Re: [PATCH] x86/split_lock: Don't write MSR_TEST_CTRL on CPUs that aren't whitelisted

Xiaoyao Li
2020-06-06T02:51:13Z

On 6/6/2020 3:26 AM, Sean Christopherson wrote:
> Choo! Choo! All aboard the Split Lock Express, with direct service to
> Wreckage!
>
> Skip split_lock_verify_msr() if the CPU isn't whitelisted as a possible
> SLD-enabled CPU model to avoid writing MSR_TEST_CTRL. MSR_TEST_CTRL
> exists, and is writable, on many generations of CPUs. Writing the MSR,
> even with '0', can result in bizarre, undocumented behavior.
>
> This fixes a crash on Haswell when resuming from suspend with a live KVM
> guest. Because APs use the standard SMP boot flow for resume, they will
> go through split_lock_init() and the subsequent RDMSR/WRMSR sequence,
> which runs even when sld_state==sld_off to ensure SLD is disabled. On
> Haswell (at least, my Haswell), writing MSR_TEST_CTRL with '0' will
> succeed and _may_ take the SMT _sibling_ out of VMX root mode.
>
> When KVM has an active guest, KVM performs VMXON as part of CPU onlining
> (see kvm_starting_cpu()). Because SMP boot is serialized, the resulting
> flow is effectively:
>
> on_each_ap_cpu() {
> WRMSR(MSR_TEST_CTRL, 0)
> VMXON
> }
>
> As a result, the WRMSR can disable VMX on a different CPU that has
> already done VMXON. This ultimately results in a #UD on VMPTRLD when
> KVM regains control and attempt run its vCPUs.
>
> The above voodoo was confirmed by reworking KVM's VMXON flow to write
> MSR_TEST_CTRL prior to VMXON, and to serialize the sequence as above.
> Further verification of the insanity was done by redoing VMXON on all
> APs after the initial WRMSR->VMXON sequence. The additional VMXON,
> which should VM-Fail, occasionally succeeded, and also eliminated the
> unexpected #UD on VMPTRLD.
>
> The damage done by writing MSR_TEST_CTRL doesn't appear to be limited
> to VMX, e.g. after suspend with an active KVM guest, subsequent reboots
> almost always hang (even when fudging VMXON), a #UD on a random Jcc was
> observed, suspend/resume stability is qualitatively poor, and so on and
> so forth.
>

I'm wondering if all those side-effects of MSR_TEST_CTRL exist on CPUs
have SLD feature, have you ever tested on a SLD capable CPU?