Re: [PATCH] x86/entry/64/compat: Preserve r8-r11 in int $0x80

[Denys Vlasenko]

On 04/18/2018 06:53 PM, Andy Lutomirski wrote:
> On Tue, Apr 17, 2018 at 8:00 AM, Denys Vlasenko <dvlasenk@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > This means that the new behavior is there for some 8 years already.
> > Whoever was impacted by it, probably already switched to the new ABI.
> >
> > Current ABI is "weaker", it allows kernel to save fewer registers.
> >
> > Which is generally a good thing, since saving/restoring things cost
> > cycles, and sometimes painful on entry paths where you may desperately
> > need a scratch register or two. (Recall this one? -
> > ...
> >          movq    %rsp, PER_CPU_VAR(rsp_scratch)
> >          movq    PER_CPU_VAR(cpu_current_top_of_stack), %rsp
> >          /* Construct struct pt_regs on stack */
> >          pushq   $__USER_DS                      /* pt_regs->ss */
> >          pushq   PER_CPU_VAR(rsp_scratch)        /* pt_regs->sp */
> > ...
> > wouldn't it be _great_ if one of GPRs would be available here
> > to hold userspace %rsp?
> > )
>
> But this is the int $0x80 entry, which uses the stack sanely and
> doesn't have this problem at all.

It was a general point why not committing to save every register
may help on the callee (in this case kernel) side.