Re: [PATCH v4 0/3] Append new variables to vmcoreinfo (TCR_EL1.T1SZ for arm64 and MAX_PHYSMEM_BITS for all archs)

[Dave Young]

On 11/11/19 at 01:31pm, Bhupesh Sharma wrote:
> Changes since v3:
> ----------------
> - v3 can be seen here:
>   http://lists.infradead.org/pipermail/kexec/2019-March/022590.html
> - Addressed comments from James and exported TCR_EL1.T1SZ in vmcoreinfo
>   instead of PTRS_PER_PGD.
> - Added a new patch (via [PATCH 3/3]), which fixes a simple typo in
>   'Documentation/arm64/memory.rst'
> 
> Changes since v2:
> ----------------
> - v2 can be seen here:
>   http://lists.infradead.org/pipermail/kexec/2019-March/022531.html
> - Protected 'MAX_PHYSMEM_BITS' vmcoreinfo variable under CONFIG_SPARSEMEM
>   ifdef sections, as suggested by Kazu.
> - Updated vmcoreinfo documentation to add description about
>   'MAX_PHYSMEM_BITS' variable (via [PATCH 3/3]).
> 
> Changes since v1:
> ----------------
> - v1 was sent out as a single patch which can be seen here:
>   http://lists.infradead.org/pipermail/kexec/2019-February/022411.html
> 
> - v2 breaks the single patch into two independent patches:
>   [PATCH 1/2] appends 'PTRS_PER_PGD' to vmcoreinfo for arm64 arch, whereas
>   [PATCH 2/2] appends 'MAX_PHYSMEM_BITS' to vmcoreinfo in core kernel code (all archs)
> 
> This patchset primarily fixes the regression reported in user-space
> utilities like 'makedumpfile' and 'crash-utility' on arm64 architecture
> with the availability of 52-bit address space feature in underlying
> kernel. These regressions have been reported both on CPUs which don't
> support ARMv8.2 extensions (i.e. LVA, LPA) and are running newer kernels
> and also on prototype platforms (like ARMv8 FVP simulator model) which
> support ARMv8.2 extensions and are running newer kernels.
> 
> The reason for these regressions is that right now user-space tools
> have no direct access to these values (since these are not exported
> from the kernel) and hence need to rely on a best-guess method of
> determining value of 'vabits_actual' and 'MAX_PHYSMEM_BITS' supported
> by underlying kernel.
> 
> Exporting these values via vmcoreinfo will help user-land in such cases.
> In addition, as per suggestion from makedumpfile maintainer (Kazu),
> it makes more sense to append 'MAX_PHYSMEM_BITS' to
> vmcoreinfo in the core code itself rather than in arm64 arch-specific
> code, so that the user-space code for other archs can also benefit from
> this addition to the vmcoreinfo and use it as a standard way of
> determining 'SECTIONS_SHIFT' value in user-land.
> 
> Cc: Boris Petkov <bp@xxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Ingo Molnar <mingo@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Thomas Gleixner <tglx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@xxxxxxx>
> Cc: James Morse <james.morse@xxxxxxx>
> Cc: Mark Rutland <mark.rutland@xxxxxxx>
> Cc: Will Deacon <will@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Steve Capper <steve.capper@xxxxxxx>
> Cc: Catalin Marinas <catalin.marinas@xxxxxxx>
> Cc: Ard Biesheuvel <ard.biesheuvel@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Michael Ellerman <mpe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Paul Mackerras <paulus@xxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Benjamin Herrenschmidt <benh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Dave Anderson <anderson@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Kazuhito Hagio <k-hagio@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: x86@xxxxxxxxxx
> Cc: linuxppc-dev@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Cc: linux-arm-kernel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Cc: linux-kernel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Cc: linux-doc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Cc: kexec@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> 
> Bhupesh Sharma (3):
>   crash_core, vmcoreinfo: Append 'MAX_PHYSMEM_BITS' to vmcoreinfo
>   arm64/crash_core: Export TCR_EL1.T1SZ in vmcoreinfo

Soft reminder:  the new introduced vmcoreinfo needs documentation

Please check Documentation/admin-guide/kdump/vmcoreinfo.rst

Thanks
Dave