Re: [PATCH v3 1/3] KVM: arm64: skip pKVM cache flushes for non cacheable mappings

Bradley Morgan include at grrlz.net
Wed Jul 1 09:54:40 PDT 2026


On July 1, 2026 5:53:34 PM GMT+01:00, Leonardo Bras <leo.bras at arm.com>
wrote:
>On Wed, Jul 01, 2026 at 05:40:46PM +0100, Bradley Morgan wrote:
>> On July 1, 2026 5:05:53 PM GMT+01:00, Leonardo Bras <leo.bras at arm.com>
>> wrote:
>> >On Wed, Jun 24, 2026 at 04:00:26PM +0000, Bradley Morgan wrote:
>> >> pKVM keeps its own mapping list for stage 2 operations. Its flush
>path
>> >> uses that list directly, so it lost the PTE attribute check done by
>the
>> >> generic stage 2 walker.
>> >> 
>> >> Record whether a mapping is cacheable and skip cache maintenance for
>> >> mappings that are not cacheable.
>> >> 
>> >> Fixes: e912efed485a ("KVM: arm64: Introduce the EL1 pKVM MMU")
>> >> Signed-off-by: Bradley Morgan <include at grrlz.net>
>> >> ---
>> >>  arch/arm64/kvm/pkvm.c | 51
>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---------
>> >>  1 file changed, 41 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-)
>> >> 
>> >> diff --git a/arch/arm64/kvm/pkvm.c b/arch/arm64/kvm/pkvm.c
>> >> index 428723b1b0f5..ca6e823028c2 100644
>> >> --- a/arch/arm64/kvm/pkvm.c
>> >> +++ b/arch/arm64/kvm/pkvm.c
>> >> @@ -302,9 +302,32 @@ static u64 __pkvm_mapping_start(struct
>pkvm_mapping
>> >*m)
>> >>  	return m->gfn * PAGE_SIZE;
>> >>  }
>> >>  
>> >> +#define PKVM_MAPPING_NR_PAGES_MASK	GENMASK_ULL(47, 0)
>> >> +#define PKVM_MAPPING_CACHEABLE		BIT_ULL(48)
>> >
>> >Out of curiosity here, why do you choose to use bit 48 here instead of,
>> >let's say, bit 63?
>> >
>> >(I know it makes absolutely no difference to inner working here, as
>there 
>> >should probably not be 2^48 pages in one mapping.)
>> >
>> >Thanks!
>> >Leo
>> 
>> 
>> sup Leo, here's a quote from maz 
>
>Hi Bradley,
>
>> 
>> "This thing is already big enough, let's not add a bool right in the
>> middle (use pahole to find out why this is bad).
>
>I suppose you proposed to add a bool into a struct, maybe?
>It would screw the struct alignment.

yep, crappy old me


>> Given that nr_pages
>> is for a range, and that the minimum page size uses 12 bits, the
>> largest number of pages you can have here is 56-12=48 bit wide. That's
>> another 16 bits worth of flags you can use."
>
>Humm, makes sense.
>And since he mentions 16 bits worth of flags, you start by using the 48th 
>bit. Ok, got your rationale.
>
>(I would possibly start with the 63, though, but that's more on personal 
>taste)

48 won't make the world blow up :)

