[PATCH] docs/designs: re-work the xenstore migration document...

Paul Durrant posted 1 patch 4 years ago
Patches applied successfully (tree, apply log)
git fetch https://github.com/patchew-project/xen tags/patchew/20200424133736.737-1-paul@xen.org
Maintainers: Julien Grall <julien@xen.org>, Ian Jackson <ian.jackson@eu.citrix.com>, George Dunlap <george.dunlap@citrix.com>, Wei Liu <wl@xen.org>, Stefano Stabellini <sstabellini@kernel.org>, Andrew Cooper <andrew.cooper3@citrix.com>, Jan Beulich <jbeulich@suse.com>
There is a newer version of this series
docs/designs/xenstore-migration.md | 472 +++++++++++++++++++----------
1 file changed, 309 insertions(+), 163 deletions(-)
[PATCH] docs/designs: re-work the xenstore migration document...
Posted by Paul Durrant 4 years ago
From: Paul Durrant <pdurrant@amazon.com>

... to specify a separate migration stream that will also be suitable for
live update.

The original scope of the document was to support non-cooperative migration
of guests [1] but, since then, live update of xenstored has been brought into
scope. Thus it makes more sense to define a separate image format for
serializing xenstore state that is suitable for both purposes.

The document has been limited to specifying a new image format. The mechanism
for acquiring the image for live update or migration is not covered as that
is more appropriately dealt with by a patch to docs/misc/xenstore.txt. It is
also expected that, when the first implementation of live update or migration
making use of this specification is committed, that the document is moved from
docs/designs into docs/specs.

[1] See https://xenbits.xen.org/gitweb/?p=xen.git;a=blob;f=docs/designs/non-cooperative-migration.md

Signed-off-by: Paul Durrant <pdurrant@amazon.com>
---
Juergen Gross <jgross@suse.com>
Andrew Cooper <andrew.cooper3@citrix.com>
George Dunlap <george.dunlap@citrix.com>
Ian Jackson <ian.jackson@eu.citrix.com>
Jan Beulich <jbeulich@suse.com>
Julien Grall <julien@xen.org>
Stefano Stabellini <sstabellini@kernel.org>
Wei Liu <wl@xen.org>
---
 docs/designs/xenstore-migration.md | 472 +++++++++++++++++++----------
 1 file changed, 309 insertions(+), 163 deletions(-)

diff --git a/docs/designs/xenstore-migration.md b/docs/designs/xenstore-migration.md
index 6ab351e8fe..c96bad48eb 100644
--- a/docs/designs/xenstore-migration.md
+++ b/docs/designs/xenstore-migration.md
@@ -3,254 +3,400 @@
 ## Background
 
 The design for *Non-Cooperative Migration of Guests*[1] explains that extra
-save records are required in the migrations stream to allow a guest running
-PV drivers to be migrated without its co-operation. Moreover the save
-records must include details of registered xenstore watches as well as
-content; information that cannot currently be recovered from `xenstored`,
-and hence some extension to the xenstore protocol[2] will also be required.
-
-The *libxenlight Domain Image Format* specification[3] already defines a
-record type `EMULATOR_XENSTORE_DATA` but this is not suitable for
-transferring xenstore data pertaining to the domain directly as it is
-specified such that keys are relative to the path
-`/local/domain/$dm_domid/device-model/$domid`. Thus it is necessary to
-define at least one new save record type.
+save records are required in the migrations stream to allow a guest running PV
+drivers to be migrated without its co-operation. Moreover the save records must
+include details of registered xenstore watches as well ascontent; information
+that cannot currently be recovered from `xenstored`, and hence some extension
+to the xenstored implementations will also be required.
+
+As a similar set of data is needed for transferring xenstore data from one
+instance to another when live updating xenstored this document proposes an
+image format for a 'migration stream' suitable for both purposes.
 
 ## Proposal
 
-### New Save Record
+The image format consists of a _header_ followed by 1 or more _records_. Each
+record consists of a type and length field, followed by any data mandated by
+the record type. At minimum there will be a single record of type `END`
+(defined below).
 
-A new mandatory record type should be defined within the libxenlight Domain
-Image Format:
+### Header
 
-`0x00000007: DOMAIN_XENSTORE_DATA`
+The header identifies the stream as a `xenstore` stream, including the version
+of the specification that it complies with.
 
-An arbitrary number of these records may be present in the migration
-stream and may appear in any order. The format of each record should be as
-follows:
+All fields in this header must be in _big-endian_ byte order, regardless of
+the setting of the endianness bit.
 
 
 ```
     0       1       2       3       4       5       6       7    octet
 +-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
-| type                          | record specific data          |
-+-------------------------------+                               |
-...
-+---------------------------------------------------------------+
+| ident                                                         |
++-------------------------------+-------------------------------|
+| version                       | flags                         |
++-------------------------------+-------------------------------+
 ```
 
-where type is one of the following values
 
+| Field     | Description                                       |
+|-----------|---------------------------------------------------|
+| `ident`   | 0x78656e73746f7265 ('xenstore' in ASCII)          |
+|           |                                                   |
+| `version` | 0x00000001 (the version of the specification)     |
+|           |                                                   |
+| `flags`   | 0 (LSB): Endianness: 0 = little, 1 = big          |
+|           |                                                   |
+|           | 1-31: Reserved (must be zero)                     |
 
-| Field  | Description                                      |
-|--------|--------------------------------------------------|
-| `type` | 0x00000000: invalid                              |
-|        | 0x00000001: NODE_DATA                            |
-|        | 0x00000002: WATCH_DATA                           |
-|        | 0x00000003: TRANSACTION_DATA                     |
-|        | 0x00000004 - 0xFFFFFFFF: reserved for future use |
+### Records
 
+Records immediately follow the header and have the following format:
 
-and data is one of the record data formats described in the following
-sections.
 
+```
+    0       1       2       3       4       5       6       7    octet
++-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
+| type                          | len                           |
++-------------------------------+-------------------------------+
+| body
+...
+|       | padding (0 to 7 octets)                               |
++-------+-------------------------------------------------------+
+```
+
+NOTE: padding octets here and in all subsequent format specifications must be
+      zero, unless stated otherwise.
 
-NOTE: The record data does not contain an overall length because the
-libxenlight record header specifies the length.
 
