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From: Brian Gerst <brgerst@gmail.com>
To: Andi Kleen <andi@firstfloor.org>
Cc: "the arch/x86 maintainers" <x86@kernel.org>,
	Andy Lutomirski <luto@amacapital.net>,
	Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>,
	Andi Kleen <ak@linux.intel.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 4/9] x86: Enumerate kernel FSGS capability in AT_HWCAP2
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2016 14:49:44 -0400	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <CAMzpN2jBESkrGgZnVD4N-gHC_1-oRH+eXCCEkDpSGjHMzMTBzA@mail.gmail.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <1458576969-13309-5-git-send-email-andi@firstfloor.org>

On Mon, Mar 21, 2016 at 12:16 PM, Andi Kleen <andi@firstfloor.org> wrote:
> From: Andi Kleen <ak@linux.intel.com>
>
> The kernel needs to explicitely enable RD/WRFSBASE to handle context
> switch correctly. So the application needs to know if it can safely use
> these instruction. Just looking at the CPUID bit is not enough because it
> may be running in a kernel that does not enable the instructions.
>
> One way for the application would be to just try and catch the SIGILL.
> But that is difficult to do in libraries which may not want
> to overwrite the signal handlers of the main application.
>
> So we need to provide a way for the application to discover the kernel
> capability.
>
> I used AT_HWCAP2 in the ELF aux vector which is already used by
> PPC for similar things. We define a new Linux defined bitmap
> returned in AT_HWCAP.  Currently it has only one bit set,
> for kernel is FSGSBASE capable.
>
> The application can then access it manually or using
> the getauxval() function in newer glibc.

How about adding a VDSO function instead?  The VDSO can use
alternatives, so it can use the new instructions if supported, or else
use the old syscall.

--
Brian Gerst

  reply	other threads:[~2016-03-21 19:49 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 39+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2016-03-21 16:16 Updated version of RD/WR FS/GS BASE patchkit Andi Kleen
2016-03-21 16:16 ` [PATCH 1/9] x86: Add intrinsics/macros for new rd/wr fs/gs base instructions Andi Kleen
2016-03-21 18:14   ` Andy Lutomirski
2016-03-21 16:16 ` [PATCH 2/9] x86: Add support for rd/wr fs/gs base Andi Kleen
2016-03-21 18:13   ` Andy Lutomirski
2016-03-21 19:05     ` Andi Kleen
2016-03-21 19:22       ` Andy Lutomirski
2016-03-21 22:05     ` Andi Kleen
2016-03-21 22:08       ` Andy Lutomirski
2016-03-21 22:15         ` Andi Kleen
2016-03-22  8:36           ` Thomas Gleixner
2016-03-22 14:40           ` Brian Gerst
2016-04-15  0:06   ` Andy Lutomirski
2016-03-21 16:16 ` [PATCH 3/9] x86: Make old K8 swapgs workaround conditional Andi Kleen
2016-03-21 16:16 ` [PATCH 4/9] x86: Enumerate kernel FSGS capability in AT_HWCAP2 Andi Kleen
2016-03-21 18:49   ` Brian Gerst [this message]
2016-03-21 18:54     ` Andi Kleen
2016-03-21 19:32       ` Brian Gerst
2016-03-21 19:43         ` Andi Kleen
2016-03-21 22:10           ` Andy Lutomirski
2016-03-21 16:16 ` [PATCH 5/9] x86: Add documentation for rd/wr fs/gs base Andi Kleen
2016-03-23 19:14   ` Valdis.Kletnieks
2016-03-21 16:16 ` [PATCH 6/9] x86: Use rd/wr fs/gs base in arch_prctl Andi Kleen
2016-03-21 18:17   ` Andy Lutomirski
2016-03-21 16:16 ` [PATCH 7/9] x86: Add self test code for fsgsbase Andi Kleen
2016-03-21 16:16 ` [PATCH 8/9] x86: Support arbitrary fs/gs base in getregs Andi Kleen
2016-03-21 16:16 ` [PATCH 9/9] x86: Save FS/GS base in core dump Andi Kleen
2016-03-21 18:39 ` Updated version of RD/WR FS/GS BASE patchkit Andy Lutomirski
2016-03-21 19:03   ` Andi Kleen
2016-03-21 19:23     ` Andy Lutomirski
2016-03-21 19:40       ` Andi Kleen
2016-03-21 22:05         ` Andy Lutomirski
2016-03-21 22:11           ` Andi Kleen
2016-03-21 22:27             ` Andy Lutomirski
2016-03-21 22:41               ` Andi Kleen
2016-03-21 22:47                 ` Andy Lutomirski
2016-03-21 22:52                   ` Andi Kleen
2016-03-21 22:57                     ` Andy Lutomirski
2016-03-21 23:02                       ` Andi Kleen

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