linux-kernel - Re: [RFC PATCH v2 11/27] x86/mm: Modify ptep_set_wrprotect and pmdp_set_wrprotect for _PAGE_DIRTY

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Date:   Tue, 10 Jul 2018 15:44:32 -0700
From:   Dave Hansen <dave.hansen@...ux.intel.com>
To:     Yu-cheng Yu <yu-cheng.yu@...el.com>, x86@...nel.org,
        "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>,
        Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
        Ingo Molnar <mingo@...hat.com>, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
        linux-doc@...r.kernel.org, linux-mm@...ck.org,
        linux-arch@...r.kernel.org, linux-api@...r.kernel.org,
        Arnd Bergmann <arnd@...db.de>,
        Andy Lutomirski <luto@...capital.net>,
        Balbir Singh <bsingharora@...il.com>,
        Cyrill Gorcunov <gorcunov@...il.com>,
        Florian Weimer <fweimer@...hat.com>,
        "H.J. Lu" <hjl.tools@...il.com>, Jann Horn <jannh@...gle.com>,
        Jonathan Corbet <corbet@....net>,
        Kees Cook <keescook@...omiun.org>,
        Mike Kravetz <mike.kravetz@...cle.com>,
        Nadav Amit <nadav.amit@...il.com>,
        Oleg Nesterov <oleg@...hat.com>, Pavel Machek <pavel@....cz>,
        Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>,
        "Ravi V. Shankar" <ravi.v.shankar@...el.com>,
        Vedvyas Shanbhogue <vedvyas.shanbhogue@...el.com>
Subject: Re: [RFC PATCH v2 11/27] x86/mm: Modify ptep_set_wrprotect and
 pmdp_set_wrprotect for _PAGE_DIRTY_SW

On 07/10/2018 03:26 PM, Yu-cheng Yu wrote:
> +	/*
> +	 * On platforms before CET, other threads could race to
> +	 * create a RO and _PAGE_DIRTY_HW PMD again.  However,
> +	 * on CET platforms, this is safe without a TLB flush.
> +	 */

If I didn't work for Intel, I'd wonder what the heck CET is and what the
heck it has to do with _PAGE_DIRTY_HW.  I think we need a better comment
than this.  How about:

	Some processors can _start_ a write, but end up seeing
	a read-only PTE by the time they get to getting the
	Dirty bit.  In this case, they will set the Dirty bit,
	leaving a read-only, Dirty PTE which looks like a Shadow
	Stack PTE.

	However, this behavior has been improved and will *not* occur on
	processors supporting Shadow Stacks.  Without this guarantee, a
	transition to a non-present PTE and flush the TLB would be
	needed.