KVM: x86: Provide a capability to disable APERF/MPERF read intercepts

jsmattsonjr · sean-jc · commit a7cec20845a6 · 2025-07-09T09:33:37.000-07:00
Allow a guest to read the physical IA32_APERF and IA32_MPERF MSRs without interception. The IA32_APERF and IA32_MPERF MSRs are not virtualized. Writes are not handled at all. The MSR values are not zeroed on vCPU creation, saved on suspend, or restored on resume. No accommodation is made for processor migration or for sharing a logical processor with other tasks. No adjustments are made for non-unit TSC multipliers. The MSRs do not account for time the same way as the comparable PMU events, whether the PMU is virtualized by the traditional emulation method or the new mediated pass-through approach. Nonetheless, in a properly constrained environment, this capability can be combined with a guest CPUID table that advertises support for CPUID.6:ECX.APERFMPERF[bit 0] to induce a Linux guest to report the effective physical CPU frequency in /proc/cpuinfo. Moreover, there is no performance cost for this capability. Signed-off-by: Jim Mattson <jmattson@google.com> Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20250530185239.2335185-3-jmattson@google.com Reviewed-by: Xiaoyao Li <xiaoyao.li@intel.com> Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20250626001225.744268-3-seanjc@google.com Signed-off-by: Sean Christopherson <seanjc@google.com>
diff --git a/Documentation/virt/kvm/api.rst b/Documentation/virt/kvm/api.rst
@@ -7844,6 +7844,7 @@ Valid bits in args[0] are::
   #define KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_HLT              (1 << 1)
   #define KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_PAUSE            (1 << 2)
   #define KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_CSTATE           (1 << 3)
+  #define KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_APERFMPERF       (1 << 4)
 
 Enabling this capability on a VM provides userspace with a way to no
 longer intercept some instructions for improved latency in some
@@ -7854,6 +7855,28 @@ all such vmexits.
 
 Do not enable KVM_FEATURE_PV_UNHALT if you disable HLT exits.
 
+Virtualizing the ``IA32_APERF`` and ``IA32_MPERF`` MSRs requires more
+than just disabling APERF/MPERF exits. While both Intel and AMD
+document strict usage conditions for these MSRs--emphasizing that only
+the ratio of their deltas over a time interval (T0 to T1) is
+architecturally defined--simply passing through the MSRs can still
+produce an incorrect ratio.
+
+This erroneous ratio can occur if, between T0 and T1:
+
+1. The vCPU thread migrates between logical processors.
+2. Live migration or suspend/resume operations take place.
+3. Another task shares the vCPU's logical processor.
+4. C-states lower than C0 are emulated (e.g., via HLT interception).
+5. The guest TSC frequency doesn't match the host TSC frequency.
+
+Due to these complexities, KVM does not automatically associate this
+passthrough capability with the guest CPUID bit,
+``CPUID.6:ECX.APERFMPERF[bit 0]``. Userspace VMMs that deem this
+mechanism adequate for virtualizing the ``IA32_APERF`` and
+``IA32_MPERF`` MSRs must set the guest CPUID bit explicitly.
+
+
 7.14 KVM_CAP_S390_HPAGE_1M
 --------------------------
 
diff --git a/arch/x86/kvm/svm/nested.c b/arch/x86/kvm/svm/nested.c
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ void recalc_intercepts(struct vcpu_svm *svm)
  * Hardcode the capacity of the array based on the maximum number of _offsets_.
  * MSRs are batched together, so there are fewer offsets than MSRs.
  */
-static int nested_svm_msrpm_merge_offsets[6] __ro_after_init;
+static int nested_svm_msrpm_merge_offsets[7] __ro_after_init;
 static int nested_svm_nr_msrpm_merge_offsets __ro_after_init;
 typedef unsigned long nsvm_msrpm_merge_t;
 
@@ -216,6 +216,8 @@ int __init nested_svm_init_msrpm_merge_offsets(void)
 		MSR_IA32_SPEC_CTRL,
 		MSR_IA32_PRED_CMD,
 		MSR_IA32_FLUSH_CMD,
+		MSR_IA32_APERF,
+		MSR_IA32_MPERF,
 		MSR_IA32_LASTBRANCHFROMIP,
 		MSR_IA32_LASTBRANCHTOIP,
 		MSR_IA32_LASTINTFROMIP,
diff --git a/arch/x86/kvm/svm/svm.c b/arch/x86/kvm/svm/svm.c
@@ -838,6 +838,11 @@ static void svm_recalc_msr_intercepts(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
 	svm_set_intercept_for_msr(vcpu, MSR_IA32_SYSENTER_ESP, MSR_TYPE_RW,
 				  guest_cpuid_is_intel_compatible(vcpu));
 
+	if (kvm_aperfmperf_in_guest(vcpu->kvm)) {
+		svm_disable_intercept_for_msr(vcpu, MSR_IA32_APERF, MSR_TYPE_R);
+		svm_disable_intercept_for_msr(vcpu, MSR_IA32_MPERF, MSR_TYPE_R);
+	}
+
 	if (sev_es_guest(vcpu->kvm))
 		sev_es_recalc_msr_intercepts(vcpu);
 
diff --git a/arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c b/arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c
@@ -715,6 +715,12 @@ static inline bool nested_vmx_prepare_msr_bitmap(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu,
 	nested_vmx_set_intercept_for_msr(vmx, msr_bitmap_l1, msr_bitmap_l0,
 					 MSR_IA32_FLUSH_CMD, MSR_TYPE_W);
 
