1 The Definitive KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) API Documentation
2 ===================================================================
6 The kvm API is a set of ioctls that are issued to control various aspects
7 of a virtual machine. The ioctls belong to three classes
9 - System ioctls: These query and set global attributes which affect the
10 whole kvm subsystem. In addition a system ioctl is used to create
13 - VM ioctls: These query and set attributes that affect an entire virtual
14 machine, for example memory layout. In addition a VM ioctl is used to
15 create virtual cpus (vcpus).
17 Only run VM ioctls from the same process (address space) that was used
20 - vcpu ioctls: These query and set attributes that control the operation
21 of a single virtual cpu.
23 Only run vcpu ioctls from the same thread that was used to create the
28 The kvm API is centered around file descriptors. An initial
29 open("/dev/kvm") obtains a handle to the kvm subsystem; this handle
30 can be used to issue system ioctls. A KVM_CREATE_VM ioctl on this
31 handle will create a VM file descriptor which can be used to issue VM
32 ioctls. A KVM_CREATE_VCPU ioctl on a VM fd will create a virtual cpu
33 and return a file descriptor pointing to it. Finally, ioctls on a vcpu
34 fd can be used to control the vcpu, including the important task of
35 actually running guest code.
37 In general file descriptors can be migrated among processes by means
38 of fork() and the SCM_RIGHTS facility of unix domain socket. These
39 kinds of tricks are explicitly not supported by kvm. While they will
40 not cause harm to the host, their actual behavior is not guaranteed by
41 the API. The only supported use is one virtual machine per process,
42 and one vcpu per thread.
46 As of Linux 2.6.22, the KVM ABI has been stabilized: no backward
47 incompatible change are allowed. However, there is an extension
48 facility that allows backward-compatible extensions to the API to be
51 The extension mechanism is not based on on the Linux version number.
52 Instead, kvm defines extension identifiers and a facility to query
53 whether a particular extension identifier is available. If it is, a
54 set of ioctls is available for application use.
58 This section describes ioctls that can be used to control kvm guests.
59 For each ioctl, the following information is provided along with a
62 Capability: which KVM extension provides this ioctl. Can be 'basic',
63 which means that is will be provided by any kernel that supports
64 API version 12 (see section 4.1), or a KVM_CAP_xyz constant, which
65 means availability needs to be checked with KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION
68 Architectures: which instruction set architectures provide this ioctl.
69 x86 includes both i386 and x86_64.
71 Type: system, vm, or vcpu.
73 Parameters: what parameters are accepted by the ioctl.
75 Returns: the return value. General error numbers (EBADF, ENOMEM, EINVAL)
76 are not detailed, but errors with specific meanings are.
78 4.1 KVM_GET_API_VERSION
84 Returns: the constant KVM_API_VERSION (=12)
86 This identifies the API version as the stable kvm API. It is not
87 expected that this number will change. However, Linux 2.6.20 and
88 2.6.21 report earlier versions; these are not documented and not
89 supported. Applications should refuse to run if KVM_GET_API_VERSION
90 returns a value other than 12. If this check passes, all ioctls
91 described as 'basic' will be available.
99 Returns: a VM fd that can be used to control the new virtual machine.
101 The new VM has no virtual cpus and no memory. An mmap() of a VM fd
102 will access the virtual machine's physical address space; offset zero
103 corresponds to guest physical address zero. Use of mmap() on a VM fd
104 is discouraged if userspace memory allocation (KVM_CAP_USER_MEMORY) is
107 4.3 KVM_GET_MSR_INDEX_LIST
112 Parameters: struct kvm_msr_list (in/out)
113 Returns: 0 on success; -1 on error
115 E2BIG: the msr index list is to be to fit in the array specified by
118 struct kvm_msr_list {
119 __u32 nmsrs; /* number of msrs in entries */
123 This ioctl returns the guest msrs that are supported. The list varies
124 by kvm version and host processor, but does not change otherwise. The
125 user fills in the size of the indices array in nmsrs, and in return
126 kvm adjusts nmsrs to reflect the actual number of msrs and fills in
127 the indices array with their numbers.
129 Note: if kvm indicates supports MCE (KVM_CAP_MCE), then the MCE bank MSRs are
130 not returned in the MSR list, as different vcpus can have a different number
131 of banks, as set via the KVM_X86_SETUP_MCE ioctl.
133 4.4 KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION
138 Parameters: extension identifier (KVM_CAP_*)
139 Returns: 0 if unsupported; 1 (or some other positive integer) if supported
141 The API allows the application to query about extensions to the core
142 kvm API. Userspace passes an extension identifier (an integer) and
143 receives an integer that describes the extension availability.
144 Generally 0 means no and 1 means yes, but some extensions may report
145 additional information in the integer return value.
147 4.5 KVM_GET_VCPU_MMAP_SIZE
153 Returns: size of vcpu mmap area, in bytes
155 The KVM_RUN ioctl (cf.) communicates with userspace via a shared
156 memory region. This ioctl returns the size of that region. See the
157 KVM_RUN documentation for details.
159 4.6 KVM_SET_MEMORY_REGION
164 Parameters: struct kvm_memory_region (in)
165 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
167 This ioctl is obsolete and has been removed.
174 Parameters: vcpu id (apic id on x86)
175 Returns: vcpu fd on success, -1 on error
177 This API adds a vcpu to a virtual machine. The vcpu id is a small integer
178 in the range [0, max_vcpus). You can use KVM_CAP_NR_VCPUS of the
179 KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION ioctl() to determine the value for max_vcpus at run-time.
180 If the KVM_CAP_NR_VCPUS does not exist, you should assume that max_vcpus is 4
183 On powerpc using book3s_hv mode, the vcpus are mapped onto virtual
184 threads in one or more virtual CPU cores. (This is because the
185 hardware requires all the hardware threads in a CPU core to be in the
186 same partition.) The KVM_CAP_PPC_SMT capability indicates the number
187 of vcpus per virtual core (vcore). The vcore id is obtained by
188 dividing the vcpu id by the number of vcpus per vcore. The vcpus in a
189 given vcore will always be in the same physical core as each other
190 (though that might be a different physical core from time to time).
