Re: [PATCH] x86: extend coverage of HLE "bad page" workaround

["Roger Pau Monné" <roger.pau@citrix.com>]

On Tue, May 26, 2020 at 06:40:16PM +0200, Jan Beulich wrote:
> On 26.05.2020 17:01, Andrew Cooper wrote:
> > On 26/05/2020 14:35, Jan Beulich wrote:
> >> On 26.05.2020 13:17, Andrew Cooper wrote:
> >>> On 26/05/2020 07:49, Jan Beulich wrote:
> >>>> Respective Core Gen10 processor lines are affected, too.
> >>>>
> >>>> Signed-off-by: Jan Beulich <jbeulich@suse.com>
> >>>>
> >>>> --- a/xen/arch/x86/mm.c
> >>>> +++ b/xen/arch/x86/mm.c
> >>>> @@ -6045,6 +6045,8 @@ const struct platform_bad_page *__init g
> >>>>      case 0x000506e0: /* errata SKL167 / SKW159 */
> >>>>      case 0x000806e0: /* erratum KBL??? */
> >>>>      case 0x000906e0: /* errata KBL??? / KBW114 / CFW103 */
> >>>> +    case 0x000a0650: /* erratum Core Gen10 U/H/S 101 */
> >>>> +    case 0x000a0660: /* erratum Core Gen10 U/H/S 101 */
> >>> This is marred in complexity.
> >>>
> >>> The enumeration of MSR_TSX_CTRL (from the TAA fix, but architectural
> >>> moving forwards on any TSX-enabled CPU) includes a confirmation that HLE
> >>> no longer exists/works.  This applies to IceLake systems, but possibly
> >>> not their initial release configuration (hence, via a later microcode
> >>> update).
> >>>
> >>> HLE is also disabled in microcode on all older parts for errata reasons,
> >>> so in practice it doesn't exist anywhere now.
> >>>
> >>> I think it is safe to drop this workaround, and this does seem a more
> >>> simple option than encoding which microcode turned HLE off (which sadly
> >>> isn't covered by the spec updates, as even when turned off, HLE is still
> >>> functioning according to its spec of "may speed things up, may do
> >>> nothing"), or the interactions with the CPUID hiding capabilities of
> >>> MSR_TSX_CTRL.
> >> I'm afraid I don't fully follow: For one, does what you say imply HLE is
> >> no longer enumerated in CPUID?
> > 
> > No - sadly not.  For reasons of "not repeating the Haswell/Broadwell
> > microcode fiasco", the HLE bit will continue to exist and be set. 
> > (Although on CascadeLake and later, you can turn it off with MSR_TSX_CTRL.)
> > 
> > It was always a weird CPUID bit.  You were supposed to put
> > XACQUIRE/XRELEASE prefixes on your legacy locking, and it would be a nop
> > on old hardware and go faster on newer hardware.
> > 
> > There is nothing runtime code needs to look at the HLE bit for, except
> > perhaps for UI reporting purposes.
> 
> Do you know of some public Intel doc I could reference for all of this,
> which I would kind of need in the description of a patch ...
> 
> >> But then this
> >> erratum does not have the usual text effectively meaning that an ucode
> >> update is or will be available to address the issue; instead it says
> >> that BIOS or VMM can reserve the respective address range.
> > 
> > This is not surprising at all.  Turning off HLE was an unrelated
> > activity, and I bet the link went unnoticed.
> > 
> >> This - assuming the alternative you describe is indeed viable - then is surely
> >> a much more intrusive workaround than needed. Which I wouldn't assume
> >> they would suggest in such a case.
> > 
> > My suggestion was to drop the workaround, not to complicated it with a
> > microcode revision matrix.
> 
> ... doing this? I don't think I've seen any of this in writing so far,
> except by you. (I don't understand how this reply of yours relates to
> what I was saying about the spec update. I understand what you are
> suggesting. I merely tried to express that I'd have expected Intel to
> point out the much easier workaround, rather than just a pretty involved
> one.) Otherwise, may I suggest you make such a patch, to make sure it
> has an adequate description?

Seeing as there seems to be some data missing to justify the commit -
was has Linux done with those erratas?

Thanks, Roger.