aboutsummaryrefslogtreecommitdiffstats
path: root/Documentation/virt/kvm/x86/errata.rst
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/virt/kvm/x86/errata.rst')
-rw-r--r--Documentation/virt/kvm/x86/errata.rst50
1 files changed, 50 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/virt/kvm/x86/errata.rst b/Documentation/virt/kvm/x86/errata.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..49a05f24747b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/virt/kvm/x86/errata.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+=======================================
+Known limitations of CPU virtualization
+=======================================
+
+Whenever perfect emulation of a CPU feature is impossible or too hard, KVM
+has to choose between not implementing the feature at all or introducing
+behavioral differences between virtual machines and bare metal systems.
+
+This file documents some of the known limitations that KVM has in
+virtualizing CPU features.
+
+x86
+===
+
+``KVM_GET_SUPPORTED_CPUID`` issues
+----------------------------------
+
+x87 features
+~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Unlike most other CPUID feature bits, CPUID[EAX=7,ECX=0]:EBX[6]
+(FDP_EXCPTN_ONLY) and CPUID[EAX=7,ECX=0]:EBX]13] (ZERO_FCS_FDS) are
+clear if the features are present and set if the features are not present.
+
+Clearing these bits in CPUID has no effect on the operation of the guest;
+if these bits are set on hardware, the features will not be present on
+any virtual machine that runs on that hardware.
+
+**Workaround:** It is recommended to always set these bits in guest CPUID.
+Note however that any software (e.g ``WIN87EM.DLL``) expecting these features
+to be present likely predates these CPUID feature bits, and therefore
+doesn't know to check for them anyway.
+
+Nested virtualization features
+------------------------------
+
+TBD
+
+x2APIC
+------
+When KVM_X2APIC_API_USE_32BIT_IDS is enabled, KVM activates a hack/quirk that
+allows sending events to a single vCPU using its x2APIC ID even if the target
+vCPU has legacy xAPIC enabled, e.g. to bring up hotplugged vCPUs via INIT-SIPI
+on VMs with > 255 vCPUs. A side effect of the quirk is that, if multiple vCPUs
+have the same physical APIC ID, KVM will deliver events targeting that APIC ID
+only to the vCPU with the lowest vCPU ID. If KVM_X2APIC_API_USE_32BIT_IDS is
+not enabled, KVM follows x86 architecture when processing interrupts (all vCPUs
+matching the target APIC ID receive the interrupt).