191 Userspace can control the threading (SMT) mode of the guest by its
192 allocation of vcpu ids. For example, if userspace wants
193 single-threaded guest vcpus, it should make all vcpu ids be a multiple
194 of the number of vcpus per vcore.
196 4.8 KVM_GET_DIRTY_LOG (vm ioctl)
201 Parameters: struct kvm_dirty_log (in/out)
202 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
204 /* for KVM_GET_DIRTY_LOG */
205 struct kvm_dirty_log {
209 void __user *dirty_bitmap; /* one bit per page */
214 Given a memory slot, return a bitmap containing any pages dirtied
215 since the last call to this ioctl. Bit 0 is the first page in the
216 memory slot. Ensure the entire structure is cleared to avoid padding
219 4.9 KVM_SET_MEMORY_ALIAS
224 Parameters: struct kvm_memory_alias (in)
225 Returns: 0 (success), -1 (error)
227 This ioctl is obsolete and has been removed.
235 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
237 EINTR: an unmasked signal is pending
239 This ioctl is used to run a guest virtual cpu. While there are no
240 explicit parameters, there is an implicit parameter block that can be
241 obtained by mmap()ing the vcpu fd at offset 0, with the size given by
242 KVM_GET_VCPU_MMAP_SIZE. The parameter block is formatted as a 'struct
243 kvm_run' (see below).
250 Parameters: struct kvm_regs (out)
251 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
253 Reads the general purpose registers from the vcpu.
257 /* out (KVM_GET_REGS) / in (KVM_SET_REGS) */
258 __u64 rax, rbx, rcx, rdx;
259 __u64 rsi, rdi, rsp, rbp;
260 __u64 r8, r9, r10, r11;
261 __u64 r12, r13, r14, r15;
270 Parameters: struct kvm_regs (in)
271 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
273 Writes the general purpose registers into the vcpu.
275 See KVM_GET_REGS for the data structure.
280 Architectures: x86, ppc
282 Parameters: struct kvm_sregs (out)
283 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
285 Reads special registers from the vcpu.
289 struct kvm_segment cs, ds, es, fs, gs, ss;
290 struct kvm_segment tr, ldt;
291 struct kvm_dtable gdt, idt;
292 __u64 cr0, cr2, cr3, cr4, cr8;
295 __u64 interrupt_bitmap[(KVM_NR_INTERRUPTS + 63) / 64];
298 /* ppc -- see arch/powerpc/include/asm/kvm.h */
300 interrupt_bitmap is a bitmap of pending external interrupts. At most
301 one bit may be set. This interrupt has been acknowledged by the APIC
302 but not yet injected into the cpu core.
307 Architectures: x86, ppc
309 Parameters: struct kvm_sregs (in)
310 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
312 Writes special registers into the vcpu. See KVM_GET_SREGS for the
320 Parameters: struct kvm_translation (in/out)
321 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
323 Translates a virtual address according to the vcpu's current address
326 struct kvm_translation {
328 __u64 linear_address;
331 __u64 physical_address;
341 Architectures: x86, ppc
343 Parameters: struct kvm_interrupt (in)
344 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
346 Queues a hardware interrupt vector to be injected. This is only
347 useful if in-kernel local APIC or equivalent is not used.
349 /* for KVM_INTERRUPT */
350 struct kvm_interrupt {
357 Note 'irq' is an interrupt vector, not an interrupt pin or line.
361 Queues an external interrupt to be injected. This ioctl is overleaded
362 with 3 different irq values:
366 This injects an edge type external interrupt into the guest once it's ready
367 to receive interrupts. When injected, the interrupt is done.
369 b) KVM_INTERRUPT_UNSET
371 This unsets any pending interrupt.
373 Only available with KVM_CAP_PPC_UNSET_IRQ.
375 c) KVM_INTERRUPT_SET_LEVEL
377 This injects a level type external interrupt into the guest context. The
378 interrupt stays pending until a specific ioctl with KVM_INTERRUPT_UNSET
381 Only available with KVM_CAP_PPC_IRQ_LEVEL.
383 Note that any value for 'irq' other than the ones stated above is invalid
384 and incurs unexpected behavior.
394 Support for this has been removed. Use KVM_SET_GUEST_DEBUG instead.
401 Parameters: struct kvm_msrs (in/out)
402 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
404 Reads model-specific registers from the vcpu. Supported msr indices can
405 be obtained using KVM_GET_MSR_INDEX_LIST.
408 __u32 nmsrs; /* number of msrs in entries */
411 struct kvm_msr_entry entries[0];
414 struct kvm_msr_entry {
420 Application code should set the 'nmsrs' member (which indicates the
421 size of the entries array) and the 'index' member of each array entry.
422 kvm will fill in the 'data' member.
