[Q x86-64] on kernel_eflags

[Q x86-64] on kernel_eflags

[Cyrill Gorcunov]

While were looking into ret_from_fork code I somehow wondered
about the global kernel_eflags variable here.

arch/x86/cpu/common.c
---------------------
unsigned long kernel_eflags;

void __cpuinit cpu_init(void)
{
	...
	raw_local_save_flags(kernel_eflags);
}

arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
--------------------------
ENTRY(ret_from_fork)
	DEFAULT_FRAME
	LOCK ; btr $TIF_FORK,TI_flags(%r8)
	pushq_cfi kernel_eflags(%rip)
	popfq_cfi                               # reset kernel eflags

Every call to cpu_init renew global kernel_eflags
and every task switching does use this variable in a
sake of cleaning carry bit of flags register as far as
I can tell.

Should not every cpu has own copy of kernel_eflags? Just
to be consistent in style? Or this would be space waisting
and an optimization is done here?

	Cyrill

Re: [Q x86-64] on kernel_eflags

[Ian Campbell]

On Tue, 2011-07-05 at 14:47 +0400, Cyrill Gorcunov wrote:
> While were looking into ret_from_fork code I somehow wondered
> about the global kernel_eflags variable here.
> 
> arch/x86/cpu/common.c
> ---------------------
> unsigned long kernel_eflags;
> 
> void __cpuinit cpu_init(void)
> {
> 	...
> 	raw_local_save_flags(kernel_eflags);
> }
> 
> arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
> --------------------------
> ENTRY(ret_from_fork)
> 	DEFAULT_FRAME
> 	LOCK ; btr $TIF_FORK,TI_flags(%r8)
> 	pushq_cfi kernel_eflags(%rip)
> 	popfq_cfi                               # reset kernel eflags
> 
> Every call to cpu_init renew global kernel_eflags
> and every task switching does use this variable in a
> sake of cleaning carry bit of flags register as far as
> I can tell.
> 
> Should not every cpu has own copy of kernel_eflags? Just
> to be consistent in style? Or this would be space waisting
> and an optimization is done here?

I noticed this a while ago and couldn't figure out why it was done this
way. On 32-bit the initial EFLAGS is simply hardcoded and that seems to
make sense to me since it's not clear that the specific value of EFLAGS
at the point it is saved in cpu_init() has any particular meaning.

I posted http://lkml.org/lkml/2010/2/9/155 to switch to the hardcoded
version for 64 bit too. Is it worth my rebasing and reposting that?

(http://lkml.org/lkml/2010/2/9/152 and http://lkml.org/lkml/2010/2/9/154
were followon cleanups).

Ian.

-- 
Ian Campbell
Current Noise: Kylesa - Drop Out

"... all the modern inconveniences ..."
		-- Mark Twain

Re: [Q x86-64] on kernel_eflags

[Cyrill Gorcunov]

On Tue, Jul 05, 2011 at 12:00:56PM +0100, Ian Campbell wrote:
...
> 
> I posted http://lkml.org/lkml/2010/2/9/155 to switch to the hardcoded
> version for 64 bit too. Is it worth my rebasing and reposting that?

I think so.

	Cyrill

[PATCH 1/3] x86: drop unnecessary kernel_eflags variable from 64 bit.

[Ian Campbell]

For no reason that I can determine 64 bit x86 saves the current eflags
in cpu_init purely for use in ret_from_fork. The equivalent 32 bit
code simply hard codes 0x0202 as the new EFLAGS which seems safer than
relying on a potentially arbitrary EFLAGS saved during cpu_init.

Original i386 changeset
http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=commitdiff;h=47a5c6fa0e204a2b63309c648bb2fde36836c826
Original x86_64 changset
http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=commitdiff;h=658fdbef66e5e9be79b457edc2cbbb3add840aa9

The only comment in the later indicates that it is following the
former, but not why it differs in this way.

