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Message-ID: <cjmbfd5uexxzqzfzzwpgbehpyv7iqz6du4wfvwqnrenwlaaujs@42fhftddlgyx>
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2026 21:14:15 +0000
From: Yosry Ahmed <yosry.ahmed@...ux.dev>
To: Jim Mattson <jmattson@...gle.com>
Cc: Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@...hat.com>, Jonathan Corbet <corbet@....net>, 
	Sean Christopherson <seanjc@...gle.com>, Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...nel.org>, 
	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...hat.com>, Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>, 
	Dave Hansen <dave.hansen@...ux.intel.com>, x86@...nel.org, "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>, 
	kvm@...r.kernel.org, linux-doc@...r.kernel.org, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, 
	Josh Hilke <jrhilke@...gle.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v2] Introduce KVM_X86_QUIRK_VMCS12_FREEZE_IN_SMM_CC

On Thu, Feb 05, 2026 at 03:15:26PM -0800, Jim Mattson wrote:
> Add KVM_X86_QUIRK_VMCS12_FREEZE_IN_SMM_CC to allow L1 to set FREEZE_IN_SMM
> in vmcs12's GUEST_IA32_DEBUGCTL field, as permitted prior to
> commit 6b1dd26544d0 ("KVM: VMX: Preserve host's DEBUGCTLMSR_FREEZE_IN_SMM
> while running the guest").  The quirk is enabled by default for backwards
> compatibility; userspace can disable it via KVM_CAP_DISABLE_QUIRKS2 for
> consistency with the constraints on WRMSR(IA32_DEBUGCTL).
> 
> Note that the quirk only bypasses the consistency check. The vmcs02 bit is
> still owned by the host, and PMCs are not frozen during virtualized SMM.
> In particular, if a host administrator decides that PMCs should not be
> frozen during physical SMM, then L1 has no say in the matter.
> 
> Fixes: 095686e6fcb4 ("KVM: nVMX: Check vmcs12->guest_ia32_debugctl on nested VM-Enter")
> Signed-off-by: Jim Mattson <jmattson@...gle.com>
> ---
>  Documentation/virt/kvm/api.rst  | 10 ++++++++++
>  arch/x86/include/asm/kvm_host.h |  3 ++-
>  arch/x86/include/uapi/asm/kvm.h |  1 +
>  arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c       | 23 +++++++++++++++++++----
>  4 files changed, 32 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/Documentation/virt/kvm/api.rst b/Documentation/virt/kvm/api.rst
> index d04b4bdd60c1..325e565ff99e 100644
> --- a/Documentation/virt/kvm/api.rst
> +++ b/Documentation/virt/kvm/api.rst
> @@ -8482,6 +8482,16 @@ KVM_X86_QUIRK_IGNORE_GUEST_PAT      By default, on Intel platforms, KVM ignores
>                                      guest software, for example if it does not
>                                      expose a bochs graphics device (which is
>                                      known to have had a buggy driver).
> +
> +KVM_X86_QUIRK_VMCS12_FREEZE_IN_SMM_CC
> +				    By default, KVM relaxes the consistency
> +				    check for GUEST_IA32_DEBUGCTL in vmcb12

