netdev - Re: [Patch net] vsock: fix DMA cacheline overlap warning using coherent memory

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Message-ID: <aVGz39EoF5ScJfIP@pop-os.localdomain>
Date: Sun, 28 Dec 2025 14:49:03 -0800
From: Cong Wang <xiyou.wangcong@...il.com>
To: "Michael S. Tsirkin" <mst@...hat.com>
Cc: netdev@...r.kernel.org, virtualization@...ts.linux.dev,
	kvm@...r.kernel.org, Cong Wang <cwang@...tikernel.io>,
	Stefan Hajnoczi <stefanha@...hat.com>,
	Stefano Garzarella <sgarzare@...hat.com>
Subject: Re: [Patch net] vsock: fix DMA cacheline overlap warning using
 coherent memory

On Sun, Dec 28, 2025 at 02:31:36PM -0500, Michael S. Tsirkin wrote:
> On Sat, Dec 27, 2025 at 05:54:51PM -0800, Cong Wang wrote:
> > From: Cong Wang <cwang@...tikernel.io>
> > 
> > The virtio-vsock driver triggers a DMA debug warning during probe:
> > 
[...]
> > This occurs because event_list[8] contains 8 struct virtio_vsock_event
> > entries, each only 4 bytes (__le32 id). When virtio_vsock_event_fill()
> > creates DMA mappings for all 8 events via virtqueue_add_inbuf(), these
> > 32 bytes all fit within a single 64-byte cacheline.
> > 
> > The DMA debug subsystem warns about this because multiple DMA_FROM_DEVICE
> > mappings within the same cacheline can cause data corruption: if the CPU
> > writes to one event while the device is writing another event in the same
> > cacheline, the CPU cache writeback could overwrite device data.
> 
> But the CPU never writes into one of these, or did I miss anything?
> 
> The real issue is other data in the same cache line?

You are right, it is misleading.

The CPU never writes to the event buffers themselves, it only reads them
after the device writes. The problem is other struct fields in the same
cacheline.

I will update the commit message.

> 
> You want virtqueue_map_alloc_coherent/virtqueue_map_free_coherent
> methinks.
> 
> Then you can use normal inbuf/outbut and not muck around with premapped.
> 
> 
> I prefer keeping fancy premapped APIs for perf sensitive code,
> let virtio manage DMA API otherwise.

Yes, I was not aware of these API's, they are indeed better than using
DMA API's directly.

Thanks!
Cong