Re: [RFC PATCH 02/16] x86/split_lock: Handle #AC exception for split lock in kernel mode

From: Thomas Gleixner
Date: Sat Jun 23 2018 - 05:09:39 EST


On Fri, 22 Jun 2018, Fenghua Yu wrote:
> On Fri, Jun 22, 2018 at 01:59:44PM +0200, Thomas Gleixner wrote:
> > On Fri, 22 Jun 2018, Thomas Gleixner wrote:
> > > The whole thing is simply:
> > >
> > > handle_ac()
> > > {
> > > if (user_mode(regs)) {
> > > do_trap(AC, SIGBUS, ...);
> > > } else {
> > > disable_ac_on_local_cpu();
> > > WARN_ONCE(1);
> > > }
> > > }
> > >
> > > That wants #AC enabled as early as possible so the kernel gets as much
> > > coverage as it can. If it trips in the kernel it's a bug and needs to be
> > > fixed and we can them fix ONE by ONE.
> >
> > That said, #AC is just yet another badly defined and hastily bolted on
> > (mis)feature. This should have been:
> >
> > Bit A: Enable #AC if CPL < 3
> > Bit B: Enable #AC if CPL == 3
> >
> > But that would have been too useful and would allow sensible use of #AC
> > without creating software trainwrecks.
> >
>
> The two bits would be ideal.

Correct. And if hardware people would not base their stuff on 'we expect'
assumptions and talk to us _before_ casting half baken features into
silicon, we would have two bits today.

Thanks,

tglx