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Re: [Xen-devel] Detecting deadlocks with hypervisor..

To: T S <thileepan_@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Xen-devel] Detecting deadlocks with hypervisor..
From: Anthony Liguori <aliguori@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 08 Apr 2006 09:38:33 -0500
Cc: rthelen@xxxxxxxxxx, Xen-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, ewan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, edwin.zhai@xxxxxxxxx
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T S wrote:
Take a look at linux-2.6-sparse/drivers/core/reboot.c:__do_suspend(). Canonicalization is done both in Dom-0 and in the guest itself. Dom-0 attempts to do as much of it as it can but as I've said before, it cannot do all of it.

Anthony,
Thank you for your reply.
In linux-2.6-sparse/drivers/core/reboot.c:__do_suspend(), we see store_mfn and console_mfn being canonicalized before the guest-OS goes to sleep (as done in "xm save"). But before this canonicalization took place the python layer writes the store_mfn and console_mfn into the save-file (in the file's header area).

Yes, although this strictly isn't necessary.

Does this mean the store_mfn and console_mfn values present in the header of the file are re-written at a later part of the file ?

Other than the store & console mfn's are there any other parameters canoicalized BY the guest OS during "xm save" ?

Not currently, although, as Keir pointed out, you still have to contend with the fact that a guest may have a cached PFN somewhere (for instance, because it's in the process of updating a page table).

Regards,

Anthony Liguori

thanks.



Also, given that Dom-0 can access the page tables and other structures of the deadlocked guest, can one of you be able to tell me what changes I need to do to xm_linux_save( ) (and other related functions) to save the state of the deadlocked guest without doing any handshake with the guest OS ?

If you want to attempt to futz with the state of a guest while it's running without the guest cooperating, your best bet is to do as Keir suggested and pause the domain, make your changes, and then unpause.

Regards,

Anthony Liguori


thanks!
- T


If the guest isn't responsive when you do a save, then it will never canonicalize itself and there is no way to restore the domain.

Regards,

Anthony Liguori

thanks
TS


If a suspend completes correctly, Xend will see it (another watch will fire),
and xc_linux_save will be free to complete the save.

> Also, does it seem viable to clone a copy of a deadlocked guest OS in the
> first place?

If you have a byte-for-byte copy of a deadlocked guest, even if you could suspend it, surely it will be deadlocked when it is resumed. How do you intend to break the deadlock, and how is it easier to do that from outside
than it is to perform deadlock detection in the guest?

Ewan.


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