Skip to contentSkip to conversation

x86/tdx: Fix port I/O handling bugs

PATCH In review Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta) 6 participants 13 messages Jun 4 – Jul 1

Subsystems (5)
Stable branch x86 KVM KVM x86 +1 more subsystems
lore
Share & tools
lore

Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta)

author maintainer
#0 lore raw

v4 cover x86/tdx: Fix port I/O handling bugs

Two bugs in the TDX guest port I/O #VE emulation, plus a small helper extracted from KVM to avoid open-coding partial-register-write logic in the second fix.

Patch 1 is an off-by-one in the mask used to clip the I/O value:
GENMASK(BITS_PER_BYTE * size, 0) is one bit too wide. Unchanged from v3 1/2.

Patch 2 lifts KVM's instruction-emulator helper assign_register() out of arch/x86/kvm/emulate.c into <asm/insn-eval.h>, renamed to insn_assign_reg(). Dave suggested consolidating rather than adding a third copy of the same partial-register switch; the body is rewritten using plain arithmetic (suggested by David Laight) so the helper does not rely on -fno-strict-aliasing or little-endian byte order. KVM behaviour is unchanged.

Patch 3 fixes the architectural zero-extension of 32-bit IN: the old mask-based handle_in() preserves RAX[63:32] after inl, which is wrong. Now done by calling the helper.

Changes since v3:
- Patch 1/2 carried over unchanged as 1/3.
- Helper extracted from KVM (new patch 2/3) and used from handle_in() (Dave, David Laight).
- Reviewed-by tags from v3 2/2 dropped on patch 3/3 because the implementation changed substantially. v3 1/2 -> v4 1/3 Rb tags preserved (patch unchanged).

v3: https://lore.kernel.org/all/[email protected]/

Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta) (3):
x86/tdx: Fix off-by-one in port I/O handling
x86/insn-eval: Add insn_assign_reg() helper
x86/tdx: Fix zero-extension for 32-bit port I/O

 arch/x86/coco/tdx/tdx.c          | 10 ++++------
 arch/x86/include/asm/insn-eval.h | 25 +++++++++++++++++++++++++
 arch/x86/kvm/emulate.c           | 26 ++++----------------------
 3 files changed, 33 insertions(+), 28 deletions(-)
Signature · 1 line
2.54.0
author maintainer
#1 lore raw

PATCH v4 1/3 x86/tdx: Fix off-by-one in port I/O handling

handle_in() and handle_out() in arch/x86/coco/tdx/tdx.c use:

    u64 mask = GENMASK(BITS_PER_BYTE * size, 0);

GENMASK(h, l) includes bit h. For size=1 (INB), this produces GENMASK(8, 0) = 0x1FF (9 bits) instead of GENMASK(7, 0) = 0xFF (8 bits). The mask is one bit too wide for all I/O sizes.

Fix the mask calculation.

---
 arch/x86/coco/tdx/tdx.c | 4 ++--
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
arch/x86/coco/tdx/tdx.c +2 -2
index 186915a17c50..65119362f9a2 100644
@@ -693,7 +693,7 @@ static bool handle_in(struct pt_regs *regs, int size, int port)
 		.r13 = PORT_READ,
 		.r14 = port,
 	};
-	u64 mask = GENMASK(BITS_PER_BYTE * size, 0);
+	u64 mask = GENMASK(BITS_PER_BYTE * size - 1, 0);
 	bool success;
 
 	/*
@@ -713,7 +713,7 @@ static bool handle_in(struct pt_regs *regs, int size, int port)
 
 static bool handle_out(struct pt_regs *regs, int size, int port)
 {
-	u64 mask = GENMASK(BITS_PER_BYTE * size, 0);
+	u64 mask = GENMASK(BITS_PER_BYTE * size - 1, 0);
 
 	/*
 	 * Emulate the I/O write via hypercall. More info about ABI can be found
Signature · 1 line
2.54.0
author maintainer
#4 lore raw

PATCH v4 2/3 x86/insn-eval: Add insn_assign_reg() helper

In reply to Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta)

KVM's instruction emulator has a small helper, assign_register(), that writes a value into a sub-register with x86 partial-register-write
semantics: 1- and 2-byte writes leave the upper bits of the destination untouched, 4-byte writes zero-extend to 64 bits, 8-byte writes overwrite the full register.