+	nested_vmx_set_intercept_for_msr(vmx, msr_bitmap_l1, msr_bitmap_l0,
+					 MSR_IA32_APERF, MSR_TYPE_R);
+
+	nested_vmx_set_intercept_for_msr(vmx, msr_bitmap_l1, msr_bitmap_l0,
+					 MSR_IA32_MPERF, MSR_TYPE_R);
+
 	kvm_vcpu_unmap(vcpu, &map);
 
 	vmx->nested.force_msr_bitmap_recalc = false;
diff --git a/arch/x86/kvm/vmx/vmx.c b/arch/x86/kvm/vmx/vmx.c
@@ -4084,6 +4084,10 @@ void vmx_recalc_msr_intercepts(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
 		vmx_disable_intercept_for_msr(vcpu, MSR_CORE_C6_RESIDENCY, MSR_TYPE_R);
 		vmx_disable_intercept_for_msr(vcpu, MSR_CORE_C7_RESIDENCY, MSR_TYPE_R);
 	}
+	if (kvm_aperfmperf_in_guest(vcpu->kvm)) {
+		vmx_disable_intercept_for_msr(vcpu, MSR_IA32_APERF, MSR_TYPE_R);
+		vmx_disable_intercept_for_msr(vcpu, MSR_IA32_MPERF, MSR_TYPE_R);
+	}
 
 	/* PT MSRs can be passed through iff PT is exposed to the guest. */
 	if (vmx_pt_mode_is_host_guest())
diff --git a/arch/x86/kvm/x86.c b/arch/x86/kvm/x86.c
@@ -4577,6 +4577,9 @@ static u64 kvm_get_allowed_disable_exits(void)
 {
 	u64 r = KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_PAUSE;
 
+	if (boot_cpu_has(X86_FEATURE_APERFMPERF))
+		r |= KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_APERFMPERF;
+
 	if (!mitigate_smt_rsb) {
 		r |= KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_HLT |
 			KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_CSTATE;
@@ -6613,7 +6616,8 @@ int kvm_vm_ioctl_enable_cap(struct kvm *kvm,
 
 		if (!mitigate_smt_rsb && boot_cpu_has_bug(X86_BUG_SMT_RSB) &&
 		    cpu_smt_possible() &&
-		    (cap->args[0] & ~KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_PAUSE))
+		    (cap->args[0] & ~(KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_PAUSE |
+				      KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_APERFMPERF)))
 			pr_warn_once(SMT_RSB_MSG);
 
 		kvm_disable_exits(kvm, cap->args[0]);
diff --git a/arch/x86/kvm/x86.h b/arch/x86/kvm/x86.h
@@ -524,6 +524,11 @@ static inline bool kvm_cstate_in_guest(struct kvm *kvm)
 	return kvm->arch.disabled_exits & KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_CSTATE;
 }
 
+static inline bool kvm_aperfmperf_in_guest(struct kvm *kvm)
+{
+	return kvm->arch.disabled_exits & KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_APERFMPERF;
+}
+
 static inline bool kvm_notify_vmexit_enabled(struct kvm *kvm)
 {
 	return kvm->arch.notify_vmexit_flags & KVM_X86_NOTIFY_VMEXIT_ENABLED;
diff --git a/include/uapi/linux/kvm.h b/include/uapi/linux/kvm.h
@@ -644,6 +644,7 @@ struct kvm_ioeventfd {
 #define KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_HLT            (1 << 1)
 #define KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_PAUSE          (1 << 2)
 #define KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_CSTATE         (1 << 3)
+#define KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_APERFMPERF     (1 << 4)
 
 /* for KVM_ENABLE_CAP */
 struct kvm_enable_cap {
diff --git a/tools/include/uapi/linux/kvm.h b/tools/include/uapi/linux/kvm.h
@@ -617,6 +617,7 @@ struct kvm_ioeventfd {
 #define KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_HLT            (1 << 1)
 #define KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_PAUSE          (1 << 2)
 #define KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_CSTATE         (1 << 3)
+#define KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_APERFMPERF     (1 << 4)
 
 /* for KVM_ENABLE_CAP */
 struct kvm_enable_cap {

Original file line number	Diff line number	Diff line change
`@@ -524,6 +524,11 @@ static inline bool kvm_cstate_in_guest(struct kvm *kvm)`
`524`	`524`	`return kvm->arch.disabled_exits & KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_CSTATE;`
`525`	`525`	`}`
`526`	`526`
	`527`	`+static inline bool kvm_aperfmperf_in_guest(struct kvm *kvm)`
	`528`	`+{`
	`529`	`+ return kvm->arch.disabled_exits & KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_APERFMPERF;`
	`530`	`+}`
	`531`	`+`
`527`	`532`	`static inline bool kvm_notify_vmexit_enabled(struct kvm *kvm)`
`528`	`533`	`{`
`529`	`534`	`return kvm->arch.notify_vmexit_flags & KVM_X86_NOTIFY_VMEXIT_ENABLED;`