[PATCH] riscv: Improve exception and system call latency

Anton Blanchard
2023-12-25T04:02:37Z

Many CPUs implement return address branch prediction as a stack. The
RISCV architecture refers to this as a return address stack (RAS). If
this gets corrupted then the CPU will mispredict at least one but
potentally many function returns.

There are two issues with the current RISCV exception code:

- We are using the alternate link stack (x5/t0) for the indirect branch
which makes the hardware think this is a function return. This will
corrupt the RAS.

- We modify the return address of handle_exception to point to
ret_from_exception. This will also corrupt the RAS.

Testing the null system call latency before and after the patch:

Visionfive2 (StarFive JH7110 / U74)
baseline: 189.87 ns
patched: 176.76 ns

Lichee pi 4a (T-Head TH1520 / C910)
baseline: 666.58 ns
patched: 636.90 ns

Just over 7% on the U74 and just over 4% on the C910.

Signed-off-by: Anton Blanchard <antonb@tenstorrent.com>
---

This introduces some complexity in the stackframe walk code. PowerPC
resolves the multiple exception exit paths issue by placing a value into
the exception stack frame (basically the word "REGS") that the stack frame
code can look for. Perhaps something to look at.

arch/riscv/kernel/entry.S | 21 ++++++++++++++-------
arch/riscv/kernel/stacktrace.c | 14 +++++++++++++-
2 files changed, 27 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/riscv/kernel/entry.S b/arch/riscv/kernel/entry.S
index 54ca4564a926..89af35edbf6c 100644
--- a/arch/riscv/kernel/entry.S
+++ b/arch/riscv/kernel/entry.S
@@ -84,7 +84,6 @@ SYM_CODE_START(handle_exception)
scs_load_current_if_task_changed s5

move a0, sp /* pt_regs */
- la ra, ret_from_exception

/*
* MSB of cause differentiates between
@@ -93,7 +92,10 @@ SYM_CODE_START(handle_exception)
bge s4, zero, 1f

/* Handle interrupts */
- tail do_irq
+ call do_irq
+.globl ret_from_irq_exception
+ret_from_irq_exception:
+ j ret_from_exception
1:
/* Handle other exceptions */
slli t0, s4, RISCV_LGPTR
@@ -101,11 +103,16 @@ SYM_CODE_START(handle_exception)
la t2, excp_vect_table_end
add t0, t1, t0
/* Check if exception code lies within bounds */
- bgeu t0, t2, 1f
- REG_L t0, 0(t0)
- jr t0
-1:
- tail do_trap_unknown
+ bgeu t0, t2, 3f
+ REG_L t1, 0(t0)
+2: jalr ra,t1
+.globl ret_from_other_exception
+ret_from_other_exception:
+ j ret_from_exception
+3:
+
+ la t1, do_trap_unknown
+ j 2b
SYM_CODE_END(handle_exception)

/*
diff --git a/arch/riscv/kernel/stacktrace.c b/arch/riscv/kernel/stacktrace.c
index 64a9c093aef9..b9cd131bbc4c 100644
--- a/arch/riscv/kernel/stacktrace.c
+++ b/arch/riscv/kernel/stacktrace.c
@@ -17,6 +17,18 @@
#ifdef CONFIG_FRAME_POINTER

extern asmlinkage void ret_from_exception(void);
+extern asmlinkage void ret_from_irq_exception(void);
+extern asmlinkage void ret_from_other_exception(void);
+
+static inline bool is_exception_frame(unsigned long pc)
+{
+ if ((pc == (unsigned long)ret_from_exception) ||
+ (pc == (unsigned long)ret_from_irq_exception) ||
+ (pc == (unsigned long)ret_from_other_exception))
+ return true;
+
+ return false;
+}

void notrace walk_stackframe(struct task_struct *task, struct pt_regs *regs,
bool (*fn)(void *, unsigned long), void *arg)
@@ -62,7 +74,7 @@ void notrace walk_stackframe(struct task_struct *task, struct pt_regs *regs,
fp = frame->fp;
pc = ftrace_graph_ret_addr(current, NULL, frame->ra,
&frame->ra);
- if (pc == (unsigned long)ret_from_exception) {
+ if (is_exception_frame(pc)) {
if (unlikely(!__kernel_text_address(pc) || !fn(arg, pc)))
break;

--
2.25.1