The TDX guest #VE handler needs the same logic for port I/O emulation to get 32-bit zero-extension right. Rather than copy-pasting the helper, lift it to <asm/insn-eval.h> as insn_assign_reg() so both can use it.

Rewrite the body using arithmetic instead of pointer punning so the helper does not depend on -fno-strict-aliasing or little-endian byte order, and add <asm/insn.h> to the header's includes so it builds standalone in callers that have not pulled it in transitively.

No functional change.

---
 arch/x86/include/asm/insn-eval.h | 25 +++++++++++++++++++++++++
 arch/x86/kvm/emulate.c           | 26 ++++----------------------
 2 files changed, 29 insertions(+), 22 deletions(-)
arch/x86/include/asm/insn-eval.h +25 -0
index 4733e9064ee5..85251e718a77 100644
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #include <linux/compiler.h>
 #include <linux/bug.h>
 #include <linux/err.h>
+#include <asm/insn.h>
 #include <asm/ptrace.h>
 
 #define INSN_CODE_SEG_ADDR_SZ(params) ((params >> 4) & 0xf)
@@ -46,4 +47,28 @@ enum insn_mmio_type insn_decode_mmio(struct insn *insn, int *bytes);
 
 bool insn_is_nop(struct insn *insn);
 
+/*
+ * Write @val into *@reg with x86 partial-register-write semantics: a 1-
+ * or 2-byte write leaves the upper bits of the destination untouched; a
+ * 4-byte write zero-extends to 64 bits (matching IN[BWL], MOV[BWL]
+ * etc.); an 8-byte write overwrites the full register.
+ */
+static inline void insn_assign_reg(unsigned long *reg, u64 val, int bytes)
+{
+	switch (bytes) {
+	case 1:
+		*reg = (*reg & ~0xfful)   | (val & 0xff);
+		break;
+	case 2:
+		*reg = (*reg & ~0xfffful) | (val & 0xffff);
+		break;
+	case 4:
+		*reg = (u32)val;
+		break;
+	case 8:
+		*reg = val;
+		break;
+	}
+}
+
 #endif /* _ASM_X86_INSN_EVAL_H */
arch/x86/kvm/emulate.c +4 -22
index 8013dccb3110..74972c17edb8 100644
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 #include "kvm_emulate.h"
 #include <linux/stringify.h>
 #include <asm/debugreg.h>
+#include <asm/insn-eval.h>
 #include <asm/nospec-branch.h>
 #include <asm/ibt.h>
 #include <asm/text-patching.h>
@@ -439,25 +440,6 @@ static void assign_masked(ulong *dest, ulong src, ulong mask)
 	*dest = (*dest & ~mask) | (src & mask);
 }
 
-static void assign_register(unsigned long *reg, u64 val, int bytes)
-{
-	/* The 4-byte case *is* correct: in 64-bit mode we zero-extend. */
-	switch (bytes) {
-	case 1:
-		*(u8 *)reg = (u8)val;
-		break;
-	case 2:
-		*(u16 *)reg = (u16)val;
-		break;
-	case 4:
-		*reg = (u32)val;
-		break;	/* 64b: zero-extend */
-	case 8:
-		*reg = val;
-		break;
-	}
-}
-
 static inline unsigned long ad_mask(struct x86_emulate_ctxt *ctxt)
 {
 	return (1UL << (ctxt->ad_bytes << 3)) - 1;
@@ -505,7 +487,7 @@ register_address_increment(struct x86_emulate_ctxt *ctxt, int reg, int inc)
 {
 	ulong *preg = reg_rmw(ctxt, reg);
 