+| Field  | Description                                          |
+|--------|------------------------------------------------------|
+| `type` | 0x00000000: END                                      |
+|        | 0x00000001: GLOBAL_DATA                              |
+|        | 0x00000002: CONNECTION_DATA                          |
+|        | 0x00000003: WATCH_DATA                               |
+|        | 0x00000004: TRANSACTION_DATA                         |
+|        | 0x00000005: NODE_DATA                                |
+|        | 0x00000006 - 0xFFFFFFFF: reserved for future use     |
+|        |                                                      |
+| `len`  | The length (in octets) of `body`                     |
+|        |                                                      |
+| `body` | The type-specific record data                        |
 
-**NODE_DATA**
+The various formats of the type-specific data are described in the following
+sections:
 
+\pagebreak
 
-Each NODE_DATA record specifies a single node in xenstore and is formatted
-as follows:
+### END
 
+The end record marks the end of the image, and is the final record
+in the stream.
 
 ```
-    0       1       2       3     octet
-+-------+-------+-------+-------+
-| NODE_DATA                     |
-+-------------------------------+
-| path length                   |
-+-------------------------------+
-| path data                     |
-...
-| pad (0 to 3 octets)           |
-+-------------------------------+
-| perm count (N)                |
-+-------------------------------+
-| perm0                         |
-+-------------------------------+
-...
-+-------------------------------+
-| permN                         |
-+-------------------------------+
-| value length                  |
-+-------------------------------+
-| value data                    |
-...
-| pad (0 to 3 octets)           |
-+-------------------------------+
+    0       1       2       3       4       5       6       7    octet
++-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
 ```
 
-where perm0..N are formatted as follows:
 
+The end record contains no fields; its body length is 0.
+
+\pagebreak
+
+### GLOBAL_DATA
+
+This record is only relevant for live update. It contains details of global
+xenstored state that needs to be restored.
 
 ```
-    0       1       2       3     octet
+    0       1       2       3    octet
 +-------+-------+-------+-------+
-| perm  | pad   | domid         |
+| rw-socket-fd                  |
++-------------------------------+
+| ro-socket-fd                  |
 +-------------------------------+
 ```
 
 
-path length and value length are specified in octets (excluding the NUL
-terminator of the path). perm should be one of the ASCII values `w`, `r`,
-`b` or `n` as described in [2]. All pad values should be 0.
-All paths should be absolute (i.e. start with `/`) and as described in
-[2].
+| Field          | Description                                  |
+|----------------|----------------------------------------------|
+| `rw-socket-fd` | The file descriptor of the socket accepting  |
+|                | read-write connections                       |
+|                |                                              |
+| `ro-socket-fd` | The file descriptor of the socket accepting  |
+|                | read-only connections                        |
+
+xenstored will resume in the original process context. Hence `rw-socket-fd` and
+`ro-socket-fd` simply specify the file descriptors of the sockets.
 
 
-**WATCH_DATA**
+\pagebreak
 
+### CONNECTION_DATA
 
-Each WATCH_DATA record specifies a registered watch and is formatted as
-follows:
+For live update the image format will contain a `CONNECTION_DATA` record for
+each connection to xenstore. For migration it will only contain a record for
+the domain being migrated.
 
 
 ```
-    0       1       2       3     octet
-+-------+-------+-------+-------+
-| WATCH_DATA                    |
-+-------------------------------+
-| wpath length                  |
-+-------------------------------+
-| wpath data                    |
-...
-| pad (0 to 3 octets)           |
-+-------------------------------+
+    0       1       2       3       4       5       6       7    octet
++-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
+| conn-id                       | pad                           |
++---------------+-----------------------------------------------+
+| conn-type     | conn-spec
 ...
++-------------------------------+-------------------------------+
+| data-len                      | data
 +-------------------------------+
-| token length                  |
-+-------------------------------+
-| token data                    |
 ...
-| pad (0 to 3 octets)           |
-+-------------------------------+
 ```
 
-wpath length and token length are specified in octets (excluding the NUL
-terminator). The wpath should be as described for the `WATCH` operation in
-[2]. The token is an arbitrary string of octets not containing any NUL
-values.
 
+| Field       | Description                                     |
+|-------------|-------------------------------------------------|
+| `conn-id`   | A non-zero number used to identify this         |
+|             | connection in subsequent connection-specific    |
+|             | records                                         |
+|             |                                                 |
+| `conn-type` | 0x0000: shared ring                             |
+|             | 0x0001: socket                                  |
+|             |                                                 |
+| `conn-spec` | See below                                       |
+|             |                                                 |
+| `data-len`  | The length (in octets) of any pending data not  |
+|             | yet written to the connection                   |
+|             |                                                 |
+| `data`      | Pending data (may be empty)                     |
 
-**TRANSACTION_DATA**
+The format of `conn-spec` is dependent upon `conn-type`.
 
+\pagebreak
 
-Each TRANSACTION_DATA record specifies an open transaction and is formatted
-as follows:
+For `shared ring` connections it is as follows:
 
 
 ```
-    0       1       2       3     octet
-+-------+-------+-------+-------+
-| TRANSACTION_DATA              |
-+-------------------------------+
-| tx_id                         |
-+-------------------------------+
+    0       1       2       3       4       5       6       7    octet
+                +-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
+                | domid         | tdomid        | flags         |
++---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
+| revtchn                       | levtchn                       |
++-------------------------------+-------------------------------+
+| mfn                                                           |
++---------------------------------------------------------------+
 ```
 
-where tx_id is the non-zero identifier values of an open transaction.
-
 
-### Protocol Extension
+| Field      | Description                                      |
+|------------|--------------------------------------------------|
+| `domid`    | The domain-id that owns the shared page          |
+|            |                                                  |
+| `tdomid`   | The domain-id that `domid` acts on behalf of if  |
+|            | it has been subject to an SET_TARGET             |
+|            | operation [2] or DOMID_INVALID otherwise         |
+|            |                                                  |
+| `flags`    | A bit-wise OR of:                                |
+|            | 0x0001: INTRODUCE has been issued                |
+|            | 0x0002: RELEASE has been issued                  |
+|            |                                                  |
+| `revtchn`  | The port number of the interdomain channel used  |
+|            | by `domid` to communicate with xenstored         |
+|            |                                                  |
+| `levtchn`  | For a live update this will be the port number   |
+|            | of the interdomain channel used by xenstored     |
+|            | itself otherwise, for migration, it will be -1   |
+|            |                                                  |
+| `mfn`      | The MFN of the shared page for a live update or  |
+|            | INVALID_MFN otherwise                            |
+
+Since the ABI guarantees that entry 1 in `domid`'s grant table will always
+contain the GFN of the shared page, so for a live update `mfn` can be used to
+give confidence that `domid` has not been re-cycled during the update.
+
+
+For `socket` connections it is as follows:
 
-Before xenstore state is migrated it is necessary to wait for any pending
-reads, writes, watch registrations etc. to complete, and also to make sure
-that xenstored does not start processing any new requests (so that new
-requests remain pending on the shared ring for subsequent processing on the
-new host). Hence the following operation is needed:
 
 ```
-QUIESCE                 <domid>|
-
-Complete processing of any request issued by the specified domain, and
-do not process any further requests from the shared ring.
+    0       1       2       3       4       5       6       7    octet
+                +-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
+                | flags         | socket-fd                     |
+                +---------------+-------------------------------+
 ```
 
-The `WATCH` operation does not allow specification of a `<domid>`; it is
-assumed that the watch pertains to the domain that owns the shared ring
-over which the operation is passed. Hence, for the tool-stack to be able
-to register a watch on behalf of a domain a new operation is needed:
 
-```
-ADD_DOMAIN_WATCHES      <domid>|<watch>|+
+| Field       | Description                                     |
+|-------------|-------------------------------------------------|
+| `flags`     | A bit-wise OR of:                               |
+|             | 0001: read-only                                 |
+|             |                                                 |
+| `socket-fd` | The file descriptor of the connected socket     |
 
-Adds watches on behalf of the specified domain.
+This type of connection is only relevant for live update, where the xenstored
+resumes in the original process context. Hence `socket-fd` simply specify
+the file descriptor of the socket connection.
 
