Some file systems like FUSE-based ones or overlayfs may record the backing
file in struct vm_area_struct vm_file, instead of the user file that the
user mmapped.
Since commit def3ae83da02f ("fs: store real path instead of fake path in
backing file f_path"), file_path() no longer returns the user file path
when applied to a backing file. There is an existing helper
file_user_path() for that situation.
Use file_user_path() instead of file_path() to get the path for MMAP
and MMAP2 events.
Example:
Setup:
# cd /root
# mkdir test ; cd test ; mkdir lower upper work merged
# cp `which cat` lower
# mount -t overlay overlay -olowerdir=lower,upperdir=upper,workdir=work merged
# perf record -e intel_pt//u -- /root/test/merged/cat /proc/self/maps
...
55b0ba399000-55b0ba434000 r-xp 00018000 00:1a 3419 /root/test/merged/cat
...
[ perf record: Woken up 1 times to write data ]
[ perf record: Captured and wrote 0.060 MB perf.data ]
#
Before:
File name is wrong (/cat), so decoding fails:
# perf script --no-itrace --show-mmap-events
cat 367 [016] 100.491492: PERF_RECORD_MMAP2 367/367: [0x55b0ba399000(0x9b000) @ 0x18000 00:02 3419 489959280]: r-xp /cat
...
# perf script --itrace=e | wc -l
Warning:
19 instruction trace errors
19
#
After:
File name is correct (/root/test/merged/cat), so decoding is ok:
# perf script --no-itrace --show-mmap-events
cat 364 [016] 72.153006: PERF_RECORD_MMAP2 364/364: [0x55ce4003d000(0x9b000) @ 0x18000 00:02 3419 3132534314]: r-xp /root/test/merged/cat
# perf script --itrace=e
# perf script --itrace=e | wc -l
0
#
Fixes: def3ae83da02f ("fs: store real path instead of fake path in backing file f_path")
Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Adrian Hunter <adrian.hunter@intel.com>
---
kernel/events/core.c | 2 +-
1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/kernel/events/core.c b/kernel/events/core.c
index cd63ec84e386..7b5c2373a8d7 100644
--- a/kernel/events/core.c
+++ b/kernel/events/core.c
@@ -9416,7 +9416,7 @@ static void perf_event_mmap_event(struct perf_mmap_event *mmap_event)
* need to add enough zero bytes after the string to handle
* the 64bit alignment we do later.
*/
- name = file_path(file, buf, PATH_MAX - sizeof(u64));
+ name = d_path(file_user_path(file), buf, PATH_MAX - sizeof(u64));
if (IS_ERR(name)) {
name = "//toolong";
goto cpy_name;
--
2.48.1On Mon, Oct 13, 2025 at 9:23 AM Adrian Hunter <adrian.hunter@intel.com> wrote:
>
> Some file systems like FUSE-based ones or overlayfs may record the backing
> file in struct vm_area_struct vm_file, instead of the user file that the
> user mmapped.
>
> Since commit def3ae83da02f ("fs: store real path instead of fake path in
> backing file f_path"), file_path() no longer returns the user file path
> when applied to a backing file. There is an existing helper
> file_user_path() for that situation.
>
> Use file_user_path() instead of file_path() to get the path for MMAP
> and MMAP2 events.
>
> Example:
>
> Setup:
>
> # cd /root
> # mkdir test ; cd test ; mkdir lower upper work merged
> # cp `which cat` lower
> # mount -t overlay overlay -olowerdir=lower,upperdir=upper,workdir=work merged
> # perf record -e intel_pt//u -- /root/test/merged/cat /proc/self/maps
> ...
> 55b0ba399000-55b0ba434000 r-xp 00018000 00:1a 3419 /root/test/merged/cat
> ...
> [ perf record: Woken up 1 times to write data ]
> [ perf record: Captured and wrote 0.060 MB perf.data ]
> #
>
> Before:
>
> File name is wrong (/cat), so decoding fails:
>
> # perf script --no-itrace --show-mmap-events
> cat 367 [016] 100.491492: PERF_RECORD_MMAP2 367/367: [0x55b0ba399000(0x9b000) @ 0x18000 00:02 3419 489959280]: r-xp /cat
> ...
