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[v2] Add Documentation/kvm/msr.txt

Message ID 1274900016-8629-1-git-send-email-glommer@redhat.com (mailing list archive)
State New, archived
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Glauber Costa May 26, 2010, 6:53 p.m. UTC
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diff --git a/Documentation/kvm/msr.txt b/Documentation/kvm/msr.txt
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+KVM-specific MSRs.
+Glauber Costa <glommer@redhat.com>, Red Hat Inc, 2010
+=====================================================
+
+KVM makes use of some custom MSRs to service some requests.
+At present, this facility is only used by kvmclock.
+
+Custom MSRs have a range reserved for them, that goes from
+0x4b564d00 to 0x4b564dff. There are MSRs outside this area,
+but they are deprecated and their use is discouraged.
+
+Custom MSR list
+--------
+
+The current supported Custom MSR list is:
+
+MSR_KVM_WALL_CLOCK_NEW:   0x4b564d00
+
+	data: physical address of a memory area. This memory is expected to
+	hold a copy of the following structure:
+
+	struct pvclock_wall_clock {
+		u32   version;
+		u32   sec;
+		u32   nsec;
+	} __attribute__((__packed__));
+
+	whose data will be filled in by the hypervisor. The hypervisor is only 
+	guaranteed to update this data at the moment of MSR write.
+	Users that want to reliably query this information more than once have
+	to write more than once to this MSR. Fields have the following meanings:
+
+		version: guest has to check version before and after grabbing
+		time information and check that they are both equal and even.
+		An odd version indicates an in-progress update.
+
+		sec: number of seconds for wallclock.
+
+		nsec: number of nanoseconds for wallclock.
+
+	Note that although MSRs are per-CPU entities, the effect of this
+	particular MSR is global.
+
+	Availability of this MSR must be checked via bit 3 in 0x4000001 cpuid
+	leaf prior to usage. 
+
+MSR_KVM_SYSTEM_TIME_NEW:  0x4b564d01
+
+	data: physical address of a memory area. This memory is expected to
+	hold a copy of the following structure:
+
+	struct pvclock_vcpu_time_info {
+		u32   version;
+		u32   pad0;
+		u64   tsc_timestamp;
+		u64   system_time;
+		u32   tsc_to_system_mul;
+		s8    tsc_shift;
+		u8    flags;
+		u8    pad[2];
+	} __attribute__((__packed__)); /* 32 bytes */
+
+	whose data will be filled in by the hypervisor periodically. Only one
+	write, or registration, is needed for each VCPU. The interval between
+	updates of this structure is arbitrary and implementation-dependent.
+	Fields have the following meanings:
+
+		version: guest has to check version before and after grabbing
+		time information and check that they are both equal and even.
+		An odd version indicates an in-progress update.
+
+		tsc_timestamp: the tsc value at the current VCPU at the time
+		of the update of this structure. Guests can subtract this value
+		from current tsc to derive a notion of elapsed time since the
+		structure update.
+
+		system_time: the current system time at the time this structure
+		was last updated. Unit is nanoseconds.
+
+		tsc_to_system_mul: a function of the tsc frequency. One has
+		to multiply any tsc-related quantity by this value to get
+		a value in nanoseconds, besides dividing by 2^tsc_shift
+
+		tsc_shift: cycle to nanosecond divider, as a power of two, to
+		allow for shift rights. One has to shift right any tsc-related
+		quantity by this value to get a value in nanoseconds, besides
+		multiplying by tsc_to_system_mul.
+
+		flags: bits in this field indicate extended capabilities
+		coordinated between the guest and the hypervisor. Availability
+		of specific flags has to be checked in 0x40000001 cpuid leaf.
+		Refer to cpuid.txt for details.
+
+	Availability of this MSR must be checked via bit 3 in 0x4000001 cpuid
+	leaf prior to usage. 
+
+
+MSR_KVM_WALL_CLOCK:  0x11
+
+	data and functioning: same as MSR_KVM_WALL_CLOCK_NEW. Use that instead.
+
+	This MSR falls outside the reserved KVM range and may be removed in the
+	future. Its usage is deprecated.
+
+	Availability of this MSR must be checked via bit 0 in 0x4000001 cpuid
+	leaf prior to usage. 
+
+MSR_KVM_SYSTEM_TIME: 0x12
+
+	data and functioning: same as MSR_KVM_SYSTEM_TIME_NEW. Use that instead.
+
+	This MSR falls outside the reserved KVM range and may be removed in the
+	future. Its usage is deprecated.
+
+	Availability of this MSR must be checked via bit 0 in 0x4000001 cpuid
+	leaf prior to usage. 
+