Re: [PATCH v2 20/35] xen/console: introduce console_owner_domid()

[Roger Pau Monné <roger.pau@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, Jan 08, 2025 at 04:29:24PM -0800, Stefano Stabellini wrote:
> On Wed, 8 Jan 2025, Denis Mukhin wrote:
> > On Wednesday, January 8th, 2025 at 12:35 AM, Roger Pau Monné 
> > <roger.pau@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > > On Wed, Jan 08, 2025 at 09:13:02AM +0100, Jan Beulich wrote:
> > > > On 08.01.2025 09:04, Roger Pau Monné wrote:
> > > > > On Wed, Jan 08, 2025 at 08:28:32AM +0100, Jan Beulich wrote:
> > > > > > On 08.01.2025 00:40, Stefano Stabellini wrote:
> > > > > > > On Tue, 7 Jan 2025, Jan Beulich wrote:
> > > > > > > > On 06.01.2025 19:48, Stefano Stabellini wrote:
> > > > > > > > > On Mon, 6 Jan 2025, Jan Beulich wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > On 04.01.2025 05:15, Denis Mukhin wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > On Tuesday, December 10th, 2024 at 11:28 PM, Jan Beulich 
> > > > > > > > > > > jbeulich@xxxxxxxx wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > On 06.12.2024 05:41, Denis Mukhin via B4 Relay wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > > > > > > > From: Denis Mukhin dmukhin@xxxxxxxx
> > > > > > > > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > > > > > > > console_owner_domid() is introduced to obtain the 
> > > > > > > > > > > > > "console owner" domain ID.
> > > > > > > > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > > > > > > > The call is used in NS8250 emulator to identify the 
> > > > > > > > > > > > > case when physical xen
> > > > > > > > > > > > > console focus is owned by the domain w/ NS8250 
> > > > > > > > > > > > > emulator, in which case,
> > > > > > > > > > > > > messages from guest OS are formatted w/o '(XEN)' 
> > > > > > > > > > > > > prefix.
> > > > > > > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > > > > > > Such messages ought to be processed through 
> > > > > > > > > > > > guest_printk(), which wants a
> > > > > > > > > > > > domain pointer, not a domid_t anyway. Plus isn't that 
> > > > > > > > > > > > going to be
> > > > > > > > > > > > current->domain anyway at the callsite, eliminating the 
> > > > > > > > > > > > need for such a
> > > > > > > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > > > > > > helper altogether?
> > > > > > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > > > > > If the current domain is owning the physical console and 
> > > > > > > > > > > printing, say, Linux
> > > > > > > > > > > login prompt, there's no need to add "(XEN)" for every 
> > > > > > > > > > > printout; adding timestamps
> > > > > > > > > > > can be disabled from Xen command line.
> > > > > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > > > > Surely there shouldn't be (XEN), but without (d<N>) it'll 
> > > > > > > > > > be ambiguous in a log
> > > > > > > > > > which domain a message came from. As long as only Dom0 
> > > > > > > > > > messages are left un-
> > > > > > > > > > prefixed, that's likely fine. Yet as soon as multiple 
> > > > > > > > > > domains can issue such
> > > > > > > > > > messages (and have console "focus") I think the prefix 
> > > > > > > > > > needs to be there.
> > > > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > > > It looks like we are aligned on the desired behavior,
> > > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > > Hmm, no, I don't think we are. I don't ...
> > > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > > > but for clarity,
> > > > > > > > > see https://marc.info/?l=xen-devel&m=173405161613716, also 
> > > > > > > > > copy/pasted
> > > > > > > > > here:
> > > > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > > > I think we should provide a consistent behavior across 
> > > > > > > > > architectures.
> > > > > > > > > The current behavior with vpl011 and dom0less on ARM is the 
> > > > > > > > > following:
> > > > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > > > - no prefix for Dom0 output
> > > > > > > > > - DOM$NUM for DomUs when not in focus, otherwise no prefix
> > > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > > ... view this model as a desirable one. It leaves room for 
> > > > > > > > ambiguity.
> > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > Adding a few more people in CC for feedback.
> > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > My priority is to keep the architectures aligned. It might be OK 
> > > > > > > to
> > > > > > > change output format, but then let's do it uniformly on ARM as 
> > > > > > > well.
> > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > Jan, please clarify what you think would be better than the 
> > > > > > > above. Is it
> > > > > > > the following? I don't think I understood your preference.
> > > > > > > 
> > > > > > > - DOM$NUM for Dom0 and DomUs when not in focus, otherwise no 
> > > > > > > prefix
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > No, I mean like we have it with guest_printk() today. (XEN) for 
> > > > > > Xen's
> > > > > > own messages, (d<N>) for ordinary domains' ones, and no prefix
> > > > > > exclusively for the hardware/control domain. What is best to do when
> > > > > > hardware and control domains are distinct I'm uncertain - I'd be
> > > > > > inclined to suggest that the hardware domain then stay the one 
> > > > > > without
> > > > > > any prefix.
> > > > > 
> > > > > One concern I have with this approach is whether the addition of the
> > > > > (d<N>) prefixes will skew output of interactive applications. So far
> > > > > the prefix is added to output from all domains different than dom0
> > > > > because the console is not interactive for them, and hence no input
> > > > > can be consumed.
> > > > 
> > > > Hmm, that's an aspect I have to admit I didn't think of.
> > > > 
> > > > > If that changes however, and domains different than dom0 can get input
> > > > > from the Xen console then I wonder how much the added prefix will skew
> > > > > output. Another possible option would be to not print the prefix for
> > > > > the domain that has the console input assigned (current target), and
> > > > > print it for all other domains (even for dom0 when not in focus).
> > > > 
> > > > That's largely what aiui was proposed. My extra requirement there would
> > > > then be that we make sure a log message is always emitted when console
> > > > focus shifts, so it's possible to identify the owner for any part of
> > > > the log.
> > > 
> > > 
> > > Indeed, printing console input shifting should be a requirement
> > > regardless of how we decide to print the prefix.
> > 
> > Console input focus switch is indicated after pressing Crtl+aaa, e.g.:
> > [[
> > ...
> > (XEN) [15359.353038] *** Serial input to Xen (type 'CTRL-aaa' to switch 
> > input)
> > (XEN) [15361.176754] *** Serial input to DOM0 (type 'CTRL-aaa' to switch 
> > input)
> > (XEN) [15711.297202] *** Serial input to DOM1 (type 'CTRL-aaa' to switch 
> > input)
> > ...
> > ]]
> 
> 
> Roger, Jan, you should use Xen Dom0less more :-) This is the way it
> already works on ARM. Let me expand on my earlier message that was too
> terse.