> # perf script --itrace=e | wc -l
> Warning:
> 19 instruction trace errors
> 19
> #
>
> After:
>
> File name is correct (/root/test/merged/cat), so decoding is ok:
>
> # perf script --no-itrace --show-mmap-events
> cat 364 [016] 72.153006: PERF_RECORD_MMAP2 364/364: [0x55ce4003d000(0x9b000) @ 0x18000 00:02 3419 3132534314]: r-xp /root/test/merged/cat
> # perf script --itrace=e
> # perf script --itrace=e | wc -l
> 0
> #
>
> Fixes: def3ae83da02f ("fs: store real path instead of fake path in backing file f_path")
> Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org
> Signed-off-by: Adrian Hunter <adrian.hunter@intel.com>
Reviewed-by: Amir Goldstein <amir73il@gmail.com>
> ---
> kernel/events/core.c | 2 +-
> 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
>
> diff --git a/kernel/events/core.c b/kernel/events/core.c
> index cd63ec84e386..7b5c2373a8d7 100644
> --- a/kernel/events/core.c
> +++ b/kernel/events/core.c
> @@ -9416,7 +9416,7 @@ static void perf_event_mmap_event(struct perf_mmap_event *mmap_event)
> * need to add enough zero bytes after the string to handle
> * the 64bit alignment we do later.
> */
> - name = file_path(file, buf, PATH_MAX - sizeof(u64));
> + name = d_path(file_user_path(file), buf, PATH_MAX - sizeof(u64));
> if (IS_ERR(name)) {
> name = "//toolong";
> goto cpy_name;
> --
> 2.48.1
>
The following commit has been merged into the perf/urgent branch of tip:
Commit-ID: 8818f507a9391019a3ec7c57b1a32e4b386e48a5
Gitweb: https://git.kernel.org/tip/8818f507a9391019a3ec7c57b1a32e4b386e48a5
Author: Adrian Hunter <adrian.hunter@intel.com>
AuthorDate: Mon, 13 Oct 2025 10:22:43 +03:00
Committer: Peter Zijlstra <peterz@infradead.org>
CommitterDate: Tue, 14 Oct 2025 10:38:09 +02:00
perf/core: Fix MMAP event path names with backing files
Some file systems like FUSE-based ones or overlayfs may record the backing
file in struct vm_area_struct vm_file, instead of the user file that the
user mmapped.
Since commit def3ae83da02f ("fs: store real path instead of fake path in
backing file f_path"), file_path() no longer returns the user file path
when applied to a backing file. There is an existing helper
file_user_path() for that situation.
Use file_user_path() instead of file_path() to get the path for MMAP
and MMAP2 events.
Example:
Setup:
# cd /root
# mkdir test ; cd test ; mkdir lower upper work merged
# cp `which cat` lower
# mount -t overlay overlay -olowerdir=lower,upperdir=upper,workdir=work merged
# perf record -e intel_pt//u -- /root/test/merged/cat /proc/self/maps
...
55b0ba399000-55b0ba434000 r-xp 00018000 00:1a 3419 /root/test/merged/cat
...
[ perf record: Woken up 1 times to write data ]
[ perf record: Captured and wrote 0.060 MB perf.data ]
#
Before:
File name is wrong (/cat), so decoding fails:
# perf script --no-itrace --show-mmap-events
cat 367 [016] 100.491492: PERF_RECORD_MMAP2 367/367: [0x55b0ba399000(0x9b000) @ 0x18000 00:02 3419 489959280]: r-xp /cat
...
# perf script --itrace=e | wc -l
Warning:
19 instruction trace errors
19
#
After:
File name is correct (/root/test/merged/cat), so decoding is ok:
# perf script --no-itrace --show-mmap-events
cat 364 [016] 72.153006: PERF_RECORD_MMAP2 364/364: [0x55ce4003d000(0x9b000) @ 0x18000 00:02 3419 3132534314]: r-xp /root/test/merged/cat
# perf script --itrace=e
# perf script --itrace=e | wc -l
0
#
Fixes: def3ae83da02f ("fs: store real path instead of fake path in backing file f_path")
Signed-off-by: Adrian Hunter <adrian.hunter@intel.com>
Signed-off-by: Peter Zijlstra (Intel) <peterz@infradead.org>
Acked-by: Amir Goldstein <amir73il@gmail.com>
Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org
---
kernel/events/core.c | 2 +-
1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/kernel/events/core.c b/kernel/events/core.c
index cd63ec8..7b5c237 100644
--- a/kernel/events/core.c
+++ b/kernel/events/core.c
@@ -9416,7 +9416,7 @@ static void perf_event_mmap_event(struct perf_mmap_event *mmap_event)
* need to add enough zero bytes after the string to handle
* the 64bit alignment we do later.
*/
- name = file_path(file, buf, PATH_MAX - sizeof(u64));
+ name = d_path(file_user_path(file), buf, PATH_MAX - sizeof(u64));
if (IS_ERR(name)) {
name = "//toolong";
goto cpy_name;© 2016 - 2025 Red Hat, Inc.