Re: [PATCH] x86/split_lock: Don't write MSR_TEST_CTRL on CPUs that aren't whitelisted

From: Xiaoyao Li
Date: Fri Jun 05 2020 - 22:51:26 EST


On 6/6/2020 3:26 AM, Sean Christopherson wrote:
Choo! Choo! All aboard the Split Lock Express, with direct service to
Wreckage!

Skip split_lock_verify_msr() if the CPU isn't whitelisted as a possible
SLD-enabled CPU model to avoid writing MSR_TEST_CTRL. MSR_TEST_CTRL
exists, and is writable, on many generations of CPUs. Writing the MSR,
even with '0', can result in bizarre, undocumented behavior.

This fixes a crash on Haswell when resuming from suspend with a live KVM
guest. Because APs use the standard SMP boot flow for resume, they will
go through split_lock_init() and the subsequent RDMSR/WRMSR sequence,
which runs even when sld_state==sld_off to ensure SLD is disabled. On
Haswell (at least, my Haswell), writing MSR_TEST_CTRL with '0' will
succeed and _may_ take the SMT _sibling_ out of VMX root mode.

When KVM has an active guest, KVM performs VMXON as part of CPU onlining
(see kvm_starting_cpu()). Because SMP boot is serialized, the resulting
flow is effectively:

on_each_ap_cpu() {
WRMSR(MSR_TEST_CTRL, 0)
VMXON
}

As a result, the WRMSR can disable VMX on a different CPU that has
already done VMXON. This ultimately results in a #UD on VMPTRLD when
KVM regains control and attempt run its vCPUs.

The above voodoo was confirmed by reworking KVM's VMXON flow to write
MSR_TEST_CTRL prior to VMXON, and to serialize the sequence as above.
Further verification of the insanity was done by redoing VMXON on all
APs after the initial WRMSR->VMXON sequence. The additional VMXON,
which should VM-Fail, occasionally succeeded, and also eliminated the
unexpected #UD on VMPTRLD.

The damage done by writing MSR_TEST_CTRL doesn't appear to be limited
to VMX, e.g. after suspend with an active KVM guest, subsequent reboots
almost always hang (even when fudging VMXON), a #UD on a random Jcc was
observed, suspend/resume stability is qualitatively poor, and so on and
so forth.


I'm wondering if all those side-effects of MSR_TEST_CTRL exist on CPUs have SLD feature, have you ever tested on a SLD capable CPU?