Re: [PATCH RFC V10 15/18] kvm : Paravirtual ticketlocks support forlinux guests running on KVM hypervisor

From: Gleb Natapov
Date: Mon Jul 15 2013 - 06:38:02 EST


On Mon, Jul 15, 2013 at 03:20:06PM +0530, Raghavendra K T wrote:
> On 07/14/2013 06:42 PM, Gleb Natapov wrote:
> >On Mon, Jun 24, 2013 at 06:13:42PM +0530, Raghavendra K T wrote:
> >>kvm : Paravirtual ticketlocks support for linux guests running on KVM hypervisor
> >>
> >>From: Srivatsa Vaddagiri <vatsa@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >>
> trimming
> [...]
> >>+
> >>+static void kvm_lock_spinning(struct arch_spinlock *lock, __ticket_t want)
> >>+{
> >>+ struct kvm_lock_waiting *w;
> >>+ int cpu;
> >>+ u64 start;
> >>+ unsigned long flags;
> >>+
> >>+ w = &__get_cpu_var(lock_waiting);
> >>+ cpu = smp_processor_id();
> >>+ start = spin_time_start();
> >>+
> >>+ /*
> >>+ * Make sure an interrupt handler can't upset things in a
> >>+ * partially setup state.
> >>+ */
> >>+ local_irq_save(flags);
> >>+
> >>+ /*
> >>+ * The ordering protocol on this is that the "lock" pointer
> >>+ * may only be set non-NULL if the "want" ticket is correct.
> >>+ * If we're updating "want", we must first clear "lock".
> >>+ */
> >>+ w->lock = NULL;
> >>+ smp_wmb();
> >>+ w->want = want;
> >>+ smp_wmb();
> >>+ w->lock = lock;
> >>+
> >>+ add_stats(TAKEN_SLOW, 1);
> >>+
> >>+ /*
> >>+ * This uses set_bit, which is atomic but we should not rely on its
> >>+ * reordering gurantees. So barrier is needed after this call.
> >>+ */
> >>+ cpumask_set_cpu(cpu, &waiting_cpus);
> >>+
> >>+ barrier();
> >>+
> >>+ /*
> >>+ * Mark entry to slowpath before doing the pickup test to make
> >>+ * sure we don't deadlock with an unlocker.
> >>+ */
> >>+ __ticket_enter_slowpath(lock);
> >>+
> >>+ /*
> >>+ * check again make sure it didn't become free while
> >>+ * we weren't looking.
> >>+ */
> >>+ if (ACCESS_ONCE(lock->tickets.head) == want) {
> >>+ add_stats(TAKEN_SLOW_PICKUP, 1);
> >>+ goto out;
> >>+ }
> >>+
> >>+ /* Allow interrupts while blocked */
> >>+ local_irq_restore(flags);
> >>+
> >So what happens if an interrupt comes here and an interrupt handler
> >takes another spinlock that goes into the slow path? As far as I see
> >lock_waiting will become overwritten and cpu will be cleared from
> >waiting_cpus bitmap by nested kvm_lock_spinning(), so when halt is
> >called here after returning from the interrupt handler nobody is going
> >to wake this lock holder. Next random interrupt will "fix" it, but it
> >may be several milliseconds away, or never. We should probably check
> >if interrupt were enabled and call native_safe_halt() here.
> >
>
> Okay you mean something like below should be done.
> if irq_enabled()
> native_safe_halt()
> else
> halt()
>
> It is been a complex stuff for analysis for me.
>
> So in our discussion stack would looking like this.
>
> spinlock()
> kvm_lock_spinning()
> <------ interrupt here
> halt()
>
>
> From the halt if we trace
>
It is to early to trace the halt since it was not executed yet. Guest
stack trace will look something like this:

spinlock(a)
kvm_lock_spinning(a)
lock_waiting = a
set bit in waiting_cpus
<------ interrupt here
spinlock(b)
kvm_lock_spinning(b)
lock_waiting = b
set bit in waiting_cpus
halt()
unset bit in waiting_cpus
lock_waiting = NULL
----------> ret from interrupt
halt()

Now at the time of the last halt above lock_waiting == NULL and
waiting_cpus is empty and not interrupt it pending, so who will unhalt
the waiter?

> halt()
> kvm_vcpu_block()
> kvm_arch_vcpu_runnable())
> kvm_make_request(KVM_REQ_UNHALT)
>
> This would drive us out of halt handler, and we are fine when it
> happens since we would revisit kvm_lock_spinning.
>
> But I see that
>
> kvm_arch_vcpu_runnable() has this condition
> (kvm_arch_interrupt_allowed(vcpu) && kvm_cpu_has_interrupt(vcpu));
>
> which means that if we going process the interrupt here we would set
> KVM_REQ_UNHALT. and we are fine.
>
> But if we are in the situation kvm_arch_interrupt_allowed(vcpu) =
> true, but we already processed interrupt and
> kvm_cpu_has_interrupt(vcpu) is false, we have problem till next
> random interrupt.
>
> The confusing part to me is the case
> kvm_cpu_has_interrupt(vcpu)=false and irq
> already handled and overwritten the lock_waiting. can this
> situation happen? or is it that we will process the interrupt only
> after this point (kvm_vcpu_block). Because if that is the case we are
> fine.
kvm_vcpu_block has nothing to do with processing interrupt. All the code in kvm_arch_vcpu_runnable()
is just to make sure that interrupt unhalts vcpu if vcpu is already in
halt. Interrupts are injected as soon as they happen and CPU is in a
right state to receive them and it will be after local_irq_restore()
before halt. X86 inhibits interrupt till next instruction after sti to
solve exactly this kind of races. native_safe_halt() evaluates to "sti;
hlt" to make interrupt enablement and halt atomic with regards to
interrupts and NMIs.

>
> Please let me know.

--
Gleb.
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