Re: [PATCH] arm64: errata: Add Ampere erratum AC04_CPU_50 workaround alternative

On Tue, Jan 28, 2025 at 08:34:47AM +0000, Marc Zyngier wrote:

quoted

+config AMPERE_ERRATUM_AC03_CPU_50
+	bool "AmpereOne: AC03_CPU_50: Certain checks for ICC_PMR_EL1 that expects the value 0xf0 may read 0xf8 instead"
+	default y
+	help
+	  This option adds an alternative code sequence to work around Ampere
+	  erratum AC03_CPU_50 on AmpereOne and Ampere1A.
+
+	  Due to AC03_CPU_50, when ICC_PMR_EL1 should have a value of 0xf0 a
+	  direct read of the register will return a value of 0xf8. An incorrect
+	  value from a direct read can only happen with the value 0xf0.
+
+	  The workaround for the erratum will do logical AND 0xf0 to the
+	  value read from ICC_PMR_EL1 register before returning the value.
+
+	  If unsure, say Y.
+

An alternative for this would simply to prevent the enabling of pNMI
on this platform.

There's also AC03_CPU_36, where the CPU goes into the weeds if you take
an asynchronous exception while fiddling with HCR_EL2. We don't have a
mitigation for it, and it can be pretty easily reproduced by using pNMIs
while running VMs.

So I agree, disabling pNMIs might be the easier way out.

[*] https://amperecomputing.com/assets/AmpereOne_Developer_ER_v0_80_20240823_28945022f4.pdf

-- 
Thanks,
Oliver