linux-kernel - [PATCH 2/5] context_tracking: Don't implement exception_enter/exit() on CONFIG_HAVE_CONTEXT_TRACKING

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Date:   Tue, 17 Nov 2020 16:16:34 +0100
From:   Frederic Weisbecker <frederic@...nel.org>
To:     Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>
Cc:     LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        Frederic Weisbecker <frederic@...nel.org>,
        "Paul E . McKenney" <paulmck@...nel.org>,
        Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
        Phil Auld <pauld@...hat.com>,
        Marcelo Tosatti <mtosatti@...hat.com>
Subject: [PATCH 2/5] context_tracking:  Don't implement exception_enter/exit() on CONFIG_HAVE_CONTEXT_TRACKING_OFFSTACK

The typical steps with context tracking are:

1) Task runs in userspace
2) Task enters the kernel (syscall/exception/IRQ)
3) Task switches from context tracking state CONTEXT_USER to
   CONTEXT_KERNEL (user_exit())
4) Task does stuff in kernel
5) Task switches from context tracking state CONTEXT_KERNEL to
   CONTEXT_USER (user_enter())
6) Task exits the kernel

If an exception fires between 5) and 6), the pt_regs and the context
tracking disagree on the context of the faulted/trapped instruction.
CONTEXT_KERNEL must be set before the exception handler, that's
unconditional for those handlers that want to be able to call into
schedule(), but CONTEXT_USER must be restored when the exception exits
whereas pt_regs tells that we are resuming to kernel space.

This can't be fixed with storing the context tracking state in a per-cpu
or per-task variable since another exception may fire onto the current
one and overwrite the saved state. Also the task can schedule. So it
has to be stored in a per task stack.

This is how exception_enter()/exception_exit() paper over the problem:

5) Task switches from context tracking state CONTEXT_KERNEL to
   CONTEXT_USER (user_enter())
5.1) Exception fires
5.2) prev_state = exception_enter() // save CONTEXT_USER to prev_state
                                    // and set CONTEXT_KERNEL
5.3) Exception handler
5.4) exception_enter(prev_state) // restore CONTEXT_USER
5.5) Exception resumes
6) Task exits the kernel

The condition to live without exception_enter()/exception_exit() is to
forbid exceptions and IRQs between 2) and 3) and between 5) and 6), or if
any is allowed to trigger, it won't call into context tracking, eg: NMIs,
and it won't schedule. These requirements are met by architectures
supporting CONFIG_HAVE_CONTEXT_TRACKING_OFFSTACK and those can
therefore afford not to implement this hack.

Signed-off-by: Frederic Weisbecker <frederic@...nel.org>
Cc: Marcelo Tosatti <mtosatti@...hat.com>
Cc: Paul E. McKenney <paulmck@...nel.org>
Cc: Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>
Cc: Phil Auld <pauld@...hat.com>
Cc: Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>
---
 include/linux/context_tracking.h | 6 ++++--
 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/include/linux/context_tracking.h b/include/linux/context_tracking.h
index d53cd331c4dd..bceb06498521 100644
--- a/include/linux/context_tracking.h
+++ b/include/linux/context_tracking.h
@@ -51,7 +51,8 @@ static inline enum ctx_state exception_enter(void)
 {
 	enum ctx_state prev_ctx;

-	if (!context_tracking_enabled())
+	if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_HAVE_CONTEXT_TRACKING_OFFSTACK) ||
+	    !context_tracking_enabled())
 		return 0;

 	prev_ctx = this_cpu_read(context_tracking.state);
@@ -63,7 +64,8 @@ static inline enum ctx_state exception_enter(void)

 static inline void exception_exit(enum ctx_state prev_ctx)
 {
-	if (context_tracking_enabled()) {
+	if (!IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_HAVE_CONTEXT_TRACKING_OFFSTACK) &&
+	    context_tracking_enabled()) {
 		if (prev_ctx != CONTEXT_KERNEL)
 			context_tracking_enter(prev_ctx);
 	}
-- 
2.25.1