From: Steve Sistare <steven.sistare@oracle.com>
To: qemu-devel@nongnu.org
Cc: Fabiano Rosas <farosas@suse.de>, Peter Xu <peterx@redhat.com>,
Markus Armbruster <armbru@redhat.com>,
Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@redhat.com>,
Eric Blake <eblake@redhat.com>,
"Dr. David Alan Gilbert" <dave@treblig.org>,
Cedric Le Goater <clg@redhat.com>,
Alex Williamson <alex.williamson@redhat.com>,
Steve Sistare <steven.sistare@oracle.com>
Subject: [PATCH V5 07/19] migration: cpr-exec docs
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2025 08:33:59 -0700 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <1759332851-370353-8-git-send-email-steven.sistare@oracle.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <1759332851-370353-1-git-send-email-steven.sistare@oracle.com>
Update developer documentation for cpr-exec mode.
Signed-off-by: Steve Sistare <steven.sistare@oracle.com>
Reviewed-by: Fabiano Rosas <farosas@suse.de>
---
docs/devel/migration/CPR.rst | 112 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
1 file changed, 111 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/docs/devel/migration/CPR.rst b/docs/devel/migration/CPR.rst
index 0a0fd4f..b617856 100644
--- a/docs/devel/migration/CPR.rst
+++ b/docs/devel/migration/CPR.rst
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ CPR is the umbrella name for a set of migration modes in which the
VM is migrated to a new QEMU instance on the same host. It is
intended for use when the goal is to update host software components
that run the VM, such as QEMU or even the host kernel. At this time,
-the cpr-reboot and cpr-transfer modes are available.
+the cpr-reboot, cpr-transfer, and cpr-exec modes are available.
Because QEMU is restarted on the same host, with access to the same
local devices, CPR is allowed in certain cases where normal migration
@@ -324,3 +324,113 @@ descriptors from old to new QEMU. In the future, descriptors for
vhost, and char devices could be transferred,
preserving those devices and their kernel state without interruption,
even if they do not explicitly support live migration.
+
+cpr-exec mode
+-------------
+
+In this mode, QEMU stops the VM, writes VM state to the migration
+URI, and directly exec's a new version of QEMU on the same host,
+replacing the original process while retaining its PID. Guest RAM is
+preserved in place, albeit with new virtual addresses. The user
+completes the migration by specifying the ``-incoming`` option, and
+by issuing the ``migrate-incoming`` command if necessary; see details
+below.
+
+This mode supports VFIO/IOMMUFD devices by preserving device
+descriptors and hence kernel state across the exec, even for devices
+that do not support live migration.
+
+Because the old and new QEMU instances are not active concurrently,
+the URI cannot be a type that streams data from one instance to the
+other.
+
+This mode does not require a channel of type ``cpr``. The information
+that is passed over that channel for cpr-transfer mode is instead
+serialized to a memfd, the number of the fd is saved in the
+QEMU_CPR_EXEC_STATE environment variable during the exec of new QEMU.
+and new QEMU mmaps the memfd.
+
+Usage
+^^^^^
+
+Arguments for the new QEMU process are taken from the
+@cpr-exec-command parameter. The first argument should be the
+path of a new QEMU binary, or a prefix command that exec's the
+new QEMU binary, and the arguments should include the ''-incoming''
+option.
+
+Memory backend objects must have the ``share=on`` attribute.
+The VM must be started with the ``-machine aux-ram-share=on`` option.
+
+Outgoing:
+ * Set the migration mode parameter to ``cpr-exec``.
+ * Set the ``cpr-exec-command`` parameter.
+ * Issue the ``migrate`` command. It is recommended that the URI be
+ a ``file`` type, but one can use other types such as ``exec``,
+ provided the command captures all the data from the outgoing side,
+ and provides all the data to the incoming side.
+
+Incoming:
+ * You do not need to explicitly start new QEMU. It is started as
+ a side effect of the migrate command above.
+ * If the VM was running when the outgoing ``migrate`` command was
+ issued, then QEMU automatically resumes VM execution.
+
+Example 1: incoming URI
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+In these examples, we simply restart the same version of QEMU, but in
+a real scenario one would set a new QEMU binary path in
+cpr-exec-command.
+
+::
+
+ # qemu-kvm -monitor stdio
+ -object memory-backend-memfd,id=ram0,size=4G
+ -machine memory-backend=ram0
+ -machine aux-ram-share=on
+ ...
