Re: [Minios-devel] [UNIKRAFT PATCHv4 22/43] plat/kvm: Allow access to floating-point and Advanced SIMD registers

[Yuri Volchkov <yuri.volchkov@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Wei

> As Unikraft is not a kernel.
That is not completely true. That is matter of terminology. We still
separate "kernel" (or "core" if you like) code from the
"application". Even though it is melted together into one address space.

Or do you mean it is not a kernel because it runs as a qemu process?
From that perspective yes.. but that is still an OS (virtualized
though). If linux runs in KVM it has a kernel anyways..

I think it would be best to disable floating point for "core" part. And
if a specific application (e.g. DPDK) needs it, only that application's
code should be build with floating point support.

If we do it, I think it is good idea to implement it in the follow up
patches.

-Yuri.

Wei Chen <Wei.Chen@xxxxxxx> writes:

> Hi Sharan,
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Sharan Santhanam <sharan.santhanam@xxxxxxxxx>
>> Sent: 2018年7月20日 21:28
>> To: Wei Chen <Wei.Chen@xxxxxxx>; minios-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx;
>> simon.kuenzer@xxxxxxxxx
>> Cc: Julien Grall <Julien.Grall@xxxxxxx>; Kaly Xin <Kaly.Xin@xxxxxxx>; nd
>> <nd@xxxxxxx>; Dave P Martin <Dave.Martin@xxxxxxx>
>> Subject: Re: Re: [Minios-devel] [UNIKRAFT PATCHv4 22/43] plat/kvm: Allow
>> access to floating-point and Advanced SIMD registers
>> 
>> Hello,
>> 
>> On 07/09/2018 12:48 PM, Julien Grall wrote:
>> > (+ Dave)
>> >
>> > On 09/07/18 10:47, Wei Chen wrote:
>> >> Hi, Julien,
>> >
>> > Hi Wei,
>> >
>> >>
>> >>> -----Original Message-----
>> >>> From: Julien Grall <julien.grall@xxxxxxx>
>> >>> Sent: 2018年7月8日 6:17
>> >>> To: Wei Chen <Wei.Chen@xxxxxxx>; minios-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx;
>> >>> simon.kuenzer@xxxxxxxxx
>> >>> Cc: Kaly Xin <Kaly.Xin@xxxxxxx>; nd <nd@xxxxxxx>
>> >>> Subject: Re: [Minios-devel] [UNIKRAFT PATCHv4 22/43] plat/kvm: Allow
>> access to
>> >>> floating-point and Advanced SIMD registers
>> >>>
>> >>> Hi,
>> >>>
>> >>> On 07/06/2018 10:03 AM, Wei Chen wrote:
>> >>>> On Arm64, when we want to print out some message, the va_list will
>> >>>> use the SIMD&FP registers (like q0, q1) to store parameters. So, we
>> >>>> have to disable the trap of accessing floating-point and Advanced SIMD
>> >>>> registers to make va_list use SIMD&FP registers properly.
>> >>>
>> >>> I don't think this is true. Xen and Linux don't use SIMD&FP registers as
>> >>> this would require to context switch at every entry. Yet we are able to
>> >>> use va_list without SIMD&FP registers.
>> >>>
>> >>
>> >> This is true, because Linux and Xen doesn't support float print.
>> >> Unikraft kernel just a part of an application, its print library need
>> >> To support float. Just like nolibc, when GCC compiling this library,
>> >> it doesn't care you are running EL1 or EL0, the generated code will
>> >> access q0, q1. When you're running this code in EL1 without SIMD&FP,
>> >> system crash.
>> >
>> 
>> According to the [2] and [4], Cortex-A53 could be configured and
>> linux[3] has support for running the soft floating point. But in our
>> description of Cortex-A53 in "arch/arm/arm64/Config.uk" we restrict it.
>> 
>> Do we plan to support it in the future?
>
> Hmm, Both floating-point and NEON are required in all standard ARMv8
> implementations. However, as the document[2] mentioned, implementations
> targeting specialized markets may support No NEON or floating-point.
>
> Although I don't really want to support it, but I think I don't have
> choice. I have to support such specialized users, I prefer to introduce
> a new target CPU cortex-A53+NOFP to support it in another patch series.
>
> About document[3], I can't open the original URL, but I find it in
> http://lists-archives.com/linux-kernel/28688456-arm64-support-systems-without-fp-asimd.html
>
> This patch is not for soft floating. It's used to avoid save fp&simd
> registers in context switch when fpsimd feature is absent.
> And GCC for AArch64 doesn't support soft-float, if users select the
> +NOFP option, he must confirm the code don't contain any float type. 
>
>> 
>> > When will q0, q1 will be accessed? Is it only when floating point will
>> > be printed?
>> >
>> 
>> The document[1], mentions that register qN are used only for floating
>> and vector operations. In appendix B, where they explain about the
>
> Sorry, I haven't found "only" from [1], I just found "can" : )
>
>> variadic calling conventions it mentions prologue of the variadic
>> function creates a separate variadic stack frame and if the Floating
>> points arguments or vector arguments are not passed as a variadic
>> argument qN register do not have to be saved and restored.
>> 
>> For further reference, section 5.4[1] describe how the function
>> parameters are passed and how the SIMD/floating point register are used.
>> Appendix B of the document gives a description of variadic functions.
>> 
>
> So, without -mgeneral-regs-only flag, gcc va_start, va_list will use
> qN to pass parameters. As Unikraft is not a kernel, it's part of an
> application, we will transfer lots of userspace libraries and applications
> to unikriaft libraries and applications. And most applications on Cloud
> like DPDK or other network application, the already use SIMD and other
> vector operations to accelerate transfer speed. Not to mention the image
> processing applications, FP is mandatory.


>
> So I prefer to keep FP&SIMD enabled by default, except +NOFP be selected
> Explicitly.
>
>> > Also, IIUC, the kernel code will be compiled with floating point, right?
>> > If so, it means the compiler will be able to use floating point for some
>> > optimization. This will become a problem when receiving a trap as you
>> > would need to context switch the registers (this assume handler may use 
>> > FP).
>> >
>> > Cheers,
>> >
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> [1]
>> http://infocenter.arm.com/help/topic/com.arm.doc.ihi0055b/IHI0055B_aapcs64.pdf
>> 
>> [2]
>> https://developer.arm.com/products/architecture/cpu-architecture/a-
>> profile/docs/112086438/latest/software-implications-for-v8-a-implementations-
>> with-no-hardware-floating-point
>> 
>> [3] https://patchwork.kernel.org/patch/9405787/
>> 
>> [4]
>> http://infocenter.arm.com/help/index.jsp?topic=/com.arm.doc.dui0773b/chr138314
>> 3713787.html
>> 
>> Thanks & Regards
>> Sharan
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-- 
Yuri Volchkov
Software Specialist

NEC Europe Ltd
Kurfürsten-Anlage 36
D-69115 Heidelberg

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