From: Greg Kurz <gr...@kaod.org>
Signed-off-by: Greg Kurz <gr...@kaod.org>
Message-Id: <155359567174.1794128.3183997593369465355.st...@bahia.lan>
Signed-off-by: David Gibson <da...@gibson.dropbear.id.au>
---
target/ppc/translate.c | 10 +++++++++-
1 file changed, 9 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/target/ppc/translate.c b/target/ppc/translate.c
index 576210d901..badc1ae1a3 100644
--- a/target/ppc/translate.c
+++ b/target/ppc/translate.c
@@ -3753,7 +3753,15 @@ static void gen_bcond(DisasContext *ctx, int type)
* All ISAs up to v3 describe this form of bcctr as invalid but
* some processors, ie. 64-bit server processors compliant with
* arch 2.x, do implement a "test and decrement" logic instead,
- * as described in their respective UMs.
+ * as described in their respective UMs. This logic involves CTR
+ * to act as both the branch target and a counter, which makes
+ * it basically useless and thus never used in real code.
+ *
+ * This form was hence chosen to trigger extra micro-architectural
+ * side-effect on real HW needed for the Spectre v2 workaround.
+ * It is up to guests that implement such workaround, ie. linux, to
+ * use this form in a way it just triggers the side-effect without
+ * doing anything else harmful.
*/
if (unlikely(!is_book3s_arch2x(ctx))) {
gen_inval_exception(ctx, POWERPC_EXCP_INVAL_INVAL);
--
2.20.1
