From f7be8610bca88e59dd2fd5d98fcbc5031ef0e079 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Borislav Petkov Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2016 11:56:09 +0200 Subject: x86/Documentation: Start documenting x86 topology This should contain important aspects of how we represent the system topology on x86. If people have questions about it and this file doesn't answer it, then it must be updated. Signed-off-by: Borislav Petkov Link: http://lkml.kernel.org/r/20160328095609.GD26651@pd.tnic Signed-off-by: Thomas Gleixner --- Documentation/x86/topology.txt | 208 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 208 insertions(+) create mode 100644 Documentation/x86/topology.txt (limited to 'Documentation') diff --git a/Documentation/x86/topology.txt b/Documentation/x86/topology.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..06afac252f5b --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/x86/topology.txt @@ -0,0 +1,208 @@ +x86 Topology +============ + +This documents and clarifies the main aspects of x86 topology modelling and +representation in the kernel. Update/change when doing changes to the +respective code. + +The architecture-agnostic topology definitions are in +Documentation/cputopology.txt. This file holds x86-specific +differences/specialities which must not necessarily apply to the generic +definitions. Thus, the way to read up on Linux topology on x86 is to start +with the generic one and look at this one in parallel for the x86 specifics. + +Needless to say, code should use the generic functions - this file is *only* +here to *document* the inner workings of x86 topology. + +Started by Thomas Gleixner and Borislav Petkov . + +The main aim of the topology facilities is to present adequate interfaces to +code which needs to know/query/use the structure of the running system wrt +threads, cores, packages, etc. + +The kernel does not care about the concept of physical sockets because a +socket has no relevance to software. It's an electromechanical component. In +the past a socket always contained a single package (see below), but with the +advent of Multi Chip Modules (MCM) a socket can hold more than one package. So +there might be still references to sockets in the code, but they are of +historical nature and should be cleaned up. + +The topology of a system is described in the units of: + + - packages + - cores + - threads + +* Package: + + Packages contain a number of cores plus shared resources, e.g. DRAM + controller, shared caches etc. + + AMD nomenclature for package is 'Node'. + + Package-related topology information in the kernel: + + - cpuinfo_x86.x86_max_cores: + + The number of cores in a package. This information is retrieved via CPUID. + + - cpuinfo_x86.phys_proc_id: + + The physical ID of the package. This information is retrieved via CPUID + and deduced from the APIC IDs of the cores in the package. + + - cpuinfo_x86.logical_id: + + The logical ID of the package. As we do not trust BIOSes to enumerate the + packages in a consistent way, we introduced the concept of logical package + ID so we can sanely calculate the number of maximum possible packages in + the system and have the packages enumerated linearly. + + - topology_max_packages(): + + The maximum possible number of packages in the system. Helpful for per + package facilities to preallocate per package information. + + +* Cores: + + A core consists of 1 or more threads. It does not matter whether the threads + are SMT- or CMT-type threads. + + AMDs nomenclature for a CMT core is "Compute Unit". The kernel always uses + "core". + + Core-related topology information in the kernel: + + - smp_num_siblings: + + The number of threads in a core. The number of threads in a package can be + calculated by: + + threads_per_package = cpuinfo_x86.x86_max_cores * smp_num_siblings + + +* Threads: + + A thread is a single scheduling unit. It's the equivalent to a logical Linux + CPU. + + AMDs nomenclature for CMT threads is "Compute Unit Core". The kernel always + uses "thread". + + Thread-related topology information in the kernel: + + - topology_core_cpumask(): + + The cpumask contains all online threads in the package to which a thread + belongs. + + The number of online threads is also printed in /proc/cpuinfo "siblings." + + - topology_sibling_mask(): + + The cpumask contains all online threads in the core to which a thread + belongs. + + - topology_logical_package_id(): + + The logical package ID to which a thread belongs. + + - topology_physical_package_id(): + + The physical package ID to which a thread belongs. + + - topology_core_id(); + + The ID of the core to which a thread belongs. It is also printed in /proc/cpuinfo + "core_id." + + + +System topology examples + +Note: + +The alternative Linux CPU enumeration depends on how the BIOS enumerates the +threads. Many BIOSes enumerate all threads 0 first and then all threads 1. +That has the "advantage" that the logical Linux CPU numbers of threads 0 stay +the same whether threads are enabled or not. That's merely an implementation +detail and