-	assign_register(preg, *preg + inc, ctxt->ad_bytes);
+	insn_assign_reg(preg, *preg + inc, ctxt->ad_bytes);
 }
 
 static void rsp_increment(struct x86_emulate_ctxt *ctxt, int inc)
@@ -1766,7 +1748,7 @@ static int load_segment_descriptor(struct x86_emulate_ctxt *ctxt,
 
 static void write_register_operand(struct operand *op)
 {
-	return assign_register(op->addr.reg, op->val, op->bytes);
+	return insn_assign_reg(op->addr.reg, op->val, op->bytes);
 }
 
 static int writeback(struct x86_emulate_ctxt *ctxt, struct operand *op)
@@ -2007,7 +1989,7 @@ static int em_popa(struct x86_emulate_ctxt *ctxt)
 		rc = emulate_pop(ctxt, &val, ctxt->op_bytes);
 		if (rc != X86EMUL_CONTINUE)
 			break;
-		assign_register(reg_rmw(ctxt, reg), val, ctxt->op_bytes);
+		insn_assign_reg(reg_rmw(ctxt, reg), val, ctxt->op_bytes);
 		--reg;
 	}
 	return rc;
Signature · 1 line
2.54.0
author maintainer
#9 lore raw

PATCH v4 3/3 x86/tdx: Fix zero-extension for 32-bit port I/O

In reply to Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta)

According to x86 architecture rules, 32-bit operations zero-extend the result to 64 bits. The current implementation of handle_in() only masks the lower 32 bits, which preserves the upper 32 bits of RAX when a 32-bit port IN instruction is emulated.

Use insn_assign_reg() to write the result back into RAX with proper partial-register-write semantics: 1- and 2-byte forms leave the upper bits untouched, the 4-byte form zero-extends to the full register.

---
 arch/x86/coco/tdx/tdx.c | 8 +++-----
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
arch/x86/coco/tdx/tdx.c +3 -5
index 65119362f9a2..41cc23cc63dd 100644
@@ -693,8 +693,8 @@ static bool handle_in(struct pt_regs *regs, int size, int port)
 		.r13 = PORT_READ,
 		.r14 = port,
 	};
-	u64 mask = GENMASK(BITS_PER_BYTE * size - 1, 0);
 	bool success;
+	u64 val;
 
 	/*
 	 * Emulate the I/O read via hypercall. More info about ABI can be found
@@ -702,11 +702,9 @@ static bool handle_in(struct pt_regs *regs, int size, int port)
 	 * "TDG.VP.VMCALL<Instruction.IO>".
 	 */
 	success = !__tdx_hypercall(&args);
+	val = success ? args.r11 : 0;
 
-	/* Update part of the register affected by the emulated instruction */
-	regs->ax &= ~mask;
-	if (success)
-		regs->ax |= args.r11 & mask;
+	insn_assign_reg(&regs->ax, val, size);
 
 	return success;
 }
Signature · 1 line
2.54.0
#5 lore raw

Re: [PATCH v4 2/3] x86/insn-eval: Add insn_assign_reg() helper

In reply to Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta)
Thank you for your contribution! Sashiko AI review found 1 potential issue(s) to consider: - [High] Unaligned `unsigned long` pointer dereference leading to Undefined Behavior and adjacent memory…

Thank you for your contribution! Sashiko AI review found 1 potential issue(s) to consider:
- [High] Unaligned unsigned long pointer dereference leading to Undefined Behavior and adjacent memory overwrite during 8-bit high-byte register emulation. --

commit a80417d075cbd125216356389da2d074bd0a780e
Author: Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta) <[email protected]>

x86/insn-eval: Add insn_assign_reg() helper

This commit lifts KVM's assign_register() into <asm/insn-eval.h> as insn_assign_reg() so it can be used by both KVM and the TDX guest #VE handler. It rewrites the helper to use arithmetic operations instead of pointer punning to avoid relying on specific aliasing or endianness.

