[PATCH v4 0/8] KVM: VMX: Rip out "deferred nested VM-Exit updates"

From: Sean Christopherson

Date: Thu Jan 08 2026 - 22:45:50 EST


v4 of what was "KVM: VMX: Fix APICv activation bugs", but the two bug fixes
were already merged and so that name doesn't fit.

Rip out the "defer updates until nested VM-Exit" that contributed to the
APICv bugs and made them harder to fix.

v4:
- Collect reviews. [Chao]
- Use the existing vmcall() in the selftest. [Chao]
- Use GUEST_FAIL() instead of TEST_FAIL() in the guest. [Chao]
- Correct the number of args passed to the guest in the test. [Chao]
- Remove the redundant hwapic_isr_update() call in kvm_lapic_reset()
- Use the local "vmx" variable in vmx_set_virtual_apic_mode(). [Chao]
- Relocate the "update SVI" comment from __kvm_vcpu_update_apicv()
to kvm_apic_update_apicv().

v3:
- https://lore.kernel.org/all/20251205231913.441872-1-seanjc@xxxxxxxxxx
- Add a selftest.
- Rip out the deferred updates stuff.
- Collect Chao's review.
- Add Dongli's fix for bug #2. [Chao]

v2:
- https://lore.kernel.org/all/20251110063212.34902-1-dongli.zhang@xxxxxxxxxx
- Add support for guest mode (suggested by Chao Gao).
- Add comments in the code (suggested by Chao Gao).
- Remove WARN_ON_ONCE from vmx_hwapic_isr_update().
- Edit commit message "AMD SVM APICv" to "AMD SVM AVIC"
(suggested by Alejandro Jimenez).


Sean Christopherson (8):
KVM: selftests: Add a test to verify APICv updates (while L2 is
active)
KVM: nVMX: Switch to vmcs01 to update PML controls on-demand if L2 is
active
KVM: nVMX: Switch to vmcs01 to update TPR threshold on-demand if L2 is
active
KVM: nVMX: Switch to vmcs01 to update SVI on-demand if L2 is active
KVM: nVMX: Switch to vmcs01 to refresh APICv controls on-demand if L2
is active
KVM: nVMX: Switch to vmcs01 to update APIC page on-demand if L2 is
active
KVM: nVMX: Switch to vmcs01 to set virtual APICv mode on-demand if L2
is active
KVM: x86: Update APICv ISR (a.k.a. SVI) as part of
kvm_apic_update_apicv()

arch/x86/kvm/lapic.c | 31 ++--
arch/x86/kvm/lapic.h | 1 -
arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c | 29 ----
arch/x86/kvm/vmx/vmx.c | 95 +++++++----
arch/x86/kvm/vmx/vmx.h | 9 -
arch/x86/kvm/x86.c | 7 -
tools/testing/selftests/kvm/Makefile.kvm | 1 +
.../testing/selftests/kvm/include/x86/apic.h | 4 +
.../kvm/x86/vmx_apicv_updates_test.c | 155 ++++++++++++++++++
9 files changed, 232 insertions(+), 100 deletions(-)
create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kvm/x86/vmx_apicv_updates_test.c


base-commit: 9448598b22c50c8a5bb77a9103e2d49f134c9578
--
2.52.0.457.g6b5491de43-goog