vmcs12*

> +				    to allow FREEZE_IN_SMM to be set.  When
> +				    this quirk is disabled, KVM requires
> +				    this bit to be cleared.  Note that the
> +				    vmcs02 bit is still completely
> +				    controlled by the host, regardless of
> +				    the quirk setting.
>  =================================== ============================================
>  
>  7.32 KVM_CAP_MAX_VCPU_ID
> diff --git a/arch/x86/include/asm/kvm_host.h b/arch/x86/include/asm/kvm_host.h
> index ff07c45e3c73..1669d4797f0b 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/include/asm/kvm_host.h
> +++ b/arch/x86/include/asm/kvm_host.h
> @@ -2485,7 +2485,8 @@ int memslot_rmap_alloc(struct kvm_memory_slot *slot, unsigned long npages);
>  	 KVM_X86_QUIRK_MWAIT_NEVER_UD_FAULTS |	\
>  	 KVM_X86_QUIRK_SLOT_ZAP_ALL |		\
>  	 KVM_X86_QUIRK_STUFF_FEATURE_MSRS |	\
> -	 KVM_X86_QUIRK_IGNORE_GUEST_PAT)
> +	 KVM_X86_QUIRK_IGNORE_GUEST_PAT |	\
> +	 KVM_X86_QUIRK_VMCS12_FREEZE_IN_SMM_CC)
>  
>  #define KVM_X86_CONDITIONAL_QUIRKS		\
>  	(KVM_X86_QUIRK_CD_NW_CLEARED |		\
> diff --git a/arch/x86/include/uapi/asm/kvm.h b/arch/x86/include/uapi/asm/kvm.h
> index 846a63215ce1..76128958bbca 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/include/uapi/asm/kvm.h
> +++ b/arch/x86/include/uapi/asm/kvm.h
> @@ -476,6 +476,7 @@ struct kvm_sync_regs {
>  #define KVM_X86_QUIRK_SLOT_ZAP_ALL		(1 << 7)
>  #define KVM_X86_QUIRK_STUFF_FEATURE_MSRS	(1 << 8)
>  #define KVM_X86_QUIRK_IGNORE_GUEST_PAT		(1 << 9)
> +#define KVM_X86_QUIRK_VMCS12_FREEZE_IN_SMM_CC	(1 << 10)
>  
>  #define KVM_STATE_NESTED_FORMAT_VMX	0
>  #define KVM_STATE_NESTED_FORMAT_SVM	1
> diff --git a/arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c b/arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c
> index 248635da6766..9bd29b9375fb 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c
> +++ b/arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c
> @@ -3300,10 +3300,25 @@ static int nested_vmx_check_guest_state(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu,
>  	if (CC(vmcs12->guest_cr4 & X86_CR4_CET && !(vmcs12->guest_cr0 & X86_CR0_WP)))
>  		return -EINVAL;
>  
> -	if ((vmcs12->vm_entry_controls & VM_ENTRY_LOAD_DEBUG_CONTROLS) &&
> -	    (CC(!kvm_dr7_valid(vmcs12->guest_dr7)) ||
> -	     CC(!vmx_is_valid_debugctl(vcpu, vmcs12->guest_ia32_debugctl, false))))
> -		return -EINVAL;
> +	if (vmcs12->vm_entry_controls & VM_ENTRY_LOAD_DEBUG_CONTROLS) {
> +		u64 debugctl = vmcs12->guest_ia32_debugctl;
> +
> +		/*
> +		 * FREEZE_IN_SMM is not virtualized, but allow L1 to set it
> +		 * in VMCB12's DEBUGCTL under a quirk for backwards

VMCS12's

> +		 * compatibility.  Note that the quirk only relaxes the
> +		 * consistency check. The vmcb02 bit is still under the

vmcs02

> +		 * control of the host. In particular, if a host
> +		 * administrator decides to clear the bit, then L1 has no
> +		 * say in the matter.
> +		 */
> +		if (kvm_check_has_quirk(vcpu->kvm, KVM_X86_QUIRK_VMCS12_FREEZE_IN_SMM_CC))
> +			debugctl &= ~DEBUGCTLMSR_FREEZE_IN_SMM;
> +
> +		if (CC(!kvm_dr7_valid(vmcs12->guest_dr7)) ||
> +		    CC(!vmx_is_valid_debugctl(vcpu, debugctl, false)))
> +			return -EINVAL;
> +	}
>  
>  	if ((vmcs12->vm_entry_controls & VM_ENTRY_LOAD_IA32_PAT) &&
>  	    CC(!kvm_pat_valid(vmcs12->guest_ia32_pat)))
> 
> base-commit: e944fe2c09f405a2e2d147145c9b470084bc4c9a
> -- 
> 2.53.0.rc2.204.g2597b5adb4-goog
> 

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