This change makes 64 bit use the same mechanism to setup the initial
EFLAGS on fork. Note that 64 bit resets EFLAGS before calling
schedule_tail() as opposed to 32 bit which calls schedule_tail()
first. Therefore the correct value for EFLAGS has opposite IF
bit. This will be fixed in a subsequent patch.

Signed-off-by: Ian Campbell <ian.campbell@citrix.com>
Cc: x86@kernel.org
---
 arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c |    4 ----
 arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S   |    2 +-
 2 files changed, 1 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c
index 22a073d..178c3b4 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c
@@ -1077,8 +1077,6 @@ void syscall_init(void)
 	       X86_EFLAGS_TF|X86_EFLAGS_DF|X86_EFLAGS_IF|X86_EFLAGS_IOPL);
 }
 
-unsigned long kernel_eflags;
-
 /*
  * Copies of the original ist values from the tss are only accessed during
  * debugging, no special alignment required.
@@ -1231,8 +1229,6 @@ void __cpuinit cpu_init(void)
 	fpu_init();
 	xsave_init();
 
-	raw_local_save_flags(kernel_eflags);
-
 	if (is_uv_system())
 		uv_cpu_init();
 }
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
index e13329d..b50d142 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
@@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ ENTRY(ret_from_fork)
 
 	LOCK ; btr $TIF_FORK,TI_flags(%r8)
 
-	pushq_cfi kernel_eflags(%rip)
+	pushq_cfi $0x0002
 	popfq_cfi				# reset kernel eflags
 
 	call schedule_tail			# rdi: 'prev' task parameter
-- 
1.7.2.5

Re: [PATCH 1/3] x86: drop unnecessary kernel_eflags variable from 64 bit.

[Cyrill Gorcunov]

On Tue, Jul 05, 2011 at 02:00:12PM +0100, Ian Campbell wrote:
> For no reason that I can determine 64 bit x86 saves the current eflags
> in cpu_init purely for use in ret_from_fork. The equivalent 32 bit
> code simply hard codes 0x0202 as the new EFLAGS which seems safer than
> relying on a potentially arbitrary EFLAGS saved during cpu_init.
> 
> Original i386 changeset
> http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=commitdiff;h=47a5c6fa0e204a2b63309c648bb2fde36836c826
> Original x86_64 changset
> http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=commitdiff;h=658fdbef66e5e9be79b457edc2cbbb3add840aa9
> 
> The only comment in the later indicates that it is following the
> former, but not why it differs in this way.
> 
> This change makes 64 bit use the same mechanism to setup the initial
> EFLAGS on fork. Note that 64 bit resets EFLAGS before calling
> schedule_tail() as opposed to 32 bit which calls schedule_tail()
> first. Therefore the correct value for EFLAGS has opposite IF
> bit. This will be fixed in a subsequent patch.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Ian Campbell <ian.campbell@citrix.com>
> Cc: x86@kernel.org

The whole series looks good to me, thanks Ian! I hope I don't
miss anything, so lets wait for more feedback ;)

	Cyrill

Re: [PATCH 1/3] x86: drop unnecessary kernel_eflags variable from 64 bit.

[Ian Campbell]

On Tue, 2011-07-05 at 17:28 +0400, Cyrill Gorcunov wrote:
> On Tue, Jul 05, 2011 at 02:00:12PM +0100, Ian Campbell wrote:
> > For no reason that I can determine 64 bit x86 saves the current eflags
> > in cpu_init purely for use in ret_from_fork. The equivalent 32 bit
> > code simply hard codes 0x0202 as the new EFLAGS which seems safer than
> > relying on a potentially arbitrary EFLAGS saved during cpu_init.
> > 
> > Original i386 changeset
> > http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=commitdiff;h=47a5c6fa0e204a2b63309c648bb2fde36836c826
> > Original x86_64 changset
> > http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=commitdiff;h=658fdbef66e5e9be79b457edc2cbbb3add840aa9
> > 
> > The only comment in the later indicates that it is following the
> > former, but not why it differs in this way.
> > 
> > This change makes 64 bit use the same mechanism to setup the initial
> > EFLAGS on fork. Note that 64 bit resets EFLAGS before calling
> > schedule_tail() as opposed to 32 bit which calls schedule_tail()
> > first. Therefore the correct value for EFLAGS has opposite IF
> > bit. This will be fixed in a subsequent patch.
> > 
> > Signed-off-by: Ian Campbell <ian.campbell@citrix.com>
> > Cc: x86@kernel.org
> 
> The whole series looks good to me, thanks Ian! I hope I don't
> miss anything, so lets wait for more feedback ;)