-<watch> is a NUL separated tuple of <path>|<token>. The semantics of this
-operation are identical to the domain issuing WATCH <path>|<token>| for
-each <watch>.
-```
+\pagebreak
+
+### WATCH_DATA
+
+The image format will contain a `WATCH_DATA` record for each watch registered
+by a connection for which there is `CONNECTION_DATA` record previously present.
 
-The watch information for a domain also needs to be extracted from the
-sending xenstored so the following operation is also needed:
 
 ```
-GET_DOMAIN_WATCHES      <domid>|<index>   <gencnt>|<watch>|*
+    0       1       2       3    octet
++-------+-------+-------+-------+
+| conn-id                       |
++---------------+---------------+
+| wpath-len     | token-len     |
++---------------+---------------+
+| wpath
+...
+| token
+...
+```
+
 
-Gets the list of watches that are currently registered for the domain.
+| Field       | Description                                     |
+|-------------|-------------------------------------------------|
+| `conn-id`   | The connection that issued the `WATCH`          |
+|             | operation [2]                                   |
+|             |                                                 |
+| `wpath-len` | The length (in octets) of `wpath` including the |
+|             | NUL terminator                                  |
+|             |                                                 |
+| `token-len` | The length (in octets) of `token` including the |
+|             | NUL terminator                                  |
+|             |                                                 |
+| `wpath`     | The watch path, as specified in the `WATCH`     |
+|             | operation                                       |
+|             |                                                 |
+| `token`     | The watch identifier token, as specified in the |
+|             | `WATCH` operation                               |
+
+\pagebreak
+
+### TRANSACTION_DATA
+
+The image format will contain a `TRANSACTION_DATA` record for each transaction
+that is pending on a connection for which there is `CONNECTION_DATA` record
+previously present.
 
-<watch> is a NUL separated tuple of <path>|<token>. The sub-list returned
-will start at <index> items into the the overall list of watches and may
-be truncated (at a <watch> boundary) such that the returned data fits
-within XENSTORE_PAYLOAD_MAX.
 
-If <index> is beyond the end of the overall list then the returned sub-
-list will be empty. If the value of <gencnt> changes then it indicates
-that the overall watch list has changed and thus it may be necessary
-to re-issue the operation for previous values of <index>.
 ```
+    0       1       2       3    octet
++-------+-------+-------+-------+
+| conn-id                       |
++-------------------------------+
+| tx-id                         |
++-------------------------------+
+```
+
+
+| Field          | Description                                  |
+|----------------|----------------------------------------------|
+| `conn-id`      | The connection that issued the               |
+|                | `TRANSACTION_START` operation [2]            |
+|                |                                              |
+| `tx-id`        | The transaction id passed back to the domain |
+|                | by the `TRANSACTION_START` operation         |
+
+\pagebreak
 
-To deal with transactions that were pending when the domain is migrated
-it is necessary to start transactions with the same tx_id on behalf of the
-domain in the receiving xenstored.
+### NODE_DATA
 
-NOTE: For safety each such transaction should result in an `EAGAIN` when
-the `TRANSACTION_END` operation is performed, as modifications made under
-the tx_id will not be part of the migration stream.
+For live update the image format will contain a `NODE_DATA` record for each
+node in xenstore. For migration it will only contain a record for the nodes
+relating to the domain being migrated. The `NODE_DATA` may be related to
+a _committed_ node (globally visible in xenstored) or a _pending_ node (created
+or modified by a transaction for which there is also a `TRANSACTION_DATA`
+record previously present).
 
-The `TRANSACTION_START` operation does not allow specification of a
-`<domid>`; it is assumed that the transaction pertains to the domain that
-owns the shared ring over which the operation is passed. Neither does it
-allow a `<transid>` to be specified; it is always chosen by xenstored.
-Hence, for the tool-stack to be able to open a transaction on behalf of a
-domain a new operation is needed:
 
 ```
-START_DOMAIN_TRANSACTION    <domid>|<transid>|
+    0       1       2       3    octet
++-------+-------+-------+-------+
+| conn-id                       |
++-------------------------------+
+| tx-id                         |
++---------------+---------------+
+| access        | perm-count    |
++---------------+---------------+
+| perm1                         |
++-------------------------------+
+...
++-------------------------------+
+| permN                         |
++---------------+---------------+
+| path-len      | value-len     |
++---------------+---------------+
+| path
+...
+| value
+...
+```
+
+
+| Field        | Description                                    |
+|--------------|------------------------------------------------|
+| `conn-id`    | If this value is non-zero then this record     |
+|              | related to a pending transaction               |
+|              |                                                |
+| `tx-id`      | This value should be ignored if `conn-id` is   |
+|              | zero. Otherwise it specifies the id of the     |
+|              | pending transaction                            |
+|              |                                                |
+| `access`     | This value should be ignored if this record    |
+|              | does not relate to a pending transaction,      |
+|              | otherwise it specifies the accesses made to    |
+|              | the node and hence is a bitwise OR of:         |
+|              |                                                |
+|              | 0x0001: read                                   |
+|              | 0x0002: written                                |
+|              |                                                |
+|              | The value will be zero for a deleted node      |
+|              |                                                |
+| `perm-count` | The number (N) of node permission specifiers   |
+|              | (which will be 0 for a node deleted in a       |
+|              | pending transaction)                           |
+|              |                                                |
+| `perm1..N`   | A list of zero or more node permission         |
+|              | specifiers (see below)                         |
+|              |                                                |
+| `path-len`   | The length (in octets) of `path` including the |
+|              | NUL terminator                                 |
+|              |                                                |
+| `value-len`  | The length (in octets) of `value` (which will  |
+|              | be zero for a deleted node)                    |
+|              |                                                |
+| `path`       | The absolute path of the node                  |
+|              |                                                |
+| `value`      | The node value (which may be empty or contain  |
+|              | NUL octets)                                    |
+
+
+A node permission specifier has the following format:
 
-Starts a transaction on behalf of a domain.
 
-The semantics of this are similar to the domain issuing
-TRANSACTION_START and receiving the specified <transid> as the response.
-The main difference is that the transaction will be immediately marked as
-'conflicting' such that when the domain issues TRANSACTION_END T|, it will
-result in EAGAIN.
+```
+    0       1       2       3    octet
++-------+-------+-------+-------+
+| perm  | pad   | domid         |
++-------+-------+---------------+
 ```
 
-It may also be desirable to state in the protocol specification that
-the `INTRODUCE` operation should not clear the `<gfn>` specified such that
-a `RELEASE` operation followed by an `INTRODUCE` operation form an
-idempotent pair. The current implementation of *C xentored* does this
-(in the `domain_conn_reset()` function) but this could be dropped as this
-behaviour is not currently specified and the page will always be zeroed
-for a newly created domain.
+| Field   | Description                                         |
+|---------|-----------------------------------------------------|
+| `perm`  | One of the ASCII values `w`, `r`, `b` or `n` as     |
+|         | specified for the `SET_PERMS` operation [2]         |
+|         |                                                     |
+| `domid` | The domain-id to which the permission relates       |
 
 
 * * *
 
 [1] See https://xenbits.xen.org/gitweb/?p=xen.git;a=blob;f=docs/designs/non-cooperative-migration.md
+
 [2] See https://xenbits.xen.org/gitweb/?p=xen.git;a=blob;f=docs/misc/xenstore.txt
-[3] See https://xenbits.xen.org/gitweb/?p=xen.git;a=blob;f=docs/specs/libxl-migration-stream.pandoc
-- 
2.17.1