429 Parameters: struct kvm_msrs (in)
430 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
432 Writes model-specific registers to the vcpu. See KVM_GET_MSRS for the
435 Application code should set the 'nmsrs' member (which indicates the
436 size of the entries array), and the 'index' and 'data' members of each
444 Parameters: struct kvm_cpuid (in)
445 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
447 Defines the vcpu responses to the cpuid instruction. Applications
448 should use the KVM_SET_CPUID2 ioctl if available.
451 struct kvm_cpuid_entry {
460 /* for KVM_SET_CPUID */
464 struct kvm_cpuid_entry entries[0];
467 4.21 KVM_SET_SIGNAL_MASK
472 Parameters: struct kvm_signal_mask (in)
473 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
475 Defines which signals are blocked during execution of KVM_RUN. This
476 signal mask temporarily overrides the threads signal mask. Any
477 unblocked signal received (except SIGKILL and SIGSTOP, which retain
478 their traditional behaviour) will cause KVM_RUN to return with -EINTR.
480 Note the signal will only be delivered if not blocked by the original
483 /* for KVM_SET_SIGNAL_MASK */
484 struct kvm_signal_mask {
494 Parameters: struct kvm_fpu (out)
495 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
497 Reads the floating point state from the vcpu.
499 /* for KVM_GET_FPU and KVM_SET_FPU */
504 __u8 ftwx; /* in fxsave format */
519 Parameters: struct kvm_fpu (in)
520 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
522 Writes the floating point state to the vcpu.
524 /* for KVM_GET_FPU and KVM_SET_FPU */
529 __u8 ftwx; /* in fxsave format */
539 4.24 KVM_CREATE_IRQCHIP
541 Capability: KVM_CAP_IRQCHIP
542 Architectures: x86, ia64
545 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
547 Creates an interrupt controller model in the kernel. On x86, creates a virtual
548 ioapic, a virtual PIC (two PICs, nested), and sets up future vcpus to have a
549 local APIC. IRQ routing for GSIs 0-15 is set to both PIC and IOAPIC; GSI 16-23
550 only go to the IOAPIC. On ia64, a IOSAPIC is created.
554 Capability: KVM_CAP_IRQCHIP
555 Architectures: x86, ia64
557 Parameters: struct kvm_irq_level
558 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
560 Sets the level of a GSI input to the interrupt controller model in the kernel.
561 Requires that an interrupt controller model has been previously created with
562 KVM_CREATE_IRQCHIP. Note that edge-triggered interrupts require the level
563 to be set to 1 and then back to 0.
565 struct kvm_irq_level {
568 __s32 status; /* not used for KVM_IRQ_LEVEL */
570 __u32 level; /* 0 or 1 */
575 Capability: KVM_CAP_IRQCHIP
576 Architectures: x86, ia64
578 Parameters: struct kvm_irqchip (in/out)
579 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
581 Reads the state of a kernel interrupt controller created with
582 KVM_CREATE_IRQCHIP into a buffer provided by the caller.
585 __u32 chip_id; /* 0 = PIC1, 1 = PIC2, 2 = IOAPIC */
588 char dummy[512]; /* reserving space */
589 struct kvm_pic_state pic;
590 struct kvm_ioapic_state ioapic;
596 Capability: KVM_CAP_IRQCHIP
597 Architectures: x86, ia64
599 Parameters: struct kvm_irqchip (in)
600 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
602 Sets the state of a kernel interrupt controller created with
603 KVM_CREATE_IRQCHIP from a buffer provided by the caller.
606 __u32 chip_id; /* 0 = PIC1, 1 = PIC2, 2 = IOAPIC */
609 char dummy[512]; /* reserving space */
610 struct kvm_pic_state pic;
611 struct kvm_ioapic_state ioapic;
615 4.28 KVM_XEN_HVM_CONFIG
617 Capability: KVM_CAP_XEN_HVM
620 Parameters: struct kvm_xen_hvm_config (in)
621 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
623 Sets the MSR that the Xen HVM guest uses to initialize its hypercall
624 page, and provides the starting address and size of the hypercall
625 blobs in userspace. When the guest writes the MSR, kvm copies one
626 page of a blob (32- or 64-bit, depending on the vcpu mode) to guest
629 struct kvm_xen_hvm_config {
641 Capability: KVM_CAP_ADJUST_CLOCK
644 Parameters: struct kvm_clock_data (out)
645 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
647 Gets the current timestamp of kvmclock as seen by the current guest. In
648 conjunction with KVM_SET_CLOCK, it is used to ensure monotonicity on scenarios
651 struct kvm_clock_data {
652 __u64 clock; /* kvmclock current value */
659 Capability: KVM_CAP_ADJUST_CLOCK
662 Parameters: struct kvm_clock_data (in)
663 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
665 Sets the current timestamp of kvmclock to the value specified in its parameter.
666 In conjunction with KVM_GET_CLOCK, it is used to ensure monotonicity on scenarios
669 struct kvm_clock_data {
670 __u64 clock; /* kvmclock current value */
675 4.31 KVM_GET_VCPU_EVENTS
677 Capability: KVM_CAP_VCPU_EVENTS
678 Extended by: KVM_CAP_INTR_SHADOW
681 Parameters: struct kvm_vcpu_event (out)
682 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
684 Gets currently pending exceptions, interrupts, and NMIs as well as related
687 struct kvm_vcpu_events {
711 KVM_VCPUEVENT_VALID_SHADOW may be set in the flags field to signal that
712 interrupt.shadow contains a valid state. Otherwise, this field is undefined.