Thanks. Actually I missed the extern declaration in asm/processor.h so
this updated patch should be used instead:

8<-----------------------------------------------

>From a450bf9e1c6e3f436c652b3e4d63b50c1f9848d4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Ian Campbell <ian.campbell@citrix.com>
Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2011 10:24:46 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] x86: drop unnecessary kernel_eflags variable from 64 bit.

For no reason that I can determine 64 bit x86 saves the current eflags
in cpu_init purely for use in ret_from_fork. The equivalent 32 bit
code simply hard codes 0x0202 as the new EFLAGS which seems safer than
relying on a potentially arbitrary EFLAGS saved during cpu_init.

Original i386 changeset
http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=commitdiff;h=47a5c6fa0e204a2b63309c648bb2fde36836c826
Original x86_64 changset
http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=commitdiff;h=658fdbef66e5e9be79b457edc2cbbb3add840aa9

The only comment in the later indicates that it is following the
former, but not why it differs in this way.

This change makes 64 bit use the same mechanism to setup the initial
EFLAGS on fork. Note that 64 bit resets EFLAGS before calling
schedule_tail() as opposed to 32 bit which calls schedule_tail()
first. Therefore the correct value for EFLAGS has opposite IF
bit. This will be fixed in a subsequent patch.

Signed-off-by: Ian Campbell <ian.campbell@citrix.com>
Cc: x86@kernel.org
---
 arch/x86/include/asm/processor.h |    1 -
 arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c     |    4 ----
 arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S       |    2 +-
 3 files changed, 1 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/include/asm/processor.h b/arch/x86/include/asm/processor.h
index 2193715..698af88 100644
--- a/arch/x86/include/asm/processor.h
+++ b/arch/x86/include/asm/processor.h
@@ -398,7 +398,6 @@ DECLARE_INIT_PER_CPU(irq_stack_union);
 
 DECLARE_PER_CPU(char *, irq_stack_ptr);
 DECLARE_PER_CPU(unsigned int, irq_count);
-extern unsigned long kernel_eflags;
 extern asmlinkage void ignore_sysret(void);
 #else	/* X86_64 */
 #ifdef CONFIG_CC_STACKPROTECTOR
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c
index 22a073d..178c3b4 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c
@@ -1077,8 +1077,6 @@ void syscall_init(void)
 	       X86_EFLAGS_TF|X86_EFLAGS_DF|X86_EFLAGS_IF|X86_EFLAGS_IOPL);
 }
 
-unsigned long kernel_eflags;
-
 /*
  * Copies of the original ist values from the tss are only accessed during
  * debugging, no special alignment required.
@@ -1231,8 +1229,6 @@ void __cpuinit cpu_init(void)
 	fpu_init();
 	xsave_init();
 
-	raw_local_save_flags(kernel_eflags);
-
 	if (is_uv_system())
 		uv_cpu_init();
 }
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
index e13329d..b50d142 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
@@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ ENTRY(ret_from_fork)
 
 	LOCK ; btr $TIF_FORK,TI_flags(%r8)
 
-	pushq_cfi kernel_eflags(%rip)
+	pushq_cfi $0x0002
 	popfq_cfi				# reset kernel eflags
 
 	call schedule_tail			# rdi: 'prev' task parameter
-- 
1.7.2.5

Re: [PATCH 1/3] x86: drop unnecessary kernel_eflags variable from 64 bit.