Re: [PATCH] docs/designs: re-work the xenstore migration document...
Posted by Jürgen Groß 4 years ago
On 24.04.20 15:37, Paul Durrant wrote:
> From: Paul Durrant <pdurrant@amazon.com>
> 
> ... to specify a separate migration stream that will also be suitable for
> live update.
> 
> The original scope of the document was to support non-cooperative migration
> of guests [1] but, since then, live update of xenstored has been brought into
> scope. Thus it makes more sense to define a separate image format for
> serializing xenstore state that is suitable for both purposes.
> 
> The document has been limited to specifying a new image format. The mechanism
> for acquiring the image for live update or migration is not covered as that
> is more appropriately dealt with by a patch to docs/misc/xenstore.txt. It is
> also expected that, when the first implementation of live update or migration
> making use of this specification is committed, that the document is moved from
> docs/designs into docs/specs.
> 
> [1] See https://xenbits.xen.org/gitweb/?p=xen.git;a=blob;f=docs/designs/non-cooperative-migration.md
> 
> Signed-off-by: Paul Durrant <pdurrant@amazon.com>
> ---
> Juergen Gross <jgross@suse.com>
> Andrew Cooper <andrew.cooper3@citrix.com>
> George Dunlap <george.dunlap@citrix.com>
> Ian Jackson <ian.jackson@eu.citrix.com>
> Jan Beulich <jbeulich@suse.com>
> Julien Grall <julien@xen.org>
> Stefano Stabellini <sstabellini@kernel.org>
> Wei Liu <wl@xen.org>
> ---
>   docs/designs/xenstore-migration.md | 472 +++++++++++++++++++----------
>   1 file changed, 309 insertions(+), 163 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/docs/designs/xenstore-migration.md b/docs/designs/xenstore-migration.md
> index 6ab351e8fe..c96bad48eb 100644
> --- a/docs/designs/xenstore-migration.md
> +++ b/docs/designs/xenstore-migration.md
> @@ -3,254 +3,400 @@
>   ## Background
>   
>   The design for *Non-Cooperative Migration of Guests*[1] explains that extra
> -save records are required in the migrations stream to allow a guest running
> -PV drivers to be migrated without its co-operation. Moreover the save
> -records must include details of registered xenstore watches as well as
> -content; information that cannot currently be recovered from `xenstored`,
> -and hence some extension to the xenstore protocol[2] will also be required.
> -
> -The *libxenlight Domain Image Format* specification[3] already defines a
> -record type `EMULATOR_XENSTORE_DATA` but this is not suitable for
> -transferring xenstore data pertaining to the domain directly as it is
> -specified such that keys are relative to the path
> -`/local/domain/$dm_domid/device-model/$domid`. Thus it is necessary to
> -define at least one new save record type.
> +save records are required in the migrations stream to allow a guest running PV
> +drivers to be migrated without its co-operation. Moreover the save records must
> +include details of registered xenstore watches as well ascontent; information
> +that cannot currently be recovered from `xenstored`, and hence some extension
> +to the xenstored implementations will also be required.
> +
> +As a similar set of data is needed for transferring xenstore data from one
> +instance to another when live updating xenstored this document proposes an
> +image format for a 'migration stream' suitable for both purposes.
>   
>   ## Proposal
>   
> -### New Save Record
> +The image format consists of a _header_ followed by 1 or more _records_. Each
> +record consists of a type and length field, followed by any data mandated by
> +the record type. At minimum there will be a single record of type `END`
> +(defined below).
>   
> -A new mandatory record type should be defined within the libxenlight Domain
> -Image Format:
> +### Header
>   
> -`0x00000007: DOMAIN_XENSTORE_DATA`
> +The header identifies the stream as a `xenstore` stream, including the version
> +of the specification that it complies with.
>   
> -An arbitrary number of these records may be present in the migration
> -stream and may appear in any order. The format of each record should be as
> -follows:
> +All fields in this header must be in _big-endian_ byte order, regardless of
> +the setting of the endianness bit.
>   
>   
>   ```
>       0       1       2       3       4       5       6       7    octet
>   +-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
> -| type                          | record specific data          |
> -+-------------------------------+                               |
> -...
> -+---------------------------------------------------------------+
> +| ident                                                         |
> ++-------------------------------+-------------------------------|
> +| version                       | flags                         |
> ++-------------------------------+-------------------------------+
>   ```
>   
> -where type is one of the following values
>   
> +| Field     | Description                                       |
> +|-----------|---------------------------------------------------|
> +| `ident`   | 0x78656e73746f7265 ('xenstore' in ASCII)          |
> +|           |                                                   |
> +| `version` | 0x00000001 (the version of the specification)     |
> +|           |                                                   |
> +| `flags`   | 0 (LSB): Endianness: 0 = little, 1 = big          |
> +|           |                                                   |
> +|           | 1-31: Reserved (must be zero)                     |
>   
> -| Field  | Description                                      |
> -|--------|--------------------------------------------------|
> -| `type` | 0x00000000: invalid                              |
> -|        | 0x00000001: NODE_DATA                            |
> -|        | 0x00000002: WATCH_DATA                           |
> -|        | 0x00000003: TRANSACTION_DATA                     |
> -|        | 0x00000004 - 0xFFFFFFFF: reserved for future use |
> +### Records
>   
> +Records immediately follow the header and have the following format:
>   
> -and data is one of the record data formats described in the following
> -sections.
>   
> +```
> +    0       1       2       3       4       5       6       7    octet
> ++-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
> +| type                          | len                           |
> ++-------------------------------+-------------------------------+
> +| body
> +...
> +|       | padding (0 to 7 octets)                               |
> ++-------+-------------------------------------------------------+
> +```
> +
> +NOTE: padding octets here and in all subsequent format specifications must be
> +      zero, unless stated otherwise.

What about: "... are written as zero and should be ignored on read."