714 4.32 KVM_SET_VCPU_EVENTS
716 Capability: KVM_CAP_VCPU_EVENTS
717 Extended by: KVM_CAP_INTR_SHADOW
720 Parameters: struct kvm_vcpu_event (in)
721 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
723 Set pending exceptions, interrupts, and NMIs as well as related states of the
726 See KVM_GET_VCPU_EVENTS for the data structure.
728 Fields that may be modified asynchronously by running VCPUs can be excluded
729 from the update. These fields are nmi.pending and sipi_vector. Keep the
730 corresponding bits in the flags field cleared to suppress overwriting the
731 current in-kernel state. The bits are:
733 KVM_VCPUEVENT_VALID_NMI_PENDING - transfer nmi.pending to the kernel
734 KVM_VCPUEVENT_VALID_SIPI_VECTOR - transfer sipi_vector
736 If KVM_CAP_INTR_SHADOW is available, KVM_VCPUEVENT_VALID_SHADOW can be set in
737 the flags field to signal that interrupt.shadow contains a valid state and
738 shall be written into the VCPU.
740 4.33 KVM_GET_DEBUGREGS
742 Capability: KVM_CAP_DEBUGREGS
745 Parameters: struct kvm_debugregs (out)
746 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
748 Reads debug registers from the vcpu.
750 struct kvm_debugregs {
758 4.34 KVM_SET_DEBUGREGS
760 Capability: KVM_CAP_DEBUGREGS
763 Parameters: struct kvm_debugregs (in)
764 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
766 Writes debug registers into the vcpu.
768 See KVM_GET_DEBUGREGS for the data structure. The flags field is unused
769 yet and must be cleared on entry.
771 4.35 KVM_SET_USER_MEMORY_REGION
773 Capability: KVM_CAP_USER_MEM
776 Parameters: struct kvm_userspace_memory_region (in)
777 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
779 struct kvm_userspace_memory_region {
782 __u64 guest_phys_addr;
783 __u64 memory_size; /* bytes */
784 __u64 userspace_addr; /* start of the userspace allocated memory */
787 /* for kvm_memory_region::flags */
788 #define KVM_MEM_LOG_DIRTY_PAGES 1UL
790 This ioctl allows the user to create or modify a guest physical memory
791 slot. When changing an existing slot, it may be moved in the guest
792 physical memory space, or its flags may be modified. It may not be
793 resized. Slots may not overlap in guest physical address space.
795 Memory for the region is taken starting at the address denoted by the
796 field userspace_addr, which must point at user addressable memory for
797 the entire memory slot size. Any object may back this memory, including
798 anonymous memory, ordinary files, and hugetlbfs.
800 It is recommended that the lower 21 bits of guest_phys_addr and userspace_addr
801 be identical. This allows large pages in the guest to be backed by large
804 The flags field supports just one flag, KVM_MEM_LOG_DIRTY_PAGES, which
805 instructs kvm to keep track of writes to memory within the slot. See
806 the KVM_GET_DIRTY_LOG ioctl.
808 When the KVM_CAP_SYNC_MMU capability, changes in the backing of the memory
809 region are automatically reflected into the guest. For example, an mmap()
810 that affects the region will be made visible immediately. Another example
811 is madvise(MADV_DROP).
813 It is recommended to use this API instead of the KVM_SET_MEMORY_REGION ioctl.
814 The KVM_SET_MEMORY_REGION does not allow fine grained control over memory
815 allocation and is deprecated.
817 4.36 KVM_SET_TSS_ADDR
819 Capability: KVM_CAP_SET_TSS_ADDR
822 Parameters: unsigned long tss_address (in)
823 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
825 This ioctl defines the physical address of a three-page region in the guest
826 physical address space. The region must be within the first 4GB of the
827 guest physical address space and must not conflict with any memory slot
828 or any mmio address. The guest may malfunction if it accesses this memory
831 This ioctl is required on Intel-based hosts. This is needed on Intel hardware
832 because of a quirk in the virtualization implementation (see the internals
833 documentation when it pops into existence).
837 Capability: KVM_CAP_ENABLE_CAP
840 Parameters: struct kvm_enable_cap (in)
841 Returns: 0 on success; -1 on error
843 +Not all extensions are enabled by default. Using this ioctl the application
844 can enable an extension, making it available to the guest.
846 On systems that do not support this ioctl, it always fails. On systems that
847 do support it, it only works for extensions that are supported for enablement.
849 To check if a capability can be enabled, the KVM_CHECK_EXTENSION ioctl should
852 struct kvm_enable_cap {
856 The capability that is supposed to get enabled.
860 A bitfield indicating future enhancements. Has to be 0 for now.
864 Arguments for enabling a feature. If a feature needs initial values to
865 function properly, this is the place to put them.
870 4.38 KVM_GET_MP_STATE
872 Capability: KVM_CAP_MP_STATE
873 Architectures: x86, ia64
875 Parameters: struct kvm_mp_state (out)
876 Returns: 0 on success; -1 on error
878 struct kvm_mp_state {
882 Returns the vcpu's current "multiprocessing state" (though also valid on
883 uniprocessor guests).
