On 05/03/2012 05:07 AM, Marcelo Tosatti wrote: >> 'entry' is not a problem since it is from atomically read-write as >> mentioned above, i need change this code to: >> >> /* >> * Optimization: for pte sync, if spte was writable the hash >> * lookup is unnecessary (and expensive). Write protection >> * is responsibility of mmu_get_page / kvm_sync_page. >> * Same reasoning can be applied to dirty page accounting. >> */ >> if (!can_unsync && is_writable_pte(entry) /* Use 'entry' instead of '*sptep'. */ >> goto set_pte >> ...... >> >> >> if (is_writable_pte(entry) && !is_writable_pte(spte)) /* Use 'spte' instead of '*sptep'. */ >> kvm_flush_remote_tlbs(vcpu->kvm); > > What is of more importance than the ability to verify that this or that > particular case are ok at the moment is to write code in such a way that > its easy to verify that it is correct. > > Thus the suggestion above: > > "scattered all over (as mentioned before, i think a pattern of read spte > once, work on top of that, atomically write and then deal with results > _everywhere_ (where mmu lock is held) is more consistent." > Marcelo, thanks for your time to patiently review/reply my mail. I am confused with ' _everywhere_ ', it means all of the path read/update spte? why not only verify the path which depends on is_writable_pte()? For the reason of "its easy to verify that it is correct"? But these paths are safe since it is not care PT_WRITABLE_MASK at all. What these paths care is the Dirty-bit and Accessed-bit are not lost, that is why we always treat the spte as "volatile" if it is can be updated out of mmu-lock. For the further development? We can add the delta comment for is_writable_pte() to warn the developer use it more carefully. It is also very hard to verify spte everywhere. :( Actually, the current code to care PT_WRITABLE_MASK is just for tlb flush, may be we can fold it into mmu_spte_update. [ There are tree ways to modify spte, present -> nonpresent, nonpresent -> present, present -> present. But we only need care present -> present for lockless. ] /* * return true means we need flush tlbs caused by changing spte from writeable * to read-only. */ bool mmu_update_spte(u64 *sptep, u64 spte) { u64 last_spte, old_spte = *sptep; bool flush = false; last_spte = xchg(sptep, spte); if ((is_writable_pte(last_spte) || spte_has_updated_lockless(old_spte, last_spte)) && !is_writable_pte(spte) ) flush = true; .... track Drity/Accessed bit ... return flush } Furthermore, the style of "if (spte-has-changed) goto beginning" is feasible in set_spte since this path is a fast path. (i can speed up mmu_need_write_protect) -- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe kvm" in the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html