Re: [PATCH v2 0/5] Fix lazy mmu mode

[Ryan Roberts <ryan.roberts@arm.com>]

On 10/04/2025 17:07, Alexander Gordeev wrote:
> On Mon, Mar 03, 2025 at 02:15:34PM +0000, Ryan Roberts wrote:
> 
> Hi Ryan,
> 
>> I'm planning to implement lazy mmu mode for arm64 to optimize vmalloc. As part
>> of that, I will extend lazy mmu mode to cover kernel mappings in vmalloc table
>> walkers. While lazy mmu mode is already used for kernel mappings in a few
>> places, this will extend it's use significantly.
>>
>> Having reviewed the existing lazy mmu implementations in powerpc, sparc and x86,
>> it looks like there are a bunch of bugs, some of which may be more likely to
>> trigger once I extend the use of lazy mmu.
> 
> Do you have any idea about generic code issues as result of not adhering to
> the originally stated requirement:
> 
>   /*
>    ...
>    * the PTE updates which happen during this window.  Note that using this
>    * interface requires that read hazards be removed from the code.  A read
>    * hazard could result in the direct mode hypervisor case, since the actual
>    * write to the page tables may not yet have taken place, so reads though
>    * a raw PTE pointer after it has been modified are not guaranteed to be
>    * up to date.
>    ...
>    */
> 
> I tried to follow few code paths and at least this one does not look so good:
> 
> copy_pte_range(..., src_pte, ...)
> 	ret = copy_nonpresent_pte(..., src_pte, ...)
> 		try_restore_exclusive_pte(..., src_pte, ...)	// is_device_exclusive_entry(entry)
> 			restore_exclusive_pte(..., ptep, ...)
> 				set_pte_at(..., ptep, ...)
> 					set_pte(ptep, pte);	// save in lazy mmu mode
> 
> 	// ret == -ENOENT
> 
> 	ptent = ptep_get(src_pte);				// lazy mmu save is not observed
> 	ret = copy_present_ptes(..., ptent, ...);		// wrong ptent used
> 
> I am not aware whether the effort to "read hazards be removed from the code"
> has ever been made and the generic code is safe in this regard.
> 
> What is your take on this?

Hmm, that looks like a bug to me, at least based on the stated requirements.
Although this is not a "read through a raw PTE *pointer*", it is a ptep_get().
The arch code can override that so I guess it has an opportunity to flush. But I
don't think any arches are currently doing that.

Probably the simplest fix is to add arch_flush_lazy_mmu_mode() before the
ptep_get()?

It won't be a problem in practice for arm64, since the pgtables are always
updated immediately. I just want to use these hooks to defer/batch barriers in
certain cases.

And this is a pre-existing issue for the arches that use lazy mmu with
device-exclusive mappings, which my extending lazy mmu into vmalloc won't
exacerbate.

Would you be willing/able to submit a fix?

Thanks,
Ryan


> 
> Thanks!