[Cyrill Gorcunov]

On Wed, Jul 06, 2011 at 10:25:29AM +0100, Ian Campbell wrote:
...
> > 
> > The whole series looks good to me, thanks Ian! I hope I don't
> > miss anything, so lets wait for more feedback ;)
> 
> Thanks. Actually I missed the extern declaration in asm/processor.h so
> this updated patch should be used instead:
> 

Great, thanks Ian. Have you a chance to run this series? ;)

	Cyrill

Re: [PATCH 1/3] x86: drop unnecessary kernel_eflags variable from 64 bit.

[Ian Campbell]

On Wed, 2011-07-06 at 10:46 +0100, Cyrill Gorcunov wrote:
> On Wed, Jul 06, 2011 at 10:25:29AM +0100, Ian Campbell wrote:
> ...
> > > 
> > > The whole series looks good to me, thanks Ian! I hope I don't
> > > miss anything, so lets wait for more feedback ;)
> > 
> > Thanks. Actually I missed the extern declaration in asm/processor.h so
> > this updated patch should be used instead:
> > 
> 
> Great, thanks Ian. Have you a chance to run this series? ;)

Yeah I booted it before I posted it. I figured that the initscripts etc
would be a sufficient test of fork() and that if it were wrong it would
fall over pretty quickly and obviously.

Ian.

Re: [PATCH 1/3] x86: drop unnecessary kernel_eflags variable from 64 bit.

[Cyrill Gorcunov]

On Wed, Jul 06, 2011 at 10:57:05AM +0100, Ian Campbell wrote:
> On Wed, 2011-07-06 at 10:46 +0100, Cyrill Gorcunov wrote:
> > On Wed, Jul 06, 2011 at 10:25:29AM +0100, Ian Campbell wrote:
> > ...
> > > > 
> > > > The whole series looks good to me, thanks Ian! I hope I don't
> > > > miss anything, so lets wait for more feedback ;)
> > > 
> > > Thanks. Actually I missed the extern declaration in asm/processor.h so
> > > this updated patch should be used instead:
> > > 
> > 
> > Great, thanks Ian. Have you a chance to run this series? ;)
> 
> Yeah I booted it before I posted it. I figured that the initscripts etc
> would be a sufficient test of fork() and that if it were wrong it would
> fall over pretty quickly and obviously.
> 
> Ian.
> 

OK, thanks!

	Cyrill

Re: [PATCH 1/3] x86: drop unnecessary kernel_eflags variable from 64 bit.

[Pekka Enberg]

On Tue, Jul 5, 2011 at 4:00 PM, Ian Campbell <ian.campbell@citrix.com> wrote:
> For no reason that I can determine 64 bit x86 saves the current eflags
> in cpu_init purely for use in ret_from_fork. The equivalent 32 bit
> code simply hard codes 0x0202 as the new EFLAGS which seems safer than
> relying on a potentially arbitrary EFLAGS saved during cpu_init.
>
> Original i386 changeset
> http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=commitdiff;h=47a5c6fa0e204a2b63309c648bb2fde36836c826
> Original x86_64 changset
> http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=commitdiff;h=658fdbef66e5e9be79b457edc2cbbb3add840aa9
>
> The only comment in the later indicates that it is following the
> former, but not why it differs in this way.

Well lets ask Linus and Andi?

> This change makes 64 bit use the same mechanism to setup the initial
> EFLAGS on fork. Note that 64 bit resets EFLAGS before calling
> schedule_tail() as opposed to 32 bit which calls schedule_tail()
> first. Therefore the correct value for EFLAGS has opposite IF
> bit. This will be fixed in a subsequent patch.
>
> Signed-off-by: Ian Campbell <ian.campbell@citrix.com>
> Cc: x86@kernel.org
> ---
>  arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c |    4 ----
>  arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S   |    2 +-
>  2 files changed, 1 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c
> index 22a073d..178c3b4 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c
> +++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c
> @@ -1077,8 +1077,6 @@ void syscall_init(void)
>               X86_EFLAGS_TF|X86_EFLAGS_DF|X86_EFLAGS_IF|X86_EFLAGS_IOPL);
>  }
>
> -unsigned long kernel_eflags;
> -
>  /*
>  * Copies of the original ist values from the tss are only accessed during
>  * debugging, no special alignment required.
> @@ -1231,8 +1229,6 @@ void __cpuinit cpu_init(void)
>        fpu_init();
>        xsave_init();
>
> -       raw_local_save_flags(kernel_eflags);
> -
>        if (is_uv_system())
>                uv_cpu_init();
>  }
> diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
> index e13329d..b50d142 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
> +++ b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
> @@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ ENTRY(ret_from_fork)
>
>        LOCK ; btr $TIF_FORK,TI_flags(%r8)
>
> -       pushq_cfi kernel_eflags(%rip)
> +       pushq_cfi $0x0002
>        popfq_cfi                               # reset kernel eflags
>
>        call schedule_tail                      # rdi: 'prev' task parameter