887 - KVM_MP_STATE_RUNNABLE: the vcpu is currently running
888 - KVM_MP_STATE_UNINITIALIZED: the vcpu is an application processor (AP)
889 which has not yet received an INIT signal
890 - KVM_MP_STATE_INIT_RECEIVED: the vcpu has received an INIT signal, and is
892 - KVM_MP_STATE_HALTED: the vcpu has executed a HLT instruction and
893 is waiting for an interrupt
894 - KVM_MP_STATE_SIPI_RECEIVED: the vcpu has just received a SIPI (vector
895 accessible via KVM_GET_VCPU_EVENTS)
897 This ioctl is only useful after KVM_CREATE_IRQCHIP. Without an in-kernel
898 irqchip, the multiprocessing state must be maintained by userspace.
900 4.39 KVM_SET_MP_STATE
902 Capability: KVM_CAP_MP_STATE
903 Architectures: x86, ia64
905 Parameters: struct kvm_mp_state (in)
906 Returns: 0 on success; -1 on error
908 Sets the vcpu's current "multiprocessing state"; see KVM_GET_MP_STATE for
911 This ioctl is only useful after KVM_CREATE_IRQCHIP. Without an in-kernel
912 irqchip, the multiprocessing state must be maintained by userspace.
914 4.40 KVM_SET_IDENTITY_MAP_ADDR
916 Capability: KVM_CAP_SET_IDENTITY_MAP_ADDR
919 Parameters: unsigned long identity (in)
920 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
922 This ioctl defines the physical address of a one-page region in the guest
923 physical address space. The region must be within the first 4GB of the
924 guest physical address space and must not conflict with any memory slot
925 or any mmio address. The guest may malfunction if it accesses this memory
928 This ioctl is required on Intel-based hosts. This is needed on Intel hardware
929 because of a quirk in the virtualization implementation (see the internals
930 documentation when it pops into existence).
932 4.41 KVM_SET_BOOT_CPU_ID
934 Capability: KVM_CAP_SET_BOOT_CPU_ID
935 Architectures: x86, ia64
937 Parameters: unsigned long vcpu_id
938 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
940 Define which vcpu is the Bootstrap Processor (BSP). Values are the same
941 as the vcpu id in KVM_CREATE_VCPU. If this ioctl is not called, the default
946 Capability: KVM_CAP_XSAVE
949 Parameters: struct kvm_xsave (out)
950 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
956 This ioctl would copy current vcpu's xsave struct to the userspace.
960 Capability: KVM_CAP_XSAVE
963 Parameters: struct kvm_xsave (in)
964 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
970 This ioctl would copy userspace's xsave struct to the kernel.
974 Capability: KVM_CAP_XCRS
977 Parameters: struct kvm_xcrs (out)
978 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
989 struct kvm_xcr xcrs[KVM_MAX_XCRS];
993 This ioctl would copy current vcpu's xcrs to the userspace.
997 Capability: KVM_CAP_XCRS
1000 Parameters: struct kvm_xcrs (in)
1001 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
1012 struct kvm_xcr xcrs[KVM_MAX_XCRS];
1016 This ioctl would set vcpu's xcr to the value userspace specified.
1018 4.46 KVM_GET_SUPPORTED_CPUID
1020 Capability: KVM_CAP_EXT_CPUID
1023 Parameters: struct kvm_cpuid2 (in/out)
1024 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
1029 struct kvm_cpuid_entry2 entries[0];
1032 #define KVM_CPUID_FLAG_SIGNIFCANT_INDEX 1
1033 #define KVM_CPUID_FLAG_STATEFUL_FUNC 2
1034 #define KVM_CPUID_FLAG_STATE_READ_NEXT 4
1036 struct kvm_cpuid_entry2 {
1047 This ioctl returns x86 cpuid features which are supported by both the hardware
1048 and kvm. Userspace can use the information returned by this ioctl to
1049 construct cpuid information (for KVM_SET_CPUID2) that is consistent with
1050 hardware, kernel, and userspace capabilities, and with user requirements (for
1051 example, the user may wish to constrain cpuid to emulate older hardware,
1052 or for feature consistency across a cluster).
1054 Userspace invokes KVM_GET_SUPPORTED_CPUID by passing a kvm_cpuid2 structure
1055 with the 'nent' field indicating the number of entries in the variable-size
1056 array 'entries'. If the number of entries is too low to describe the cpu
1057 capabilities, an error (E2BIG) is returned. If the number is too high,
1058 the 'nent' field is adjusted and an error (ENOMEM) is returned. If the
1059 number is just right, the 'nent' field is adjusted to the number of valid
1060 entries in the 'entries' array, which is then filled.
1062 The entries returned are the host cpuid as returned by the cpuid instruction,
1063 with unknown or unsupported features masked out. Some features (for example,
1064 x2apic), may not be present in the host cpu, but are exposed by kvm if it can
1065 emulate them efficiently. The fields in each entry are defined as follows:
1067 function: the eax value used to obtain the entry
1068 index: the ecx value used to obtain the entry (for entries that are
1070 flags: an OR of zero or more of the following:
1071 KVM_CPUID_FLAG_SIGNIFCANT_INDEX:
1072 if the index field is valid
1073 KVM_CPUID_FLAG_STATEFUL_FUNC:
1074 if cpuid for this function returns different values for successive
1075 invocations; there will be several entries with the same function,
1076 all with this flag set
1077 KVM_CPUID_FLAG_STATE_READ_NEXT:
1078 for KVM_CPUID_FLAG_STATEFUL_FUNC entries, set if this entry is
1079 the first entry to be read by a cpu
1080 eax, ebx, ecx, edx: the values returned by the cpuid instruction for
1081 this function/index combination
1083 4.47 KVM_PPC_GET_PVINFO
1085 Capability: KVM_CAP_PPC_GET_PVINFO
1088 Parameters: struct kvm_ppc_pvinfo (out)
1089 Returns: 0 on success, !0 on error
1091 struct kvm_ppc_pvinfo {
1097 This ioctl fetches PV specific information that need to be passed to the guest
1098 using the device tree or other means from vm context.