+
+ QEMU 10.2.50 monitor - type 'help' for more information
+ (qemu) info status
+ VM status: running
+ (qemu) migrate_set_parameter mode cpr-exec
+ (qemu) migrate_set_parameter cpr-exec-command qemu-kvm ... -incoming file:vm.state
+ (qemu) migrate -d file:vm.state
+ (qemu) QEMU 10.2.50 monitor - type 'help' for more information
+ (qemu) info status
+ VM status: running
+
+Example 2: incoming defer
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+::
+
+ # qemu-kvm -monitor stdio
+ -object memory-backend-memfd,id=ram0,size=4G
+ -machine memory-backend=ram0
+ -machine aux-ram-share=on
+ ...
+
+ QEMU 10.2.50 monitor - type 'help' for more information
+ (qemu) info status
+ VM status: running
+ (qemu) migrate_set_parameter mode cpr-exec
+ (qemu) migrate_set_parameter cpr-exec-command qemu-kvm ... -incoming defer
+ (qemu) migrate -d file:vm.state
+ (qemu) QEMU 10.2.50 monitor - type 'help' for more information
+ (qemu) info status
+ status: paused (inmigrate)
+ (qemu) migrate_incoming file:vm.state
+ (qemu) info status
+ VM status: running
+
+Caveats
+^^^^^^^
+
+cpr-exec mode may not be used with postcopy, background-snapshot,
+or COLO.
+
+cpr-exec mode requires permission to use the exec system call, which
+is denied by certain sandbox options, such as spawn.
+
+The guest pause time increases for large guest RAM backed by small pages.
--
1.8.3.1
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2025-10-01 15:47 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 34+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2025-10-01 15:33 [PATCH V5 00/19] Live update: cpr-exec Steve Sistare
2025-10-01 15:33 ` [PATCH V5 01/19] migration: multi-mode notifier Steve Sistare
2025-10-01 15:33 ` [PATCH V5 02/19] migration: add cpr_walk_fd Steve Sistare
2025-10-01 15:33 ` [PATCH V5 03/19] oslib: qemu_clear_cloexec Steve Sistare
2025-10-01 15:33 ` [PATCH V5 04/19] migration: cpr-exec-command parameter Steve Sistare
2025-10-01 15:33 ` [PATCH V5 05/19] migration: cpr-exec save and load Steve Sistare
2025-10-01 16:36 ` Peter Xu
2025-10-01 15:33 ` [PATCH V5 06/19] migration: cpr-exec mode Steve Sistare
2025-10-01 15:33 ` Steve Sistare [this message]
2025-10-01 15:34 ` [PATCH V5 08/19] vfio: " Steve Sistare
2025-10-01 15:34 ` [PATCH V5 09/19] tests/qtest: export qtest_qemu_binary Steve Sistare
2025-10-01 15:34 ` [PATCH V5 10/19] tests/qtest: qtest_qemu_args Steve Sistare
2025-10-01 15:34 ` [PATCH V5 11/19] tests/qtest: qtest_create_test_state Steve Sistare
2025-10-01 15:34 ` [PATCH V5 12/19] tests/qtest: qtest_qemu_spawn_func Steve Sistare
2025-10-01 15:34 ` [PATCH V5 13/19] tests/qtest: qtest_init_after_exec Steve Sistare
2025-10-01 15:34 ` [PATCH V5 14/19] migration-test: only_source option Steve Sistare
2025-10-01 15:34 ` [PATCH V5 15/19] migration-test: shm path accessor Steve Sistare
2025-10-01 15:34 ` [PATCH V5 16/19] migration-test: misc exports Steve Sistare
2025-10-01 15:34 ` [PATCH V5 17/19] migration-test: migrate_args Steve Sistare
2025-10-01 15:34 ` [PATCH V5 18/19] migration-test: strv parameter Steve Sistare
2025-10-01 15:34 ` [PATCH V5 19/19] migration-test: test cpr-exec Steve Sistare
2025-10-01 18:56 ` [PATCH V5 00/19] Live update: cpr-exec Peter Xu
2025-10-01 19:07 ` Steven Sistare
2025-10-01 19:24 ` Steven Sistare
2025-10-01 20:05 ` Peter Xu
2025-10-02 12:44 ` Steven Sistare
2025-10-02 8:48 ` Cédric Le Goater
2025-10-01 20:03 ` Peter Xu
2025-10-02 8:50 ` Cédric Le Goater
2025-10-02 13:45 ` Steven Sistare
2025-10-02 13:44 ` Steven Sistare
2025-10-03 11:36 ` Steven Sistare
2025-10-03 13:11 ` Peter Xu
2025-10-03 13:36 ` Steven Sistare
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