Re: [PATCH 1/3] x86: drop unnecessary kernel_eflags variable from 64 bit.

[Andi Kleen]

> Well lets ask Linus and Andi?

The original idea was that if someone extends EFLAGS with new bits
the BIOS could set them.  Strictly said the Intel Manual 
specifies that ("reserved bits -- always set to values previously read")
 
But that never really worked out and I don't think anyone
would dare extending it now.  So hardcoding is fine I guess.

-Andi

Re: [PATCH 1/3] x86: drop unnecessary kernel_eflags variable from 64 bit.

[H. Peter Anvin]

On 07/06/2011 04:17 PM, Andi Kleen wrote:
>> Well lets ask Linus and Andi?
> 
> The original idea was that if someone extends EFLAGS with new bits
> the BIOS could set them.  Strictly said the Intel Manual 
> specifies that ("reserved bits -- always set to values previously read")
>  
> But that never really worked out and I don't think anyone
> would dare extending it now.  So hardcoding is fine I guess.
> 

We already clear any undefined flags almost as soon as we enter the
kernel... and quite rightly so, because there are BIOSes which leave
random crap in the flags.

It is very different from what an *application* should do in this case,
however.

	-hpa

[PATCH 2/3] x86: make 64 bit ret_from_fork a little more similar to 32 bit

[Ian Campbell]

The 64 bit version resets EFLAGS before calling schedule_tail() and
therefore leaves EFLAGS.IF clear. 32 bit resets EFLAGS after calling
schedule_tail() and therefore leaves EFLAGS.IF set. I don't think
there is any practical difference between the two approaches since
interrupts are actually reenabled within schedule_tail
(schedule_tail->finish_task_switch->finish_lock_switch->raw_spin_unlock_irq->...->local_irq_enable)
so arbitrarily pick the 32 bit version and make 64 bit look like that.

Signed-off-by: Ian Campbell <ian.campbell@citrix.com>
Cc: x86@kernel.org
---
 arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S |    7 ++++---
 1 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
index b50d142..9c28bd5 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
@@ -394,13 +394,14 @@ END(save_paranoid)
 ENTRY(ret_from_fork)
 	DEFAULT_FRAME
 
-	LOCK ; btr $TIF_FORK,TI_flags(%r8)
 
-	pushq_cfi $0x0002
-	popfq_cfi				# reset kernel eflags
+	LOCK ; btr $TIF_FORK,TI_flags(%r8)
 
 	call schedule_tail			# rdi: 'prev' task parameter
 
+	pushq_cfi $0x0202
+	popfq_cfi				# reset kernel eflags
+
 	GET_THREAD_INFO(%rcx)
 
 	RESTORE_REST
-- 
1.7.2.5

Re: [PATCH 2/3] x86: make 64 bit ret_from_fork a little more similar to 32 bit

[Pekka Enberg]