Quoted 4 lines
arch/x86/include/asm/insn-eval.h +0 -0
index 4733e9064ee55..85251e718a775 100644

[ ... ]

Quoted 6 lines
arch/x86/include/asm/insn-eval.h +2 -0
@@ -46,4 +47,28 @@ enum insn_mmio_type insn_decode_mmio(struct insn *insn, int *bytes);
 
 bool insn_is_nop(struct insn *insn);
 
+/*
+ * Write @val into *@reg with x86 partial-register-write semantics: a 1-

arch/x86/include/asm/insn-eval.h enum insn_mmio_type insn_decode_mmio(struct insn *insn, int *bytes); · line 61

Quoted 10 lines
arch/x86/include/asm/insn-eval.h +10 -0
+ * or 2-byte write leaves the upper bits of the destination untouched; a
+ * 4-byte write zero-extends to 64 bits (matching IN[BWL], MOV[BWL]
+ * etc.); an 8-byte write overwrites the full register.
+ */
+static inline void insn_assign_reg(unsigned long *reg, u64 val, int bytes)
+{
+	switch (bytes) {
+	case 1:
+		*reg = (*reg & ~0xfful)   | (val & 0xff);
+		break;

[Severity: High]
Does this 64-bit read-modify-write cause an unaligned access and memory corruption when emulating high-byte registers?

In the KVM emulator, decode_register() generates a pointer offset by 1 byte for high-byte registers like AH, CH, DH, and BH:

arch/x86/kvm/emulate.c:decode_register() {
    ...
    if (highbyte_regs && modrm_reg >= 4 && modrm_reg < 8)
        p = (unsigned char *)reg_rmw(ctxt, modrm_reg & 3) + 1;
    ...
}

When this unaligned pointer is passed to write_register_operand() and then to insn_assign_reg(), treating it as an unsigned long pointer and performing a 64-bit operation will result in an unaligned access.

Additionally, since the 8-byte operation starts at a +1 byte offset from the base register in the _regs array, won't this overwrite the lowest byte of the adjacent register in the array?

The previous implementation avoided this by casting to an 8-bit pointer before writing:

Quoted 4 lines
arch/x86/kvm/emulate.c +0 -0
index c8e292e9a24df..c80752e224ee0 100644

[ ... ]

Quoted 14 lines
arch/x86/kvm/emulate.c +0 -10
@@ -439,25 +440,6 @@ static void assign_masked(ulong *dest, ulong src, ulong mask)
 	*dest = (*dest & ~mask) | (src & mask);
 }
 
-static void assign_register(unsigned long *reg, u64 val, int bytes)
-{
-	/* The 4-byte case *is* correct: in 64-bit mode we zero-extend. */
-	switch (bytes) {
-	case 1:
-		*(u8 *)reg = (u8)val;
-		break;
-	case 2:
-		*(u16 *)reg = (u16)val;
-		break;

[ ... ]

Signature · 1 line
Sashiko AI review · https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/[email protected]?part=2
#10 lore raw

Re: [PATCH v4 3/3] x86/tdx: Fix zero-extension for 32-bit port I/O

In reply to Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta)
Thank you for your contribution! Sashiko AI review found 1 potential issue(s) to consider:

Thank you for your contribution! Sashiko AI review found 1 potential issue(s) to consider:

Pre-existing issues:
- [High] handle_cpuid() fails to clear the upper 32 bits of RAX, RBX, RCX, RDX, allowing an untrusted VMM to inject garbage into guest registers. --

commit 1a8c131a02100639d5d76e680c87ef32990b4663
Author: Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta) <[email protected]>

x86/tdx: Fix zero-extension for 32-bit port I/O

This commit fixes the zero-extension behavior for emulated 32-bit port I/O in handle_in(). It uses insn_assign_reg() to correctly write the result into RAX with proper partial-register-write semantics, ensuring the upper 32 bits are zeroed for 4-byte reads.

Quoted 15 lines
arch/x86/coco/tdx/tdx.c +1 -1
index 4d7f71d50122e..fcb9ec936d050 100644
@@ -693,8 +693,8 @@ static bool handle_in(struct pt_regs *regs, int size, int port)
 		.r13 = PORT_READ,
 		.r14 = port,
 	};
-	u64 mask = GENMASK(BITS_PER_BYTE * size - 1, 0);
 	bool success;
+	u64 val;
 
 	/*
 	 * Emulate the I/O read via hypercall. More info about ABI can be found

arch/x86/coco/tdx/tdx.c static bool handle_in(struct pt_regs *regs, int size, int port) · line 707