>> 
>> this should just clarify things, any questions, feel more than free to
>ask!
>> 
>> (btw V4 is coming soon)
>
>Thanks!
>Leo
>
>> 
>> >> +
>> >> +static u64 pkvm_mapping_nr_pages(struct pkvm_mapping *m)
>> >> +{
>> >> +	return m->nr_pages & PKVM_MAPPING_NR_PAGES_MASK;
>> >> +}
>> >> +
>> >> +static bool pkvm_mapping_is_cacheable(struct pkvm_mapping *m)
>> >> +{
>> >> +	return m->nr_pages & PKVM_MAPPING_CACHEABLE;
>> >> +}
>> >> +
>> >> +static void pkvm_mapping_set_nr_pages(struct pkvm_mapping *m, u64
>> >nr_pages,
>> >> +				      bool cacheable)
>> >> +{
>> >> +	WARN_ON_ONCE(nr_pages & ~PKVM_MAPPING_NR_PAGES_MASK);
>> >> +
>> >> +	m->nr_pages = nr_pages & PKVM_MAPPING_NR_PAGES_MASK;
>> >> +	if (cacheable)
>> >> +		m->nr_pages |= PKVM_MAPPING_CACHEABLE;
>> >> +}
>> >> +
>> >>  static u64 __pkvm_mapping_end(struct pkvm_mapping *m)
>> >>  {
>> >> -	return (m->gfn + m->nr_pages) * PAGE_SIZE - 1;
>> >> +	return (m->gfn + pkvm_mapping_nr_pages(m)) * PAGE_SIZE - 1;
>> >>  }
>> >>  
>> >>  INTERVAL_TREE_DEFINE(struct pkvm_mapping, node, u64, __subtree_last,
>> >> @@ -350,7 +373,7 @@ static int __pkvm_pgtable_stage2_reclaim(struct
>> >kvm_pgtable *pgt, u64 start, u64
>> >>  			continue;
>> >>  
>> >>  		page = pfn_to_page(mapping->pfn);
>> >> -		WARN_ON_ONCE(mapping->nr_pages != 1);
>> >> +		WARN_ON_ONCE(pkvm_mapping_nr_pages(mapping) != 1);
>> >>  		unpin_user_pages_dirty_lock(&page, 1, true);
>> >>  		account_locked_vm(kvm->mm, 1, false);
>> >>  		pkvm_mapping_remove(mapping, &pgt->pkvm_mappings);
>> >> @@ -369,7 +392,7 @@ static int __pkvm_pgtable_stage2_unshare(struct
>> >kvm_pgtable *pgt, u64 start, u64
>> >>  
>> >>  	for_each_mapping_in_range_safe(pgt, start, end, mapping) {
>> >>  		ret = kvm_call_hyp_nvhe(__pkvm_host_unshare_guest, handle, mapping->gfn,
>> >> -					mapping->nr_pages);
>> >> +					pkvm_mapping_nr_pages(mapping));
>> >>  		if (WARN_ON(ret))
>> >>  			return ret;
>> >>  		pkvm_mapping_remove(mapping, &pgt->pkvm_mappings);
>> >> @@ -448,7 +471,7 @@ int pkvm_pgtable_stage2_map(struct kvm_pgtable
>*pgt,
>> >u64 addr, u64 size,
>> >>  		 * permission faults are handled in the relax_perms() path.
>> >>  		 */
>> >>  		if (mapping) {
>> >> -			if (size == (mapping->nr_pages * PAGE_SIZE))
>> >> +			if (size == (pkvm_mapping_nr_pages(mapping) * PAGE_SIZE))
>> >>  				return -EAGAIN;
>> >>  
>> >>  			/*
>> >> @@ -472,7 +495,9 @@ int pkvm_pgtable_stage2_map(struct kvm_pgtable
>*pgt,
>> >u64 addr, u64 size,
>> >>  	swap(mapping, cache->mapping);
>> >>  	mapping->gfn = gfn;
>> >>  	mapping->pfn = pfn;
>> >> -	mapping->nr_pages = size / PAGE_SIZE;
>> >> +	pkvm_mapping_set_nr_pages(mapping, size / PAGE_SIZE,
>> >> +				  !(prot & (KVM_PGTABLE_PROT_DEVICE |
>> >> +					    KVM_PGTABLE_PROT_NORMAL_NC)));
>> >>  	pkvm_mapping_insert(mapping, &pgt->pkvm_mappings);
>> >>  
>> >>  	return ret;
>> >> @@ -503,7 +528,7 @@ int pkvm_pgtable_stage2_wrprotect(struct
>kvm_pgtable
>> >*pgt, u64 addr, u64 size)
>> >>  	lockdep_assert_held(&kvm->mmu_lock);
>> >>  	for_each_mapping_in_range_safe(pgt, addr, addr + size, mapping) {
>> >>  		ret = kvm_call_hyp_nvhe(__pkvm_host_wrprotect_guest, handle, mapping->gfn,
>> >> -					mapping->nr_pages);
>> >> +					pkvm_mapping_nr_pages(mapping));
>> >>  		if (WARN_ON(ret))
>> >>  			break;
>> >>  	}
>> >> @@ -517,9 +542,13 @@ int pkvm_pgtable_stage2_flush(struct kvm_pgtable
>> >*pgt, u64 addr, u64 size)
>> >>  	struct pkvm_mapping *mapping;
>> >>  
>> >>  	lockdep_assert_held(&kvm->mmu_lock);
>> >> -	for_each_mapping_in_range_safe(pgt, addr, addr + size, mapping)
>> >> +	for_each_mapping_in_range_safe(pgt, addr, addr + size, mapping) {
>> >> +		if (!pkvm_mapping_is_cacheable(mapping))
>> >> +			continue;
>> >> +
>> >>  		__clean_dcache_guest_page(pfn_to_kaddr(mapping->pfn),
>> >> -					  PAGE_SIZE * mapping->nr_pages);
>> >> +					  PAGE_SIZE * pkvm_mapping_nr_pages(mapping));
>> >> +	}
>> >>  
>> >>  	return 0;
>> >>  }
>> >> @@ -536,8 +565,10 @@ bool pkvm_pgtable_stage2_test_clear_young(struct
>> >kvm_pgtable *pgt, u64 addr, u64
>> >>  
>> >>  	lockdep_assert_held(&kvm->mmu_lock);
>> >>  	for_each_mapping_in_range_safe(pgt, addr, addr + size, mapping)
>> >> -		young |= kvm_call_hyp_nvhe(__pkvm_host_test_clear_young_guest, handle, mapping->gfn,
>> >> -					   mapping->nr_pages, mkold);
>> >> +		young |= kvm_call_hyp_nvhe(__pkvm_host_test_clear_young_guest,
>> >> +					   handle, mapping->gfn,
>> >> +					   pkvm_mapping_nr_pages(mapping),
>> >> +					   mkold);
>> >>  
>> >>  	return young;
>> >>  }
>> >> -- 
>> >> 2.53.0
>> >> 
>> >
>> 
>> Thanks!
>

Thanks!



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