1100 For now the only implemented piece of information distributed here is an array
1101 of 4 instructions that make up a hypercall.
1103 If any additional field gets added to this structure later on, a bit for that
1104 additional piece of information will be set in the flags bitmap.
1106 4.48 KVM_ASSIGN_PCI_DEVICE
1108 Capability: KVM_CAP_DEVICE_ASSIGNMENT
1109 Architectures: x86 ia64
1111 Parameters: struct kvm_assigned_pci_dev (in)
1112 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
1114 Assigns a host PCI device to the VM.
1116 struct kvm_assigned_pci_dev {
1117 __u32 assigned_dev_id;
1127 The PCI device is specified by the triple segnr, busnr, and devfn.
1128 Identification in succeeding service requests is done via assigned_dev_id. The
1129 following flags are specified:
1131 /* Depends on KVM_CAP_IOMMU */
1132 #define KVM_DEV_ASSIGN_ENABLE_IOMMU (1 << 0)
1134 4.49 KVM_DEASSIGN_PCI_DEVICE
1136 Capability: KVM_CAP_DEVICE_DEASSIGNMENT
1137 Architectures: x86 ia64
1139 Parameters: struct kvm_assigned_pci_dev (in)
1140 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
1142 Ends PCI device assignment, releasing all associated resources.
1144 See KVM_CAP_DEVICE_ASSIGNMENT for the data structure. Only assigned_dev_id is
1145 used in kvm_assigned_pci_dev to identify the device.
1147 4.50 KVM_ASSIGN_DEV_IRQ
1149 Capability: KVM_CAP_ASSIGN_DEV_IRQ
1150 Architectures: x86 ia64
1152 Parameters: struct kvm_assigned_irq (in)
1153 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
1155 Assigns an IRQ to a passed-through device.
1157 struct kvm_assigned_irq {
1158 __u32 assigned_dev_id;
1159 __u32 host_irq; /* ignored (legacy field) */
1167 The following flags are defined:
1169 #define KVM_DEV_IRQ_HOST_INTX (1 << 0)
1170 #define KVM_DEV_IRQ_HOST_MSI (1 << 1)
1171 #define KVM_DEV_IRQ_HOST_MSIX (1 << 2)
1173 #define KVM_DEV_IRQ_GUEST_INTX (1 << 8)
1174 #define KVM_DEV_IRQ_GUEST_MSI (1 << 9)
1175 #define KVM_DEV_IRQ_GUEST_MSIX (1 << 10)
1177 It is not valid to specify multiple types per host or guest IRQ. However, the
1178 IRQ type of host and guest can differ or can even be null.
1180 4.51 KVM_DEASSIGN_DEV_IRQ
1182 Capability: KVM_CAP_ASSIGN_DEV_IRQ
1183 Architectures: x86 ia64
1185 Parameters: struct kvm_assigned_irq (in)
1186 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
1188 Ends an IRQ assignment to a passed-through device.
1190 See KVM_ASSIGN_DEV_IRQ for the data structure. The target device is specified
1191 by assigned_dev_id, flags must correspond to the IRQ type specified on
1192 KVM_ASSIGN_DEV_IRQ. Partial deassignment of host or guest IRQ is allowed.
1194 4.52 KVM_SET_GSI_ROUTING
1196 Capability: KVM_CAP_IRQ_ROUTING
1197 Architectures: x86 ia64
1199 Parameters: struct kvm_irq_routing (in)
1200 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
1202 Sets the GSI routing table entries, overwriting any previously set entries.
1204 struct kvm_irq_routing {
1207 struct kvm_irq_routing_entry entries[0];
1210 No flags are specified so far, the corresponding field must be set to zero.
1212 struct kvm_irq_routing_entry {
1218 struct kvm_irq_routing_irqchip irqchip;
1219 struct kvm_irq_routing_msi msi;
1224 /* gsi routing entry types */
1225 #define KVM_IRQ_ROUTING_IRQCHIP 1
1226 #define KVM_IRQ_ROUTING_MSI 2
1228 No flags are specified so far, the corresponding field must be set to zero.
1230 struct kvm_irq_routing_irqchip {
1235 struct kvm_irq_routing_msi {
1242 4.53 KVM_ASSIGN_SET_MSIX_NR
1244 Capability: KVM_CAP_DEVICE_MSIX
1245 Architectures: x86 ia64
1247 Parameters: struct kvm_assigned_msix_nr (in)
1248 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
1250 Set the number of MSI-X interrupts for an assigned device. The number is
1251 reset again by terminating the MSI-X assignment of the device via
1252 KVM_DEASSIGN_DEV_IRQ. Calling this service more than once at any earlier
1255 struct kvm_assigned_msix_nr {
1256 __u32 assigned_dev_id;
1261 #define KVM_MAX_MSIX_PER_DEV 256
1263 4.54 KVM_ASSIGN_SET_MSIX_ENTRY
1265 Capability: KVM_CAP_DEVICE_MSIX
1266 Architectures: x86 ia64
1268 Parameters: struct kvm_assigned_msix_entry (in)
1269 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
1271 Specifies the routing of an MSI-X assigned device interrupt to a GSI. Setting
1272 the GSI vector to zero means disabling the interrupt.
