api.txt

KVM_X2APIC_API_DISABLE_BROADCAST_QUIRK must be enabled for x2APIC to work
in logical mode or with more than 255 VCPUs.  Otherwise, KVM treats 0xff
as a broadcast even in x2APIC mode in order to support physical x2APIC
without interrupt remapping.  This is undesirable in logical mode,
where 0xff represents CPUs 0-7 in cluster 0.

7.8 KVM_CAP_S390_USER_INSTR0

Architectures: s390
Parameters: none

With this capability enabled, all illegal instructions 0x0000 (2 bytes) will
be intercepted and forwarded to user space. User space can use this
mechanism e.g. to realize 2-byte software breakpoints. The kernel will
not inject an operating exception for these instructions, user space has
to take care of that.

This capability can be enabled dynamically even if VCPUs were already
created and are running.

7.9 KVM_CAP_S390_GS

Architectures: s390
Parameters: none
Returns: 0 on success; -EINVAL if the machine does not support
	 guarded storage; -EBUSY if a VCPU has already been created.

Allows use of guarded storage for the KVM guest.

7.10 KVM_CAP_S390_AIS

Architectures: s390
Parameters: none

Allow use of adapter-interruption suppression.
Returns: 0 on success; -EBUSY if a VCPU has already been created.

7.11 KVM_CAP_PPC_SMT

Architectures: ppc
Parameters: vsmt_mode, flags

Enabling this capability on a VM provides userspace with a way to set
the desired virtual SMT mode (i.e. the number of virtual CPUs per
virtual core).  The virtual SMT mode, vsmt_mode, must be a power of 2
between 1 and 8.  On POWER8, vsmt_mode must also be no greater than
the number of threads per subcore for the host.  Currently flags must
be 0.  A successful call to enable this capability will result in
vsmt_mode being returned when the KVM_CAP_PPC_SMT capability is
subsequently queried for the VM.  This capability is only supported by
HV KVM, and can only be set before any VCPUs have been created.
The KVM_CAP_PPC_SMT_POSSIBLE capability indicates which virtual SMT
modes are available.

7.12 KVM_CAP_PPC_FWNMI

Architectures: ppc
Parameters: none

With this capability a machine check exception in the guest address
space will cause KVM to exit the guest with NMI exit reason. This
enables QEMU to build error log and branch to guest kernel registered
machine check handling routine. Without this capability KVM will
branch to guests' 0x200 interrupt vector.

7.13 KVM_CAP_X86_DISABLE_EXITS

Architectures: x86
Parameters: args[0] defines which exits are disabled
Returns: 0 on success, -EINVAL when args[0] contains invalid exits

Valid bits in args[0] are

#define KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_MWAIT            (1 << 0)
#define KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_HLT              (1 << 1)
#define KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_PAUSE            (1 << 2)
#define KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_CSTATE           (1 << 3)

Enabling this capability on a VM provides userspace with a way to no
longer intercept some instructions for improved latency in some
workloads, and is suggested when vCPUs are associated to dedicated
physical CPUs.  More bits can be added in the future; userspace can
just pass the KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION result to KVM_ENABLE_CAP to disable
all such vmexits.

Do not enable KVM_FEATURE_PV_UNHALT if you disable HLT exits.

7.14 KVM_CAP_S390_HPAGE_1M

Architectures: s390
Parameters: none
Returns: 0 on success, -EINVAL if hpage module parameter was not set
	 or cmma is enabled, or the VM has the KVM_VM_S390_UCONTROL
	 flag set

With this capability the KVM support for memory backing with 1m pages
through hugetlbfs can be enabled for a VM. After the capability is
enabled, cmma can't be enabled anymore and pfmfi and the storage key
interpretation are disabled. If cmma has already been enabled or the
hpage module parameter is not set to 1, -EINVAL is returned.

While it is generally possible to create a huge page backed VM without
this capability, the VM will not be able to run.

7.15 KVM_CAP_MSR_PLATFORM_INFO

Architectures: x86
Parameters: args[0] whether feature should be enabled or not

With this capability, a guest may read the MSR_PLATFORM_INFO MSR. Otherwise,
a #GP would be raised when the guest tries to access. Currently, this
capability does not enable write permissions of this MSR for the guest.

7.16 KVM_CAP_PPC_NESTED_HV

Architectures: ppc
Parameters: none
Returns: 0 on success, -EINVAL when the implementation doesn't support
	 nested-HV virtualization.

