Re: [PATCH 05/17] KVM: arm64: Skip fixed-feature state flush for protected vCPUs
From: Vincent Donnefort
Date: Wed Sep 02 2026 - 11:21:06 EST
On Mon, Aug 31, 2026 at 05:34:09PM +0100, Fuad Tabba wrote:
> flush_hyp_vcpu() copies the host's mdcr_el2, TWI/TWE and debug state
> into the hyp vCPU on every entry, so for a protected vCPU the host's
> trap configuration overrides the one pkvm_vcpu_init_traps() computed
> at EL2. Move those copies into the non-protected branch, and sync the
> debug state back for non-protected vCPUs only: a protected guest's
> debug registers are hypervisor-owned, and it takes the host's TWI/TWE
> at vCPU load. MDCR_EL2.TDA traps only the guest's own accesses; it
> does not stop the world switch from loading host-supplied breakpoints
> and MDSCR_EL1.
>
> EL2's mdcr_el2 starts from 0, and HPMN == 0 is reserved without
> FEAT_HPMN0. Set HPMN to the CPU's event counter count at vCPU load,
> the value the host's copy carried; a protected guest's PMU accesses
> trap regardless.
>
> Signed-off-by: Fuad Tabba <fuad.tabba@xxxxxxxxx>
> ---
> arch/arm64/kvm/hyp/nvhe/hyp-main.c | 31 +++++++++++++++++++-----------
> arch/arm64/kvm/hyp/nvhe/pkvm.c | 2 +-
> 2 files changed, 21 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/arch/arm64/kvm/hyp/nvhe/hyp-main.c b/arch/arm64/kvm/hyp/nvhe/hyp-main.c
> index ca7122b0bccdd..14e847b122abf 100644
> --- a/arch/arm64/kvm/hyp/nvhe/hyp-main.c
> +++ b/arch/arm64/kvm/hyp/nvhe/hyp-main.c
> @@ -231,7 +231,6 @@ static void flush_hyp_vcpu(struct pkvm_hyp_vcpu *hyp_vcpu)
> u8 esr_ec;
>
> fpsimd_sve_flush();
> - flush_debug_state(hyp_vcpu);
>
> /*
> * If we deal with a non-protected guest and the state is potentially
> @@ -241,7 +240,14 @@ static void flush_hyp_vcpu(struct pkvm_hyp_vcpu *hyp_vcpu)
> if (!pkvm_hyp_vcpu_is_protected(hyp_vcpu)) {
> if (vcpu_get_flag(host_vcpu, PKVM_HOST_STATE_DIRTY))
> flush_hyp_vcpu_state(hyp_vcpu);
> +
> + hyp_vcpu->vcpu.arch.hcr_el2 &= ~(HCR_TWI | HCR_TWE);
> + hyp_vcpu->vcpu.arch.hcr_el2 |= READ_ONCE(host_vcpu->arch.hcr_el2) &
> + (HCR_TWI | HCR_TWE);
> +
> + hyp_vcpu->vcpu.arch.mdcr_el2 = host_vcpu->arch.mdcr_el2;
> hyp_vcpu->vcpu.arch.iflags = host_vcpu->arch.iflags;
> + flush_debug_state(hyp_vcpu);
> } else {
> hyp_vcpu->vcpu.arch.ctxt = host_vcpu->arch.ctxt;
> }
> @@ -249,17 +255,13 @@ static void flush_hyp_vcpu(struct pkvm_hyp_vcpu *hyp_vcpu)
> /* __hyp_running_vcpu must be NULL in a guest context. */
> hyp_vcpu->vcpu.arch.ctxt.__hyp_running_vcpu = NULL;
>
> - hyp_vcpu->vcpu.arch.mdcr_el2 = host_vcpu->arch.mdcr_el2;
> /*
> - * HCR_EL2.VSE is host-owned (a pending virtual SError to inject), not a
> - * trap-control bit, so it must flow to the hyp vCPU alongside TWI/TWE
> - * for the vSError to be delivered. sync_hyp_vcpu() reflects it back.
