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Date:   Wed, 27 Oct 2021 22:17:00 -0700
From:   Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@redhat.com>
To:     Peter Zijlstra <peterz@infradead.org>
Cc:     x86@kernel.org, andrew.cooper3@citrix.com,
        linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, alexei.starovoitov@gmail.com,
        ndesaulniers@google.com, bpf@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH v3 00/16] x86: Rewrite the retpoline rewrite logic
Message-ID: <20211028051700.id3nbzextq6oevr5@treble>
References: <20211026120132.613201817@infradead.org>
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On Tue, Oct 26, 2021 at 02:01:32PM +0200, Peter Zijlstra wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> These patches rewrite the way retpolines are rewritten. Currently objtool emits
> alternative entries for most retpoline calls. However trying to extend that led
> to trouble (ELF files are horrid).
> 
> Therefore completely overhaul this and have objtool emit a .retpoline_sites
> section that lists all compiler generated retpoline thunk calls. Then the
> kernel can do with them as it pleases.
> 
> Notably it will:
> 
>  - rewrite them to indirect instructions for !RETPOLINE
>  - rewrite them to lfence; indirect; for RETPOLINE_AMD,
>    where size allows (boo clang!)
> 
> Specifically, the !RETPOLINE case can now also deal with the clang-special
> conditional-indirect-tail-call:
> 
>   Jcc __x86_indirect_thunk_\reg.
> 
> Finally, also update the x86 BPF jit to catch up to recent times and do these
> same things.
> 
> All this should help improve performance by removing an indirection.
> 
> Patches can (soon) be found here:
> 
>   git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/peterz/queue.git objtool/core
> 
> Changes since v2:
> 
>  - rewrite the __x86_indirect_thunk_array[] stuff again
>  - rewrite the retpoline,amd rewrite logic, it now also supports
>    rewriting the Jcc case, if the original instruction is long enough, but
>    more importantly, it's simpler code.
>  - bpf label simplification patch
>  - random assorted cleanups
>  - actually managed to get bpf selftests working

Good stuff!

Acked-by: Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@redhat.com>

-- 
Josh