Re: [PATCH RFC V4 5/5] Documentation/kvm : Add documentation on Hypercalls and features used for PV spinlock

From: Alexander Graf <agraf@suse.de>
To: Srivatsa Vaddagiri <vatsa@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
Cc: Jeremy Fitzhardinge <jeremy@goop.org>,
	Raghavendra K T <raghavendra.kt@linux.vnet.ibm.com>,
	linux-doc@vger.kernel.org, Peter Zijlstra <peterz@infradead.org>,
	Jan Kiszka <jan.kiszka@siemens.com>,
	Virtualization <virtualization@lists.linux-foundation.org>,
	Paul Mackerras <paulus@samba.org>,
	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@zytor.com>,
	Stefano Stabellini <stefano.stabellini@eu.citrix.com>,
	Xen <xen-devel@lists.xensource.com>,
	Dave Jiang <dave.jiang@intel.com>, KVM <kvm@vger.kernel.org>,
	Glauber Costa <glommer@redhat.com>, X86 <x86@kernel.org>,
	Ingo Molnar <mingo@redhat.com>, Avi Kivity <avi@redhat.com>,
	Rik van Riel <riel@redhat.com>,
	Konrad Rzeszutek Wilk <konrad.wilk@oracle.com>,
	Sasha Levin <levinsasha928@gmail.com>,
	Sedat Dilek <sedat.dilek@gmail.com>,
	Thomas Gleixner <tglx@linutronix.de>,
	Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@suse.de>,
	LKML <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>,
	Dave Hansen <dav
Subject: Re: [PATCH RFC V4 5/5] Documentation/kvm : Add documentation on Hypercalls and features used for PV spinlock
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:00:31 +0100	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <5E0038B3-3830-4668-B4BB-781976710ED1@suse.de> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20120116035114.GI9129@linux.vnet.ibm.com>

On 16.01.2012, at 04:51, Srivatsa Vaddagiri wrote:

> * Alexander Graf <agraf@suse.de> [2012-01-16 04:23:24]:
> 
>>> +5. KVM_HC_KICK_CPU
>>> +------------------------
>>> +value: 5
>>> +Architecture: x86
>>> +Purpose: Hypercall used to wakeup a vcpu from HLT state
>>> +
>>> +Usage example : A vcpu of a paravirtualized guest that is busywaiting in guest
>>> +kernel mode for an event to occur (ex: a spinlock to become available)
>>> +can execute HLT instruction once it has busy-waited for more than a
>>> +threshold time-interval. Execution of HLT instruction would cause
>>> +the hypervisor to put the vcpu to sleep (unless yield_on_hlt=0) until occurence
>>> +of an appropriate event. Another vcpu of the same guest can wakeup the sleeping
>>> +vcpu by issuing KVM_HC_KICK_CPU hypercall, specifying APIC ID of the vcpu to be
>>> +wokenup.
>> 
>> The description is way too specific. The hypercall basically gives the guest the ability to yield() its current vcpu to another chosen vcpu.
> 
> Hmm ..the hypercall does not allow a vcpu to yield. It just allows some
> target vcpu to be prodded/wokenup, after which vcpu continues execution.
> 
> Note that semantics of this hypercall is different from the hypercall on which
> PPC pv-spinlock (__spin_yield()) is currently dependent. This is mainly because 
> of ticketlocks on x86 (which does not allow us to easily store owning cpu
> details in lock word itself).

Yes, sorry for not being more exact in my wording. It is a directed yield(). Not like the normal old style thing that just says "I'm done, get some work to someone else" but more something like "I'm done, get some work to this specific guy over there" :).

Alex