>   
> -NOTE: The record data does not contain an overall length because the
> -libxenlight record header specifies the length.
>   
> +| Field  | Description                                          |
> +|--------|------------------------------------------------------|
> +| `type` | 0x00000000: END                                      |
> +|        | 0x00000001: GLOBAL_DATA                              |
> +|        | 0x00000002: CONNECTION_DATA                          |
> +|        | 0x00000003: WATCH_DATA                               |
> +|        | 0x00000004: TRANSACTION_DATA                         |
> +|        | 0x00000005: NODE_DATA                                |
> +|        | 0x00000006 - 0xFFFFFFFF: reserved for future use     |
> +|        |                                                      |
> +| `len`  | The length (in octets) of `body`                     |
> +|        |                                                      |
> +| `body` | The type-specific record data                        |
>   
> -**NODE_DATA**
> +The various formats of the type-specific data are described in the following
> +sections:
>   
> +\pagebreak
>   
> -Each NODE_DATA record specifies a single node in xenstore and is formatted
> -as follows:
> +### END
>   
> +The end record marks the end of the image, and is the final record
> +in the stream.
>   
>   ```
> -    0       1       2       3     octet
> -+-------+-------+-------+-------+
> -| NODE_DATA                     |
> -+-------------------------------+
> -| path length                   |
> -+-------------------------------+
> -| path data                     |
> -...
> -| pad (0 to 3 octets)           |
> -+-------------------------------+
> -| perm count (N)                |
> -+-------------------------------+
> -| perm0                         |
> -+-------------------------------+
> -...
> -+-------------------------------+
> -| permN                         |
> -+-------------------------------+
> -| value length                  |
> -+-------------------------------+
> -| value data                    |
> -...
> -| pad (0 to 3 octets)           |
> -+-------------------------------+
> +    0       1       2       3       4       5       6       7    octet
> ++-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
>   ```
>   
> -where perm0..N are formatted as follows:
>   
> +The end record contains no fields; its body length is 0.
> +
> +\pagebreak
> +
> +### GLOBAL_DATA
> +
> +This record is only relevant for live update. It contains details of global
> +xenstored state that needs to be restored.
>   
>   ```
> -    0       1       2       3     octet
> +    0       1       2       3    octet
>   +-------+-------+-------+-------+
> -| perm  | pad   | domid         |
> +| rw-socket-fd                  |
> ++-------------------------------+
> +| ro-socket-fd                  |
>   +-------------------------------+
>   ```
>   
>   
> -path length and value length are specified in octets (excluding the NUL
> -terminator of the path). perm should be one of the ASCII values `w`, `r`,
> -`b` or `n` as described in [2]. All pad values should be 0.
> -All paths should be absolute (i.e. start with `/`) and as described in
> -[2].
> +| Field          | Description                                  |
> +|----------------|----------------------------------------------|
> +| `rw-socket-fd` | The file descriptor of the socket accepting  |
> +|                | read-write connections                       |
> +|                |                                              |
> +| `ro-socket-fd` | The file descriptor of the socket accepting  |
> +|                | read-only connections                        |
> +
> +xenstored will resume in the original process context. Hence `rw-socket-fd` and
> +`ro-socket-fd` simply specify the file descriptors of the sockets.
>   
>   
> -**WATCH_DATA**
> +\pagebreak
>   
> +### CONNECTION_DATA
>   
> -Each WATCH_DATA record specifies a registered watch and is formatted as
> -follows:
> +For live update the image format will contain a `CONNECTION_DATA` record for
> +each connection to xenstore. For migration it will only contain a record for
> +the domain being migrated.
>   
>   
>   ```
> -    0       1       2       3     octet
> -+-------+-------+-------+-------+
> -| WATCH_DATA                    |
> -+-------------------------------+
> -| wpath length                  |
> -+-------------------------------+
> -| wpath data                    |
> -...
> -| pad (0 to 3 octets)           |
> -+-------------------------------+
> +    0       1       2       3       4       5       6       7    octet
> ++-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
> +| conn-id                       | pad                           |
> ++---------------+-----------------------------------------------+
> +| conn-type     | conn-spec
>   ...
> ++-------------------------------+-------------------------------+

I'd rather drop the pad, and replace it by conn-type and a 2-byte
flag field (for the flags INTRODUCE, RELEASE, read-only).

> +| data-len                      | data
>   +-------------------------------+
> -| token length                  |
> -+-------------------------------+
> -| token data                    |
>   ...
> -| pad (0 to 3 octets)           |
> -+-------------------------------+
>   ```
>   
> -wpath length and token length are specified in octets (excluding the NUL
> -terminator). The wpath should be as described for the `WATCH` operation in
> -[2]. The token is an arbitrary string of octets not containing any NUL
> -values.
>   
> +| Field       | Description                                     |
> +|-------------|-------------------------------------------------|
> +| `conn-id`   | A non-zero number used to identify this         |
> +|             | connection in subsequent connection-specific    |
> +|             | records                                         |
> +|             |                                                 |
> +| `conn-type` | 0x0000: shared ring                             |
> +|             | 0x0001: socket                                  |
> +|             |                                                 |
> +| `conn-spec` | See below                                       |
> +|             |                                                 |
> +| `data-len`  | The length (in octets) of any pending data not  |
> +|             | yet written to the connection                   |
> +|             |                                                 |
> +| `data`      | Pending data (may be empty)                     |
>   
> -**TRANSACTION_DATA**
> +The format of `conn-spec` is dependent upon `conn-type`.
>   
> +\pagebreak
>   
> -Each TRANSACTION_DATA record specifies an open transaction and is formatted
> -as follows:
> +For `shared ring` connections it is as follows:
>   
>   
>   ```
> -    0       1       2       3     octet
> -+-------+-------+-------+-------+
> -| TRANSACTION_DATA              |
> -+-------------------------------+
> -| tx_id                         |
> -+-------------------------------+
> +    0       1       2       3       4       5       6       7    octet
> +                +-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
> +                | domid         | tdomid        | flags         |
> ++---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
> +| revtchn                       | levtchn                       |
> ++-------------------------------+-------------------------------+
> +| mfn                                                           |
> ++---------------------------------------------------------------+

levtchn is not needed IMO. Event channels can be closed and reopened,
so levtchn will have a new value in the common case.

With my suggestion above regarding flags we would have just 16 bytes
now, which can be aligned quite nicely in a sub-structure.

