linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 6/6] KVM: perform a wake_up in kvm_make_all_cpus

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:   Tue, 11 Apr 2017 14:04:30 +0200
From:   Andrew Jones <drjones@...hat.com>
To:     Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@...hat.com>
Cc:     Radim Krčmář <rkrcmar@...hat.com>,
        linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, kvm@...r.kernel.org,
        Christoffer Dall <cdall@...aro.org>,
        Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@....com>,
        Christian Borntraeger <borntraeger@...ibm.com>,
        Cornelia Huck <cornelia.huck@...ibm.com>,
        James Hogan <james.hogan@...tec.com>,
        Paul Mackerras <paulus@...abs.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 6/6] KVM: perform a wake_up in kvm_make_all_cpus_request

On Tue, Apr 11, 2017 at 01:34:49PM +0800, Paolo Bonzini wrote:
> kvm_arch_vcpu_should_kick() does cmpxchg, which already includes a
> memory barrier when it succeeds, so you need not add smp_mb() there.

When the cmpxchg() fails it only guarantees ACQUIRE semantics, meaning
the request setting may appear to happen after its completion.  This
would break our delicate vcpu->requests, vcpu->mode two-variable memory
barrier pattern that prohibits a VCPU entering guest mode with a
pending request and no IPI.  IOW, on ARM we need an explicit smp_mb()
before the cmpxchg(), otherwise it's incomplete.  I think adding a
smp_mb__before_atomic() should cover ARM and any other relaxed memory
model arches without impacting x86.

Thanks,
drew