> + * A host-injected vSError is masked by the guest's own PSTATE.A, so it
> + * applies to protected guests too.
> */
> - hyp_vcpu->vcpu.arch.hcr_el2 &= ~(HCR_TWI | HCR_TWE | HCR_VSE);
> - hyp_vcpu->vcpu.arch.hcr_el2 |= READ_ONCE(host_vcpu->arch.hcr_el2) &
> - (HCR_TWI | HCR_TWE | HCR_VSE);
> -
> - hyp_vcpu->vcpu.arch.vsesr_el2 = host_vcpu->arch.vsesr_el2;
> + hyp_vcpu->vcpu.arch.hcr_el2 &= ~HCR_VSE;
> + hyp_vcpu->vcpu.arch.hcr_el2 |= READ_ONCE(host_vcpu->arch.hcr_el2) & HCR_VSE;
> + hyp_vcpu->vcpu.arch.vsesr_el2 = host_vcpu->arch.vsesr_el2;
>
> flush_hyp_vgic_state(hyp_vcpu);
>
> @@ -288,7 +290,8 @@ static void sync_hyp_vcpu(struct pkvm_hyp_vcpu *hyp_vcpu, u32 exit_reason)
> struct kvm_vcpu *host_vcpu = hyp_vcpu->host_vcpu;
>
> fpsimd_sve_sync(&hyp_vcpu->vcpu);
> - sync_debug_state(hyp_vcpu);
> + if (!pkvm_hyp_vcpu_is_protected(hyp_vcpu))
> + sync_debug_state(hyp_vcpu);
nit: We can't use the else arm below?
>
> if (pkvm_hyp_vcpu_is_protected(hyp_vcpu)) {
> host_vcpu->arch.ctxt = hyp_vcpu->vcpu.arch.ctxt;
> @@ -329,6 +332,12 @@ static void handle___pkvm_vcpu_load(struct kvm_cpu_context *host_ctxt)
> /* Propagate WFx trapping flags */
> hyp_vcpu->vcpu.arch.hcr_el2 &= ~(HCR_TWE | HCR_TWI);
> hyp_vcpu->vcpu.arch.hcr_el2 |= hcr_el2 & (HCR_TWE | HCR_TWI);
> +
> + /* HPMN == 0 is reserved without FEAT_HPMN0. */
> + if (system_supports_pmuv3())
> + u64p_replace_bits(&hyp_vcpu->vcpu.arch.mdcr_el2,
> + FIELD_GET(ARMV8_PMU_PMCR_N, read_sysreg(pmcr_el0)),
> + MDCR_EL2_HPMN);
> } else {
> memcpy(&hyp_vcpu->vcpu.arch.fgt, hyp_vcpu->host_vcpu->arch.fgt,
> sizeof(hyp_vcpu->vcpu.arch.fgt));
> diff --git a/arch/arm64/kvm/hyp/nvhe/pkvm.c b/arch/arm64/kvm/hyp/nvhe/pkvm.c
> index 459bd9eb7e4bc..e85f13233da08 100644
> --- a/arch/arm64/kvm/hyp/nvhe/pkvm.c
> +++ b/arch/arm64/kvm/hyp/nvhe/pkvm.c
> @@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ static void pvm_init_traps_mdcr(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
>
> if (!kvm_has_feat(kvm, ID_AA64DFR0_EL1, PMUVer, IMP)) {
> val |= MDCR_EL2_TPM | MDCR_EL2_TPMCR;
> - val &= ~(MDCR_EL2_HPME | MDCR_EL2_MTPME | MDCR_EL2_HPMN_MASK);
> + val &= ~(MDCR_EL2_HPME | MDCR_EL2_MTPME);
> }
>
> if (!kvm_has_feat(kvm, ID_AA64DFR0_EL1, DebugVer, IMP))
> --
> 2.39.5
>