>   ```
>   
> -where tx_id is the non-zero identifier values of an open transaction.
> -
>   
> -### Protocol Extension
> +| Field      | Description                                      |
> +|------------|--------------------------------------------------|
> +| `domid`    | The domain-id that owns the shared page          |
> +|            |                                                  |
> +| `tdomid`   | The domain-id that `domid` acts on behalf of if  |
> +|            | it has been subject to an SET_TARGET             |
> +|            | operation [2] or DOMID_INVALID otherwise         |
> +|            |                                                  |
> +| `flags`    | A bit-wise OR of:                                |
> +|            | 0x0001: INTRODUCE has been issued                |
> +|            | 0x0002: RELEASE has been issued                  |
> +|            |                                                  |
> +| `revtchn`  | The port number of the interdomain channel used  |
> +|            | by `domid` to communicate with xenstored         |
> +|            |                                                  |
> +| `levtchn`  | For a live update this will be the port number   |
> +|            | of the interdomain channel used by xenstored     |
> +|            | itself otherwise, for migration, it will be -1   |
> +|            |                                                  |
> +| `mfn`      | The MFN of the shared page for a live update or  |
> +|            | INVALID_MFN otherwise                            |
> +
> +Since the ABI guarantees that entry 1 in `domid`'s grant table will always
> +contain the GFN of the shared page, so for a live update `mfn` can be used to
> +give confidence that `domid` has not been re-cycled during the update.
> +
> +
> +For `socket` connections it is as follows:
>   
> -Before xenstore state is migrated it is necessary to wait for any pending
> -reads, writes, watch registrations etc. to complete, and also to make sure
> -that xenstored does not start processing any new requests (so that new
> -requests remain pending on the shared ring for subsequent processing on the
> -new host). Hence the following operation is needed:
>   
>   ```
> -QUIESCE                 <domid>|
> -
> -Complete processing of any request issued by the specified domain, and
> -do not process any further requests from the shared ring.
> +    0       1       2       3       4       5       6       7    octet
> +                +-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
> +                | flags         | socket-fd                     |
> +                +---------------+-------------------------------+
>   ```
>   
> -The `WATCH` operation does not allow specification of a `<domid>`; it is
> -assumed that the watch pertains to the domain that owns the shared ring
> -over which the operation is passed. Hence, for the tool-stack to be able
> -to register a watch on behalf of a domain a new operation is needed:
>   
> -```
> -ADD_DOMAIN_WATCHES      <domid>|<watch>|+
> +| Field       | Description                                     |
> +|-------------|-------------------------------------------------|
> +| `flags`     | A bit-wise OR of:                               |
> +|             | 0001: read-only                                 |
> +|             |                                                 |
> +| `socket-fd` | The file descriptor of the connected socket     |
>   
> -Adds watches on behalf of the specified domain.
> +This type of connection is only relevant for live update, where the xenstored
> +resumes in the original process context. Hence `socket-fd` simply specify
> +the file descriptor of the socket connection.
>   
> -<watch> is a NUL separated tuple of <path>|<token>. The semantics of this
> -operation are identical to the domain issuing WATCH <path>|<token>| for
> -each <watch>.
> -```
> +\pagebreak
> +
> +### WATCH_DATA
> +
> +The image format will contain a `WATCH_DATA` record for each watch registered
> +by a connection for which there is `CONNECTION_DATA` record previously present.
>   
> -The watch information for a domain also needs to be extracted from the
> -sending xenstored so the following operation is also needed:
>   
>   ```
> -GET_DOMAIN_WATCHES      <domid>|<index>   <gencnt>|<watch>|*
> +    0       1       2       3    octet
> ++-------+-------+-------+-------+
> +| conn-id                       |
> ++---------------+---------------+
> +| wpath-len     | token-len     |
> ++---------------+---------------+
> +| wpath
> +...
> +| token
> +...
> +```
> +
>   
> -Gets the list of watches that are currently registered for the domain.
> +| Field       | Description                                     |
> +|-------------|-------------------------------------------------|
> +| `conn-id`   | The connection that issued the `WATCH`          |
> +|             | operation [2]                                   |
> +|             |                                                 |
> +| `wpath-len` | The length (in octets) of `wpath` including the |
> +|             | NUL terminator                                  |
> +|             |                                                 |
> +| `token-len` | The length (in octets) of `token` including the |
> +|             | NUL terminator                                  |
> +|             |                                                 |
> +| `wpath`     | The watch path, as specified in the `WATCH`     |
> +|             | operation                                       |
> +|             |                                                 |
> +| `token`     | The watch identifier token, as specified in the |
> +|             | `WATCH` operation                               |
> +
> +\pagebreak
> +
> +### TRANSACTION_DATA
> +
> +The image format will contain a `TRANSACTION_DATA` record for each transaction
> +that is pending on a connection for which there is `CONNECTION_DATA` record
> +previously present.
>   
> -<watch> is a NUL separated tuple of <path>|<token>. The sub-list returned
> -will start at <index> items into the the overall list of watches and may
> -be truncated (at a <watch> boundary) such that the returned data fits
> -within XENSTORE_PAYLOAD_MAX.
>   
> -If <index> is beyond the end of the overall list then the returned sub-
> -list will be empty. If the value of <gencnt> changes then it indicates
> -that the overall watch list has changed and thus it may be necessary
> -to re-issue the operation for previous values of <index>.
>   ```
> +    0       1       2       3    octet
> ++-------+-------+-------+-------+
> +| conn-id                       |
> ++-------------------------------+
> +| tx-id                         |
> ++-------------------------------+
> +```
> +
> +
> +| Field          | Description                                  |
> +|----------------|----------------------------------------------|
> +| `conn-id`      | The connection that issued the               |
> +|                | `TRANSACTION_START` operation [2]            |
> +|                |                                              |
> +| `tx-id`        | The transaction id passed back to the domain |
> +|                | by the `TRANSACTION_START` operation         |
> +
> +\pagebreak
>   
> -To deal with transactions that were pending when the domain is migrated
> -it is necessary to start transactions with the same tx_id on behalf of the
> -domain in the receiving xenstored.
> +### NODE_DATA
>   
> -NOTE: For safety each such transaction should result in an `EAGAIN` when
> -the `TRANSACTION_END` operation is performed, as modifications made under
> -the tx_id will not be part of the migration stream.
> +For live update the image format will contain a `NODE_DATA` record for each
> +node in xenstore. For migration it will only contain a record for the nodes
> +relating to the domain being migrated. The `NODE_DATA` may be related to
> +a _committed_ node (globally visible in xenstored) or a _pending_ node (created
> +or modified by a transaction for which there is also a `TRANSACTION_DATA`
> +record previously present).
>   
> -The `TRANSACTION_START` operation does not allow specification of a
> -`<domid>`; it is assumed that the transaction pertains to the domain that
> -owns the shared ring over which the operation is passed. Neither does it
> -allow a `<transid>` to be specified; it is always chosen by xenstored.
> -Hence, for the tool-stack to be able to open a transaction on behalf of a
> -domain a new operation is needed:
>   
>   ```
> -START_DOMAIN_TRANSACTION    <domid>|<transid>|
> +    0       1       2       3    octet
> ++-------+-------+-------+-------+
> +| conn-id                       |
> ++-------------------------------+
> +| tx-id                         |
> ++---------------+---------------+
> +| access        | perm-count    |
> ++---------------+---------------+
> +| perm1                         |
> ++-------------------------------+
> +...
> ++-------------------------------+
> +| permN                         |
> ++---------------+---------------+
> +| path-len      | value-len     |
> ++---------------+---------------+

I'd rather move path-len and value-len above perm1 in order to have
the fixed-length fields in a common structure.

> +| path
> +...
> +| value
> +...
> +```
> +
> +
> +| Field        | Description                                    |
> +|--------------|------------------------------------------------|
> +| `conn-id`    | If this value is non-zero then this record     |
> +|              | related to a pending transaction               |
> +|              |                                                |
> +| `tx-id`      | This value should be ignored if `conn-id` is   |
> +|              | zero. Otherwise it specifies the id of the     |
> +|              | pending transaction                            |
> +|              |                                                |
> +| `access`     | This value should be ignored if this record    |
> +|              | does not relate to a pending transaction,      |
> +|              | otherwise it specifies the accesses made to    |
> +|              | the node and hence is a bitwise OR of:         |
> +|              |                                                |
> +|              | 0x0001: read                                   |
> +|              | 0x0002: written                                |
> +|              |                                                |
> +|              | The value will be zero for a deleted node      |
> +|              |                                                |
> +| `perm-count` | The number (N) of node permission specifiers   |
> +|              | (which will be 0 for a node deleted in a       |
> +|              | pending transaction)                           |
> +|              |                                                |
> +| `perm1..N`   | A list of zero or more node permission         |
> +|              | specifiers (see below)                         |
> +|              |                                                |
> +| `path-len`   | The length (in octets) of `path` including the |
> +|              | NUL terminator                                 |
> +|              |                                                |
> +| `value-len`  | The length (in octets) of `value` (which will  |
> +|              | be zero for a deleted node)                    |
> +|              |                                                |
> +| `path`       | The absolute path of the node                  |
> +|              |                                                |
> +| `value`      | The node value (which may be empty or contain  |
> +|              | NUL octets)                                    |
> +
> +
> +A node permission specifier has the following format:
>   
> -Starts a transaction on behalf of a domain.
>   
> -The semantics of this are similar to the domain issuing
> -TRANSACTION_START and receiving the specified <transid> as the response.
> -The main difference is that the transaction will be immediately marked as
> -'conflicting' such that when the domain issues TRANSACTION_END T|, it will
> -result in EAGAIN.
> +```
> +    0       1       2       3    octet
> ++-------+-------+-------+-------+
> +| perm  | pad   | domid         |
> ++-------+-------+---------------+
>   ```
>   
> -It may also be desirable to state in the protocol specification that
> -the `INTRODUCE` operation should not clear the `<gfn>` specified such that
> -a `RELEASE` operation followed by an `INTRODUCE` operation form an
> -idempotent pair. The current implementation of *C xentored* does this
> -(in the `domain_conn_reset()` function) but this could be dropped as this
> -behaviour is not currently specified and the page will always be zeroed
> -for a newly created domain.
> +| Field   | Description                                         |
> +|---------|-----------------------------------------------------|
> +| `perm`  | One of the ASCII values `w`, `r`, `b` or `n` as     |
> +|         | specified for the `SET_PERMS` operation [2]         |
> +|         |                                                     |
> +| `domid` | The domain-id to which the permission relates       |
>   
>   
>   * * *
>   
>   [1] See https://xenbits.xen.org/gitweb/?p=xen.git;a=blob;f=docs/designs/non-cooperative-migration.md
> +
>   [2] See https://xenbits.xen.org/gitweb/?p=xen.git;a=blob;f=docs/misc/xenstore.txt
> -[3] See https://xenbits.xen.org/gitweb/?p=xen.git;a=blob;f=docs/specs/libxl-migration-stream.pandoc
> 

