DF-0044 panic.txt -- panic signature capture. Command used to scan dfbsd-qemu/boot.log (the serial console, which captures kernel panics even when ssh dies): grep -iE 'fatal trap|panic:|Stopped at|db> ' dfbsd-qemu/boot.log Result: EMPTY. No panic occurred across any of the verification runs (unprivileged 60s, root 90s with MNT_FORCE, multiple shorter exploratory runs). The guest stayed up throughout. For completeness, the boot.log DID contain the kernel's own race-detection messages, which prove the race is being exercised (just not won): login: unmount(/tmp/df0044/m): forced umount of "(null)" - 3 namecache refs, 9 mount refs unmount(/tmp/df0044/m): (0xfffff80066c1c400): 3 namecache refs, 9 mount refs still present unmount(/tmp/df0044/m): forced umount of "(null)" - 3 namecache refs, 9 mount refs unmount(/tmp/df0044/m): (0xfffff80066acac00): 3 namecache refs, 9 mount refs still present nlookup: warning umount race avoided nlookup: warning umount race avoided unmount(/tmp/df0044/m): forced umount of "(null)" - 3 namecache refs, 5 mount refs unmount(/tmp/df0044/m): (0xfffff80066acac00): 3 namecache refs, 5 mount refs still present unmount(/tmp/df0044/m): forced umount of "(null)" - 3 namecache refs, 3 mount refs unmount(/tmp/df0044/m): (0xfffff80066acac00): 3 namecache refs, 3 mount refs still present unmount(/tmp/df0044/m): forced umount of "(null)" - 1 namecache refs, 7 mount refs unmount(/tmp/df0044/m): (0xfffff80066acb000): 1 namecache refs, 7 mount refs still present unmount(/tmp/df0044/m): forcing unmount nlookup: warning umount race avoided nlookup: warning umount race avoided nlookup: warning umount race avoided Sources of those messages: * "forced umount of ... - N namecache refs, M mount refs" (vfs_syscalls.c:966-971) -- dounmount() retry loop exhausted; mount is being torn down despite lingering refs. Printed for ANY unmount that hits the retry cap, not only MNT_FORCE. * "(%p): N namecache refs, M mount refs still present" (vfs_syscalls.c:980-985) -- post-drain status; mnt_refs did not reach 1. * "forcing unmount" (vfs_syscalls.c:988) -- MNT_FORCE path electing freeok=0 (skip kfree). Without this, EBUSY. * "nlookup: warning umount race avoided" (vfs_nlookup.c:1056) -- nlookup detected MNTK_UNMOUNT and bailed with EBUSY instead of dereferencing the dying mount. Crucially: the kernel's defense-in-depth (nlookup bail-out + dounmount freeok=0 skip) means the actual kfree of mp does not happen while refs remain. In every observed cycle the deref at vfs_cache.c:5224 read either still-valid or zeroed-but-not-freed memory, never freed-then-reallocated memory. Hence no panic.