Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: [RFC PATCH 0/2] kvm/vmx: Output TSC offset

Marcelo Tosatti
2012-11-29T22:51:26Z

On Tue, Nov 27, 2012 at 07:53:47PM +0900, Yoshihiro YUNOMAE wrote:
> Hi Marcelo,
>
> (2012/11/27 8:16), Marcelo Tosatti wrote:
> >On Mon, Nov 26, 2012 at 08:05:10PM +0900, Yoshihiro YUNOMAE wrote:
> >>>>>500h. event tsc_write tsc_offset=-3000
> >>>>>
> >>>>>Then a guest trace containing events with a TSC timestamp.
> >>>>>Which tsc_offset to use?
> >>>>>
> >>>>>(that is the problem, which unless i am mistaken can only be solved
> >>>>>easily if the guest can convert RDTSC -> TSC of host).
> >>>>
> >>>>There are three following cases of changing TSC offset:
> >>>> 1. Reset TSC at guest boot time
> >>>> 2. Adjust TSC offset due to some host's problems
> >>>> 3. Write TSC on guests
> >>>>The scenario which you mentioned is case 3, so we'll discuss this case.
> >>>>Here, we assume that a guest is allocated single CPU for the sake of
> >>>>ease.
> >>>>
> >>>>If a guest executes write_tsc, TSC values jumps to forward or backward.
> >>>>For the forward case, trace data are as follows:
> >>>>
> >>>>< host > < guest >
> >>>>cycles events cycles events
> >>>> 3000 tsc_offset=-2950
> >>>> 3001 kvm_enter
> >>>> 53 eventX
> >>>> ....
> >>>> 100 (write_tsc=+900)
> >>>> 3060 kvm_exit
> >>>> 3075 tsc_offset=-2050
> >>>> 3080 kvm_enter
> >>>> 1050 event1
> >>>> 1055 event2
> >>>> ...
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>This case is simple. The guest TSC of the first kvm_enter is calculated
> >>>>as follows:
> >>>>
> >>>> (host TSC of kvm_enter) + (current tsc_offset) = 3001 - 2950 = 51
> >>>>
> >>>>Similarly, the guest TSC of the second kvm_enter is 130. So, the guest
> >>>>events between 51 and 130, that is, 53 eventX is inserted between the
> >>>>first pair of kvm_enter and kvm_exit. To insert events of the guests
> >>>>between 51 and 130, we convert the guest TSC to the host TSC using TSC
> >>>>offset 2950.
> >>>>
> >>>>For the backward case, trace data are as follows:
> >>>>
> >>>>< host > < guest >
> >>>>cycles events cycles events
> >>>> 3000 tsc_offset=-2950
> >>>> 3001 kvm_enter
> >>>> 53 eventX
> >>>> ....
> >>>> 100 (write_tsc=-50)
> >>>> 3060 kvm_exit
> >>>> 3075 tsc_offset=-2050
> >>>> 3080 kvm_enter
> >>>> 90 event1
> >>>> 95 event2
> >>>> ...
> >>>
> >>> 3400 100 (write_tsc=-50)
> >>>
> >>> 90 event3
> >>> 95 event4
> >>>
> >>>>As you say, in this case, the previous method is invalid. When we
> >>>>calculate the guest TSC value for the tsc_offset=-3000 event, the value
> >>>>is 75 on the guest. This seems like prior event of write_tsc=-50 event.
> >>>>So, we need to consider more.
> >>>>
> >>>>In this case, it is important that we can understand where the guest
> >>>>executes write_tsc or the host rewrites the TSC offset. write_tsc on
> >>>>the guest equals wrmsr 0x00000010, so this instruction induces vm_exit.
> >>>>This implies that the guest does not operate when the host changes TSC
> >>>>offset on the cpu. In other words, the guest cannot use new TSC before
> >>>>the host rewrites the new TSC offset. So, if timestamp on the guest is
> >>>>not monotonically increased, we can understand the guest executes
> >>>>write_tsc. Moreover, in the region where timestamp is decreasing, we
> >>>>can understand when the host rewrote the TSC offset in the guest trace
> >>>>data. Therefore, we can sort trace data in chronological order.
> >>>
> >>>This requires an entire trace of events. That is, to be able
> >>>to reconstruct timeline you require the entire trace from the moment
> >>>guest starts. So that you can correlate wrmsr-to-tsc on the guest with
> >>>vmexit-due-to-tsc-write on the host.
> >>>
> >>>Which means that running out of space for trace buffer equals losing
> >>>ability to order events.
> >>>
> >>>Is that desirable? It seems cumbersome to me.
> >>
> >>As you say, tracing events can overwrite important events like
> >>kvm_exit/entry or write_tsc_offset. So, Steven's multiple buffer is
> >>needed by this feature. Normal events which often hit record the buffer
