WARNING - OLD ARCHIVES

This is an archived copy of the Xen.org mailing list, which we have preserved to ensure that existing links to archives are not broken. The live archive, which contains the latest emails, can be found at http://lists.xen.org/
   
 
 
Xen 
 
Home Products Support Community News
 
   
 

xen-devel

Re: [Xen-devel] [PATCH 03/14] Nested Virtualization: data structure

To: Christoph Egger <Christoph.Egger@xxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Xen-devel] [PATCH 03/14] Nested Virtualization: data structure
From: Keir Fraser <keir.fraser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:28:17 +0100
Cc: "xen-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <xen-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Dong, Eddie" <eddie.dong@xxxxxxxxx>
Delivery-date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 03:29:28 -0700
Envelope-to: www-data@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In-reply-to: <201008171201.28028.Christoph.Egger@xxxxxxx>
List-help: <mailto:xen-devel-request@lists.xensource.com?subject=help>
List-id: Xen developer discussion <xen-devel.lists.xensource.com>
List-post: <mailto:xen-devel@lists.xensource.com>
List-subscribe: <http://lists.xensource.com/mailman/listinfo/xen-devel>, <mailto:xen-devel-request@lists.xensource.com?subject=subscribe>
List-unsubscribe: <http://lists.xensource.com/mailman/listinfo/xen-devel>, <mailto:xen-devel-request@lists.xensource.com?subject=unsubscribe>
Sender: xen-devel-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thread-index: Acs980FMFgyfevdMT6+DF9Up7zV1JwAA6Z7i
Thread-topic: [Xen-devel] [PATCH 03/14] Nested Virtualization: data structure
User-agent: Microsoft-Entourage/12.26.0.100708
On 17/08/2010 11:01, "Christoph Egger" <Christoph.Egger@xxxxxxx> wrote:

>> Yes, we should be strict on the layout of this structure. SVM/VMX-specific
>> stuff goes into a sub-structure in a union. Absolutely.
> 
> I have moved the SVM/VMX-specific pieces into the 'void *nh_arch' field above.
> It is initialized in the svm/vmx specific vcpu initialization.

I suggest to make this a union including SVM/VMX-specific struct pointers.
It will avoid unnecessary explicit casting, and you can use an anonymous
union if you want. Is using pointers better than actually including the
structures in the union, do you think?

So I mean something like: union {
    void *nh_arch;
    struct nestedsvm *nh_svm;
    struct nestedvmx *nh_vmx;
};

Or: union {
    struct nestedsvm nh_svm;
    struct nestedvmx nh_vmx;
};

What is the nh_arch_size field for? Well I can guess what it represents, but
why do you need such a thing?

> When you look into the svm specific patch, you will find a 'struct nestedsvm'
> in xen/include/asm-x86/hvm/svm/vmcb.h
> 
>> And you would only go peeking at the SVM sub-structure
>> if hvm_svm_enabled(v)==TRUE.
> 
> Correct. On a Intel CPU Xen should never allow the guest to
> set the EFER.SVME bit.
> 
>> And we'd have a similar predicate hvm_vmx_enabled(v)==TRUE, presumably.
>> And maybe a generic hvm_nestedvirt_enabled(v) too.
> 
> What you call hvm_nestedvirt_enabled() actually exists as nestedhvm_enabled().

Fine.

 -- Keir



_______________________________________________
Xen-devel mailing list
Xen-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://lists.xensource.com/xen-devel