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Re: [PATCH v2 00/21] arm64: Virtualization Host Extension support

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On 25/01/16 16:15, Arnd Bergmann wrote:
> On Monday 25 January 2016 15:53:34 Marc Zyngier wrote:
>> host and guest, reducing the overhead of virtualization.
>>
>> In order to have the same kernel binary running on all versions of the
>> architecture, this series makes heavy use of runtime code patching.
>>
>> The first 20 patches massage the KVM code to deal with VHE and enable
>> Linux to run at EL2. The last patch catches an ugly case when VHE
>> capable CPUs are paired with some of their less capable siblings. This
>> should never happen, but hey...
>>
>> I have deliberately left out some of the more "advanced"
>> optimizations, as they are likely to distract the reviewer from the
>> core infrastructure, which is what I care about at the moment.
> 
> One question: as you mention that you use a lot of runtime code patching
> to make this work transparently, how does this compare to runtime patching
> the existing kernel to run in EL2 mode without VHE? Is that even possible?

I haven't explored that particular avenue - by the look of it, this
would require a lot more work, as v8.0 EL2 lacks a number of features
that Linux currently requires (like having two TTBRs, for example).

> My interpretation so far as always been "that's too complicated to
> do because it would require a lot of runtime patching", but now we seem
> to get that anyway because we want to run a hypervisor-enabled kernel in
> either EL1 or EL2 depending on the presence of another feature.

The kernel itself is mostly untouched (what runs at EL1 also runs at EL2
without any patching, because the new EL2 is now a superset of EL1). It
is the hypervisor code that gets a beating with the code-patching stick.

Thanks,

	M.
-- 
Jazz is not dead. It just smells funny...

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[PATCH v2 00/21] arm64: Virtualization Host Extension support Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:00 +0100
  [PATCH v2 16/21] arm64: KVM: VHE: Add fpsimd enabling on guest access Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:00 +0100
  [PATCH v2 09/21] arm64: KVM: VHE: Differenciate host/guest sysreg save/restore Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:00 +0100
  [PATCH v2 06/21] arm64: KVM: VHE: Patch out use of HVC Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:00 +0100
  [PATCH v2 15/21] arm64: KVM: VHE: Use unified sysreg accessors for timer Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:00 +0100
  [PATCH v2 21/21] arm64: Panic when VHE and non VHE CPUs coexist Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:00 +0100
    Re: [PATCH v2 21/21] arm64: Panic when VHE and non VHE CPUs coexist "Suzuki K. Poulose" <Suzuki.Poulose@arm.com> - 2016-01-26 15:30 +0100
      Re: [PATCH v2 21/21] arm64: Panic when VHE and non VHE CPUs coexist Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-26 15:40 +0100
  [PATCH v2 10/21] arm64: KVM: VHE: Split save/restore of sysregs shared between EL1 and EL2 Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:00 +0100
  [PATCH v2 20/21] arm64: VHE: Add support for running Linux in EL2 mode Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:00 +0100
    Re: [PATCH v2 20/21] arm64: VHE: Add support for running Linux in EL2  mode "Suzuki K. Poulose" <Suzuki.Poulose@arm.com> - 2016-01-26 15:10 +0100
      Re: [PATCH v2 20/21] arm64: VHE: Add support for running Linux in EL2  mode "Suzuki K. Poulose" <Suzuki.Poulose@arm.com> - 2016-01-26 15:40 +0100
  [PATCH v2 17/21] arm64: KVM: VHE: Add alternative panic handling Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:00 +0100
  [PATCH v2 05/21] arm64: KVM: VHE: Turn VTCR_EL2 setup into a reusable macro Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:00 +0100
  [PATCH v2 11/21] arm64: KVM: VHE: Use unified system register accessors Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:10 +0100
  [PATCH v2 03/21] arm64: Add ARM64_HAS_VIRT_HOST_EXTN feature Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:10 +0100
  [PATCH v2 08/21] arm64: KVM: VHE: Introduce unified system register accessors Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:10 +0100
  [PATCH v2 04/21] arm64: KVM: Skip HYP setup when already running in HYP Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:10 +0100
  [PATCH v2 02/21] arm64: Allow the arch timer to use the HYP timer Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:10 +0100
  [PATCH v2 13/21] arm64: KVM: VHE: Make __fpsimd_enabled VHE aware Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:10 +0100
  [PATCH v2 14/21] arm64: KVM: VHE: Implement VHE activate/deactivate_traps Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:10 +0100
  [PATCH v2 07/21] arm64: KVM: VHE: Patch out kern_hyp_va Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:10 +0100
  Re: [PATCH v2 00/21] arm64: Virtualization Host Extension support Arnd Bergmann <arnd@arndb.de> - 2016-01-25 17:20 +0100
    Re: [PATCH v2 00/21] arm64: Virtualization Host Extension support Arnd Bergmann <arnd@arndb.de> - 2016-01-25 17:30 +0100
    Re: [PATCH v2 00/21] arm64: Virtualization Host Extension support Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:30 +0100
  Re: [PATCH v2 00/21] arm64: Virtualization Host Extension support Will Deacon <will.deacon@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:30 +0100
    Re: [PATCH v2 00/21] arm64: Virtualization Host Extension support Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:40 +0100
      Re: [PATCH v2 00/21] arm64: Virtualization Host Extension support Will Deacon <will.deacon@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 17:50 +0100
        Re: [PATCH v2 00/21] arm64: Virtualization Host Extension support Marc Zyngier <marc.zyngier@arm.com> - 2016-01-25 20:20 +0100

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