Re: [PATCH 4/6] hw-breakpoints: Rewrite the hw-breakpoints layeron top of perf events

From: Jan Kiszka
Date: Tue Nov 03 2009 - 14:59:06 EST


Frederic Weisbecker wrote:
> diff --git a/arch/x86/kvm/x86.c b/arch/x86/kvm/x86.c
> index fc2974a..6560129 100644
> --- a/arch/x86/kvm/x86.c
> +++ b/arch/x86/kvm/x86.c
> @@ -42,6 +42,7 @@
> #define CREATE_TRACE_POINTS
> #include "trace.h"
>
> +#include <asm/debugreg.h>
> #include <asm/uaccess.h>
> #include <asm/msr.h>
> #include <asm/desc.h>
> @@ -3643,14 +3644,12 @@ static int vcpu_enter_guest(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu, struct kvm_run *kvm_run)
> trace_kvm_entry(vcpu->vcpu_id);
> kvm_x86_ops->run(vcpu, kvm_run);
>
> - if (unlikely(vcpu->arch.switch_db_regs || test_thread_flag(TIF_DEBUG))) {
> - set_debugreg(current->thread.debugreg[0], 0);
> - set_debugreg(current->thread.debugreg[1], 1);
> - set_debugreg(current->thread.debugreg[2], 2);
> - set_debugreg(current->thread.debugreg[3], 3);
> - set_debugreg(current->thread.debugreg6, 6);
> - set_debugreg(current->thread.debugreg7, 7);
> - }
> + /*
> + * CHECKME: is vcpu->arch.switch_db_regs sufficient to check
> + * if the guest is using breakpoints? If so we may want to do
> + * this check before.
> + */
> + hw_breakpoint_restore();

Obviously, this variant will make KVM users very unhappy. But trying to
reduce this performance regression via vcpu->arch.switch_db_regs will
make hw-breakpoint users unhappy: KVM leaves at least dr7 clobbered
behind, even if the guest does not use breakpoints.

We really need a replacement for TIF_DEBUG (but we only need this [1]).

Jan

[1]http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.emulators.kvm.devel/39784/focus=39827

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