HV-KVM on POWER9 and later systems allows for "nested-HV"
virtualization, which provides a way for a guest VM to run guests that
can run using the CPU's supervisor mode (privileged non-hypervisor
state).  Enabling this capability on a VM depends on the CPU having
the necessary functionality and on the facility being enabled with a
kvm-hv module parameter.

7.17 KVM_CAP_EXCEPTION_PAYLOAD

Architectures: x86
Parameters: args[0] whether feature should be enabled or not

With this capability enabled, CR2 will not be modified prior to the
emulated VM-exit when L1 intercepts a #PF exception that occurs in
L2. Similarly, for kvm-intel only, DR6 will not be modified prior to
the emulated VM-exit when L1 intercepts a #DB exception that occurs in
L2. As a result, when KVM_GET_VCPU_EVENTS reports a pending #PF (or
#DB) exception for L2, exception.has_payload will be set and the
faulting address (or the new DR6 bits*) will be reported in the
exception_payload field. Similarly, when userspace injects a #PF (or
#DB) into L2 using KVM_SET_VCPU_EVENTS, it is expected to set
exception.has_payload and to put the faulting address (or the new DR6
bits*) in the exception_payload field.

This capability also enables exception.pending in struct
kvm_vcpu_events, which allows userspace to distinguish between pending
and injected exceptions.


* For the new DR6 bits, note that bit 16 is set iff the #DB exception
  will clear DR6.RTM.

7.18 KVM_CAP_MANUAL_DIRTY_LOG_PROTECT2

Architectures: x86, arm, arm64, mips
Parameters: args[0] whether feature should be enabled or not

With this capability enabled, KVM_GET_DIRTY_LOG will not automatically
clear and write-protect all pages that are returned as dirty.
Rather, userspace will have to do this operation separately using
KVM_CLEAR_DIRTY_LOG.

At the cost of a slightly more complicated operation, this provides better
scalability and responsiveness for two reasons.  First,
KVM_CLEAR_DIRTY_LOG ioctl can operate on a 64-page granularity rather
than requiring to sync a full memslot; this ensures that KVM does not
take spinlocks for an extended period of time.  Second, in some cases a
large amount of time can pass between a call to KVM_GET_DIRTY_LOG and
userspace actually using the data in the page.  Pages can be modified
during this time, which is inefficint for both the guest and userspace:
the guest will incur a higher penalty due to write protection faults,
while userspace can see false reports of dirty pages.  Manual reprotection
helps reducing this time, improving guest performance and reducing the
number of dirty log false positives.

KVM_CAP_MANUAL_DIRTY_LOG_PROTECT2 was previously available under the name
KVM_CAP_MANUAL_DIRTY_LOG_PROTECT, but the implementation had bugs that make
it hard or impossible to use it correctly.  The availability of
KVM_CAP_MANUAL_DIRTY_LOG_PROTECT2 signals that those bugs are fixed.
Userspace should not try to use KVM_CAP_MANUAL_DIRTY_LOG_PROTECT.

8. Other capabilities.
----------------------

This section lists capabilities that give information about other
features of the KVM implementation.

8.1 KVM_CAP_PPC_HWRNG

Architectures: ppc

This capability, if KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION indicates that it is
available, means that that the kernel has an implementation of the
H_RANDOM hypercall backed by a hardware random-number generator.
If present, the kernel H_RANDOM handler can be enabled for guest use
with the KVM_CAP_PPC_ENABLE_HCALL capability.

8.2 KVM_CAP_HYPERV_SYNIC

Architectures: x86
This capability, if KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION indicates that it is
available, means that that the kernel has an implementation of the
Hyper-V Synthetic interrupt controller(SynIC). Hyper-V SynIC is
used to support Windows Hyper-V based guest paravirt drivers(VMBus).

In order to use SynIC, it has to be activated by setting this
capability via KVM_ENABLE_CAP ioctl on the vcpu fd. Note that this
will disable the use of APIC hardware virtualization even if supported
by the CPU, as it's incompatible with SynIC auto-EOI behavior.

8.3 KVM_CAP_PPC_RADIX_MMU

Architectures: ppc

This capability, if KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION indicates that it is
available, means that that the kernel can support guests using the
radix MMU defined in Power ISA V3.00 (as implemented in the POWER9
processor).