On Tue, Jul 5, 2011 at 4:00 PM, Ian Campbell <ian.campbell@citrix.com> wrote:
> The 64 bit version resets EFLAGS before calling schedule_tail() and
> therefore leaves EFLAGS.IF clear. 32 bit resets EFLAGS after calling
> schedule_tail() and therefore leaves EFLAGS.IF set. I don't think
> there is any practical difference between the two approaches since
> interrupts are actually reenabled within schedule_tail
> (schedule_tail->finish_task_switch->finish_lock_switch->raw_spin_unlock_irq->...->local_irq_enable)
> so arbitrarily pick the 32 bit version and make 64 bit look like that.
>
> Signed-off-by: Ian Campbell <ian.campbell@citrix.com>
> Cc: x86@kernel.org

Reviewed-by: Pekka Enberg <penberg@kernel.org>

[PATCH 3/3] x86: ret_from_fork: use symbolic contants for bits in EFLAGS

[Ian Campbell]

Signed-off-by: Ian Campbell <ian.campbell@citrix.com>
Cc: x86@kernel.org
---
 arch/x86/kernel/entry_32.S |    2 +-
 arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S |    2 +-
 2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_32.S b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_32.S
index 5c1a9197..f032530 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_32.S
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_32.S
@@ -303,7 +303,7 @@ ENTRY(ret_from_fork)
 	call schedule_tail
 	GET_THREAD_INFO(%ebp)
 	popl_cfi %eax
-	pushl_cfi $0x0202		# Reset kernel eflags
+	pushl_cfi $(X86_EFLAGS_IF|0x2)	# Reset kernel eflags
 	popfl_cfi
 	jmp syscall_exit
 	CFI_ENDPROC
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
index 9c28bd5..4c76abf 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
@@ -399,7 +399,7 @@ ENTRY(ret_from_fork)
 
 	call schedule_tail			# rdi: 'prev' task parameter
 
-	pushq_cfi $0x0202
+	pushq_cfi $(X86_EFLAGS_IF|0x2)
 	popfq_cfi				# reset kernel eflags
 
 	GET_THREAD_INFO(%rcx)
-- 
1.7.2.5

Re: [PATCH 3/3] x86: ret_from_fork: use symbolic contants for bits in EFLAGS

[Pekka Enberg]

On Tue, Jul 5, 2011 at 4:00 PM, Ian Campbell <ian.campbell@citrix.com> wrote:
> Signed-off-by: Ian Campbell <ian.campbell@citrix.com>
> Cc: x86@kernel.org
> ---
>  arch/x86/kernel/entry_32.S |    2 +-
>  arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S |    2 +-
>  2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_32.S b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_32.S
> index 5c1a9197..f032530 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_32.S
> +++ b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_32.S
> @@ -303,7 +303,7 @@ ENTRY(ret_from_fork)
>        call schedule_tail
>        GET_THREAD_INFO(%ebp)
>        popl_cfi %eax
> -       pushl_cfi $0x0202               # Reset kernel eflags
> +       pushl_cfi $(X86_EFLAGS_IF|0x2)  # Reset kernel eflags
>        popfl_cfi
>        jmp syscall_exit
>        CFI_ENDPROC
> diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
> index 9c28bd5..4c76abf 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
> +++ b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
> @@ -399,7 +399,7 @@ ENTRY(ret_from_fork)
>
>        call schedule_tail                      # rdi: 'prev' task parameter
>
> -       pushq_cfi $0x0202
> +       pushq_cfi $(X86_EFLAGS_IF|0x2)
>        popfq_cfi                               # reset kernel eflags
>
>        GET_THREAD_INFO(%rcx)

Reviewed-by: Pekka Enberg <penberg@kernel.org>

Re: [Q x86-64] on kernel_eflags

[H. Peter Anvin]

On 07/05/2011 03:47 AM, Cyrill Gorcunov wrote:
> 
> Should not every cpu has own copy of kernel_eflags? Just
> to be consistent in style? Or this would be space waisting
> and an optimization is done here?
> 

Not specific to this particular case, but in general: a shared variable
that used often but rarely written to will automatically replicate
itself in the caches of multiple processors.  This is the purpose of the
read_mostly segment (writes are permitted but expected to be rare),
which exists to make sure that a frequently written variable doesn't
randomly end up in the cache line next to a read-mostly variable.

