linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] x86/split_lock: Avoid runtime reads of the TEST

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Date:   Thu, 6 Feb 2020 11:37:04 -0800
From:   Andy Lutomirski <luto@...capital.net>
To:     "Luck, Tony" <tony.luck@...el.com>
Cc:     Andy Lutomirski <luto@...nel.org>,
        Sean Christopherson <sean.j.christopherson@...el.com>,
        Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
        Mark D Rustad <mrustad@...il.com>,
        Arvind Sankar <nivedita@...m.mit.edu>,
        Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>,
        Ingo Molnar <mingo@...nel.org>,
        "Yu, Fenghua" <fenghua.yu@...el.com>,
        Ingo Molnar <mingo@...hat.com>, Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>,
        H Peter Anvin <hpa@...or.com>,
        "Raj, Ashok" <ashok.raj@...el.com>,
        "Shankar, Ravi V" <ravi.v.shankar@...el.com>,
        linux-kernel <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        x86 <x86@...nel.org>, Xiaoyao Li <xiaoyao.li@...el.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] x86/split_lock: Avoid runtime reads of the TEST_CTRL MSR


> On Feb 6, 2020, at 8:46 AM, Luck, Tony <tony.luck@...el.com> wrote:
> 
> On Wed, Feb 05, 2020 at 05:18:23PM -0800, Andy Lutomirski wrote:
>>> On Wed, Feb 5, 2020 at 4:49 PM Luck, Tony <tony.luck@...el.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> In a context switch from a task that is detecting split locks
>>> to one that is not (or vice versa) we need to update the TEST_CTRL
>>> MSR. Currently this is done with the common sequence:
>>>        read the MSR
>>>        flip the bit
>>>        write the MSR
>>> in order to avoid changing the value of any reserved bits in the MSR.
>>> 
>>> Cache the value of the TEST_CTRL MSR when we read it during initialization
>>> so we can avoid an expensive RDMSR instruction during context switch.
>> 
>> If something else that is per-cpu-ish gets added to the MSR in the
>> future, I will personally make fun of you for not making this percpu.
> 
> Xiaoyao Li has posted a version using a percpu cache value:
> 
> https://lore.kernel.org/r/20200206070412.17400-4-xiaoyao.li@intel.com
> 
> So take that if it makes you happier.  My patch only used the
> cached value to store the state of the reserved bits in the MSR
> and assumed those are the same for all cores.
> 
> Xiaoyao Li's version updates with what was most recently written
> on each thread (but doesn't, and can't, make use of that because we
> know that the other thread on the core may have changed the actual
> value in the MSR).
> 
> If more bits are implemented that need to be set at run time, we
> are likely up the proverbial creek. I'll see if I can find out if
> there are plans for that.
> 

I suppose that this whole thing is a giant mess, especially since at least one bit there is per-physical-core. Sigh.

So I don’t have a strong preference.