8.4 KVM_CAP_PPC_HASH_MMU_V3

Architectures: ppc

This capability, if KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION indicates that it is
available, means that that the kernel can support guests using the
hashed page table MMU defined in Power ISA V3.00 (as implemented in
the POWER9 processor), including in-memory segment tables.

8.5 KVM_CAP_MIPS_VZ

Architectures: mips

This capability, if KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION on the main kvm handle indicates that
it is available, means that full hardware assisted virtualization capabilities
of the hardware are available for use through KVM. An appropriate
KVM_VM_MIPS_* type must be passed to KVM_CREATE_VM to create a VM which
utilises it.

If KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION on a kvm VM handle indicates that this capability is
available, it means that the VM is using full hardware assisted virtualization
capabilities of the hardware. This is useful to check after creating a VM with
KVM_VM_MIPS_DEFAULT.

The value returned by KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION should be compared against known
values (see below). All other values are reserved. This is to allow for the
possibility of other hardware assisted virtualization implementations which
may be incompatible with the MIPS VZ ASE.

 0: The trap & emulate implementation is in use to run guest code in user
    mode. Guest virtual memory segments are rearranged to fit the guest in the
    user mode address space.

 1: The MIPS VZ ASE is in use, providing full hardware assisted
    virtualization, including standard guest virtual memory segments.

8.6 KVM_CAP_MIPS_TE

Architectures: mips

This capability, if KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION on the main kvm handle indicates that
it is available, means that the trap & emulate implementation is available to
run guest code in user mode, even if KVM_CAP_MIPS_VZ indicates that hardware
assisted virtualisation is also available. KVM_VM_MIPS_TE (0) must be passed
to KVM_CREATE_VM to create a VM which utilises it.

If KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION on a kvm VM handle indicates that this capability is
available, it means that the VM is using trap & emulate.

8.7 KVM_CAP_MIPS_64BIT

Architectures: mips

This capability indicates the supported architecture type of the guest, i.e. the
supported register and address width.

The values returned when this capability is checked by KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION on a
kvm VM handle correspond roughly to the CP0_Config.AT register field, and should
be checked specifically against known values (see below). All other values are
reserved.

 0: MIPS32 or microMIPS32.
    Both registers and addresses are 32-bits wide.
    It will only be possible to run 32-bit guest code.

 1: MIPS64 or microMIPS64 with access only to 32-bit compatibility segments.
    Registers are 64-bits wide, but addresses are 32-bits wide.
    64-bit guest code may run but cannot access MIPS64 memory segments.
    It will also be possible to run 32-bit guest code.

 2: MIPS64 or microMIPS64 with access to all address segments.
    Both registers and addresses are 64-bits wide.
    It will be possible to run 64-bit or 32-bit guest code.

8.9 KVM_CAP_ARM_USER_IRQ

Architectures: arm, arm64
This capability, if KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION indicates that it is available, means
that if userspace creates a VM without an in-kernel interrupt controller, it
will be notified of changes to the output level of in-kernel emulated devices,
which can generate virtual interrupts, presented to the VM.
For such VMs, on every return to userspace, the kernel
updates the vcpu's run->s.regs.device_irq_level field to represent the actual
output level of the device.

Whenever kvm detects a change in the device output level, kvm guarantees at
least one return to userspace before running the VM.  This exit could either
be a KVM_EXIT_INTR or any other exit event, like KVM_EXIT_MMIO. This way,
userspace can always sample the device output level and re-compute the state of
the userspace interrupt controller.  Userspace should always check the state
of run->s.regs.device_irq_level on every kvm exit.
The value in run->s.regs.device_irq_level can represent both level and edge
triggered interrupt signals, depending on the device.  Edge triggered interrupt
signals will exit to userspace with the bit in run->s.regs.device_irq_level
set exactly once per edge signal.

The field run->s.regs.device_irq_level is available independent of
run->kvm_valid_regs or run->kvm_dirty_regs bits.

If KVM_CAP_ARM_USER_IRQ is supported, the KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION ioctl returns a
number larger than 0 indicating the version of this capability is implemented
and thereby which bits in in run->s.regs.device_irq_level can signal values.

Currently the following bits are defined for the device_irq_level bitmap:

  KVM_CAP_ARM_USER_IRQ >= 1:

    KVM_ARM_DEV_EL1_VTIMER -  EL1 virtual timer
    KVM_ARM_DEV_EL1_PTIMER -  EL1 physical timer
    KVM_ARM_DEV_PMU        -  ARM PMU overflow interrupt signal

Future versions of kvm may implement additional events. These will get
indicated by returning a higher number from KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION and will be
listed above.

