Re: [PATCH v3 04/15] KVM: MMU: flush tlb out of mmu lock when write-protect the sptes

Marcelo Tosatti
2013-11-14T00:36:36Z

On Wed, Oct 23, 2013 at 09:29:22PM +0800, Xiao Guangrong wrote:
> Now we can flush all the TLBs out of the mmu lock without TLB corruption when
> write-proect the sptes, it is because:
> - we have marked large sptes readonly instead of dropping them that means we
> just change the spte from writable to readonly so that we only need to care
> the case of changing spte from present to present (changing the spte from
> present to nonpresent will flush all the TLBs immediately), in other words,
> the only case we need to care is mmu_spte_update()

Xiao,

Any code location which reads the writable bit in the spte and assumes if its not
set, that the translation which the spte refers to is not cached in a
remote CPU's TLB can become buggy. (*)

It might be the case that now its not an issue, but its so subtle that
it should be improved.

Can you add a fat comment on top of is_writeable_bit describing this?
(and explain why is_writable_pte users do not make an assumption
about (*).

"Writeable bit of locklessly modifiable sptes might be cleared
but TLBs not flushed: so whenever reading locklessly modifiable sptes
you cannot assume TLBs are flushed".

For example this one is unclear:

if (!can_unsync && is_writable_pte(*sptep))
goto set_pte;
And:

if (!is_writable_pte(spte) &&
!(pt_protect && spte_is_locklessly_modifiable(spte)))
return false;

This is safe because get_dirty_log/kvm_mmu_slot_remove_write_access are
serialized by a single mutex (if there were two mutexes, it would not be
safe). Can you add an assert to both
kvm_mmu_slot_remove_write_access/kvm_vm_ioctl_get_dirty_log
for (slots_lock) is locked, and explain?

So just improve the comments please, thanks (no need to resend whole
series).

> - in mmu_spte_update(), we haved checked
> SPTE_HOST_WRITEABLE | PTE_MMU_WRITEABLE instead of PT_WRITABLE_MASK, that
> means it does not depend on PT_WRITABLE_MASK anymore
>
> Signed-off-by: Xiao Guangrong <xiaoguangrong@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
> ---
> arch/x86/kvm/mmu.c | 18 ++++++++++++++----
> arch/x86/kvm/x86.c | 9 +++++++--
> 2 files changed, 21 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/arch/x86/kvm/mmu.c b/arch/x86/kvm/mmu.c
> index 62f18ec..337d173 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/kvm/mmu.c
> +++ b/arch/x86/kvm/mmu.c
> @@ -4273,15 +4273,25 @@ void kvm_mmu_slot_remove_write_access(struct kvm *kvm, int slot)
> if (*rmapp)
> __rmap_write_protect(kvm, rmapp, false);
>
> - if (need_resched() || spin_needbreak(&kvm->mmu_lock)) {
> - kvm_flush_remote_tlbs(kvm);
> + if (need_resched() || spin_needbreak(&kvm->mmu_lock))
> cond_resched_lock(&kvm->mmu_lock);
> - }
> }
> }
>
> - kvm_flush_remote_tlbs(kvm);
> spin_unlock(&kvm->mmu_lock);
> +
> + /*
> + * We can flush all the TLBs out of the mmu lock without TLB
> + * corruption since we just change the spte from writable to
> + * readonly so that we only need to care the case of changing
> + * spte from present to present (changing the spte from present
> + * to nonpresent will flush all the TLBs immediately), in other
> + * words, the only case we care is mmu_spte_update() where we
> + * haved checked SPTE_HOST_WRITEABLE | SPTE_MMU_WRITEABLE
> + * instead of PT_WRITABLE_MASK, that means it does not depend
> + * on PT_WRITABLE_MASK anymore.
> + */
> + kvm_flush_remote_tlbs(kvm);
> }
>
> #define BATCH_ZAP_PAGES 10
> diff --git a/arch/x86/kvm/x86.c b/arch/x86/kvm/x86.c
> index b3aa650..573c6b3 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/kvm/x86.c
> +++ b/arch/x86/kvm/x86.c
> @@ -3571,11 +3571,16 @@ int kvm_vm_ioctl_get_dirty_log(struct kvm *kvm, struct kvm_dirty_log *log)
> offset = i * BITS_PER_LONG;
> kvm_mmu_write_protect_pt_masked(kvm, memslot, offset, mask);
> }
> - if (is_dirty)
> - kvm_flush_remote_tlbs(kvm);
>
> spin_unlock(&kvm->mmu_lock);
>
> + /*
> + * All the TLBs can be flushed out of mmu lock, see the comments in
> + * kvm_mmu_slot_remove_write_access().
> + */
> + if (is_dirty)
> + kvm_flush_remote_tlbs(kvm);
> +
> r = -EFAULT;
> if (copy_to_user(log->dirty_bitmap, dirty_bitmap_buffer, n))
> goto out;
> --
> 1.8.1.4
>
> --
> To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe kvm" in
> the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org
> More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html