summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/Documentation
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
authorLinus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>2015-02-09 17:16:44 -0800
committerLinus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>2015-02-09 17:16:44 -0800
commit7453311d68f16a5c587c3cbf19563c9a4fbbd41a (patch)
treea999730678bb4e60fc272681b865565babb15456 /Documentation
parent9d43bade347143b96671b38a7f81c39a81206675 (diff)
parentb57c0b5175ddbe9b477801f9994a5b330702c1ba (diff)
Merge branch 'x86-asm-for-linus' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/tip/tip
Pull x86 asm changes from Ingo Molnar: "The main changes in this cycle were the x86/entry and sysret enhancements from Andy Lutomirski, see merge commits 772a9aca125 and b57c0b5175dd for details" [ Exectutive summary: IST exceptions that interrupt user space will run on the regular kernel stack instead of the IST stack. Which simplifies things particularly on return to user space. The sysret cleanup ends up simplifying the logic on when we can use sysret vs when we have to use iret. - Linus ] * 'x86-asm-for-linus' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/tip/tip: x86_64, entry: Remove the syscall exit audit and schedule optimizations x86_64, entry: Use sysret to return to userspace when possible x86, traps: Fix ist_enter from userspace x86, vdso: teach 'make clean' remove vdso64 binaries x86_64 entry: Fix RCX for ptraced syscalls x86: entry_64.S: fold SAVE_ARGS_IRQ macro into its sole user x86: ia32entry.S: fix wrong symbolic constant usage: R11->ARGOFFSET x86: entry_64.S: delete unused code x86, mce: Get rid of TIF_MCE_NOTIFY and associated mce tricks x86, traps: Add ist_begin_non_atomic and ist_end_non_atomic x86: Clean up current_stack_pointer x86, traps: Track entry into and exit from IST context x86, entry: Switch stacks on a paranoid entry from userspace
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation')
-rw-r--r--Documentation/x86/entry_64.txt18
-rw-r--r--Documentation/x86/x86_64/kernel-stacks8
2 files changed, 17 insertions, 9 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/x86/entry_64.txt b/Documentation/x86/entry_64.txt
index 4a1c5c2dc5a9..9132b86176a3 100644
--- a/Documentation/x86/entry_64.txt
+++ b/Documentation/x86/entry_64.txt
@@ -78,9 +78,6 @@ The expensive (paranoid) way is to read back the MSR_GS_BASE value
xorl %ebx,%ebx
1: ret
-and the whole paranoid non-paranoid macro complexity is about whether
-to suffer that RDMSR cost.
-
If we are at an interrupt or user-trap/gate-alike boundary then we can
use the faster check: the stack will be a reliable indicator of
whether SWAPGS was already done: if we see that we are a secondary
@@ -93,6 +90,15 @@ which might have triggered right after a normal entry wrote CS to the
stack but before we executed SWAPGS, then the only safe way to check
for GS is the slower method: the RDMSR.
-So we try only to mark those entry methods 'paranoid' that absolutely
-need the more expensive check for the GS base - and we generate all
-'normal' entry points with the regular (faster) entry macros.
+Therefore, super-atomic entries (except NMI, which is handled separately)
+must use idtentry with paranoid=1 to handle gsbase correctly. This
+triggers three main behavior changes:
+
+ - Interrupt entry will use the slower gsbase check.
+ - Interrupt entry from user mode will switch off the IST stack.
+ - Interrupt exit to kernel mode will not attempt to reschedule.
+
+We try to only use IST entries and the paranoid entry code for vectors
+that absolutely need the more expensive check for the GS base - and we
+generate all 'normal' entry points with the regular (faster) paranoid=0
+variant.
diff --git a/Documentation/x86/x86_64/kernel-stacks b/Documentation/x86/x86_64/kernel-stacks
index a01eec5d1d0b..e3c8a49d1a2f 100644
--- a/Documentation/x86/x86_64/kernel-stacks
+++ b/Documentation/x86/x86_64/kernel-stacks
@@ -40,9 +40,11 @@ An IST is selected by a non-zero value in the IST field of an
interrupt-gate descriptor. When an interrupt occurs and the hardware
loads such a descriptor, the hardware automatically sets the new stack
pointer based on the IST value, then invokes the interrupt handler. If
-software wants to allow nested IST interrupts then the handler must
-adjust the IST values on entry to and exit from the interrupt handler.
-(This is occasionally done, e.g. for debug exceptions.)
+the interrupt came from user mode, then the interrupt handler prologue
+will switch back to the per-thread stack. If software wants to allow
+nested IST interrupts then the handler must adjust the IST values on
+entry to and exit from the interrupt handler. (This is occasionally
+done, e.g. for debug exceptions.)
Events with different IST codes (i.e. with different stacks) can be
nested. For example, a debug interrupt can safely be interrupted by an