linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] x86/alternatives: Do not use sync

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Message-ID: <CALCETrXzdAUVV76KDJUKyk-3CMFoUteMYCHTjB+mXZeFzRoGog@mail.gmail.com>
Date:   Sat, 3 Dec 2016 09:05:39 -0800
From:   Andy Lutomirski <luto@...capital.net>
To:     Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>
Cc:     Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
        Andy Lutomirski <luto@...nel.org>, Peter Anvin <hpa@...or.com>,
        "the arch/x86 maintainers" <x86@...nel.org>,
        One Thousand Gnomes <gnomes@...rguk.ukuu.org.uk>,
        "linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org" <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        Brian Gerst <brgerst@...il.com>,
        Matthew Whitehead <tedheadster@...il.com>,
        Henrique de Moraes Holschuh <hmh@....eng.br>,
        Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>,
        Andrew Cooper <andrew.cooper3@...rix.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] x86/alternatives: Do not use sync_core() to serialize I$

On Sat, Dec 3, 2016 at 7:02 AM, Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de> wrote:
> On Fri, Dec 02, 2016 at 08:28:44PM +0100, Borislav Petkov wrote:
>> Ah, it is called only from apply_alternatives() but sure, it is safer
>> this way. Lemme do that and run it through the boxes to see whether
>> anything catches fire.
>
> Looks good, ran it on a bunch of machines, two of them huge AMD and
> Intel, 8-socket monsters.
>
> Here is a version with a commit message:
>
> ---
> From: Borislav Petkov <bp@...e.de>
> Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2016 23:18:51 +0100
> Subject: [PATCH] x86/alternatives: Do not use sync_core() to serialize I$
>
> We use sync_core() in the alternatives code to stop speculative
> execution of prefetched instructions because we are potentially changing
> them and don't want to execute stale bytes.
>
> What it does on most machines is call CPUID which is a serializing
> instruction. And that's expensive.
>
> However, the instruction cache is serialized when we're on the local CPU
> and are changing the data through the same virtual address. So then, we
> don't need the serializing CPUID but a simple control flow change. Last
> being accomplished with a CALL/RET which the noinline causes.
>
> So let's try it.

I like it.

Reviewed-by: Andy Lutomirski <luto@...nel.org>