Re: [PATCH v1 13/23] KVM: VMX: Handle VMX nested exception for FRED

Chao Gao
2023-12-08T01:56:50Z

On Thu, Dec 07, 2023 at 06:09:46PM +0800, Li, Xin3 wrote:
>> >> > Exiting-event identification can also have bit 13 set, indicating a
>> >> > nested exception encountered and caused VM-exit. when reinjecting the
>> >> > exception to guests, kvm needs to set the "nested" bit, right? I
>> >> > suspect some changes to e.g., handle_exception_nmi() are needed.
>> >>
>> >> The current patch relies on kvm_multiple_exception() to do that. But TBH, I'm
>> >> not sure it can recognize all nested cases. I probably should revisit it.
>> >
>> >So the conclusion is that kvm_multiple_exception() is smart enough, and
>> >a VMM doesn't have to check bit 13 of the Exiting-event identification.
>> >
>> >In FRED spec 5.0, section 9.2 - New VMX Feature: VMX Nested-Exception
>> >Support, there is a statement at the end of Exiting-event identification:
>> >
>> >(The value of this bit is always identical to that of the valid bit of
>> >the original-event identification field.)
>> >
>> >It means that even w/o VMX Nested-Exception support, a VMM already knows
>> >if an exception is a nested exception encountered during delivery of
>> >another event in an exception caused VM exit (exit reason 0). This is
>> >done in KVM through reading IDT_VECTORING_INFO_FIELD and calling
>> >vmx_complete_interrupts() immediately after VM exits.
>> >
>> >vmx_complete_interrupts() simply queues the original exception if there is
>> >one, and later the nested exception causing the VM exit could be cancelled
>> >if it is a shadow page fault. However if the shadow page fault is caused
>> >by a guest page fault, KVM injects it as a nested exception to have guest
>> >fix its page table.
>> >
>> >I will add comments about this background in the next iteration.
>>
>> is it possible that the CPU encounters an exception and causes VM-exit during
>> injecting an __interrupt__? in this case, no __exception__ will be (re-)queued
>> by vmx_complete_interrupts().
>
>I guess the following case is what you're suggesting:
>KVM injects an external interrupt after shadow page tables are nuked.
>
>vmx_complete_interrupts() are called after each VM exit to clear both
>interrupt and exception queues, which means it always pushes the
>deepest event if there is an original event. In the above case, the
>original event is the external interrupt KVM just tried to inject.

in my understanding, your point is:
1. if bit 13 of the Exiting-event identification is set. the original-event
identification field should be valid.
2. vmx_complete_interrupts() is done immediately after VM exits and reads
original-event identification and reinjects the event there.
3. if KVM injects the exception in exiting-event identification
to guest, KVM doesn't need to read the bit 13 because kvm_multiple_exception()
is "smart enough" and recognize the exception as nested-exception because if
bit 13 is 1, one exception must has been queued in #2.

my question is:
what if the event in original-event identification is an interrupt e.g.,
external interrupt or NMI, rather than exception. vmx_complete_interrupts()
won't queue an exception, then how can KVM or kvm_multiple_exception() know the
exception that caused VM-exit is an nested exception w/o reading bit 13 of the
Exiting-event identification?