Re: [Qemu-devel] [PATCH v7 01/42] Start documenting how postcopy works.

[Amit Shah <amit.shah@redhat.com>]

On (Tue) 16 Jun 2015 [11:26:14], Dr. David Alan Gilbert (git) wrote:
> From: "Dr. David Alan Gilbert" <dgilbert@redhat.com>
> 
> Signed-off-by: Dr. David Alan Gilbert <dgilbert@redhat.com>

Reviewed-by: Amit Shah <amit.shah@redhat.com>

A few minor comments:

> ---
>  docs/migration.txt | 167 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>  1 file changed, 167 insertions(+)
> 
> diff --git a/docs/migration.txt b/docs/migration.txt
> index f6df4be..b4b93d1 100644
> --- a/docs/migration.txt
> +++ b/docs/migration.txt
> @@ -291,3 +291,170 @@ save/send this state when we are in the middle of a pio operation
>  (that is what ide_drive_pio_state_needed() checks).  If DRQ_STAT is
>  not enabled, the values on that fields are garbage and don't need to
>  be sent.
> +
> += Return path =
> +
> +In most migration scenarios there is only a single data path that runs
> +from the source VM to the destination, typically along a single fd (although
> +possibly with another fd or similar for some fast way of throwing pages across).
> +
> +However, some uses need two way communication; in particular the Postcopy destination
> +needs to be able to request pages on demand from the source.
> +
> +For these scenarios there is a 'return path' from the destination to the source;
> +qemu_file_get_return_path(QEMUFile* fwdpath) gives the QEMUFile* for the return
> +path.
> +
> +  Source side
> +     Forward path - written by migration thread
> +     Return path  - opened by main thread, read by return-path thread
> +
> +  Destination side
> +     Forward path - read by main thread
> +     Return path  - opened by main thread, written by main thread AND postcopy
> +                    thread (protected by rp_mutex)
> +
> += Postcopy =
> +'Postcopy' migration is a way to deal with migrations that refuse to converge;

(or take too long to converge)

> +its plus side is that there is an upper bound on the amount of migration traffic
> +and time it takes, the down side is that during the postcopy phase, a failure of
> +*either* side or the network connection causes the guest to be lost.
> +
> +In postcopy the destination CPUs are started before all the memory has been
> +transferred, and accesses to pages that are yet to be transferred cause
> +a fault that's translated by QEMU into a request to the source QEMU.
> +
> +Postcopy can be combined with precopy (i.e. normal migration) so that if precopy
> +doesn't finish in a given time the switch is made to postcopy.
> +
> +=== Enabling postcopy ===
> +
> +To enable postcopy (prior to the start of migration):

How about this instead:

"To enable postcopy, issue this command ont he monitor prior to the
start of migration:"

Otherwise, there's ambiguity that there is some way to enable this
after a precopy migration has started.

> +
> +migrate_set_capability x-postcopy-ram on
> +
> +The migration will still start in precopy mode, however issuing:

"A future migration will then start in precopy mode.  However,
issuing:"

?

> +
> +migrate_start_postcopy
> +
> +will now cause the transition from precopy to postcopy.
> +It can be issued immediately after migration is started or any
> +time later on.  Issuing it after the end of a migration is harmless.
> +
> +=== Postcopy device transfer ===
> +
> +Loading of device data may cause the device emulation to access guest RAM
> +that may trigger faults that have to be resolved by the source, as such
> +the migration stream has to be able to respond with page data *during* the
> +device load, and hence the device data has to be read from the stream completely
> +before the device load begins to free the stream up.  This is achieved by
> +'packaging' the device data into a blob that's read in one go.
> +
> +Source behaviour
> +
> +Until postcopy is entered the migration stream is identical to normal
> +precopy, except for the addition of a 'postcopy advise' command at
> +the beginning, to tell the destination that postcopy might happen.
> +When postcopy starts the source sends the page discard data and then
> +forms the 'package' containing:
> +
> +   Command: 'postcopy listen'
> +   The device state
> +      A series of sections, identical to the precopy streams device state stream
> +      containing everything except postcopiable devices (i.e. RAM)
> +   Command: 'postcopy run'
> +
> +The 'package' is sent as the data part of a Command: 'CMD_PACKAGED', and the
> +contents are formatted in the same way as the main migration stream.
> +
> +Destination behaviour
> +
> +Initially the destination looks the same as precopy, with a single thread
> +reading the migration stream; the 'postcopy advise' and 'discard' commands
> +are processed to change the way RAM is managed, but don't affect the stream
> +processing.
> +
> +------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> +                        1      2   3     4 5                      6   7
> +main -----DISCARD-CMD_PACKAGED ( LISTEN  DEVICE     DEVICE DEVICE RUN )
> +thread                             |       |
> +                                   |     (page request)
> +                                   |        \___
> +                                   v            \
> +listen thread:                     --- page -- page -- page -- page -- page --
> +
> +                                   a   b        c
> +------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> +
> +On receipt of CMD_PACKAGED (1)
> +   All the data associated with the package - the ( ... ) section in the
> +diagram - is read into memory (into a QEMUSizedBuffer), and the main thread
> +recurses into qemu_loadvm_state_main to process the contents of the package (2)
> +which contains commands (3,6) and devices (4...)
> +
> +On receipt of 'postcopy listen' - 3 -(i.e. the 1st command in the package)
> +a new thread (a) is started that takes over servicing the migration stream,
> +while the main thread carries on loading the package.   It loads normal
> +background page data (b) but if during a device load a fault happens (5) the
> +returned page (c) is loaded by the listen thread allowing the main threads
> +device load to carry on.
> +
> +The last thing in the CMD_PACKAGED is a 'RUN' command (6) letting the destination
> +CPUs start running.
> +At the end of the CMD_PACKAGED (7) the main thread returns to normal running behaviour
> +and is no longer used by migration, while the listen thread carries
> +on servicing page data until the end of migration.
> +
> +=== Postcopy states ===
> +
> +Postcopy moves through a series of states (see postcopy_state) from
> +ADVISE->LISTEN->RUNNING->END
> +
> +  Advise: Set at the start of migration if postcopy is enabled, even
> +          if it hasn't had the start command; here the destination
> +          checks that its OS has the support needed for postcopy, and performs
> +          setup to ensure the RAM mappings are suitable for later postcopy.
> +          (Triggered by reception of POSTCOPY_ADVISE command)

Adding:

"This gives the destination a chance to fail early if postcopy is not
possible."

?

> +
> +  Listen: The first command in the package, POSTCOPY_LISTEN, switches
> +          the destination state to Listen, and starts a new thread
> +          (the 'listen thread') which takes over the job of receiving
> +          pages off the migration stream, while the main thread carries
> +          on processing the blob.  With this thread able to process page
> +          reception, the destination now 'sensitises' the RAM to detect
> +          any access to missing pages (on Linux using the 'userfault'
> +          system).
> +
> +  Running: POSTCOPY_RUN causes the destination to synchronise all
> +          state and start the CPUs and IO devices running.  The main
> +          thread now finishes processing the migration package and
> +          now carries on as it would for normal precopy migration
> +          (although it can't do the cleanup it would do as it
> +          finishes a normal migration).

indentation went off a bit



		Amit