Quoted 10 lines
arch/x86/coco/tdx/tdx.c +2 -4
@@ -702,11 +702,9 @@ static bool handle_in(struct pt_regs *regs, int size, int port)
 	 * "TDG.VP.VMCALL<Instruction.IO>".
 	 */
 	success = !__tdx_hypercall(&args);
+	val = success ? args.r11 : 0;
 
-	/* Update part of the register affected by the emulated instruction */
-	regs->ax &= ~mask;
-	if (success)
-		regs->ax |= args.r11 & mask;
+	insn_assign_reg(&regs->ax, val, size);

[Severity: High]
This isn't a bug introduced by this patch, but while you are fixing the zero-extension semantics for handle_in(), could the same issue be present in handle_cpuid() when emulating CPUID?

In arch/x86/coco/tdx/tdx.c:handle_cpuid():

	/*
	 * As per TDX GHCI CPUID ABI, r12-r15 registers contain contents of
	 * EAX, EBX, ECX, EDX registers after the CPUID instruction execution.
	 * So copy the register contents back to pt_regs.
	 */
	regs->ax = args.r12;
	regs->bx = args.r13;
	regs->cx = args.r14;
	regs->dx = args.r15;

Does this code fail to zero out the upper 32 bits of RAX, RBX, RCX, and RDX in 64-bit mode?

Since CPUID should clear the upper 32 bits of these registers, does directly assigning the 64-bit values from the untrusted hypervisor allow a malicious VMM to inject non-zero upper bits into the guest registers?

If guest software relies on the upper 32 bits being zeroed after CPUID, could this lead to unexpected behavior or bounds-check bypasses in 64-bit contexts?

Quoted 3 lines
arch/x86/coco/tdx/tdx.c +0 -0
 	return success;
 }
Signature · 1 line
Sashiko AI review · https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/[email protected]?part=3
Reviewed-by on v4 1/3
#2 lore raw

Re: [PATCH v4 1/3] x86/tdx: Fix off-by-one in port I/O handling

In reply to Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta)
Quoted 10 lines · Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta)

handle_in() and handle_out() in arch/x86/coco/tdx/tdx.c use:

    u64 mask = GENMASK(BITS_PER_BYTE * size, 0);

GENMASK(h, l) includes bit h. For size=1 (INB), this produces GENMASK(8, 0) = 0x1FF (9 bits) instead of GENMASK(7, 0) = 0xFF (8 bits). The mask is one bit too wide for all I/O sizes.

Fix the mask calculation.

Quoted 7 lines
Quoted 26 lines
---
 arch/x86/coco/tdx/tdx.c | 4 ++--
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
arch/x86/coco/tdx/tdx.c +2 -2
index 186915a17c50..65119362f9a2 100644
@@ -693,7 +693,7 @@ static bool handle_in(struct pt_regs *regs, int size, int port)
 		.r13 = PORT_READ,
 		.r14 = port,
 	};
-	u64 mask = GENMASK(BITS_PER_BYTE * size, 0);
+	u64 mask = GENMASK(BITS_PER_BYTE * size - 1, 0);
 	bool success;
 
 	/*
@@ -713,7 +713,7 @@ static bool handle_in(struct pt_regs *regs, int size, int port)
 
 static bool handle_out(struct pt_regs *regs, int size, int port)
 {
-	u64 mask = GENMASK(BITS_PER_BYTE * size, 0);
+	u64 mask = GENMASK(BITS_PER_BYTE * size - 1, 0);
 
 	/*
 	 * Emulate the I/O write via hypercall. More info about ABI can be found
Reviewed-by on v4 3/3
#11 lore raw

Re: [PATCH v4 3/3] x86/tdx: Fix zero-extension for 32-bit port I/O

In reply to Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta)
Quoted 9 lines · Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta)

According to x86 architecture rules, 32-bit operations zero-extend the result to 64 bits. The current implementation of handle_in() only masks the lower 32 bits, which preserves the upper 32 bits of RAX when a 32-bit port IN instruction is emulated.