Juergen

Re: [PATCH] docs/designs: re-work the xenstore migration document...
Posted by Julien Grall 4 years ago
Hi,

On 24/04/2020 15:26, Jürgen Groß wrote:
>> +```
>> +    0       1       2       3       4       5       6       7    octet
>> ++-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
>> +| type                          | len                           |
>> ++-------------------------------+-------------------------------+
>> +| body
>> +...
>> +|       | padding (0 to 7 octets)                               |
>> ++-------+-------------------------------------------------------+
>> +```
>> +
>> +NOTE: padding octets here and in all subsequent format specifications 
>> must be
>> +      zero, unless stated otherwise.
> 
> What about: "... are written as zero and should be ignored on read."

I would rather not say "ignored" because it doesn't allow us to extend 
the record if needed in a safe way. The read side should abort if it 
sees an other value than 0 in the padding.

Cheers,

-- 
Julien Grall

Re: [PATCH] docs/designs: re-work the xenstore migration document...
Posted by Jürgen Groß 4 years ago
On 24.04.20 16:38, Julien Grall wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> On 24/04/2020 15:26, Jürgen Groß wrote:
>>> +```
>>> +    0       1       2       3       4       5       6       7    octet
>>> ++-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
>>> +| type                          | len                           |
>>> ++-------------------------------+-------------------------------+
>>> +| body
>>> +...
>>> +|       | padding (0 to 7 octets)                               |
>>> ++-------+-------------------------------------------------------+
>>> +```
>>> +
>>> +NOTE: padding octets here and in all subsequent format 
>>> specifications must be
>>> +      zero, unless stated otherwise.
>>
>> What about: "... are written as zero and should be ignored on read."
> 
> I would rather not say "ignored" because it doesn't allow us to extend 
> the record if needed in a safe way. The read side should abort if it 
> sees an other value than 0 in the padding.

I'd rather ignore unknown fields. This allows to add optional data
without having to special case it. Writing zeroes is the important part
here, of course.

Ignoring those fields would e.g. enable a downgrade more easily, while
aborting could make that impossible.

And in case a version would write non-zero bytes (e.g. due to a bug)
this version could never be live-updated.

Juergen

Re: [PATCH] docs/designs: re-work the xenstore migration document...
Posted by Julien Grall 4 years ago

On 24/04/2020 15:51, Jürgen Groß wrote:
> On 24.04.20 16:38, Julien Grall wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> On 24/04/2020 15:26, Jürgen Groß wrote:
>>>> +```
>>>> +    0       1       2       3       4       5       6       7    octet
>>>> ++-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
>>>> +| type                          | len                           |
>>>> ++-------------------------------+-------------------------------+
>>>> +| body
>>>> +...
>>>> +|       | padding (0 to 7 octets)                               |
>>>> ++-------+-------------------------------------------------------+
>>>> +```
>>>> +
>>>> +NOTE: padding octets here and in all subsequent format 
>>>> specifications must be
>>>> +      zero, unless stated otherwise.
>>>
>>> What about: "... are written as zero and should be ignored on read."
>>
>> I would rather not say "ignored" because it doesn't allow us to extend 
>> the record if needed in a safe way. The read side should abort if it 
>> sees an other value than 0 in the padding.
> 
> I'd rather ignore unknown fields. This allows to add optional data
> without having to special case it. 

You will need a special case for 0 in any case.

> Writing zeroes is the important part
> here, of course.
> 
> Ignoring those fields would e.g. enable a downgrade more easily, while
> aborting could make that impossible.

You are assuming the fields may contain optional data. Now imagine, we 
realize in a few months we missed some important fields. How would you 
describe the required fields?

I can see two ways:
     1) Re-using the padding fields if possible
     2) Extending the record

If you re-use the padding fields, then when you downgrade you may lose 
information. If you extend the size of the record, then you can't downgrade.

Cheers,

-- 
Julien Grall

Re: [PATCH] docs/designs: re-work the xenstore migration document...
Posted by Jürgen Groß 4 years ago
On 24.04.20 17:44, Julien Grall wrote:
> 
> 
> On 24/04/2020 15:51, Jürgen Groß wrote:
>> On 24.04.20 16:38, Julien Grall wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> On 24/04/2020 15:26, Jürgen Groß wrote:
>>>>> +```
>>>>> +    0       1       2       3       4       5       6       7    
>>>>> octet
>>>>> ++-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
>>>>> +| type                          | len                           |
>>>>> ++-------------------------------+-------------------------------+
>>>>> +| body
>>>>> +...
>>>>> +|       | padding (0 to 7 octets)                               |
>>>>> ++-------+-------------------------------------------------------+
>>>>> +```
>>>>> +
>>>>> +NOTE: padding octets here and in all subsequent format 
>>>>> specifications must be
>>>>> +      zero, unless stated otherwise.
>>>>
>>>> What about: "... are written as zero and should be ignored on read."
>>>
>>> I would rather not say "ignored" because it doesn't allow us to 
>>> extend the record if needed in a safe way. The read side should abort 
>>> if it sees an other value than 0 in the padding.
>>
>> I'd rather ignore unknown fields. This allows to add optional data
>> without having to special case it. 
> 
> You will need a special case for 0 in any case.

0 will need to have the "no optional data" semantics.

> 
>> Writing zeroes is the important part
>> here, of course.
>>
>> Ignoring those fields would e.g. enable a downgrade more easily, while
>> aborting could make that impossible.
> 
> You are assuming the fields may contain optional data. Now imagine, we 
> realize in a few months we missed some important fields. How would you 
> describe the required fields?
> 
> I can see two ways:
>      1) Re-using the padding fields if possible
>      2) Extending the record
> 
> If you re-use the padding fields, then when you downgrade you may lose 
> information. If you extend the size of the record, then you can't 
> downgrade.

