Re: [RFC PATCH 3/8] kvm: pfncache: enlighten about gmem

David Woodhouse
2024-07-09T14:36:44Z

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On Tue, 2024-07-09 at 14:20 +0100, Patrick Roy wrote:
> KVM uses gfn_to_pfn_caches to cache translations from gfn all the way to
> the pfn (for example, kvm-clock caches the page storing the page used
> for guest/host communication this way). Unlike the gfn_to_hva_cache,
> where no equivalent caching semantics were possible to gmem-backed gfns
> (see also 858e8068a750 ("kvm: pfncache: enlighten about gmem")), here it
> is possible to simply cache the pfn returned by `kvm_gmem_get_pfn`.
>
> Additionally, gfn_to_pfn_caches now invalidate whenever a cached gfn's
> attributes are flipped from shared to private (or vice-versa).
>
> Signed-off-by: Patrick Roy <roypat@amazon.co.uk>

I can't see how this is safe from race conditions.

When the GPC is invalidated from gfn_to_pfn_cache_invalidate_start()
its *write* lock is taken and gpc->valid is set to false.

In parallel, any code using the GPC to access guest memory will take
the *read* lock, call kvm_gpc_check(), and then go ahead and use the
pointer to its heart's content until eventually dropping the read lock.

Since invalidation takes the write lock, it has to wait until the GPC
is no longer in active use, and the pointer cannot be being
dereferenced.

How does this work for the kvm_mem_is_private() check. You've added a
check in kvm_gpc_check(), but what if the pfn is made private
immediately *after* that check? Unless the code path which makes the
pfn private also takes the write lock, how is it safe?

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