has no practical impact. + +1) Single Package, Single Core + + [package 0] -> [core 0] -> [thread 0] -> Linux CPU 0 + +2) Single Package, Dual Core + + a) One thread per core + + [package 0] -> [core 0] -> [thread 0] -> Linux CPU 0 + -> [core 1] -> [thread 0] -> Linux CPU 1 + + b) Two threads per core + + [package 0] -> [core 0] -> [thread 0] -> Linux CPU 0 + -> [thread 1] -> Linux CPU 1 + -> [core 1] -> [thread 0] -> Linux CPU 2 + -> [thread 1] -> Linux CPU 3 + + Alternative enumeration: + + [package 0] -> [core 0] -> [thread 0] -> Linux CPU 0 + -> [thread 1] -> Linux CPU 2 + -> [core 1] -> [thread 0] -> Linux CPU 1 + -> [thread 1] -> Linux CPU 3 + + AMD nomenclature for CMT systems: + + [node 0] -> [Compute Unit 0] -> [Compute Unit Core 0] -> Linux CPU 0 + -> [Compute Unit Core 1] -> Linux CPU 1 + -> [Compute Unit 1] -> [Compute Unit Core 0] -> Linux CPU 2 + -> [Compute Unit Core 1] -> Linux CPU 3 + +4) Dual Package, Dual Core + + a) One thread per core + + [package 0] -> [core 0] -> [thread 0] -> Linux CPU 0 + -> [core 1] -> [thread 0] -> Linux CPU 1 + + [package 1] -> [core 0] -> [thread 0] -> Linux CPU 2 + -> [core 1] -> [thread 0] -> Linux CPU 3 + + b) Two threads per core + + [package 0] -> [core 0] -> [thread 0] -> Linux CPU 0 + -> [thread 1] -> Linux CPU 1 + -> [core 1] -> [thread 0] -> Linux CPU 2 + -> [thread 1] -> Linux CPU 3 + + [package 1] -> [core 0] -> [thread 0] -> Linux CPU 4 + -> [thread 1] -> Linux CPU 5 + -> [core 1] -> [thread 0] -> Linux CPU 6 + -> [thread 1] -> Linux CPU 7 + + Alternative enumeration: + + [package 0] -> [core 0] -> [thread 0] -> Linux CPU 0 + -> [thread 1] -> Linux CPU 4 + -> [core 1] -> [thread 0] -> Linux CPU 1 + -> [thread 1] -> Linux CPU 5 + + [package 1] -> [core 0] -> [thread 0] -> Linux CPU 2 + -> [thread 1] -> Linux CPU 6 + -> [core 1] -> [thread 0] -> Linux CPU 3 + -> [thread 1] -> Linux CPU 7 + + AMD nomenclature for CMT systems: + + [node 0] -> [Compute Unit 0] -> [Compute Unit Core 0] -> Linux CPU 0 + -> [Compute Unit Core 1] -> Linux CPU 1 + -> [Compute Unit 1] -> [Compute Unit Core 0] -> Linux CPU 2 + -> [Compute Unit Core 1] -> Linux CPU 3 + + [node 1] -> [Compute Unit 0] -> [Compute Unit Core 0] -> Linux CPU 4 + -> [Compute Unit Core 1] -> Linux CPU 5 + -> [Compute Unit 1] -> [Compute Unit Core 0] -> Linux CPU 6 + -> [Compute Unit Core 1] -> Linux CPU 7 -- cgit v1.2.3 From 591b1d8d86074ac3a3163d89bcfe7b232cf83902 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Dave Hansen Date: Mon, 14 Dec 2015 11:06:34 -0800 Subject: x86/mm/pkeys: Add missing Documentation Stefan Richter noticed that the X86_INTEL_MEMORY_PROTECTION_KEYS option in arch/x86/Kconfig references Documentation/x86/protection-keys.txt, but the file does not exist. This is a patch merging mishap: the final (v8) version of the pkeys series did not include the documentation patch 32 and v7 included. Add it now. Reported-by: Stefan Richter Signed-off-by: Dave Hansen Cc: Andy Lutomirski Cc: Borislav Petkov Cc: Brian Gerst Cc: Dave Hansen Cc: Denys Vlasenko Cc: H. Peter Anvin Cc: Linus Torvalds Cc: Peter Zijlstra Cc: Thomas Gleixner Cc: linux-mm@kvack.org Link: http://lkml.kernel.org/r/20151214190634.426BEE41@viggo.jf.intel.com [ Added changelog. ] Signed-off-by: Ingo Molnar Signed-off-by: Ingo Molnar --- Documentation/x86/protection-keys.txt | 27 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 27 insertions(+) create mode 100644 Documentation/x86/protection-keys.txt (limited to 'Documentation') diff --git a/Documentation/x86/protection-keys.txt b/Documentation/x86/protection-keys.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..c281ded1ba16 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/x86/protection-keys.txt @@ -0,0 +1,27 @@ +Memory Protection Keys for Userspace (PKU aka PKEYs) is a CPU feature +which will be found on future Intel CPUs. + +Memory Protection Keys provides a mechanism for enforcing page-based +protections, but without requiring modification of the page tables +when an application changes protection domains. It works by +dedicating 4 previously ignored bits in each page table entry to a +"protection key", giving 16 possible keys. + +There is also a new user-accessible register (PKRU) with two separate +bits (Access Disable and Write Disable) for each key. Being a CPU +register, PKRU is inherently thread-local, potentially giving each +thread a different set of protections from every other thread. + +There are two new instructions (RDPKRU/WRPKRU) for reading and writing +to the new register. The feature is only available in 64-bit mode, +even though there is theoretically space in the PAE PTEs. These +permissions are enforced on data access only and have no effect on +instruction fetches. + +=========================== Config Option =========================== + +This config option adds approximately 1.5kb of text. and 50 bytes of +data to the executable. A workload which does large O_DIRECT reads +of holes in XFS files was run to exercise get_user_pages_fast(). No +performance delta was observed with the config option +enabled or disabled. -- cgit v1.2.3