	-hpa

-- 
H. Peter Anvin, Intel Open Source Technology Center
I work for Intel.  I don't speak on their behalf.

Re: [Q x86-64] on kernel_eflags

[Cyrill Gorcunov]

On Tue, Jul 05, 2011 at 10:47:10AM -0700, H. Peter Anvin wrote:
> On 07/05/2011 03:47 AM, Cyrill Gorcunov wrote:
> > 
> > Should not every cpu has own copy of kernel_eflags? Just
> > to be consistent in style? Or this would be space waisting
> > and an optimization is done here?
> > 
> 
> Not specific to this particular case, but in general: a shared variable
> that used often but rarely written to will automatically replicate
> itself in the caches of multiple processors.  This is the purpose of the
> read_mostly segment (writes are permitted but expected to be rare),
> which exists to make sure that a frequently written variable doesn't
> randomly end up in the cache line next to a read-mostly variable.
> 
> 	-hpa
> 

yeah, thanks peter!

	Cyrill

Re: [Q x86-64] on kernel_eflags

[Ian Campbell]

On Tue, 2011-07-05 at 10:47 -0700, H. Peter Anvin wrote:
> On 07/05/2011 03:47 AM, Cyrill Gorcunov wrote:
> > 
> > Should not every cpu has own copy of kernel_eflags? Just
> > to be consistent in style? Or this would be space waisting
> > and an optimization is done here?
> > 
> 
> Not specific to this particular case, but in general: a shared variable
> that used often but rarely written to will automatically replicate
> itself in the caches of multiple processors.  This is the purpose of the
> read_mostly segment (writes are permitted but expected to be rare),
> which exists to make sure that a frequently written variable doesn't
> randomly end up in the cache line next to a read-mostly variable.

FWIW the variable in this particular case isn't actually marked as
__read_mostly...

Ian.
-- 
Ian Campbell

* Simunye is on a oc3->oc12
 simmy: bite me. :)
 daemon: okay :)

[PATCH 0/3] minor cleanups to EFLAGS initialisation in ret_from_fork

[Ian Campbell]

The following series removes the use of a global kernel_eflags variable
from the x86_64 ret_from_fork path and (very slightly) merges the 32 and
64 bit version of that code path.

kernel_eflags could be made a __read_mostly but actually there is no
reason to prefer the value at cpu_init() time to a compile time constant
value for the initial eflags after a fork.

Ian.

[PATCH 1/3] x86: drop unnecessary kernel_eflags variable from 64 bit.

[Ian Campbell]

On 64 bit x86 we save the current eflags in cpu_init for use in ret_from_fork.
Strictly speaking reserved bits in EFLAGS should be read as written but in
practise it is unlikely that EFLAGS could ever be extended in this way and the
kernel alread clears any undefined flags early on

The equivalent 32 bit code simply hard codes 0x0202 as the new EFLAGS (fixed to
use symbolic constants in a subsequent patch).

This change makes 64 bit use the same mechanism to setup the initial EFLAGS on
fork. Note that 64 bit resets EFLAGS before calling schedule_tail() as opposed
to 32 bit which calls schedule_tail() first. Therefore the correct value for
EFLAGS has opposite IF bit. This will be fixed in a subsequent patch.

Signed-off-by: Ian Campbell <ian.campbell@citrix.com>
Acked-by: Cyrill Gorcunov <gorcunov@gmail.com>
Cc: x86@kernel.org
---
 arch/x86/include/asm/processor.h |    1 -
 arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c     |    4 ----
 arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S       |    2 +-
 3 files changed, 1 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/include/asm/processor.h b/arch/x86/include/asm/processor.h
index 2193715..698af88 100644
--- a/arch/x86/include/asm/processor.h
+++ b/arch/x86/include/asm/processor.h
@@ -398,7 +398,6 @@ DECLARE_INIT_PER_CPU(irq_stack_union);
 
