Sheng Yang wrote:
> On Mon, Oct 20, 2008 at 01:58:03PM +0200, Jan Kiszka wrote:
>> Sheng Yang wrote:
>>> On Mon, Oct 20, 2008 at 05:46:35PM +0800, Yang, Sheng wrote:
>>>> On Monday 20 October 2008 16:49:11 Jan Kiszka wrote:
>>>>> Hi Sheng,
>>>>>
>>>>> obviously, I meditated too long over the APIC specs and VAPIC code of
>>>>> KVM: When the guest resets the soft-enable bit in SVR, the in-kernel
>>>>> APIC implementation also set the LVT masked bits - so far, so fine
>>>>> (according to specs). But I failed to read out of that doc if those mask
>>>>> bits are permanently set (until the guest clears them again) or only
>>>>> until the soft-disabling ends (ie. they are restored to their previous
>>>>> state - QEMU goes this way). Can you clarify?
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>> Jan
>>>>>
>>>> Hi Jan
>>>>
>>>> I also can't find related info in the spec. But I think, when software 
>>>> enable 
>>>> bit is cleaned, the spec said the mask bits are set, which means the 
>>>> content 
>>>> of register is changed. And no words for what happen if set software 
>>>> enable 
>>>> bit, so I think it maybe retain the mask state after software enable (a 
>>>> little more possibility).
>>>>
>>>> I will give a update if I got more infos.
>>> Find some info:
>>>
>>> SDM 3A 8.5.1 Local Vector Table
>>> Mask:
>>> [...] This flag would remain set until software clears it.
>>>
>>> I think this can explain it.
>> If you cut out this sentence allow, maybe. But when looking at the full
>> paragraph...
>>
>> "Interrupt mask: (0) enables reception of the interrupt and (1) inhibits
>> reception of the interrupt. When the local APIC handles a
>> performance-monitoring counters interrupt, it automatically sets the
>> mask flag in the corresponding LVT entry. This flag will remain set
>> until software clears it."
>>
>> At least I put the last sentence in the context of the last-but-one. So,
>> do I have to apply an "extended" interpretation here?
> 
> Well, indeed...
>>> If you got some interesting circumstance, please share with us. :)
>> Well, I guess someone has to "ask" the real hardware (or someone who
>> regularly implements it in silicon ;) )...
> 
> Still one concern for asking the real hardware, what if it's implement
> specific? For there is indeed no word about it except the one above...
> 
> For software, it's better to not to assume anything in such a condition...

Hmm... Considering this thing as "undefined" would allows us to declare
both implementations as correct - also fine. Well, then close this topic
(until some unfixable OS actually stumbles here :) ).

Thanks,
Jan

-- 
Siemens AG, Corporate Technology, CT SE 2
Corporate Competence Center Embedded Linux
--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe kvm" in
the body of a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html

Reply via email to