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Re: [Xen-ia64-devel][PATCH] add one page attribute to indicate this page

Thanks for the explanation.
I took a look at your big patch which you send privately.
Please correct me if I'm wrong because I haven't reviewed
it line by line.

It seems like that _PAGE_DIRECT_IO isn't necessary.
Only users of _PAGE_DIRECT_IO (or ASSIGN_direct_io) are
hypercall of XEN_DOMCTL_memory_mapping and XEN_DOMCTL_ioport_mapping
which are used to assign mmio page or port io page to a domain.
I guess that you had hit page reference count issues in 
mm_teardown_pte(), so you added _PAGE_DIRECT_IO flags to avoid that.
Correct?

However, this isn't the correct way.
ia64 does reference count with p2m table. It's the significant
difference from x86. So you have to attack it instead of
working around.

- The hypercall, XEN_DOMCTL_memory_mapping and XEN_DOMCTL_ioport_mapping,
  doesn't check whether mfn is appropriate to assign to a given domain.
  At least, the VMM should check it.
  X86 port seems to have the same issue.

- I expected that mfn_valid(mmio page or port io page) returns false.
  If it is correct, _PAGE_DIRECT_IO won't be necessary, I suppose.
  However you seemed to hit the case mfn_valid() returned true.
  (Yes, it depends on memory and io layout. So it's safe to assume
  so anyway)
  Hmm, In such a case the corresponding struct page_info 
  isn't used on ia64.
  On x86 case, such page_info's are obtained by DOMID_IO.
  Then by making page_info obtained by DOMID_IO when initialization sequence
  we can detect such cases.

thanks,
  
On Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 06:23:01PM +0800, Xu, Anthony wrote:
> Isaku Yamahata wrote:
> > Hi Anthony.
> >
> > I guess you are working on VT-d support for IA64.
> > You've sent out those patches independently which seem to
> > be preparation for VT-d support.
> >
> > However it is very difficult to guess how you are planning to use
> > those modifications eventually. So it's very difficult to review
> > those patches. At this moment I can comment only on patch style which
> > isn't essential.
> >
> > If you already have working patches, could you please send them
> > as a series of patches? (Even un-cleaned patches would help to
> > understand.) If not, could you provide overview of the design or
> > something like
> > that which helps me to understand its overview and how VT-d patches
> > will be implemented.
> 
> Yes I already have working patches, but some of them depend on x86 side 
> patches,
> and some x86 side patches depend on ia64 side patches.
> It is difficult to send them out at a time.
> So I tried to send out patches which is not related to x86 side first.
> 
> 
> >
> > At this moment the followings come into my mind. (Random thoughts)
> > - One of the Xen/IA64 features is lockless P2M table unlike x86 case.
> >   I think it would be very difficult to maintain the VT-d translation
> >   table consistent with the p2m and m2p tables without lock.
> 
> Because p2m and m2p do not change, don't need to maintain consistent.
> If page flip is used by PV drive, VTD can't work, x86 side has the same issue,
> Xen doesn't know when VTD page table can be changed, the page table may be 
> used
> VTD engine.
> 
> >
> > - What scope are you aiming?
> >   Now x86 supports VT-d for VMM protection, dom0, PV domU and HVM
> >   with balloon.
> Balloon changes VTD page table, it is at some risk, maybe VTD engine is using 
> VTD page table
> 
> 
> >   On the other hand ia64 doesn't support balloon for HVM because
> >   the p2m for HVM domain is assumed to be read-only.
> >   How about MSI(-X)?
> If host uses MSI, and there is one interrupt for a function, we can use 
> IOAPIC to emulate MSI interrupt.
> There is some potential issue here, because you change edge triggerred 
> interrupt to level triggerred interrupt.
> But if both host and guest is using MSI, there is no issue.
> 
> If host uses MSI(MSIx), and there are more than one interrupts for a 
> function, it is difficult to use ioapic to emulate MSI.
> 
> Anthony
> 
> 
> >
> > thanks,
> >
> > On Sun, Sep 28, 2008 at 12:48:48PM +0800, Xu, Anthony wrote:
> >> Add _PAGE_DIRECT_IO page attribute to indicate this page is physical
> >> IO page
> >>
> >> Signed-off-by; Anthony Xu < anthony.xu@xxxxxxxxx >
> >
> >
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Xen-ia64-devel mailing list
> >> Xen-ia64-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >> http://lists.xensource.com/xen-ia64-devel
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Xen-ia64-devel mailing list
> Xen-ia64-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> http://lists.xensource.com/xen-ia64-devel
> 

-- 
yamahata

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