CPU Feature Management: Lessons from Trenches

Explore CPU feature management challenges and solutions in this 27-minute conference talk by Soham Ghosh and Shivam Kumar from Nutanix. Gain insights into supporting heterogeneous hardware clustering, enabling seamless VM migration across nodes, and maintaining uninterrupted uptime during component upgrades. Delve into the complexities of current CPU feature design and APIs, examining issues related to feature deprecations (e.g., pconfig, mpx) and conflicting feature bit interpretations between Intel and AMD. Learn from real-world experiences, engage in problem-solving discussions, and contribute to developing improved strategies for CPU feature management within the Linux community.