[PATCH] tools/firmware: use a canned config for seabios

[PATCH] tools/firmware: use a canned config for seabios

[Paul Durrant]

The use of seabios defconfig kills boot performance of Windows guests
because the default is for the int13 handler to use PIO when accessing
the emulated IDE device.

By instead using a canned configuration with the ATA settings overridden
to enable DMA access (and also wider PIO) boot performance is markedly
improved without the need to use a different (and possibly not supported)
device model.

This patch adds the canned configuration into tools/firmware and modifies
the Makefile rule to copy it into place.

Signed-off-by: Paul Durrant <paul.durrant@citrix.com>
---
Cc: Ian Jackson <ian.jackson@eu.citrix.com>
Cc: Wei Liu <wei.liu2@citrix.com>
---
 tools/firmware/Makefile       |   2 +-
 tools/firmware/seabios-config | 108 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 109 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
 create mode 100644 tools/firmware/seabios-config

diff --git a/tools/firmware/Makefile b/tools/firmware/Makefile
index b840c6a..2ec20f8 100644
--- a/tools/firmware/Makefile
+++ b/tools/firmware/Makefile
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ ovmf-dir:
 
 seabios-dir:
 	GIT=$(GIT) $(XEN_ROOT)/scripts/git-checkout.sh $(SEABIOS_UPSTREAM_URL) $(SEABIOS_UPSTREAM_REVISION) seabios-dir
-	$(MAKE) -C seabios-dir defconfig
+	cp seabios-config seabios-dir/.config;
 
 .PHONY: all
 all: $(SUBDIRS-y)
diff --git a/tools/firmware/seabios-config b/tools/firmware/seabios-config
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4652f9b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/firmware/seabios-config
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+#
+# SeaBIOS Configuration
+#
+
+#
+# General Features
+#
+# CONFIG_COREBOOT is not set
+CONFIG_QEMU=y
+# CONFIG_CSM is not set
+CONFIG_QEMU_HARDWARE=y
+CONFIG_XEN=y
+CONFIG_THREADS=y
+CONFIG_RELOCATE_INIT=y
+CONFIG_BOOTMENU=y
+CONFIG_BOOTSPLASH=y
+CONFIG_BOOTORDER=y
+CONFIG_ENTRY_EXTRASTACK=y
+CONFIG_MALLOC_UPPERMEMORY=y
+CONFIG_ROM_SIZE=0
+
+#
+# Hardware support
+#
+CONFIG_ATA=y
+CONFIG_ATA_DMA=y
+CONFIG_ATA_PIO32=y
+CONFIG_AHCI=y
+CONFIG_SDCARD=y
+CONFIG_VIRTIO_BLK=y
+CONFIG_VIRTIO_SCSI=y
+CONFIG_PVSCSI=y
+CONFIG_ESP_SCSI=y
+CONFIG_LSI_SCSI=y
+CONFIG_MEGASAS=y
+CONFIG_MPT_SCSI=y
+CONFIG_FLOPPY=y
+CONFIG_FLASH_FLOPPY=y
+CONFIG_PS2PORT=y
+CONFIG_USB=y
+CONFIG_USB_UHCI=y
+CONFIG_USB_OHCI=y
+CONFIG_USB_EHCI=y
+CONFIG_USB_XHCI=y
+CONFIG_USB_MSC=y
+CONFIG_USB_UAS=y
+CONFIG_USB_HUB=y
+CONFIG_USB_KEYBOARD=y
+CONFIG_USB_MOUSE=y
+CONFIG_SERIAL=y
+CONFIG_LPT=y
+CONFIG_RTC_TIMER=y
+CONFIG_HARDWARE_IRQ=y
+CONFIG_USE_SMM=y
+CONFIG_CALL32_SMM=y
+CONFIG_MTRR_INIT=y
+CONFIG_PMTIMER=y
+CONFIG_TSC_TIMER=y
+
+#
+# BIOS interfaces
+#
+CONFIG_DRIVES=y
+CONFIG_CDROM_BOOT=y
+CONFIG_CDROM_EMU=y
+CONFIG_PCIBIOS=y
+CONFIG_APMBIOS=y
+CONFIG_PNPBIOS=y
+CONFIG_OPTIONROMS=y
+CONFIG_PMM=y
+CONFIG_BOOT=y
+CONFIG_KEYBOARD=y
+CONFIG_KBD_CALL_INT15_4F=y
+CONFIG_MOUSE=y
+CONFIG_S3_RESUME=y
+CONFIG_VGAHOOKS=y
+# CONFIG_DISABLE_A20 is not set
+# CONFIG_WRITABLE_UPPERMEMORY is not set
+CONFIG_TCGBIOS=y
+
+#
+# BIOS Tables
+#
+CONFIG_PIRTABLE=y
+CONFIG_MPTABLE=y
+CONFIG_SMBIOS=y
+CONFIG_ACPI=y
+CONFIG_ACPI_DSDT=y
+CONFIG_FW_ROMFILE_LOAD=y
+
+#
+# VGA ROM
+#
+CONFIG_NO_VGABIOS=y
+# CONFIG_VGA_STANDARD_VGA is not set
+# CONFIG_VGA_CIRRUS is not set
+# CONFIG_VGA_BOCHS is not set
+# CONFIG_VGA_GEODEGX2 is not set
+# CONFIG_VGA_GEODELX is not set
+# CONFIG_BUILD_VGABIOS is not set
+CONFIG_VGA_EXTRA_STACK_SIZE=512
+
+#
+# Debugging
+#
+CONFIG_DEBUG_LEVEL=1
+# CONFIG_DEBUG_SERIAL is not set
+CONFIG_DEBUG_IO=y
-- 
2.1.4


