1 files changed, 77 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/filesystems/ext4/mmp.rst b/Documentation/filesystems/ext4/mmp.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..25660981d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/filesystems/ext4/mmp.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+Multiple Mount Protection
+-------------------------
+
+Multiple mount protection (MMP) is a feature that protects the
+filesystem against multiple hosts trying to use the filesystem
+simultaneously. When a filesystem is opened (for mounting, or fsck,
+etc.), the MMP code running on the node (call it node A) checks a
+sequence number. If the sequence number is EXT4\_MMP\_SEQ\_CLEAN, the
+open continues. If the sequence number is EXT4\_MMP\_SEQ\_FSCK, then
+fsck is (hopefully) running, and open fails immediately. Otherwise, the
+open code will wait for twice the specified MMP check interval and check
+the sequence number again. If the sequence number has changed, then the
+filesystem is active on another machine and the open fails. If the MMP
+code passes all of those checks, a new MMP sequence number is generated
+and written to the MMP block, and the mount proceeds.
+
+While the filesystem is live, the kernel sets up a timer to re-check the
+MMP block at the specified MMP check interval. To perform the re-check,
+the MMP sequence number is re-read; if it does not match the in-memory
+MMP sequence number, then another node (node B) has mounted the
+filesystem, and node A remounts the filesystem read-only. If the
+sequence numbers match, the sequence number is incremented both in
+memory and on disk, and the re-check is complete.
+
+The hostname and device filename are written into the MMP block whenever
+an open operation succeeds. The MMP code does not use these values; they
+are provided purely for informational purposes.
+
+The checksum is calculated against the FS UUID and the MMP structure.
+The MMP structure (``struct mmp_struct``) is as follows:
+
+.. list-table::
+   :widths: 8 12 20 40
+   :header-rows: 1
+
+   * - Offset
+     - Type
+     - Name
+     - Description
+   * - 0x0
+     - \_\_le32
+     - mmp\_magic
+     - Magic number for MMP, 0x004D4D50 (“MMP”).
+   * - 0x4
+     - \_\_le32
+     - mmp\_seq
+     - Sequence number, updated periodically.
+   * - 0x8
+     - \_\_le64
+     - mmp\_time
+     - Time that the MMP block was last updated.
+   * - 0x10
+     - char[64]
+     - mmp\_nodename
+     - Hostname of the node that opened the filesystem.
+   * - 0x50
+     - char[32]
+     - mmp\_bdevname
+     - Block device name of the filesystem.
+   * - 0x70
+     - \_\_le16
+     - mmp\_check\_interval
+     - The MMP re-check interval, in seconds.
+   * - 0x72
+     - \_\_le16
+     - mmp\_pad1
+     - Zero.
+   * - 0x74
+     - \_\_le32[226]
+     - mmp\_pad2
+     - Zero.
+   * - 0x3FC
+     - \_\_le32
+     - mmp\_checksum
+     - Checksum of the MMP block.