Re: [PATCH v2] x86/e820: apply 'mem=' boot command while reserving memory using boot_params

From: Byungchul Park
Date: Tue May 21 2024 - 00:19:52 EST


On Fri, Apr 26, 2024 at 09:52:30AM -0700, H. Peter Anvin wrote:
> On April 25, 2024 9:40:18 PM PDT, Byungchul Park <byungchul@xxxxxx> wrote:
> >On Wed, Apr 24, 2024 at 10:03:13AM +0900, Byungchul Park wrote:
> >> I might miss something. Please lemme know if I go wrong. Thanks.
> >
> >I started to work on it since I wanted to limit memory boundary using
> >'mem=' boot command but it doesn't work. However, while looking around
> >the code in more detail, I found the issue is about which one should
> >have higher priority between:
> >
> > 1. boot command limiting memory boundary e.g. 'mem=',
> > 2. setup data of memory map from bootloader, boot_params.
> >
> >Based on the current code, setup data from bootloader has higher
> >priority than boot command so the setup data can overwrite the user
> >defined limit specified in boot command. Is it inteded?
> >
> > If yes, I should stop posting.
> > If not, I will keep posting with the following - v3.
> >
> > Byungchul
> >
> >---
> >
> >diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/e820.c b/arch/x86/kernel/e820.c
> >index 6f1b379e3b38..3bc593235b76 100644
> >--- a/arch/x86/kernel/e820.c
> >+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/e820.c
> >@@ -879,6 +879,7 @@ static void __init early_panic(char *msg)
> > }
> >
> > static int userdef __initdata;
> >+static u64 userdef_mem_limit;
> >
> > /* The "mem=nopentium" boot option disables 4MB page tables on 32-bit kernels: */
> > static int __init parse_memopt(char *p)
> >@@ -905,7 +906,10 @@ static int __init parse_memopt(char *p)
> > if (mem_size == 0)
> > return -EINVAL;
> >
> >- e820__range_remove(mem_size, ULLONG_MAX - mem_size, E820_TYPE_RAM, 1);
> >+ if (userdef_mem_limit)
> >+ userdef_mem_limit = min(userdef_mem_limit, mem_size);
> >+ else
> >+ userdef_mem_limit = mem_size;
> >
> > #ifdef CONFIG_MEMORY_HOTPLUG
> > max_mem_size = mem_size;
> >@@ -966,7 +970,10 @@ static int __init parse_memmap_one(char *p)
> > else
> > e820__range_remove(start_at, mem_size, 0, 0);
> > } else {
> >- e820__range_remove(mem_size, ULLONG_MAX - mem_size, E820_TYPE_RAM, 1);
> >+ if (userdef_mem_limit)
> >+ userdef_mem_limit = min(userdef_mem_limit, mem_size);
> >+ else
> >+ userdef_mem_limit = mem_size;
> > }
> >
> > return *p == '\0' ? 0 : -EINVAL;
> >@@ -1050,6 +1057,11 @@ void __init e820__reserve_setup_data(void)
> > void __init e820__finish_early_params(void)
> > {
> > if (userdef) {
> >+ if (userdef_mem_limit)
> >+ e820__range_remove(userdef_mem_limit,
> >+ ULLONG_MAX - userdef_mem_limit,
> >+ E820_TYPE_RAM, 1);
> >+
> > if (e820__update_table(e820_table) < 0)
> > early_panic("Invalid user supplied memory map");
> >
> >---
> >> Byungchul
> >>
> >> Changes from v1
> >> 1. before - handle boot_mem_limit assuming the default is U64_MAX.
> >> after - handle boot_mem_limit assuming the default is 0.
> >>
> >> --->8---
> >> >From e8bf247d6024b35af5300914dcff9135df9c1d66 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
> >> From: Byungchul Park <byungchul@xxxxxx>
> >> Date: Wed, 24 Apr 2024 09:55:25 +0900
> >> Subject: [PATCH v2] x86/e820: apply 'mem=' boot command while reserving memory using boot_params
> >>
> >> When a user specifies 'mem=' boot command, it's expected to limit the
> >> maximum address of usable memory for the kernel no matter what the
> >> memory map source is. However, 'mem=' boot command doesn't work since
> >> it doesn't respect it when reserving memory using boot_params.
> >>
> >> Applied the restriction when reserving memory using boot_params. While
> >> at it, renamed mem_size to a more specific name, boot_mem_limit.
> >>
> >> Signed-off-by: Byungchul Park <byungchul@xxxxxx>
> >> ---
> >> arch/x86/kernel/e820.c | 15 +++++++++------
> >> 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)
> >>
> >> diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/e820.c b/arch/x86/kernel/e820.c
> >> index 6f1b379e3b38..e3f716128caf 100644
> >> --- a/arch/x86/kernel/e820.c
> >> +++ b/arch/x86/kernel/e820.c
> >> @@ -880,11 +880,11 @@ static void __init early_panic(char *msg)
> >>
> >> static int userdef __initdata;
> >>
> >> +static u64 boot_mem_limit;
> >> +
> >> /* The "mem=nopentium" boot option disables 4MB page tables on 32-bit kernels: */
> >> static int __init parse_memopt(char *p)
> >> {
> >> - u64 mem_size;
> >> -
> >> if (!p)
> >> return -EINVAL;
> >>
> >> @@ -899,16 +899,16 @@ static int __init parse_memopt(char *p)
> >> }
> >>
> >> userdef = 1;
> >> - mem_size = memparse(p, &p);
> >> + boot_mem_limit = memparse(p, &p);
> >>
> >> /* Don't remove all memory when getting "mem={invalid}" parameter: */
> >> - if (mem_size == 0)
> >> + if (boot_mem_limit == 0)
> >> return -EINVAL;
> >>
> >> - e820__range_remove(mem_size, ULLONG_MAX - mem_size, E820_TYPE_RAM, 1);
> >> + e820__range_remove(boot_mem_limit, ULLONG_MAX - boot_mem_limit, E820_TYPE_RAM, 1);
> >>
> >> #ifdef CONFIG_MEMORY_HOTPLUG
> >> - max_mem_size = mem_size;
> >> + max_mem_size = boot_mem_limit;
> >> #endif
> >>
> >> return 0;
> >> @@ -1036,6 +1036,9 @@ void __init e820__reserve_setup_data(void)
> >> early_memunmap(data, len);
> >> }
> >>
> >> + if (boot_mem_limit)
> >> + e820__range_remove(boot_mem_limit, ULLONG_MAX - boot_mem_limit,
> >> + E820_TYPE_RESERVED_KERN, 1);
> >> e820__update_table(e820_table);
> >>
> >> pr_info("extended physical RAM map:\n");
> >> --
> >> 2.17.1
>
> mem= typically should cap the usable memory at that address. At one
> point in history we also allowed it to add memory at the top, but

Ah.. I just needed to cap for a test.

> modern systems have too complex memory maps; the memmap= option can be
> used for that, however.

Even with memmap=, I still cannot cap the usable memory. However, with
a tricky way like by adding a dummy reserve memory, I could manage to
make it.

So.. Is the following approach not acceptable then?

https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20240510074714.73177-1-byungchul@xxxxxx/

Byungchul