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Re: [PATCH] tools/firmware: use a canned config for seabios

[Wei Liu]

On Thu, Mar 23, 2017 at 05:03:09PM +0000, Paul Durrant wrote:
> The use of seabios defconfig kills boot performance of Windows guests
> because the default is for the int13 handler to use PIO when accessing
> the emulated IDE device.
> 
> By instead using a canned configuration with the ATA settings overridden
> to enable DMA access (and also wider PIO) boot performance is markedly
> improved without the need to use a different (and possibly not supported)
> device model.
> 
> This patch adds the canned configuration into tools/firmware and modifies
> the Makefile rule to copy it into place.
> 

I think at some point someone (you?) tried to change the default
upstream, what was the outcome?

I'm not against shipping a default config, but that wouldn't benefit all
the distros that use their own seabios packages.

Wei.

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Re: [PATCH] tools/firmware: use a canned config for seabios

[Paul Durrant]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wei Liu [mailto:wei.liu2@citrix.com]
> Sent: 24 March 2017 11:47
> To: Paul Durrant <Paul.Durrant@citrix.com>
> Cc: xen-devel@lists.xenproject.org; Ian Jackson <Ian.Jackson@citrix.com>;
> Wei Liu <wei.liu2@citrix.com>
> Subject: Re: [PATCH] tools/firmware: use a canned config for seabios
> 
> On Thu, Mar 23, 2017 at 05:03:09PM +0000, Paul Durrant wrote:
> > The use of seabios defconfig kills boot performance of Windows guests
> > because the default is for the int13 handler to use PIO when accessing
> > the emulated IDE device.
> >
> > By instead using a canned configuration with the ATA settings overridden
> > to enable DMA access (and also wider PIO) boot performance is markedly
> > improved without the need to use a different (and possibly not supported)
> > device model.
> >
> > This patch adds the canned configuration into tools/firmware and modifies
> > the Makefile rule to copy it into place.
> >
> 
> I think at some point someone (you?) tried to change the default
> upstream, what was the outcome?
> 

Yes I tried that. The maintainers nacked the patch.

> I'm not against shipping a default config, but that wouldn't benefit all
> the distros that use their own seabios packages.
> 

No, but the status quo sucks. One hopes distros building their own Xen packages already choose a better firmware config. This patch makes the config for those rolling their own firmware better (and I suspect that's quite a few folks).

  Paul

> Wei.

