linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] x86/hyperv/vtl: Replace real_mode

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Date:   Fri, 15 Sep 2023 04:32:58 -0700
From:   Saurabh Singh Sengar <ssengar@...ux.microsoft.com>
To:     Mathias Krause <minipli@...ecurity.net>
Cc:     linux-hyperv@...r.kernel.org,
        "K. Y. Srinivasan" <kys@...rosoft.com>,
        Haiyang Zhang <haiyangz@...rosoft.com>,
        Wei Liu <wei.liu@...nel.org>, Dexuan Cui <decui@...rosoft.com>,
        linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, stable@...nel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH] x86/hyperv/vtl: Replace real_mode_header only under
 Hyper-V

On Fri, Sep 15, 2023 at 09:06:15AM +0200, Mathias Krause wrote:
> On 13.09.23 07:27, Saurabh Singh Sengar wrote:
> > On Mon, Sep 11, 2023 at 10:00:59AM +0200, Mathias Krause wrote:
> >> On 08.09.23 17:02, Saurabh Singh Sengar wrote:
> >>> On Fri, Sep 08, 2023 at 12:26:10PM +0200, Mathias Krause wrote:
> >>>> Booting a CONFIG_HYPERV_VTL_MODE=y enabled kernel on bare metal or a
> >>>> non-Hyper-V hypervisor leads to serve memory corruption as
> >>>
> >>> FWIW, CONFIG_HYPERV_VTL_MODE is not expected to be enabled for non VTL
> >>> platforms.

<snip>

> 
> Well, if you want to prevent people from using it, make it depend on
> BROKEN, because that's what it is. All the other hypervisor support in
> the kernel (Xen, VMware, KVM, ACRN, Jailhouse, even plain Hyper-V) can
> perfectly cope with getting booted on a different hypervisor or bare
> metal. Why is Hyper-V's VTL mode such a special snow flake that it has
> to cause random memory corruption and, in turn, crash the kernel with
> spectacular (and undebugable) fireworks if it's not booted under Hyper-V?

'BROKEN' is certainly not the right choice here. If it is used on the
correct platform as it is designed to be nothing is broken.

The default option for CONFIG_HYPERV_VTL_MODE is set to 'N', there is
sufficient documentation for it as well. I agree there can be cases where
people can still end up enabling it, for that EXPERT is a reasonable
solution.

- Saurabh



> 
> Thanks,
> Mathias