1274 struct kvm_assigned_msix_entry {
1275 __u32 assigned_dev_id;
1277 __u16 entry; /* The index of entry in the MSI-X table */
1281 4.54 KVM_SET_TSC_KHZ
1283 Capability: KVM_CAP_TSC_CONTROL
1286 Parameters: virtual tsc_khz
1287 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
1289 Specifies the tsc frequency for the virtual machine. The unit of the
1292 4.55 KVM_GET_TSC_KHZ
1294 Capability: KVM_CAP_GET_TSC_KHZ
1298 Returns: virtual tsc-khz on success, negative value on error
1300 Returns the tsc frequency of the guest. The unit of the return value is
1301 KHz. If the host has unstable tsc this ioctl returns -EIO instead as an
1306 Capability: KVM_CAP_IRQCHIP
1309 Parameters: struct kvm_lapic_state (out)
1310 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
1312 #define KVM_APIC_REG_SIZE 0x400
1313 struct kvm_lapic_state {
1314 char regs[KVM_APIC_REG_SIZE];
1317 Reads the Local APIC registers and copies them into the input argument. The
1318 data format and layout are the same as documented in the architecture manual.
1322 Capability: KVM_CAP_IRQCHIP
1325 Parameters: struct kvm_lapic_state (in)
1326 Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
1328 #define KVM_APIC_REG_SIZE 0x400
1329 struct kvm_lapic_state {
1330 char regs[KVM_APIC_REG_SIZE];
1333 Copies the input argument into the the Local APIC registers. The data format
1334 and layout are the same as documented in the architecture manual.
1338 Capability: KVM_CAP_IOEVENTFD
1341 Parameters: struct kvm_ioeventfd (in)
1342 Returns: 0 on success, !0 on error
1344 This ioctl attaches or detaches an ioeventfd to a legal pio/mmio address
1345 within the guest. A guest write in the registered address will signal the
1346 provided event instead of triggering an exit.
1348 struct kvm_ioeventfd {
1350 __u64 addr; /* legal pio/mmio address */
1351 __u32 len; /* 1, 2, 4, or 8 bytes */
1357 The following flags are defined:
1359 #define KVM_IOEVENTFD_FLAG_DATAMATCH (1 << kvm_ioeventfd_flag_nr_datamatch)
1360 #define KVM_IOEVENTFD_FLAG_PIO (1 << kvm_ioeventfd_flag_nr_pio)
1361 #define KVM_IOEVENTFD_FLAG_DEASSIGN (1 << kvm_ioeventfd_flag_nr_deassign)
1363 If datamatch flag is set, the event will be signaled only if the written value
1364 to the registered address is equal to datamatch in struct kvm_ioeventfd.
1366 4.62 KVM_CREATE_SPAPR_TCE
1368 Capability: KVM_CAP_SPAPR_TCE
1369 Architectures: powerpc
1371 Parameters: struct kvm_create_spapr_tce (in)
1372 Returns: file descriptor for manipulating the created TCE table
1374 This creates a virtual TCE (translation control entry) table, which
1375 is an IOMMU for PAPR-style virtual I/O. It is used to translate
1376 logical addresses used in virtual I/O into guest physical addresses,
1377 and provides a scatter/gather capability for PAPR virtual I/O.
1379 /* for KVM_CAP_SPAPR_TCE */
1380 struct kvm_create_spapr_tce {
1385 The liobn field gives the logical IO bus number for which to create a
1386 TCE table. The window_size field specifies the size of the DMA window
1387 which this TCE table will translate - the table will contain one 64
1388 bit TCE entry for every 4kiB of the DMA window.
1390 When the guest issues an H_PUT_TCE hcall on a liobn for which a TCE
1391 table has been created using this ioctl(), the kernel will handle it
1392 in real mode, updating the TCE table. H_PUT_TCE calls for other
1393 liobns will cause a vm exit and must be handled by userspace.
1395 The return value is a file descriptor which can be passed to mmap(2)
1396 to map the created TCE table into userspace. This lets userspace read
1397 the entries written by kernel-handled H_PUT_TCE calls, and also lets
1398 userspace update the TCE table directly which is useful in some
1401 4.63 KVM_ALLOCATE_RMA
1403 Capability: KVM_CAP_PPC_RMA
1404 Architectures: powerpc
1406 Parameters: struct kvm_allocate_rma (out)
1407 Returns: file descriptor for mapping the allocated RMA
1409 This allocates a Real Mode Area (RMA) from the pool allocated at boot
1410 time by the kernel. An RMA is a physically-contiguous, aligned region
1411 of memory used on older POWER processors to provide the memory which
1412 will be accessed by real-mode (MMU off) accesses in a KVM guest.
1413 POWER processors support a set of sizes for the RMA that usually
1414 includes 64MB, 128MB, 256MB and some larger powers of two.
1416 /* for KVM_ALLOCATE_RMA */
1417 struct kvm_allocate_rma {
1421 The return value is a file descriptor which can be passed to mmap(2)
1422 to map the allocated RMA into userspace. The mapped area can then be
1423 passed to the KVM_SET_USER_MEMORY_REGION ioctl to establish it as the
1424 RMA for a virtual machine. The size of the RMA in bytes (which is
1425 fixed at host kernel boot time) is returned in the rma_size field of
1426 the argument structure.
1428 The KVM_CAP_PPC_RMA capability is 1 or 2 if the KVM_ALLOCATE_RMA ioctl
1429 is supported; 2 if the processor requires all virtual machines to have
1430 an RMA, or 1 if the processor can use an RMA but doesn't require it,
1431 because it supports the Virtual RMA (VRMA) facility.