 DECLARE_PER_CPU(char *, irq_stack_ptr);
 DECLARE_PER_CPU(unsigned int, irq_count);
-extern unsigned long kernel_eflags;
 extern asmlinkage void ignore_sysret(void);
 #else	/* X86_64 */
 #ifdef CONFIG_CC_STACKPROTECTOR
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c
index 22a073d..178c3b4 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c
@@ -1077,8 +1077,6 @@ void syscall_init(void)
 	       X86_EFLAGS_TF|X86_EFLAGS_DF|X86_EFLAGS_IF|X86_EFLAGS_IOPL);
 }
 
-unsigned long kernel_eflags;
-
 /*
  * Copies of the original ist values from the tss are only accessed during
  * debugging, no special alignment required.
@@ -1231,8 +1229,6 @@ void __cpuinit cpu_init(void)
 	fpu_init();
 	xsave_init();
 
-	raw_local_save_flags(kernel_eflags);
-
 	if (is_uv_system())
 		uv_cpu_init();
 }
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
index e13329d..b50d142 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
@@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ ENTRY(ret_from_fork)
 
 	LOCK ; btr $TIF_FORK,TI_flags(%r8)
 
-	pushq_cfi kernel_eflags(%rip)
+	pushq_cfi $0x0002
 	popfq_cfi				# reset kernel eflags
 
 	call schedule_tail			# rdi: 'prev' task parameter
-- 
1.7.2.5

[PATCH 0/3] x86: slightly unify ret_from_fork

[Ian Campbell]

I came across some minor differences between the 32 and 64 bit
implementations of ret_from_fork. Although I don't expect this is code
which can realistically be completely unified there seemed to be some
value in making the two look a bit more similar.

Signed-off-by: Ian Campbell <ian.campbell@citrix.com>
Cc: x86@kernel.org

[PATCH 1/3] x86: drop unnecessary kernel_eflags variable from 64 bit.

[Ian Campbell]

For no reason that I can determine 64 bit x86 saves the current eflags
in cpu_init purely for use in ret_from_fork. The equivalent 32 bit
code simply hard codes 0x0202 as the new EFLAGS which seems safer than
relying on a potentially arbitrary EFLAGS saved during cpu_init.

Original i386 changeset
http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=commitdiff;h=47a5c6fa0e204a2b63309c648bb2fde36836c826
Original x86_64 changset
http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=commitdiff;h=658fdbef66e5e9be79b457edc2cbbb3add840aa9

The only comment in the later indicates that it is following the
former, but not why it differs in this way.

This change makes 64 bit use the same mechanism to setup the initial
EFLAGS on fork. Note that 64 bit resets EFLAGS before calling
schedule_tail() as opposed to 32 bit which calls schedule_tail()
first. Therefore the correct value for EFLAGS has opposite IF
bit. This will be fixed in a subsequent patch.

Signed-off-by: Ian Campbell <ian.campbell@citrix.com>
Cc: x86@kernel.org
---
 arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c |    4 ----
 arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S   |    2 +-
 2 files changed, 1 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c
index 4868e4a..ab766b2 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/common.c
@@ -1040,8 +1040,6 @@ void syscall_init(void)
 	       X86_EFLAGS_TF|X86_EFLAGS_DF|X86_EFLAGS_IF|X86_EFLAGS_IOPL);
 }
 
-unsigned long kernel_eflags;
-
 /*
  * Copies of the original ist values from the tss are only accessed during
  * debugging, no special alignment required.
@@ -1189,8 +1187,6 @@ void __cpuinit cpu_init(void)
 
 	fpu_init();
 
-	raw_local_save_flags(kernel_eflags);
-
 	if (is_uv_system())
 		uv_cpu_init();
 }
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
index 0697ff1..18e4c59 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/entry_64.S
@@ -398,7 +398,7 @@ ENTRY(ret_from_fork)
 
 	LOCK ; btr $TIF_FORK,TI_flags(%r8)
 
-	push kernel_eflags(%rip)
+	push $0x0002
 	CFI_ADJUST_CFA_OFFSET 8
 	popf					# reset kernel eflags
 	CFI_ADJUST_CFA_OFFSET -8
-- 
1.5.6.5