8.10 KVM_CAP_PPC_SMT_POSSIBLE

Architectures: ppc

Querying this capability returns a bitmap indicating the possible
virtual SMT modes that can be set using KVM_CAP_PPC_SMT.  If bit N
(counting from the right) is set, then a virtual SMT mode of 2^N is
available.

8.11 KVM_CAP_HYPERV_SYNIC2

Architectures: x86

This capability enables a newer version of Hyper-V Synthetic interrupt
controller (SynIC).  The only difference with KVM_CAP_HYPERV_SYNIC is that KVM
doesn't clear SynIC message and event flags pages when they are enabled by
writing to the respective MSRs.

8.12 KVM_CAP_HYPERV_VP_INDEX

Architectures: x86

This capability indicates that userspace can load HV_X64_MSR_VP_INDEX msr.  Its
value is used to denote the target vcpu for a SynIC interrupt.  For
compatibilty, KVM initializes this msr to KVM's internal vcpu index.  When this
capability is absent, userspace can still query this msr's value.

8.13 KVM_CAP_S390_AIS_MIGRATION

Architectures: s390
Parameters: none

This capability indicates if the flic device will be able to get/set the
AIS states for migration via the KVM_DEV_FLIC_AISM_ALL attribute and allows
to discover this without having to create a flic device.

8.14 KVM_CAP_S390_PSW

Architectures: s390

This capability indicates that the PSW is exposed via the kvm_run structure.

8.15 KVM_CAP_S390_GMAP

Architectures: s390

This capability indicates that the user space memory used as guest mapping can
be anywhere in the user memory address space, as long as the memory slots are
aligned and sized to a segment (1MB) boundary.

8.16 KVM_CAP_S390_COW

Architectures: s390

This capability indicates that the user space memory used as guest mapping can
use copy-on-write semantics as well as dirty pages tracking via read-only page
tables.

8.17 KVM_CAP_S390_BPB

Architectures: s390

This capability indicates that kvm will implement the interfaces to handle
reset, migration and nested KVM for branch prediction blocking. The stfle
facility 82 should not be provided to the guest without this capability.

8.18 KVM_CAP_HYPERV_TLBFLUSH

Architectures: x86

This capability indicates that KVM supports paravirtualized Hyper-V TLB Flush
hypercalls:
HvFlushVirtualAddressSpace, HvFlushVirtualAddressSpaceEx,
HvFlushVirtualAddressList, HvFlushVirtualAddressListEx.

8.19 KVM_CAP_ARM_INJECT_SERROR_ESR

Architectures: arm, arm64

This capability indicates that userspace can specify (via the
KVM_SET_VCPU_EVENTS ioctl) the syndrome value reported to the guest when it
takes a virtual SError interrupt exception.
If KVM advertises this capability, userspace can only specify the ISS field for
the ESR syndrome. Other parts of the ESR, such as the EC are generated by the
CPU when the exception is taken. If this virtual SError is taken to EL1 using
AArch64, this value will be reported in the ISS field of ESR_ELx.

See KVM_CAP_VCPU_EVENTS for more details.
8.20 KVM_CAP_HYPERV_SEND_IPI

Architectures: x86

This capability indicates that KVM supports paravirtualized Hyper-V IPI send
hypercalls:
HvCallSendSyntheticClusterIpi, HvCallSendSyntheticClusterIpiEx.
8.21 KVM_CAP_HYPERV_DIRECT_TLBFLUSH

Architecture: x86

This capability indicates that KVM running on top of Hyper-V hypervisor
enables Direct TLB flush for its guests meaning that TLB flush
hypercalls are handled by Level 0 hypervisor (Hyper-V) bypassing KVM.
Due to the different ABI for hypercall parameters between Hyper-V and
KVM, enabling this capability effectively disables all hypercall
handling by KVM (as some KVM hypercall may be mistakenly treated as TLB
flush hypercalls by Hyper-V) so userspace should disable KVM identification
in CPUID and only exposes Hyper-V identification. In this case, guest
thinks it's running on Hyper-V and only use Hyper-V hypercalls.

8.22 KVM_CAP_S390_VCPU_RESETS

Architectures: s390

This capability indicates that the KVM_S390_NORMAL_RESET and
KVM_S390_CLEAR_RESET ioctls are available.