If I extend the record and do a downgrade I'm losing the information,
too, as the old version won't read it in any case. BTW, extending the
record is no problem, as the length is stored in the header. Unknown
records (and extensions) will be just ignored when reading.

In your case when reusing the paddings and doing a downgrade you would
crash, as the paddings are no longer zero.

In case a downgrade should not be done due to vital information loss
then you should just not do it.


Juergen

Re: [PATCH] docs/designs: re-work the xenstore migration document...
Posted by Julien Grall 4 years ago
Hi,

On 24/04/2020 16:59, Jürgen Groß wrote:
> On 24.04.20 17:44, Julien Grall wrote:
> If I extend the record and do a downgrade I'm losing the information,
> too, as the old version won't read it in any case. BTW, extending the
> record is no problem, as the length is stored in the header. Unknown
> records (and extensions) will be just ignored when reading.

That's very much up to the implementation. An implementation may decide 
to bail out if the record is not an exact size.

> 
> In your case when reusing the paddings and doing a downgrade you would
> crash, as the paddings are no longer zero.
> 
> In case a downgrade should not be done due to vital information loss
> then you should just not do it.

Of course, however I don't think a user will necessarily know it should 
not do it. So how do you protect against misuse?

Cheers,

-- 
Julien Grall

RE: [PATCH] docs/designs: re-work the xenstore migration document...
Posted by Paul Durrant 4 years ago
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Julien Grall <julien@xen.org>
> Sent: 24 April 2020 17:04
> To: Jürgen Groß <jgross@suse.com>; Paul Durrant <paul@xen.org>; xen-devel@lists.xenproject.org
> Cc: Paul Durrant <pdurrant@amazon.com>
> Subject: Re: [PATCH] docs/designs: re-work the xenstore migration document...
> 
> Hi,
> 
> On 24/04/2020 16:59, Jürgen Groß wrote:
> > On 24.04.20 17:44, Julien Grall wrote:
> > If I extend the record and do a downgrade I'm losing the information,
> > too, as the old version won't read it in any case. BTW, extending the
> > record is no problem, as the length is stored in the header. Unknown
> > records (and extensions) will be just ignored when reading.
> 
> That's very much up to the implementation. An implementation may decide
> to bail out if the record is not an exact size.
> 

It won't know. The record will be whatever size it says it is, and if the format doesn't match what the implementation was expecting then it'll probably crash.

> >
> > In your case when reusing the paddings and doing a downgrade you would
> > crash, as the paddings are no longer zero.
> >
> > In case a downgrade should not be done due to vital information loss
> > then you should just not do it.
> 
> Of course, however I don't think a user will necessarily know it should
> not do it. So how do you protect against misuse?
> 

The stream is versioned. If information is vital then I'd expect the version to be bumped, which should prevent a downgrade.

  Paul



Re: [PATCH] docs/designs: re-work the xenstore migration document...
Posted by Jürgen Groß 4 years ago
On 24.04.20 18:20, Paul Durrant wrote:
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Julien Grall <julien@xen.org>
>> Sent: 24 April 2020 17:04
>> To: Jürgen Groß <jgross@suse.com>; Paul Durrant <paul@xen.org>; xen-devel@lists.xenproject.org
>> Cc: Paul Durrant <pdurrant@amazon.com>
>> Subject: Re: [PATCH] docs/designs: re-work the xenstore migration document...
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>> On 24/04/2020 16:59, Jürgen Groß wrote:
>>> On 24.04.20 17:44, Julien Grall wrote:
>>> If I extend the record and do a downgrade I'm losing the information,
>>> too, as the old version won't read it in any case. BTW, extending the
>>> record is no problem, as the length is stored in the header. Unknown
>>> records (and extensions) will be just ignored when reading.
>>
>> That's very much up to the implementation. An implementation may decide
>> to bail out if the record is not an exact size.
>>
> 
> It won't know. The record will be whatever size it says it is, and if the format doesn't match what the implementation was expecting then it'll probably crash.
> 
>>>
>>> In your case when reusing the paddings and doing a downgrade you would
>>> crash, as the paddings are no longer zero.
>>>
>>> In case a downgrade should not be done due to vital information loss
>>> then you should just not do it.
>>
>> Of course, however I don't think a user will necessarily know it should
>> not do it. So how do you protect against misuse?
>>
> 
> The stream is versioned. If information is vital then I'd expect the version to be bumped, which should prevent a downgrade.

Uh, this is problematic. I agree that a downgrade will be prevented, but
merely via a crash. We won't have both versions active in parallel, but
the version we are updating to will make it or not. There is no way
back.

The general rule should be to be as forgiving to errors in the stream
as possible in order _not_ to have a crashing xenstored due to strict
parameter testing.

And in case there is a potential of problems it needs to be documented
and then its up to the user to follow the documentation.


Juergen

Re: [PATCH] docs/designs: re-work the xenstore migration document...
Posted by Jürgen Groß 3 years, 12 months ago
On 24.04.20 15:37, Paul Durrant wrote:
> From: Paul Durrant <pdurrant@amazon.com>
> 
> ... to specify a separate migration stream that will also be suitable for
> live update.
> 
> The original scope of the document was to support non-cooperative migration
> of guests [1] but, since then, live update of xenstored has been brought into
> scope. Thus it makes more sense to define a separate image format for
> serializing xenstore state that is suitable for both purposes.
> 
> The document has been limited to specifying a new image format. The mechanism
> for acquiring the image for live update or migration is not covered as that
> is more appropriately dealt with by a patch to docs/misc/xenstore.txt. It is
> also expected that, when the first implementation of live update or migration
> making use of this specification is committed, that the document is moved from
> docs/designs into docs/specs.

Can we please add a general remark:

Records depending other records (e.g. watch records referencing a
connection record via a connection-id, or node records for a node
being a child of another node in the stream) must always be located
after the record they depend on.


Juergen

RE: [PATCH] docs/designs: re-work the xenstore migration document...
Posted by Paul Durrant 3 years, 12 months ago
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jürgen Groß <jgross@suse.com>
> Sent: 27 April 2020 08:42
> To: Paul Durrant <paul@xen.org>; xen-devel@lists.xenproject.org
> Cc: Paul Durrant <pdurrant@amazon.com>
> Subject: Re: [PATCH] docs/designs: re-work the xenstore migration document...
> 
> On 24.04.20 15:37, Paul Durrant wrote:
> > From: Paul Durrant <pdurrant@amazon.com>
> >
> > ... to specify a separate migration stream that will also be suitable for
> > live update.
> >
> > The original scope of the document was to support non-cooperative migration
> > of guests [1] but, since then, live update of xenstored has been brought into
> > scope. Thus it makes more sense to define a separate image format for
> > serializing xenstore state that is suitable for both purposes.
> >
> > The document has been limited to specifying a new image format. The mechanism
> > for acquiring the image for live update or migration is not covered as that
> > is more appropriately dealt with by a patch to docs/misc/xenstore.txt. It is
> > also expected that, when the first implementation of live update or migration
> > making use of this specification is committed, that the document is moved from
> > docs/designs into docs/specs.
> 
> Can we please add a general remark:
> 
> Records depending other records (e.g. watch records referencing a
> connection record via a connection-id, or node records for a node
> being a child of another node in the stream) must always be located
> after the record they depend on.
> 

Sure. I'll call that out at the beginning of the records section.

  Paul

> 
> Juergen