linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH RESEND] CPU hotplug,x86 Microcode: Don't request microcode from userspace unnecessarily

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Date:	Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:58:02 +0200
From:	"Rafael J. Wysocki" <rjw@...k.pl>
To:	"Srivatsa S. Bhat" <srivatsa.bhat@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>
Cc:	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>,
	Borislav Petkov <borislav.petkov@....com>,
	Borislav Petkov <bp@...64.org>,
	"tigran@...azian.fsnet.co.uk" <tigran@...azian.fsnet.co.uk>,
	"tglx@...utronix.de" <tglx@...utronix.de>,
	"mingo@...hat.com" <mingo@...hat.com>,
	"hpa@...or.com" <hpa@...or.com>, "x86@...nel.org" <x86@...nel.org>,
	"Herrmann3, Andreas" <Andreas.Herrmann3@....com>,
	"amd64-microcode@...64.org" <amd64-microcode@...64.org>,
	Tejun Heo <tj@...nel.org>,
	Linux PM mailing list <linux-pm@...r.kernel.org>,
	"linux-kernel" <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH RESEND] CPU hotplug,x86 Microcode: Don't request microcode from userspace unnecessarily

On Sunday, October 09, 2011, Srivatsa S. Bhat wrote:
> Requesting the microcode from userspace *every time* when onlining CPUs
> (during a CPU hotplug operation) is unnecessary.
> 
> So, this patch ensures that once the kernel gets the microcode after booting,
> it is not freed nor invalidated when a CPU goes offline, so that it can be
> reused when that CPU comes back online, without requesting userspace for it
> again. As a result, the CPU hotplug operations become faster as well.
> 
> Tested-by: Borislav Petkov <bp@...64.org>
> Acked-by: Borislav Petkov <bp@...64.org>
> 
> Signed-off-by: Srivatsa S. Bhat <srivatsa.bhat@...ux.vnet.ibm.com>

Fine by me.  I wonder who should take this?

Rafael


> ---
> 
>  arch/x86/kernel/microcode_core.c |    9 ++++++++-
>  1 files changed, 8 insertions(+), 1 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/microcode_core.c b/arch/x86/kernel/microcode_core.c
> index f924280..33c8a67 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/kernel/microcode_core.c
> +++ b/arch/x86/kernel/microcode_core.c
> @@ -483,7 +483,14 @@ mc_cpu_callback(struct notifier_block *nb, unsigned long action, void *hcpu)
>  		sysfs_remove_group(&sys_dev->kobj, &mc_attr_group);
>  		pr_debug("CPU%d removed\n", cpu);
>  		break;
> -	case CPU_DEAD:
> +
> +	/*
> +	 * When a CPU goes offline, don't free up or invalidate the copy of
> +	 * the microcode in kernel memory, so that we can reuse it when the
> +	 * CPU comes back online without unnecessarily requesting the userspace
> +	 * for it again.
> +	 */
> +
>  	case CPU_UP_CANCELED_FROZEN:
>  		/* The CPU refused to come up during a system resume */
>  		microcode_fini_cpu(cpu);
> 
> 
> 
> 

--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@...r.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at  http://www.tux.org/lkml/