Hehe, I should use ARM more in general I think :).

> At boot time, Xen prints messages with the (XEN) prefix as usual:
> 
> (XEN) Brought up 4 CPUs
> 
> When Dom0 starts, it has not prefix (and has input by default):
> 
> [    0.000000] Booting Linux on physical CPU 0x0000000000 [0x410fd034]
> 
> When a DomU starts, it has the following prefix (and doesn't have
> input):
> 
> (XEN) DOM1: [    0.000000] Booting Linux on physical CPU 0x0000000000 
> [0x410fd034]
> 
> 
> Eventually, both Linuxes finish booting, you can login into Dom0 as
> usual. Messages from Dom1, if any, are still printed with (XEN) DOM1 as
> prefix.
> 
> You can switch input to Dom1 with Ctrx-aaa, the same way that you do
> today to switch between Xen and Dom0. Xen prints a message:
> 
> (XEN) *** Serial input to DOM1 (type 'CTRL-a' three times to switch input)
> 
> Now, as you type, you send characters to Dom1. And Dom1 doesn't have the
> DOM1 prefix any longer, while it is still has (XEN) because the message
> is printed by Xen on behalf of the domain:
> 
> (XEN) / # echo hello world
> (XEN) hello world
> 
> If Dom0 prints anything in the backgrounds, it shows without prefixes:
> 
> hello world from dom0
> 
> If another domain, dom2, prints anything in the background, it shows
> with (XEN) DOM2 prefix:
> 
> (XEN) DOM2: hello from dom2
> 
> I think it makes sense to be consistent across architectures and we
> should default to the same behavior on x86 too. If we want to make
> improvements, the one thing I could potentially see changing is adding a
> DOM0 prefix to Dom0 messages when Dom0 does not have input. If we do
> that, let's do it on both ARM and x86 architectures.

The usual prefix is (d<domid>) IIRC, that's what guest_printk() uses,
is there any reason dom0less uses "(XEN) DOM<domid>:" instead of the
guest_printk() prefix?

My preference would be use to (d<domid>) prefix for any guest output
that doesn't belong to the domain that's the recipient of the input
(iow: not in console input focus).  And drop the (XEN) prefix from
guest output.

The rest looks all sensible to me.  I think we should avoid adding any
prefixes to guest output when it has the console focus, as otherwise
interactive applications might not work correctly.

Thanks, Roger.