I've updated the tree at
https://git.infradead.org/users/dwmw2/linux.git/shortlog/refs/heads/vmclock
(but not yet the qemu one).

I think I've taken into account all your comments apart from the one
about non-64-bit counters wrapping. I reduced the seq_count to 32 bit
to make room for a 32-bit flags field, added the time type
(UTC/TAI/MONOTONIC) and a smearing hint, with some straw man
definitions for smearing algorithms for which I could actually find
definitions.

The structure now looks like this:


struct vmclock_abi {
        uint32_t magic;
#define VMCLOCK_MAGIC   0x4b4c4356 /* "VCLK" */
        uint16_t size;          /* Size of page containing this structure */
        uint16_t version;       /* 1 */

        /* Sequence lock. Low bit means an update is in progress. */
        uint32_t seq_count;

        uint32_t flags;
        /* Indicates that the tai_offset_sec field is valid */
#define VMCLOCK_FLAG_TAI_OFFSET_VALID           (1 << 0)
        /*
         * Optionally used to notify guests of pending maintenance events.
         * A guest may wish to remove itself from service if an event is
         * coming up. Two flags indicate the rough imminence of the event.
         */
#define VMCLOCK_FLAG_DISRUPTION_SOON            (1 << 1) /* About a day */
#define VMCLOCK_FLAG_DISRUPTION_IMMINENT        (1 << 2) /* About an hour */
        /* Indicates that the utc_time_maxerror_picosec field is valid */
#define VMCLOCK_FLAG_UTC_MAXERROR_VALID         (1 << 3)
        /* Indicates counter_period_error_rate_frac_sec is valid */
#define VMCLOCK_FLAG_PERIOD_ERROR_VALID         (1 << 4)

        /*
         * This field changes to another non-repeating value when the CPU
         * counter is disrupted, for example on live migration. This lets
         * the guest know that it should discard any calibration it has
         * performed of the counter against external sources (NTP/PTP/etc.).
         */
        uint64_t disruption_marker;

        uint8_t clock_status;
#define VMCLOCK_STATUS_UNKNOWN          0
#define VMCLOCK_STATUS_INITIALIZING     1
#define VMCLOCK_STATUS_SYNCHRONIZED     2
#define VMCLOCK_STATUS_FREERUNNING      3
#define VMCLOCK_STATUS_UNRELIABLE       4

        uint8_t counter_id;
#define VMCLOCK_COUNTER_INVALID         0
#define VMCLOCK_COUNTER_X86_TSC         1
#define VMCLOCK_COUNTER_ARM_VCNT        2
#define VMCLOCK_COUNTER_X86_ART         3

        /*
         * By providing the offset from UTC to TAI, the guest can know both
         * UTC and TAI reliably, whichever is indicated in the time_type
         * field. Valid if VMCLOCK_FLAG_TAI_OFFSET_VALID is set in flags.
         */
        int16_t tai_offset_sec;

        /*
         * The time exposed through this device is never smeaared; if it
         * claims to be VMCLOCK_TIME_UTC then it MUST be UTC. This field
         * provides a hint to the guest operating system, such that *if*
         * the guest OS wants to provide its users with an alternative
         * clock which does not follow the POSIX CLOCK_REALTIME standard,
         * it may do so in a fashion consistent with the other systems
         * in the nearby environment.
         */
        uint8_t leap_second_smearing_hint;
        /* Provide true UTC to users, unsmeared. */;
#define VMCLOCK_SMEARING_NONE                   0
        /*
         * 
https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/look-before-you-leap-the-coming-leap-second-and-aws/
         * From noon on the day before to noon on the day after, smear the
         * clock by a linear 1/86400s per second.
        */
#define VMCLOCK_SMEARING_LINEAR_86400           1
        /*
         * draft-kuhn-leapsecond-00
         * For the 1000s leading up to the leap second, smear the clock by
         * clock by a linear 1ms per second.
         */
#define VMCLOCK_SMEARING_UTC_SLS                2

        /*
         * What time is exposed in the time_sec/time_frac_sec fields?
         */
        uint8_t time_type;
#define VMCLOCK_TIME_UNKNOWN            0       /* Invalid / no time exposed */
#define VMCLOCK_TIME_UTC                1       /* Since 1970-01-01 00:00:00z */
#define VMCLOCK_TIME_TAI                2       /* Since 1970-01-01 00:00:00z */
#define VMCLOCK_TIME_MONOTONIC          3       /* Since undefined epoch */

        /* Bit shift for counter_period_frac_sec and its error rate */
        uint8_t counter_period_shift;

        /*
         * Unlike in NTP, this can indicate a leap second in the past. This
         * is needed to allow guests to derive an imprecise clock with
         * smeared leap seconds for themselves, as some modes of smearing
         * need the adjustments to continue even after the moment at which
         * the leap second should have occurred.
         */
        int8_t leapsecond_direction;
        uint64_t leapsecond_tai_sec; /* Since 1970-01-01 00:00:00z */

        /*
         * Paired values of counter and UTC at a given point in time.
         */
        uint64_t counter_value;
        uint64_t time_sec; /* Since 1970-01-01 00:00:00z */
        uint64_t time_frac_sec;

        /*
         * Counter frequency, and error margin. The unit of these fields is
         * seconds >> (64 + counter_period_shift)
         */
        uint64_t counter_period_frac_sec;
        uint64_t counter_period_error_rate_frac_sec;

        /* Error margin of UTC reading above (± picoseconds) */
        uint64_t utc_time_maxerror_picosec;
};

#endif /*  __VMCLOCK_H__ */

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