++++-
 2 files changed, 20 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/include/linux/kdb.h b/include/linux/kdb.h
index ecbf819deeca118f27e98bf71bb37dd27a257ebb..36b46c85733fe1df28cde7760e5c26e96de40c05 100644
--- a/include/linux/kdb.h
+++ b/include/linux/kdb.h
@@ -207,11 +207,26 @@ static inline const char *kdb_walk_kallsyms(loff_t *pos)
 /* Dynamic kdb shell command registration */
 extern int kdb_register(kdbtab_t *cmd);
 extern void kdb_unregister(kdbtab_t *cmd);
+
+/* Return true when KDB as locked for printing a message on this CPU. */
+static inline
+bool kdb_printf_on_this_cpu(void)
+{
+	/*
+	 * We can use raw_smp_processor_id() here because the task could
+	 * not get migrated when KDB has locked for printing on this CPU.
+	 */
+	return unlikely(READ_ONCE(kdb_printf_cpu) == raw_smp_processor_id());
+}
+
 #else /* ! CONFIG_KGDB_KDB */
 static inline __printf(1, 2) int kdb_printf(const char *fmt, ...) { return 0; }
 static inline void kdb_init(int level) {}
 static inline int kdb_register(kdbtab_t *cmd) { return 0; }
 static inline void kdb_unregister(kdbtab_t *cmd) {}
+
+static inline bool kdb_printf_on_this_cpu(void) { return false };
+
 #endif	/* CONFIG_KGDB_KDB */
 enum {
 	KDB_NOT_INITIALIZED,
diff --git a/kernel/printk/nbcon.c b/kernel/printk/nbcon.c
index c23abed5933527cb7c6bcc42057fadbb44a43446..6e4641350fe8985438f53bcd32f3adf72d9d6835 100644
--- a/kernel/printk/nbcon.c
+++ b/kernel/printk/nbcon.c
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 #include <linux/export.h>
 #include <linux/init.h>
 #include <linux/irqflags.h>
+#include <linux/kdb.h>
 #include <linux/kthread.h>
 #include <linux/minmax.h>
 #include <linux/panic.h>
@@ -249,13 +250,16 @@ static int nbcon_context_try_acquire_direct(struct nbcon_context *ctxt,
 		 * since all non-panic CPUs are stopped during panic(), it
 		 * is safer to have them avoid gaining console ownership.
 		 *
-		 * If this acquire is a reacquire (and an unsafe takeover
+		 * One exception is when kdb has locked for printing on this CPU.
+		 *
+		 * Second exception is a reacquire (and an unsafe takeover
 		 * has not previously occurred) then it is allowed to attempt
 		 * a direct acquire in panic. This gives console drivers an
 		 * opportunity to perform any necessary cleanup if they were
 		 * interrupted by the panic CPU while printing.
 		 */
 		if (panic_on_other_cpu() &&
+		    !kdb_printf_on_this_cpu() &&
 		    (!is_reacquire || cur->unsafe_takeover)) {
 			return -EPERM;
 		}

-- 
2.51.0

On 2025-09-30, Marcos Paulo de Souza <mpdesouza@suse.com> wrote:
> diff --git a/include/linux/kdb.h b/include/linux/kdb.h
> index ecbf819deeca118f27e98bf71bb37dd27a257ebb..36b46c85733fe1df28cde7760e5c26e96de40c05 100644
> --- a/include/linux/kdb.h
> +++ b/include/linux/kdb.h
> @@ -207,11 +207,26 @@ static inline const char *kdb_walk_kallsyms(loff_t *pos)
>  /* Dynamic kdb shell command registration */
>  extern int kdb_register(kdbtab_t *cmd);
>  extern void kdb_unregister(kdbtab_t *cmd);
> +
> +/* Return true when KDB as locked for printing a message on this CPU. */
> +static inline
> +bool kdb_printf_on_this_cpu(void)
> +{
> +	/*
> +	 * We can use raw_smp_processor_id() here because the task could
> +	 * not get migrated when KDB has locked for printing on this CPU.
> +	 */
> +	return unlikely(READ_ONCE(kdb_printf_cpu) == raw_smp_processor_id());
> +}
> +
>  #else /* ! CONFIG_KGDB_KDB */
>  static inline __printf(1, 2) int kdb_printf(const char *fmt, ...) { return 0; }
>  static inline void kdb_init(int level) {}
>  static inline int kdb_register(kdbtab_t *cmd) { return 0; }
>  static inline void kdb_unregister(kdbtab_t *cmd) {}
> +
> +static inline bool kdb_printf_on_this_cpu(void) { return false };
> +
>  #endif	/* CONFIG_KGDB_KDB */
>  enum {
>  	KDB_NOT_INITIALIZED,

The include for raw_smp_processor_id() is also needed:

diff --git a/include/linux/kdb.h b/include/linux/kdb.h
index 36b46c85733fe..db9d73b12a1af 100644
--- a/include/linux/kdb.h
+++ b/include/linux/kdb.h
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
  */
 
 #include <linux/list.h>
+#include <linux/smp.h>
 
 /* Shifted versions of the command enable bits are be used if the command
  * has no arguments (see kdb_check_flags). This allows commands, such as