linux-kernel - Re: [kvm-devel] [PATCH][RFC] KVM: prepare user interface for smp guests

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]

Message-ID: <4545C110.8080204@qumranet.com>
Date:	Mon, 30 Oct 2006 11:08:32 +0200
From:	Avi Kivity <avi@...ranet.com>
To:	Arnd Bergmann <arnd@...db.de>
CC:	kvm-devel@...ts.sourceforge.net,
	linux-kernel <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [kvm-devel] [PATCH][RFC] KVM: prepare user interface for smp
 guests

Arnd Bergmann wrote:
> Separating the objects into different file descriptors sounds like a
> good idea, but reusing an open dentry/inode with a new file and different
> file operations is a rather unusual way to do it. 

Yes, it doesn't feel right.

> Your concept of allocating
> a new context on each open is already weird, but there have been other
> examples of that before.
>   

Actually that seemed to me quite natural.

> I'd suggest going to a syscall-based model with your own file system right
> away, even if you don't use the spufs approach but something in the middle:
>
> * You do a trivial nonmountable new file system with anonymous objects,
>   similar to eventpollfs, and hand out file descriptors to inodes in it,
>   for both the kvm and the vcpu objects.
> * You replace the syscall you'd normally use to hand out a new kvm instance
>   with an ioctl on /dev/kvm, and don't allow any other operations on that
>   device.
>
> This would be a much more consistant object model, compared with other
> generic kernel functionality that is not bound to an actual device.
> You still have all the flexibility of a loadable module without core
> kernel changes for the development phase, and can easily switch to real
> syscalls when merging it into mainline.
>   

I agree, that sounds like a good plan.  I'll look into it.

BTW, what does lsof show for spufs users?  I thought lsof /dev/kvm would 
be a good way to look for virtual machines.


-- 
error compiling committee.c: too many arguments to function

-
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/