Re: [PATCH v2 0/2] OvmfPkg: Relax assertion that interrupts do not occur at TPL_HIGH_LEVEL

["Laszlo Ersek" <lersek@redhat.com>]

On 5/9/23 14:09, Michael Brown wrote:
> At TPL_HIGH_LEVEL, CPU interrupts are disabled (as per the UEFI
> specification) and so we should never encounter a situation in which
> an interrupt occurs at TPL_HIGH_LEVEL. The specification also
> restricts usage of TPL_HIGH_LEVEL to the firmware itself.
> 
> However, nothing actually prevents a UEFI application from calling
> gBS->RaiseTPL(TPL_HIGH_LEVEL) and then violating the invariant by
> enabling interrupts via the STI or equivalent instruction. Some
> versions of the Microsoft Windows bootloader are known to do this.
> 
> NestedInterruptTplLib maintains the invariant that interrupts are
> disabled at TPL_HIGH_LEVEL (even when performing the dark art of
> deliberately manipulating the stack so that IRET will return with
> interrupts still disabled), but does not itself rely on external code
> maintaining this invariant.
> 
> Relax the assertion that the interrupted TPL is below TPL_HIGH_LEVEL
> to an error message, to allow UEFI applications such as these versions
> of the Microsoft Windows bootloader to continue to function.
> 
> Ref: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2189136
> Cc: Laszlo Ersek <lersek@redhat.com>
> Cc: Gerd Hoffmann <kraxel@redhat.com>
> Cc: Oliver Steffen <osteffen@redhat.com>
> Cc: Pawel Polawski <ppolawsk@redhat.com>
> Cc: Jiewen Yao <jiewen.yao@intel.com>
> Cc: Ard Biesheuvel <ardb+tianocore@kernel.org>
> Cc: Jordan Justen <jordan.l.justen@intel.com>
> 
> Michael Brown (2):
>   OvmfPkg: Clarify invariants for NestedInterruptTplLib
>   OvmfPkg: Relax assertion that interrupts do not occur at
>     TPL_HIGH_LEVEL
> 
>  OvmfPkg/Library/NestedInterruptTplLib/Tpl.c | 31 +++++++++++++++++----
>  1 file changed, 26 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
> 

series
Acked-by: Laszlo Ersek <lersek@redhat.com>

Many thanks,
Laszlo