Andi Kleen wrote: >> * This grunge runs the startup process for >> * the targeted processor. >> */ >>+ cpu_gdt_descr[cpu].address = __get_free_page(GFP_KERNEL|__GFP_ZERO); >> >> > >I can see why don't check it for NULL, but it's a ugly reason >and would be better fixed. It at least needs a comment. > >-Andi (who would still prefer just going back to the array >in head.S - would work as well and waste less memory) > > The array in head.S does waste more memory if you compile for NR_CPUS >> actual cpus. But the primary reason for allocating on individual pages is to preserve the hypervisor GDT entries for Xen. Xen relies on a GDT virtualization technique which uses descriptors in the high part of the GDT. Keep in mind, the GDT is a paged data structure. So here is what they do: Linear address space: +---------------------------+ 4GB | | | Xen code, heap | | | | | +---------------------------+ | | GDT virtual mapping | Xen per-domain mappings |==(page 15)====> hypervisor physical page | |==(page 1-14)==> zeroed pages | GDT (16 pages) |==(page 0)==+ +---------------------------+ -168 ? MB | | | | | MPT tables | | | | | | | | +---------------------------+ | | | | | Guest kernel | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | GDT 256 bytes, read-only |============+==> guest physical page | | +---------------------------+ 3GB So, the GDT mapping which is live in the hypervisor consists of guest GDT pages following by blank pages, followed by a page which is reserved for Xen private GDT mappings. The guest pages are mapped into the guest, read-only. This imposes a strict requirement on the guest regarding sharing of data on the GDT pages; it is impossible to share arbitrary data, even if it is read-only. All data on thes pages must conform to the rules for valid guest GDT descriptors, which only GDT and LDT entries are forced to do. So while it is technically possible to share the per-cpu GDTs on the same set of pages, the entire thing must be padded, page-aligned, and zeroed of any unused data. Unless you go to a complicated scheme where per-cpu GDTs are colored and shared, you have an arbitrary limit (240) on the number of virtual CPUs. So for now, the approach Xen is currently using appears to be simplest and most flexible to implement in terms of one page per CPU for the GDT. Zach
