Re: [tip:x86/pti] x86/speculation: Use IBRS if available before calling into firmware

Ingo Molnar
2018-02-14T23:19:10Z

* Tim Chen <tim.c.chen@linux.intel.com> wrote:

> On 02/14/2018 12:56 AM, Peter Zijlstra wrote:
>
> >
> > At the very least this must disable and re-enable preemption, such that
> > we guarantee we inc/dec the same counter. ISTR some firmware calls (EFI)
> > actually are preemptible so that wouldn't work.
> >
> > Further, consider:
> >
> > this_cpu_inc_return() // 0->1
> > <NMI>
> > this_cpu_inc_return() // 1->2
> > call_broken_arse_firmware()
> > this_cpu_dec_return() // 2->1
> > </NMI>
> > wrmsr(SPEC_CTRL, IBRS);
> >
> > /* from dodgy firmware crap */
> >
> > this_cpu_dec_return() // 1->0
> > wrmsr(SPEC_CTRL, 0);
> >
>
> How about the following patch.

These fragile complications of the interface should now be unnecessary, as the
only driver that called firmware from NMI callbacks (hpwdt.c) is going to remove
those firmware callbacks in the near future - solving the problem at the source.

Thanks,

Ingo