Re: [PATCH 2/2] KVM: SVM: Enable Virtual GIF feature

From: Radim Krcmar
Date: Wed Aug 16 2017 - 15:53:23 EST


2017-08-16 10:54-0500, Janakarajan Natarajan:
> Enable the Virtual GIF feature. This is done by setting bit 25 at position
> 60h in the vmcb.
>
> With this feature enabled, the processor uses bit 9 at position 60h as the
> virtual GIF when executing STGI/CLGI instructions.
>
> Since the execution of STGI by the L1 hypervisor does not cause a return to
> the outermost (L0) hypervisor, the enable_irq_window and enable_nmi_window
> are modified.
>
> The IRQ and NMI windows will be opened even if GIF is not set, under the
> assumption that on resuming the L1 hypervisor the IRQ and NMI will be
> held pending until the processor executes the STGI instruction.
>
> Signed-off-by: Janakarajan Natarajan <Janakarajan.Natarajan@xxxxxxx>
> ---
> diff --git a/arch/x86/kvm/svm.c b/arch/x86/kvm/svm.c
> @@ -4702,8 +4735,8 @@ static void enable_nmi_window(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
> == HF_NMI_MASK)
> return; /* IRET will cause a vm exit */
>
> - if ((svm->vcpu.arch.hflags & HF_GIF_MASK) == 0)
> - return; /* STGI will cause a vm exit */
> + if (!vgif_enabled(svm) && !gif_set(svm))
> + return; /* STGI will cause a vm exit or HW will set VGIF*/

Why don't we enable STGI interception to get notified that the window
has opened? (I doubt that single stepping would be faster ...)

Thanks.