Use insn_assign_reg() to write the result back into RAX with proper partial-register-write semantics: 1- and 2-byte forms leave the upper bits untouched, the 4-byte form zero-extends to the full register.

Quoted 5 lines

I think the concern sashiko commented in patch 2 is valid.

But for this patch itself,

Quoted 32 lines
---
 arch/x86/coco/tdx/tdx.c | 8 +++-----
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
arch/x86/coco/tdx/tdx.c +3 -5
index 65119362f9a2..41cc23cc63dd 100644
@@ -693,8 +693,8 @@ static bool handle_in(struct pt_regs *regs, int size, int port)
 		.r13 = PORT_READ,
 		.r14 = port,
 	};
-	u64 mask = GENMASK(BITS_PER_BYTE * size - 1, 0);
 	bool success;
+	u64 val;
 
 	/*
 	 * Emulate the I/O read via hypercall. More info about ABI can be found
@@ -702,11 +702,9 @@ static bool handle_in(struct pt_regs *regs, int size, int port)
 	 * "TDG.VP.VMCALL<Instruction.IO>".
 	 */
 	success = !__tdx_hypercall(&args);
+	val = success ? args.r11 : 0;
 
-	/* Update part of the register affected by the emulated instruction */
-	regs->ax &= ~mask;
-	if (success)
-		regs->ax |= args.r11 & mask;
+	insn_assign_reg(&regs->ax, val, size);
 
 	return success;
 }
author maintainer
#12 lore raw

Re: [PATCH v4 3/3] x86/tdx: Fix zero-extension for 32-bit port I/O

Quoted 12 lines · Binbin Wu
Quoted 9 lines · Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta)

According to x86 architecture rules, 32-bit operations zero-extend the result to 64 bits. The current implementation of handle_in() only masks the lower 32 bits, which preserves the upper 32 bits of RAX when a 32-bit port IN instruction is emulated.

Use insn_assign_reg() to write the result back into RAX with proper partial-register-write semantics: 1- and 2-byte forms leave the upper bits untouched, the 4-byte form zero-extends to the full register.

Quoted 7 lines
Quoted 5 lines

I think the concern sashiko commented in patch 2 is valid.

Yeah. I guess I'll just use the KVM implementation verbatim.

Dave, any objections?

Signature · 1 line
  Kiryl Shutsemau / Kirill A. Shutemov
maintainer Reviewed-by on v4 2/3
#6 lore raw

Re: [PATCH v4 2/3] x86/insn-eval: Add insn_assign_reg() helper

In reply to Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta)
Quoted 10 lines · Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta)

KVM's instruction emulator has a small helper, assign_register(), that writes a value into a sub-register with x86 partial-register-write
semantics: 1- and 2-byte writes leave the upper bits of the destination untouched, 4-byte writes zero-extend to 64 bits, 8-byte writes overwrite the full register.

The TDX guest #VE handler needs the same logic for port I/O emulation to get 32-bit zero-extension right. Rather than copy-pasting the helper, lift it to <asm/insn-eval.h> as insn_assign_reg() so both can use it.

Quoted 8 lines

Rewrite the body using arithmetic instead of pointer punning so the helper does not depend on -fno-strict-aliasing or little-endian byte order, and add <asm/insn.h> to the header's includes so it builds standalone in callers that have not pulled it in transitively.

No functional change.

We should probably ping Sean/Paolo to ack this if we want Dave to take it. Is it the plan?

maintainer Reviewed-by on v4 1/3
#3 lore raw

Re: [PATCH v4 1/3] x86/tdx: Fix off-by-one in port I/O handling

In reply to Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta)
Quoted 10 lines · Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta)

handle_in() and handle_out() in arch/x86/coco/tdx/tdx.c use:

    u64 mask = GENMASK(BITS_PER_BYTE * size, 0);

GENMASK(h, l) includes bit h. For size=1 (INB), this produces GENMASK(8, 0) = 0x1FF (9 bits) instead of GENMASK(7, 0) = 0xFF (8 bits). The mask is one bit too wide for all I/O sizes.

Fix the mask calculation.