> >>A, and important events which rarely hit record the buffer B. In our
> >>case, the important event is write_tsc_offset.
> >>>Also the need to correlate each write_tsc event in the guest trace
> >>>with a corresponding tsc_offset write in the host trace means that it
> >>>is _necessary_ for the guest and host to enable tracing simultaneously.
> >>>Correct?
> >>>
> >>>Also, there are WRMSR executions in the guest for which there is
> >>>no event in the trace buffer. From SeaBIOS, during boot.
> >>>In that case, there is no explicit event in the guest trace which you
> >>>can correlate with tsc_offset changes in the host side.
> >>
> >>I understand that you want to say, but we don't correlate between
> >>write_tsc event and write_tsc_offset event directly. This is because
> >>the write_tsc tracepoint (also WRMSR instruction) is not prepared in
> >>the current kernel. So, in the previous mail
> >>(https://lkml.org/lkml/2012/11/22/53), I suggested the method which we
> >>don't need to prepare the write_tsc tracepoint.
> >>
> >>In the method, we enable ftrace before the guest boots, and we need to
> >>keep all write_tsc_offset events in the buffer. If we forgot enabling
> >>ftrace or we don't use multiple buffers, we don't use this feature.
> >
> >Yoshihiro,
> >
> >Better have a single method to convert guest TSC to host TSC.
> >
> >Ok, if you keep both TSC offset write events and guest TSC writes (*)
> >in separate buffers which are persistent, then you can convert
> >guest-tsc-events to host-tsc.
> >
> >Can you please write a succint but complete description of the method
> >so it can be verified?
>
> Sure.
>
> - Prerequisite
> 1. the host TSC is synchronized and stable.
> 2. kvm_write_tsc_offset events include previous and next TSC offset
> values.
> 3. Every event's trace_clock is TSC.
>
> - Assumption for the sake of ease
> 1. One VCPU
> 2. The guest executes no write_tsc or write_tsc only once.
>
> - Configuration
> 1. On the host, kvm_exit/entry events are recorded in the buffer A and
> kvm_write_tsc_offset events are recorded in the buffer B.
> 2. Boot a guest
>
> - Sort method
> 1.
> Confirm which the kvm_write_tsc_offset events are recorded except for
> boot. Note that a vcpu thread writes TSC offset when boot as an initial
> operation.
>
> 1-1.
> If not recorded, it means that the guest did not execute write_tsc.
> So, we convert the guest TSC to the host TSC using TSC offset of boot.
> => END
>
> 1-2.
> If recorded, it means that the guest executed write_tsc.
> So, we use new kvm_write_tsc_offset event information.
>
> 2.
> We convert the host TSC(Th) of the kvm_write_tsc_offset event to
> the guest TSC(Tg) using previous_tsc_offset value:
> Tg = Th + previous_tsc_offset
>
> 3.
> To search the point where the guest executed write_tsc, we find "n"
> which satisfies the condition Tn < Tg < Tn+1 or Tn+1 < Tn < Tg from
> older events of the guest.
> The former condition means trace data of
> the guest were recorded monotonically. On the other hand, the latter
> condition means trace data of the guest moved backward.
> 4.
> We convert the guest TSC of trace data to the host TSC using
> previous_tsc_offset value before "n" and using next_tsc_offset value
> after "n+1".
> => END
>
> - Note
> We assumed one vcpu and no write_tsc or write_tsc only once for the
> sake of ease. For other conditions, we will use similar method.
>
> Thanks,

There is no certainty. Consider the following information available

guest trace host trace
100: guest_tsc_write (tsc_offset=-100 => guest_tsc = 0)
104: guest_tsc_write (tsc_offset=-104 => guest_tsc = 0)
108: guest_tsc_write (tsc_offset=-108 => guest_tsc = 0)
1: eventA
2: eventB
3: eventC
1: eventD
2: eventE
3: eventF

How can you tell which tsc_offset to use for eventD ? It could be either
-104 or -108. The notion of "next_tsc_offset" is subject to such
issue.

I suppose its fine to restrict the interface as follows: the tool will
accept one trace of events with monotonic timestamps and the user is
responsible for correlating that to a host trace.

That is, you can't feed distinct instances of guest kernel trace.