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+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+
+=============
+Kernel Stacks
+=============
+
+Kernel stacks on x86-64 bit
+===========================
+
+Most of the text from Keith Owens, hacked by AK
+
+x86_64 page size (PAGE_SIZE) is 4K.
+
+Like all other architectures, x86_64 has a kernel stack for every
+active thread.  These thread stacks are THREAD_SIZE (2*PAGE_SIZE) big.
+These stacks contain useful data as long as a thread is alive or a
+zombie. While the thread is in user space the kernel stack is empty
+except for the thread_info structure at the bottom.
+
+In addition to the per thread stacks, there are specialized stacks
+associated with each CPU.  These stacks are only used while the kernel
+is in control on that CPU; when a CPU returns to user space the
+specialized stacks contain no useful data.  The main CPU stacks are:
+
+* Interrupt stack.  IRQ_STACK_SIZE
+
+  Used for external hardware interrupts.  If this is the first external
+  hardware interrupt (i.e. not a nested hardware interrupt) then the
+  kernel switches from the current task to the interrupt stack.  Like
+  the split thread and interrupt stacks on i386, this gives more room
+  for kernel interrupt processing without having to increase the size
+  of every per thread stack.
+
+  The interrupt stack is also used when processing a softirq.
+
+Switching to the kernel interrupt stack is done by software based on a
+per CPU interrupt nest counter. This is needed because x86-64 "IST"
+hardware stacks cannot nest without races.
+
+x86_64 also has a feature which is not available on i386, the ability
+to automatically switch to a new stack for designated events such as
+double fault or NMI, which makes it easier to handle these unusual
+events on x86_64.  This feature is called the Interrupt Stack Table
+(IST).  There can be up to 7 IST entries per CPU. The IST code is an
+index into the Task State Segment (TSS). The IST entries in the TSS
+point to dedicated stacks; each stack can be a different size.
+
+An IST is selected by a non-zero value in the IST field of an
+interrupt-gate descriptor.  When an interrupt occurs and the hardware
+loads such a descriptor, the hardware automatically sets the new stack
+pointer based on the IST value, then invokes the interrupt handler.  If
+the interrupt came from user mode, then the interrupt handler prologue
+will switch back to the per-thread stack.  If software wants to allow
+nested IST interrupts then the handler must adjust the IST values on
+entry to and exit from the interrupt handler.  (This is occasionally
+done, e.g. for debug exceptions.)
+
+Events with different IST codes (i.e. with different stacks) can be
+nested.  For example, a debug interrupt can safely be interrupted by an
+NMI.  arch/x86_64/kernel/entry.S::paranoidentry adjusts the stack
+pointers on entry to and exit from all IST events, in theory allowing
+IST events with the same code to be nested.  However in most cases, the
+stack size allocated to an IST assumes no nesting for the same code.
+If that assumption is ever broken then the stacks will become corrupt.
+
+The currently assigned IST stacks are:
+
+* ESTACK_DF.  EXCEPTION_STKSZ (PAGE_SIZE).
+
+  Used for interrupt 8 - Double Fault Exception (#DF).
+
+  Invoked when handling one exception causes another exception. Happens
+  when the kernel is very confused (e.g. kernel stack pointer corrupt).
+  Using a separate stack allows the kernel to recover from it well enough
+  in many cases to still output an oops.
+
+* ESTACK_NMI.  EXCEPTION_STKSZ (PAGE_SIZE).
+
+  Used for non-maskable interrupts (NMI).
+
+  NMI can be delivered at any time, including when the kernel is in the
+  middle of switching stacks.  Using IST for NMI events avoids making
+  assumptions about the previous state of the kernel stack.
+
+* ESTACK_DB.  EXCEPTION_STKSZ (PAGE_SIZE).
+
+  Used for hardware debug interrupts (interrupt 1) and for software
+  debug interrupts (INT3).
+
+  When debugging a kernel, debug interrupts (both hardware and
+  software) can occur at any time.  Using IST for these interrupts
+  avoids making assumptions about the previous state of the kernel
+  stack.
+
+  To handle nested #DB correctly there exist two instances of DB stacks. On
+  #DB entry the IST stackpointer for #DB is switched to the second instance
+  so a nested #DB starts from a clean stack. The nested #DB switches
+  the IST stackpointer to a guard hole to catch triple nesting.
+
+* ESTACK_MCE.  EXCEPTION_STKSZ (PAGE_SIZE).
+
+  Used for interrupt 18 - Machine Check Exception (#MC).
+
+  MCE can be delivered at any time, including when the kernel is in the
+  middle of switching stacks.  Using IST for MCE events avoids making
+  assumptions about the previous state of the kernel stack.
+
+For more details see the Intel IA32 or AMD AMD64 architecture manuals.
+
+
+Printing backtraces on x86
+==========================
+
+The question about the '?' preceding function names in an x86 stacktrace
+keeps popping up, here's an indepth explanation. It helps if the reader
+stares at print_context_stack() and the whole machinery in and around
+arch/x86/kernel/dumpstack.c.
+
+Adapted from Ingo's mail, Message-ID: <20150521101614.GA10889@gmail.com>:
+
+We always scan the full kernel stack for return addresses stored on
+the kernel stack(s) [1]_, from stack top to stack bottom, and print out
+anything that 'looks like' a kernel text address.
+
+If it fits into the frame pointer chain, we print it without a question
+mark, knowing that it's part of the real backtrace.
+
+If the address does not fit into our expected frame pointer chain we
+still print it, but we print a '?'. It can mean two things:
+
+ - either the address is not part of the call chain: it's just stale
+   values on the kernel stack, from earlier function calls. This is
+   the common case.
+
+ - or it is part of the call chain, but the frame pointer was not set
+   up properly within the function, so we don't recognize it.
+
+This way we will always print out the real call chain (plus a few more
+entries), regardless of whether the frame pointer was set up correctly
+or not - but in most cases we'll get the call chain right as well. The
+entries printed are strictly in stack order, so you can deduce more
+information from that as well.
+
+The most important property of this method is that we _never_ lose
+information: we always strive to print _all_ addresses on the stack(s)
+that look like kernel text addresses, so if debug information is wrong,
+we still print out the real call chain as well - just with more question
+marks than ideal.
+
+.. [1] For things like IRQ and IST stacks, we also scan those stacks, in
+       the right order, and try to cross from one stack into another
+       reconstructing the call chain. This works most of the time.