Quoted 7 lines
#8 lore raw

Re: [PATCH v4 2/3] x86/insn-eval: Add insn_assign_reg() helper

In reply to Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta)

In the shortlog, please capture that code is being moved out of KVM. This isn't
"adding" a helper, it's moving and renaming an existing helper. The misleading
shortlog is quite literally why I didn't look at this for a ~month, I thought it was entirely outside of my normal scope.

Quoted 6 lines · Kiryl Shutsemau (Meta)

KVM's instruction emulator has a small helper, assign_register(), that writes a value into a sub-register with x86 partial-register-write
semantics: 1- and 2-byte writes leave the upper bits of the destination untouched, 4-byte writes zero-extend to 64 bits, 8-byte writes overwrite the full register.

Quoted 6 lines

The TDX guest #VE handler needs the same logic for port I/O emulation to get 32-bit zero-extension right. Rather than copy-pasting the helper, lift it to <asm/insn-eval.h> as insn_assign_reg() so both can use it.

Rewrite the body using arithmetic instead of pointer punning so the helper does not depend on -fno-strict-aliasing

Meh, building with -fno-strict-aliasing is 100% mandatory for the kernel. IMO, even so much as suggesting that strict aliasing is something worth shooting for is a misleading and wrong.

https://lore.kernel.org/all/CAHk-=wh921g_+TJ33JRxRGFM2uruMdqG-SONfFOD9UOsLQJ_uw@mail.gmail.com

Quoted 1 line

or little-endian byte order,

Oh come on, this is low level x86 code used to write registers.

Quoted 24 lines

and add <asm/insn.h> to the header's includes so it builds standalone in callers that have not pulled it in transitively.

No functional change.

---
 arch/x86/include/asm/insn-eval.h | 25 +++++++++++++++++++++++++
 arch/x86/kvm/emulate.c           | 26 ++++----------------------
 2 files changed, 29 insertions(+), 22 deletions(-)
arch/x86/include/asm/insn-eval.h +1 -0
index 4733e9064ee5..85251e718a77 100644
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #include <linux/compiler.h>
 #include <linux/bug.h>
 #include <linux/err.h>
+#include <asm/insn.h>
 #include <asm/ptrace.h>
 
 #define INSN_CODE_SEG_ADDR_SZ(params) ((params >> 4) & 0xf)

arch/x86/include/asm/insn-eval.h enum insn_mmio_type insn_decode_mmio(struct insn *insn, int *bytes); · line 52

Quoted 6 lines
arch/x86/include/asm/insn-eval.h +3 -0
@@ -46,4 +47,28 @@ enum insn_mmio_type insn_decode_mmio(struct insn *insn, int *bytes);
 
 bool insn_is_nop(struct insn *insn);
 
+/*
+ * Write @val into *@reg with x86 partial-register-write semantics: a 1-
+ * or 2-byte write leaves the upper bits of the destination untouched; a

Careful with the "upper bits" wording. As Sashiko pointed out, this is used for {A,B,C,D}H sub-registers as well, in which case the *lower* bits are also left untouched.

arch/x86/include/asm/insn-eval.h enum insn_mmio_type insn_decode_mmio(struct insn *insn, int *bytes); · line 60

Quoted 8 lines
arch/x86/include/asm/insn-eval.h +8 -0
+ * 4-byte write zero-extends to 64 bits (matching IN[BWL], MOV[BWL]
+ * etc.); an 8-byte write overwrites the full register.
+ */
+static inline void insn_assign_reg(unsigned long *reg, u64 val, int bytes)
+{
+	switch (bytes) {
+	case 1:
+		*reg = (*reg & ~0xfful)   | (val & 0xff);

Sashiko's feedback aside, I strongly prefer KVM's approach as I find it much more intuitive. And its far, far more consistent with respect to the 4-byte and 8-byte cases.

Quoted 12 lines
arch/x86/include/asm/insn-eval.h +12 -0
+		break;
+	case 2:
+		*reg = (*reg & ~0xfffful) | (val & 0xffff);
+		break;
+	case 4:
+		*reg = (u32)val;
+		break;
+	case 8:
+		*reg = val;
+		break;
+	}
+}