1433 5. The kvm_run structure
1435 Application code obtains a pointer to the kvm_run structure by
1436 mmap()ing a vcpu fd. From that point, application code can control
1437 execution by changing fields in kvm_run prior to calling the KVM_RUN
1438 ioctl, and obtain information about the reason KVM_RUN returned by
1439 looking up structure members.
1443 __u8 request_interrupt_window;
1445 Request that KVM_RUN return when it becomes possible to inject external
1446 interrupts into the guest. Useful in conjunction with KVM_INTERRUPT.
1453 When KVM_RUN has returned successfully (return value 0), this informs
1454 application code why KVM_RUN has returned. Allowable values for this
1455 field are detailed below.
1457 __u8 ready_for_interrupt_injection;
1459 If request_interrupt_window has been specified, this field indicates
1460 an interrupt can be injected now with KVM_INTERRUPT.
1464 The value of the current interrupt flag. Only valid if in-kernel
1465 local APIC is not used.
1469 /* in (pre_kvm_run), out (post_kvm_run) */
1472 The value of the cr8 register. Only valid if in-kernel local APIC is
1473 not used. Both input and output.
1477 The value of the APIC BASE msr. Only valid if in-kernel local
1478 APIC is not used. Both input and output.
1481 /* KVM_EXIT_UNKNOWN */
1483 __u64 hardware_exit_reason;
1486 If exit_reason is KVM_EXIT_UNKNOWN, the vcpu has exited due to unknown
1487 reasons. Further architecture-specific information is available in
1488 hardware_exit_reason.
1490 /* KVM_EXIT_FAIL_ENTRY */
1492 __u64 hardware_entry_failure_reason;
1495 If exit_reason is KVM_EXIT_FAIL_ENTRY, the vcpu could not be run due
1496 to unknown reasons. Further architecture-specific information is
1497 available in hardware_entry_failure_reason.
1499 /* KVM_EXIT_EXCEPTION */
1509 #define KVM_EXIT_IO_IN 0
1510 #define KVM_EXIT_IO_OUT 1
1512 __u8 size; /* bytes */
1515 __u64 data_offset; /* relative to kvm_run start */
1518 If exit_reason is KVM_EXIT_IO, then the vcpu has
1519 executed a port I/O instruction which could not be satisfied by kvm.
1520 data_offset describes where the data is located (KVM_EXIT_IO_OUT) or
1521 where kvm expects application code to place the data for the next
1522 KVM_RUN invocation (KVM_EXIT_IO_IN). Data format is a packed array.
1525 struct kvm_debug_exit_arch arch;
1538 If exit_reason is KVM_EXIT_MMIO, then the vcpu has
1539 executed a memory-mapped I/O instruction which could not be satisfied
1540 by kvm. The 'data' member contains the written data if 'is_write' is
1541 true, and should be filled by application code otherwise.
1543 NOTE: For KVM_EXIT_IO, KVM_EXIT_MMIO and KVM_EXIT_OSI, the corresponding
1544 operations are complete (and guest state is consistent) only after userspace
1545 has re-entered the kernel with KVM_RUN. The kernel side will first finish
1546 incomplete operations and then check for pending signals. Userspace
1547 can re-enter the guest with an unmasked signal pending to complete
1550 /* KVM_EXIT_HYPERCALL */
1559 Unused. This was once used for 'hypercall to userspace'. To implement
1560 such functionality, use KVM_EXIT_IO (x86) or KVM_EXIT_MMIO (all except s390).
1561 Note KVM_EXIT_IO is significantly faster than KVM_EXIT_MMIO.
1563 /* KVM_EXIT_TPR_ACCESS */
1570 To be documented (KVM_TPR_ACCESS_REPORTING).
1572 /* KVM_EXIT_S390_SIEIC */
1575 __u64 mask; /* psw upper half */
1576 __u64 addr; /* psw lower half */
1583 /* KVM_EXIT_S390_RESET */
1584 #define KVM_S390_RESET_POR 1
1585 #define KVM_S390_RESET_CLEAR 2
1586 #define KVM_S390_RESET_SUBSYSTEM 4
1587 #define KVM_S390_RESET_CPU_INIT 8
1588 #define KVM_S390_RESET_IPL 16
1589 __u64 s390_reset_flags;
1607 MOL uses a special hypercall interface it calls 'OSI'. To enable it, we catch
1608 hypercalls and exit with this exit struct that contains all the guest gprs.
1610 If exit_reason is KVM_EXIT_OSI, then the vcpu has triggered such a hypercall.
1611 Userspace can now handle the hypercall and when it's done modify the gprs as
1612 necessary. Upon guest entry all guest GPRs will then be replaced by the values
1615 /* KVM_EXIT_PAPR_HCALL */
1622 This is used on 64-bit PowerPC when emulating a pSeries partition,
1623 e.g. with the 'pseries' machine type in qemu. It occurs when the
1624 guest does a hypercall using the 'sc 1' instruction. The 'nr' field
1625 contains the hypercall number (from the guest R3), and 'args' contains
1626 the arguments (from the guest R4 - R12). Userspace should put the
1627 return code in 'ret' and any extra returned values in args[].
1628 The possible hypercalls are defined in the Power Architecture Platform
1629 Requirements (PAPR) document available from www.power.org (free
1630 developer registration required to access it).
1632 /* Fix the size of the union. */