Re: [PATCH] KVM: race-free exit from KVM_RUN without POSIX signals

[Christian Borntraeger]

On 02/15/2017 03:43 PM, Paolo Bonzini wrote:
> The purpose of the KVM_SET_SIGNAL_MASK API is to let userspace "kick"
> a VCPU out of KVM_RUN through a POSIX signal.  A signal is attached
> to a dummy signal handler; by blocking the signal outside KVM_RUN and
> unblocking it inside, this possible race is closed:
> 
>           VCPU thread                     service thread
>    --------------------------------------------------------------
>         check flag
>                                           set flag
>                                           raise signal
>         (signal handler does nothing)
>         KVM_RUN
> 
> However, one issue with KVM_SET_SIGNAL_MASK is that it has to take
> tsk->sighand->siglock on every KVM_RUN.  This lock is often on a
> remote NUMA node, because it is on the node of a thread's creator.
> Taking this lock can be very expensive if there are many userspace
> exits (as is the case for SMP Windows VMs without Hyper-V reference
> time counter).
> 
> As an alternative, we can put the flag directly in kvm_run so that
> KVM can see it:
> 
>           VCPU thread                     service thread
>    --------------------------------------------------------------
>                                           raise signal
>         signal handler
>           set run->immediate_exit
>         KVM_RUN
>           check run->immediate_exit
> 
> Signed-off-by: Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@xxxxxxxxxx>


Generic parts, the concept and the s390 parts looks good. (not tested yet, though)