linux-kernel - [PATCH 01/10] x86: Add a comment about the "magic" behind shadow sti before mwait

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Date:   Fri, 11 Aug 2023 19:00:40 +0200
From:   Frederic Weisbecker <frederic@...nel.org>
To:     LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Cc:     Frederic Weisbecker <frederic@...nel.org>,
        Peter Zijlstra <peterz@...radead.org>,
        "Rafael J . Wysocki" <rafael@...nel.org>,
        Daniel Lezcano <daniel.lezcano@...aro.org>,
        Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
        Anna-Maria Behnsen <anna-maria@...utronix.de>
Subject: [PATCH 01/10] x86: Add a comment about the "magic" behind shadow sti before mwait

Add a note to make sure we never miss and break the requirements behind
it.

Signed-off-by: Frederic Weisbecker <frederic@...nel.org>
---
 arch/x86/include/asm/mwait.h | 9 +++++++++
 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+)

diff --git a/arch/x86/include/asm/mwait.h b/arch/x86/include/asm/mwait.h
index 778df05f8539..341ee4f1d91e 100644
--- a/arch/x86/include/asm/mwait.h
+++ b/arch/x86/include/asm/mwait.h
@@ -87,6 +87,15 @@ static __always_inline void __mwaitx(unsigned long eax, unsigned long ebx,
 		     :: "a" (eax), "b" (ebx), "c" (ecx));
 }
 
+/*
+ * Re-enable interrupts right upon calling mwait in such a way that
+ * no interrupt can fire _before_ the execution of mwait, ie: no
+ * instruction must be placed between "sti" and "mwait".
+ *
+ * This is necessary because if an interrupt queues a timer before
+ * executing mwait, it would otherwise go unnoticed and the next tick
+ * would not be reprogrammed accordingly before mwait ever wakes up.
+ */
 static __always_inline void __sti_mwait(unsigned long eax, unsigned long ecx)
 {
 	mds_idle_clear_cpu_buffers();
-- 
2.34.1