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Re: [PATCH] tools/firmware: use a canned config for seabios

[Wei Liu]

On Fri, Mar 24, 2017 at 11:54:45AM +0000, Paul Durrant wrote:
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Wei Liu [mailto:wei.liu2@citrix.com]
> > Sent: 24 March 2017 11:47
> > To: Paul Durrant <Paul.Durrant@citrix.com>
> > Cc: xen-devel@lists.xenproject.org; Ian Jackson <Ian.Jackson@citrix.com>;
> > Wei Liu <wei.liu2@citrix.com>
> > Subject: Re: [PATCH] tools/firmware: use a canned config for seabios
> > 
> > On Thu, Mar 23, 2017 at 05:03:09PM +0000, Paul Durrant wrote:
> > > The use of seabios defconfig kills boot performance of Windows guests
> > > because the default is for the int13 handler to use PIO when accessing
> > > the emulated IDE device.
> > >
> > > By instead using a canned configuration with the ATA settings overridden
> > > to enable DMA access (and also wider PIO) boot performance is markedly
> > > improved without the need to use a different (and possibly not supported)
> > > device model.
> > >
> > > This patch adds the canned configuration into tools/firmware and modifies
> > > the Makefile rule to copy it into place.
> > >
> > 
> > I think at some point someone (you?) tried to change the default
> > upstream, what was the outcome?
> > 
> 
> Yes I tried that. The maintainers nacked the patch.
> 
> > I'm not against shipping a default config, but that wouldn't benefit all
> > the distros that use their own seabios packages.
> > 
> 
> No, but the status quo sucks. One hopes distros building their own Xen packages already choose a better firmware config. This patch makes the config for those rolling their own firmware better (and I suspect that's quite a few folks).
> 

I forgot to ask: what exactly in this config file is different from the
default one?

Wei.

>   Paul
> 
> > Wei.

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Re: [PATCH] tools/firmware: use a canned config for seabios

[Paul Durrant]

> -----Original Message-----
[snip]
> > > > This patch adds the canned configuration into tools/firmware and
> modifies
> > > > the Makefile rule to copy it into place.
> > > >
> > >
> > > I think at some point someone (you?) tried to change the default
> > > upstream, what was the outcome?
> > >
> >
> > Yes I tried that. The maintainers nacked the patch.
> >
> > > I'm not against shipping a default config, but that wouldn't benefit all
> > > the distros that use their own seabios packages.
> > >
> >
> > No, but the status quo sucks. One hopes distros building their own Xen
> packages already choose a better firmware config. This patch makes the
> config for those rolling their own firmware better (and I suspect that's quite a
> few folks).
> >
> 
> I forgot to ask: what exactly in this config file is different from the
> default one?
> 

The commit message tells you... It turns on wide PIO and DMA for interaction with the emulated IDE controller.

  Paul

> Wei.
> 
> >   Paul
> >
> > > Wei.

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Re: [PATCH] tools/firmware: use a canned config for seabios

[Wei Liu]

On Wed, Mar 29, 2017 at 11:28:15AM +0100, Paul Durrant wrote:
> > -----Original Message-----
> [snip]
> > > > > This patch adds the canned configuration into tools/firmware and
> > modifies
> > > > > the Makefile rule to copy it into place.
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > > I think at some point someone (you?) tried to change the default
> > > > upstream, what was the outcome?
> > > >
> > >
> > > Yes I tried that. The maintainers nacked the patch.
> > >
> > > > I'm not against shipping a default config, but that wouldn't benefit all
> > > > the distros that use their own seabios packages.
> > > >
> > >
> > > No, but the status quo sucks. One hopes distros building their own Xen
> > packages already choose a better firmware config. This patch makes the
> > config for those rolling their own firmware better (and I suspect that's quite a
> > few folks).
> > >
> > 
> > I forgot to ask: what exactly in this config file is different from the
> > default one?
> > 
> 
> The commit message tells you... It turns on wide PIO and DMA for interaction with the emulated IDE controller.
> 

Oops, yes. Sorry for the noise.

Acked-by: Wei Liu <wei.liu2@citrix.com>

I will leave this patch float for a while so other people can comment.

>   Paul
> 
> > Wei.
> > 
> > >   Paul
> > >
> > > > Wei.

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