diff --git a/fs/btrfs/volumes.c b/fs/btrfs/volumes.c
index 3fa83ff..372f515 100644
--- a/fs/btrfs/volumes.c
+++ b/fs/btrfs/volumes.c
@@ -145,6 +145,71 @@ static int __btrfs_map_block(struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info,
 			     struct btrfs_bio **bbio_ret,
 			     int mirror_num, int need_raid_map);
 
+/*
+ * Device locking
+ * ==============
+ *
+ * There are several mutexes that protect manipulation of devices and low-level
+ * structures like chunks but not block groups, extents or files
+ *
+ * uuid_mutex (global lock)
+ * ------------------------
+ * protects the fs_uuids list that tracks all per-fs fs_devices, resulting from
+ * the SCAN_DEV ioctl registration or from mount either implicitly (the first
+ * device) or requested by the device= mount option
+ *
+ * the mutex can be very coarse and can cover long-running operations
+ *
+ * protects: updates to fs_devices counters like missing devices, rw devices,
+ * seeding, structure cloning, openning/closing devices at mount/umount time
+ *
+ * global::fs_devs - add, remove, updates to the global list
+ *
+ * does not protect: manipulation of the fs_devices::devices list!
+ *
+ * btrfs_device::name - renames (write side), read is RCU
+ *
+ * fs_devices::device_list_mutex (per-fs, with RCU)
+ * ------------------------------------------------
+ * protects updates to fs_devices::devices, ie. adding and deleting
+ *
+ * simple list traversal with read-only actions can be done with RCU protection
+ *
+ * may be used to exclude some operations from running concurrently without any
+ * modifications to the list (see write_all_supers)
+ *
+ * volume_mutex
+ * ------------
+ * coarse lock owned by a mounted filesystem; used to exclude some operations
+ * that cannot run in parallel and affect the higher-level properties of the
+ * filesystem like: device add/deleting/resize/replace, or balance
+ *
+ * balance_mutex
+ * -------------
+ * protects balance structures (status, state) and context accessed from
+ * several places (internally, ioctl)
+ *
+ * chunk_mutex
+ * -----------
+ * protects chunks, adding or removing during allocation, trim or when a new
+ * device is added/removed
+ *
+ * cleaner_mutex
+ * -------------
+ * a big lock that is held by the cleaner thread and prevents running subvolume
+ * cleaning together with relocation or delayed iputs
+ *
+ *
+ * Lock nesting
+ * ============
+ *
+ * uuid_mutex
+ *   volume_mutex
+ *     device_list_mutex
+ *       chunk_mutex
+ *     balance_mutex
+ */
+
 DEFINE_MUTEX(uuid_mutex);
 static LIST_HEAD(fs_uuids);
 struct list_head *btrfs_get_fs_uuids(void)