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diff --git a/Documentation/arch/x86/xstate.rst b/Documentation/arch/x86/xstate.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..5cec7fb558d6 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/arch/x86/xstate.rst @@ -0,0 +1,74 @@ +Using XSTATE features in user space applications +================================================ + +The x86 architecture supports floating-point extensions which are +enumerated via CPUID. Applications consult CPUID and use XGETBV to +evaluate which features have been enabled by the kernel XCR0. + +Up to AVX-512 and PKRU states, these features are automatically enabled by +the kernel if available. Features like AMX TILE_DATA (XSTATE component 18) +are enabled by XCR0 as well, but the first use of related instruction is +trapped by the kernel because by default the required large XSTATE buffers +are not allocated automatically. + +Using dynamically enabled XSTATE features in user space applications +-------------------------------------------------------------------- + +The kernel provides an arch_prctl(2) based mechanism for applications to +request the usage of such features. The arch_prctl(2) options related to +this are: + +-ARCH_GET_XCOMP_SUPP + + arch_prctl(ARCH_GET_XCOMP_SUPP, &features); + + ARCH_GET_XCOMP_SUPP stores the supported features in userspace storage of + type uint64_t. The second argument is a pointer to that storage. + +-ARCH_GET_XCOMP_PERM + + arch_prctl(ARCH_GET_XCOMP_PERM, &features); + + ARCH_GET_XCOMP_PERM stores the features for which the userspace process + has permission in userspace storage of type uint64_t. The second argument + is a pointer to that storage. + +-ARCH_REQ_XCOMP_PERM + + arch_prctl(ARCH_REQ_XCOMP_PERM, feature_nr); + + ARCH_REQ_XCOMP_PERM allows to request permission for a dynamically enabled + feature or a feature set. A feature set can be mapped to a facility, e.g. + AMX, and can require one or more XSTATE components to be enabled. + + The feature argument is the number of the highest XSTATE component which + is required for a facility to work. + +When requesting permission for a feature, the kernel checks the +availability. The kernel ensures that sigaltstacks in the process's tasks +are large enough to accommodate the resulting large signal frame. It +enforces this both during ARCH_REQ_XCOMP_SUPP and during any subsequent +sigaltstack(2) calls. If an installed sigaltstack is smaller than the +resulting sigframe size, ARCH_REQ_XCOMP_SUPP results in -ENOSUPP. Also, +sigaltstack(2) results in -ENOMEM if the requested altstack is too small +for the permitted features. + +Permission, when granted, is valid per process. Permissions are inherited +on fork(2) and cleared on exec(3). + +The first use of an instruction related to a dynamically enabled feature is +trapped by the kernel. The trap handler checks whether the process has +permission to use the feature. If the process has no permission then the +kernel sends SIGILL to the application. If the process has permission then +the handler allocates a larger xstate buffer for the task so the large +state can be context switched. In the unlikely cases that the allocation +fails, the kernel sends SIGSEGV. + +Dynamic features in signal frames +--------------------------------- + +Dynamcally enabled features are not written to the signal frame upon signal +entry if the feature is in its initial configuration. This differs from +non-dynamic features which are always written regardless of their +configuration. Signal handlers can examine the XSAVE buffer's XSTATE_BV +field to determine if a features was written. |