Re: [PATCH 6/7] x86/spec_ctrl: Add sysctl knobs to enable/disable SPEC_CTRL feature

Andrea Arcangeli
2018-01-04T23:51:38Z

On Thu, Jan 04, 2018 at 03:26:52PM -0800, Tim Chen wrote:
> On 01/04/2018 02:54 PM, Peter Zijlstra wrote:
> > On Thu, Jan 04, 2018 at 09:56:47AM -0800, Tim Chen wrote:
> >> .macro ENABLE_IBRS
> >> - ALTERNATIVE "jmp 10f", "", X86_FEATURE_SPEC_CTRL
> >> + testl $SPEC_CTRL_IBRS_INUSE, spec_ctrl_ibrs
> >> + jz .Lskip_\@
> >> +
> >> PUSH_MSR_REGS
> >> WRMSR_ASM $MSR_IA32_SPEC_CTRL, $SPEC_CTRL_FEATURE_ENABLE_IBRS
> >> POP_MSR_REGS
> >> -10:
> >> +
> >> + jmp .Ldone_\@
> >> +.Lskip_\@:
> >> + /*
> >> + * prevent speculation beyond here as we could want to
> >> + * stop speculation by enabling IBRS
> >> + */
> >> + lfence
> >> +.Ldone_\@:
> >> .endm
> >
> >
> > Yeah no. We have jump labels for this stuff. There is no reason what so
> > ever to do dynamic tests for a variable that _never_ changes.
> >
>
> Admin can change spec_ctrl_ibrs value at run time, or when
> we scan new microcode. So it doesn't often change, but it could.
>
> There may be time when the admin wants to run the system
> in a more secure mode, and time when it is okay to leave out
> IBRS.

I think he meant to use STATIC_JUMP_IF_TRUE instead of testl
spec_ctrl_ibrs to avoid the conditional jump but still allow to
enable/disable the branch. I suggested using static key earlier too.

In older kernels there's not even the boilerplate to check the static
key in asm, so I used a pcp bitfield in a already guaranteed hot
cacheline so in practice it's as fast as static key but static key is
always theoretically preferable.