Re: [RFC] [PATCH] cache pollution aware __copy_from_user_ll()

[Akira Tsukamoto]

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 14:10:34 +0900
Hiro Yoshioka <lkml.hyoshiok@xxxxxxxxx> mentioned:
> On 8/17/05, Akira Tsukamoto <akira-t@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > Anyway, going back to copy_user topic,
> > big remaining issues are
> >   1)store/restore floating point register (80/64bytes) twice every time by
> >      surrounding with kernel_fpu_begin()/kernel_fpu_end() is big penalty
> 
> I don't know. If nobody uses MMX/XMM, then there is no need
> to save and restore.

I think you are misunderstanding between
 1)lazy fpu save handling for user space task
 2)kernel_fpu_begin()/kernel_fpu_end() inside the kernel

> >   2)after pagefault not always come back to copy function and corrupts fp register
> 
> I'm trying to understand this mechanism but I don't
> understand very well.

My explanation was a bit ambiguous, see the code below. 
Where the fp register saved? It saves fp register *inside* task_struct,

static inline void kernel_fpu_begin(void)
+	if (tsk->flags & PF_USEDFPU) {
+		asm volatile("rex64 ; fxsave %0 ; fnclex"
+			       : "=m" (tsk->thread.i387.fxsave));

static inline void save_init_fpu( struct task_struct *tsk )
+	if ( cpu_has_fxsr ) {
+		asm volatile( "fxrstor %0"
+			      : : "m" (tsk->thread.i387.fxsave) );

What happens, during your copy function, if memory is not allocated and 
generates pagefualt and goto reclaim memories and go into task switch
and change to other task.

-- 
Akira Tsukamoto


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