Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]


Groups > linux.kernel > #1355871

Re: [PATCH 1/2] KVM: x86: disable MPX if host did not enable MPX XSAVE features

From Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@redhat.com>
Newsgroups linux.kernel
Subject Re: [PATCH 1/2] KVM: x86: disable MPX if host did not enable MPX XSAVE features
Date 2016-03-11 13:20 +0100
Message-ID <rbucW-69h-11@gated-at.bofh.it> (permalink)
References <raojg-hv-9@gated-at.bofh.it> <raojg-hv-7@gated-at.bofh.it> <rbucW-69h-13@gated-at.bofh.it>
Organization linux.* mail to news gateway

Show all headers | View raw



On 11/03/2016 03:37, Yang Zhang wrote:
>> @@ -97,7 +104,7 @@ int kvm_update_cpuid(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
>>   	if (best && (best->eax & (F(XSAVES) | F(XSAVEC))))
>>   		best->ebx = xstate_required_size(vcpu->arch.xcr0, true);
>>   
>> -	vcpu->arch.eager_fpu = use_eager_fpu() || guest_cpuid_has_mpx(vcpu);
>> +	vcpu->arch.eager_fpu = use_eager_fpu();
> 
> Hi Paolo,
> 
> As i mentioned on another thread, force KVM to use eager fpu
> unconditionally may introduce the performance regression. Though the
> cost for eager fpu is very small especially in modern CPU, it still
> cannot be ignored on old platform.

This patch doesn't change anything in that respect.  It doesn't enable
eager FPU in any case where it wasn't already enabled before the patch.

All this patch does is hide MPX completely to the guests (just like it's
hidden on the host) if the host is using lazy FPU.

> And we have observed some performance
> decrease on those platforms according the result from some experiments
> which did several years ago.

Indeed after the merge window I plan to benchmark KVM on old systems
(pre-XSAVE) to see if there is a negative benefit from eager FPU.

Thanks,

Paolo

Back to linux.kernel | Previous | NextPrevious in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread


Thread

[PATCH 1/2] KVM: x86: disable MPX if host did not enable MPX XSAVE features Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@redhat.com> - 2016-03-08 12:50 +0100
  Re: [PATCH 1/2] KVM: x86: disable MPX if host did not enable MPX  XSAVE features Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@redhat.com> - 2016-03-11 13:20 +0100

csiph-web