linux-kernel - [PATCH 3.16.y-ckt 098/180] x86/mm: Improve switch

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: <1454538786-12215-99-git-send-email-luis.henriques@canonical.com>
Date:	Wed,  3 Feb 2016 22:31:44 +0000
From:	Luis Henriques <luis.henriques@...onical.com>
To:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, stable@...r.kernel.org,
	kernel-team@...ts.ubuntu.com
Cc:	Andy Lutomirski <luto@...nel.org>,
	Andy Lutomirski <luto@...capital.net>,
	Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>,
	Brian Gerst <brgerst@...il.com>,
	Dave Hansen <dave.hansen@...ux.intel.com>,
	Denys Vlasenko <dvlasenk@...hat.com>,
	"H . Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>,
	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
	Rik van Riel <riel@...hat.com>,
	Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...nel.org>,
	Luis Henriques <luis.henriques@...onical.com>
Subject: [PATCH 3.16.y-ckt 098/180] x86/mm: Improve switch_mm() barrier comments

3.16.7-ckt24 -stable review patch.  If anyone has any objections, please let me know.

---8<------------------------------------------------------------

From: Andy Lutomirski <luto@...nel.org>

commit 4eaffdd5a5fe6ff9f95e1ab4de1ac904d5e0fa8b upstream.

My previous comments were still a bit confusing and there was a
typo. Fix it up.

Reported-by: Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>
Signed-off-by: Andy Lutomirski <luto@...nel.org>
Cc: Andy Lutomirski <luto@...capital.net>
Cc: Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>
Cc: Brian Gerst <brgerst@...il.com>
Cc: Dave Hansen <dave.hansen@...ux.intel.com>
Cc: Denys Vlasenko <dvlasenk@...hat.com>
Cc: H. Peter Anvin <hpa@...or.com>
Cc: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
Cc: Rik van Riel <riel@...hat.com>
Cc: Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>
Fixes: 71b3c126e611 ("x86/mm: Add barriers and document switch_mm()-vs-flush synchronization")
Link: http://lkml.kernel.org/r/0a0b43cdcdd241c5faaaecfbcc91a155ddedc9a1.1452631609.git.luto@kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Ingo Molnar <mingo@...nel.org>
Signed-off-by: Luis Henriques <luis.henriques@...onical.com>
---
 arch/x86/include/asm/mmu_context.h | 15 ++++++++-------
 1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/include/asm/mmu_context.h b/arch/x86/include/asm/mmu_context.h
index 20cf2c4e1872..50f622dc0b1a 100644
--- a/arch/x86/include/asm/mmu_context.h
+++ b/arch/x86/include/asm/mmu_context.h
@@ -102,14 +102,16 @@ static inline void switch_mm(struct mm_struct *prev, struct mm_struct *next,
 		 * be sent, and CPU 0's TLB will contain a stale entry.)
 		 *
 		 * The bad outcome can occur if either CPU's load is
-		 * reordered before that CPU's store, so both CPUs much
+		 * reordered before that CPU's store, so both CPUs must
 		 * execute full barriers to prevent this from happening.
 		 *
 		 * Thus, switch_mm needs a full barrier between the
 		 * store to mm_cpumask and any operation that could load
-		 * from next->pgd.  This barrier synchronizes with
-		 * remote TLB flushers.  Fortunately, load_cr3 is
-		 * serializing and thus acts as a full barrier.
+		 * from next->pgd.  TLB fills are special and can happen
+		 * due to instruction fetches or for no reason at all,
+		 * and neither LOCK nor MFENCE orders them.
+		 * Fortunately, load_cr3() is serializing and gives the
+		 * ordering guarantee we need.
 		 *
 		 */
 		load_cr3(next->pgd);
@@ -140,9 +142,8 @@ static inline void switch_mm(struct mm_struct *prev, struct mm_struct *next,
 			 * tlb flush IPI delivery. We must reload CR3
 			 * to make sure to use no freed page tables.
 			 *
-			 * As above, this is a barrier that forces
-			 * TLB repopulation to be ordered after the
-			 * store to mm_cpumask.
+			 * As above, load_cr3() is serializing and orders TLB
+			 * fills with respect to the mm_cpumask write.
 			 */
 			load_cr3(next->pgd);
 			load_mm_ldt(next);