On Thu, Sep 11, 2025 at 08:48:11AM +0530, Kaushlendra Kumar wrote:
> Set reader_tasks to NULL after kfree() in ref_scale_cleanup() to
> improve debugging experience with kernel debugging tools. This
> follows the common pattern of NULLing pointers after freeing to
> avoid dangling pointer issues during debugging sessions.
>
> Setting pointers to NULL after freeing helps debugging tools like
> kdgb,drgn, and other kernel debuggers by providing clear indication
> that the memory has been freed and the pointer is no longer valid.
>
> Suggested-by: Paul E. McKenney <paul...@kernel.org>
> Signed-off-by: Kaushlendra Kumar <kaushlendra.ku...@intel.com>
Queued for further review and testing, thank you!
Thanx, Paul
> ---
> kernel/rcu/refscale.c | 1 +
> 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)
>
> diff --git a/kernel/rcu/refscale.c b/kernel/rcu/refscale.c
> index 2bfa987f4ba9..47486dff43ca 100644
> --- a/kernel/rcu/refscale.c
> +++ b/kernel/rcu/refscale.c
> @@ -1048,6 +1048,7 @@ ref_scale_cleanup(void)
> reader_tasks[i].task);
> }
> kfree(reader_tasks);
> + reader_tasks = NULL;
>
> torture_stop_kthread("main_task", main_task);
>
> --
> 2.34.1
>
