[PATCH 1/2] nvme: keep transport module referenced while head node is open

[Nilay Shroff]

Hi Christoph, Keith

A gent ping on this one...
Do you have any further comment/feedback on this one?

Thanks,
--Nilay
> On 9/2/26 7:57 PM, Nilay Shroff wrote:
>> On 9/2/26 7:43 PM, Christoph Hellwig wrote:
>>> On Wed, Sep 02, 2026 at 07:39:32PM +0530, Nilay Shroff wrote:
>>>> So the practical problem is that an open multipath head can continue to
>>>> be used after its underlying transport module has been unloaded. The
>>>> proposed change keeps the transport module referenced while the head
>>>> node is open, preventing the module from being unloaded in this
>>>> scenario.
>>>
>>> But why do you unload it in the first place?
>>>
>> Well, in my view, unloading a module while it is not in use should be a legitimate operation.
>>
>> In the example shown earlier, the NVMe transport module is still being
>> used by the open multipath head. Shouldn't we explicitly reflect that by
>> incrementing its module refcount? We don't explicitly unload the module
>> as part of normal NVMe operation, but in theory I think the transport module
>> should remain referenced for as long as it is being used. That would also
>> prohibit user from unloading module by mistake.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> --Nilay
>