linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] cxl/pci: Fix disabling CXL memory for zero-based addressing

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2024 10:40:07 -0800
From: Dan Williams <dan.j.williams@...el.com>
To: Robert Richter <rrichter@....com>, Dan Williams <dan.j.williams@...el.com>
CC: Davidlohr Bueso <dave@...olabs.net>, Jonathan Cameron
	<jonathan.cameron@...wei.com>, Dave Jiang <dave.jiang@...el.com>, "Alison
 Schofield" <alison.schofield@...el.com>, Vishal Verma
	<vishal.l.verma@...el.com>, Ira Weiny <ira.weiny@...el.com>,
	<linux-cxl@...r.kernel.org>, <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] cxl/pci: Fix disabling CXL memory for zero-based
 addressing

Robert Richter wrote:
> Dan,
> 
> On 09.02.24 12:22:01, Dan Williams wrote:
> > Robert Richter wrote:
> 
> > > diff --git a/drivers/cxl/core/pci.c b/drivers/cxl/core/pci.c
> > > index 569354a5536f..3a36a2f0c94f 100644
> > > --- a/drivers/cxl/core/pci.c
> > > +++ b/drivers/cxl/core/pci.c
> > > @@ -466,6 +466,18 @@ int cxl_hdm_decode_init(struct cxl_dev_state *cxlds, struct cxl_hdm *cxlhdm,
> > >  	for (i = 0, allowed = 0; info->mem_enabled && i < info->ranges; i++) {
> > >  		struct device *cxld_dev;
> > >  
> > > +		/*
> > > +		 * Handle zero-based hardware addresses
> > > +		 */
> > > +		if (!info->dvsec_range[i].start &&
> > > +		    info->dvsec_range[i].end != CXL_RESOURCE_NONE &&
> > > +		    info->dvsec_range[i].end) {
> > > +			dev_dbg(dev, "Zero-based hardware range found [%#llx - %#llx]\n",
> > > +				info->dvsec_range[i].start, info->dvsec_range[i].end);
> > > +			allowed++;
> > > +			continue;
> > > +		}
> > > +
> > 
> > I am not comfortable with this. It should be checking a platform
> > specific quirk, or similar for the possibility of HPA != SPA. The
> > entirety of the Linux CXL subsystem is built on the assumption that HPA
> > == SPA, and if a platform wants to inject an offset between those Linux
> > needs some way to enumerate that it is running in that new world. Yes,
> > nothing in the CXL specification precludes HPA != SPA, but Linux has
> > long since shipped the opposite assumption.
> 
> this check prevents the memory from disabling an enabled decoder. So it
> just keeps everything as it comes out of firmware.
> 
> Can you explain the motivation why active memory is disabled?

It is a sanity check that Linux is operating in a CXL world that it
understands. The fundamental assumption is that the CFMWS correctly
conveys the CXL space, and that the HW decoder resources match platform
expectations match Linux resource management.

> This may take system memory offline and could lead to a kernel hang.

Yes, that is not an unreasonable result when Linux fundamental
assumptions are violated.

> The same could happen if the CEDT is broken or just missing (it is not
> mandatory for 1.1). Such systems just die when booting. So the check
> to take memory offline should be changed in a way that it will be safe
> to disable it.
> 
> A platform check would fix that only for certain systems.

I am not worried about platforms that accidentally break the CEDT, those
mistakes are typically caught pre-production. Otherwise, if the platform
is designed to break assumptions then Linux needs explicit enabling for
the address translation sitting between the endpoint and the platform
address map.