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libkrun: vhost-user-vsock support#613

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dorindabassey wants to merge 9 commits intocontainers:mainfrom
dorindabassey:vhost-user-vsock
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libkrun: vhost-user-vsock support#613
dorindabassey wants to merge 9 commits intocontainers:mainfrom
dorindabassey:vhost-user-vsock

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libkrun: Add API constants and example for vhost-user vsock

Add public API constants for vhost-user vsock devices and example
usage in chroot_vm. The underlying support already exists via the
generic VhostUserDevice wrapper.

Example integration:

  • Added --vhost-user-vsock option to chroot_vm
  • Calls krun_disable_implicit_vsock() to avoid conflict with
    built-in device
  • Skips TSI port mapping when vhost-user-vsock is active

@dorindabassey dorindabassey changed the title libkrun: Vhost user vsock support libkrun: vhost-user-vsock support Apr 2, 2026
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/gemini review

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Code Review

This pull request introduces support for vhost-user devices in libkrun, enabling the use of external backends for RNG, sound, and vsock devices. Key changes include the implementation of a generic VhostUserDevice wrapper, updates to the VM builder to support file-backed memory via memfd_create (necessary for vhost-user shared memory), and the addition of the krun_add_vhost_user_device C API. Feedback identifies a high-severity issue where the interrupt_monitor thread is not terminated during a device reset, potentially leading to resource leaks. Additionally, it is suggested to refactor repetitive error handling in the example code into a helper function to improve maintainability.

Comment on lines +273 to +318
// Configure vhost-user RNG if requested
if (cmdline.vhost_user_rng_socket != NULL) {
// Test sentinel-terminated array: auto-detect queue count, use custom size
uint16_t custom_sizes[] = {512, 0}; // 0 = sentinel terminator

if (err = krun_add_vhost_user_device(ctx_id, KRUN_VIRTIO_DEVICE_RNG,
cmdline.vhost_user_rng_socket, NULL, 0, custom_sizes)) {
errno = -err;
perror("Error adding vhost-user RNG device");
return -1;
}
printf("Using vhost-user RNG backend at %s (custom queue size: 512)\n", cmdline.vhost_user_rng_socket);
}

// Configure vhost-user sound if requested
if (cmdline.vhost_user_snd_socket != NULL) {
if (err = krun_add_vhost_user_device(ctx_id, KRUN_VIRTIO_DEVICE_SND,
cmdline.vhost_user_snd_socket, NULL,
KRUN_VHOST_USER_SND_NUM_QUEUES,
KRUN_VHOST_USER_SND_QUEUE_SIZES)) {
errno = -err;
perror("Error adding vhost-user sound device");
return -1;
}
printf("Using vhost-user sound backend at %s\n", cmdline.vhost_user_snd_socket);
}

// Configure vhost-user vsock if requested
if (cmdline.vhost_user_vsock_socket != NULL) {
// Disable the implicit vsock device to avoid conflict
if (err = krun_disable_implicit_vsock(ctx_id)) {
errno = -err;
perror("Error disabling implicit vsock");
return -1;
}

if (err = krun_add_vhost_user_device(ctx_id, KRUN_VIRTIO_DEVICE_VSOCK,
cmdline.vhost_user_vsock_socket, NULL,
KRUN_VHOST_USER_VSOCK_NUM_QUEUES,
KRUN_VHOST_USER_VSOCK_QUEUE_SIZES)) {
errno = -err;
perror("Error adding vhost-user vsock device");
return -1;
}
printf("Using vhost-user vsock backend at %s\n", cmdline.vhost_user_vsock_socket);
}
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medium

The error handling logic for krun_add_vhost_user_device and krun_disable_implicit_vsock is duplicated across the setup for RNG, sound, and vsock devices. To improve maintainability and reduce code duplication, consider extracting this logic into a helper function. This aligns with the repository's priority on code readability.

Example helper:

static bool check_krun_error(int err, const char *msg)
{
    if (err) {
        errno = -err;
        perror(msg);
        return false;
    }
    return true;
}
References
  1. Prioritize code readability and focused commits over micro-optimizations.

Dorinda Bassey and others added 4 commits April 8, 2026 15:22
Implement vhost-user support for connecting
to external virtio device backends running
in separate processes.
Add vhost-user feature flag, vhost dependency,
and krun_add_vhost_user_device() generalized
API for adding vhost-user devices.

Signed-off-by: Dorinda Bassey <dbassey@redhat.com>
Add memfd-backed memory region creation to enable memory
sharing with vhost-user backends via FD passing. When
vhost-user is enabled, all guest RAM regions are created
with memfd backing instead of anonymous mmap.

This lays the groundwork for vhost-user device support
while maintaining backward compatibility such that the
VM boots normally with standard memory when vhost-user
is not configured.

Signed-off-by: Dorinda Bassey <dbassey@redhat.com>
Implement generic vhost-user device wrapper
with connection, feature negotiation, and
Guest physical address(GPA) to Virtual
address(VA) translation. Supports protocol
feature negotiation (CONFIG, MQ).
Backend interrupts (vring_call_event) are
monitored by the EventManager and forwarded
to the guest without spawning additional threads.

Co-authored-by: Matej Hrica <mhrica@redhat.com>
Signed-off-by: Dorinda Bassey <dbassey@redhat.com>
Add support for attaching vhost-user devices to the VM.
Devices are registered with the EventManager as subscribers
to integrate with the VMM's event loop for interrupt handling.

The VMM now automatically suppresses the implicit RNG
device when a vhost-user RNG is configured via
krun_add_vhost_user_device(), allowing seamless
switching between the standard virtio-rng and external
vhost-user-rng backend for better isolation and flexibility.

Signed-off-by: Dorinda Bassey <dbassey@redhat.com>
Dorinda Bassey added 5 commits April 10, 2026 16:31
Adds --vhost-user-rng command line option to
specify a vhost-user RNG backend socket path.
When provided, the VM uses the external
vhost-user RNG device instead of the built-in
virtio-rng implementation.

Example usage:  ./examples/chroot_vm \
--vhost-user-rng=/tmp/vhost-rng.sock0 \
/ /bin/sh -c "head -c 32 /dev/hwrng | xxd"

Signed-off-by: Dorinda Bassey <dbassey@redhat.com>
Implement read_config() for vhost-user devices using the
VHOST_USER_GET_CONFIG protocol message. This enables vhost-user
devices to expose their configuration space to the guest.

This provides a general mechanism for any vhost-user device that
needs to expose configuration to the guest (e.g., virtio-snd).

Signed-off-by: Dorinda Bassey <dbassey@redhat.com>
Add constants and device-specific configuration for virtio-snd
(vhost-user sound device).

Signed-off-by: Dorinda Bassey <dbassey@redhat.com>
Add --vhost-user-snd option to chroot_vm example,
allowing VMs to use external vhost-user sound backends
for audio playback and capture.

Usage:
  ./chroot_vm --vhost-user-snd=/path/to/sound.sock ...

Note: In the guest, the ALSA default device may not work without
additional configuration. Use explicit device specification:
  aplay -D hw:0,0 /path/to/audio.wav

Or create /etc/asound.conf in the guest:
  defaults.pcm.card 0
  defaults.pcm.device 0
  pcm.!default {
      type hw
      card 0
      device 0
  }

Tested with vhost-device-sound backend using PipeWire.

Signed-off-by: Dorinda Bassey <dbassey@redhat.com>
Add public API constants for vhost-user vsock devices and example
usage in chroot_vm. The underlying support already exists via the
generic VhostUserDevice wrapper.

Example integration:
- Added --vhost-user-vsock option to chroot_vm
- Calls krun_disable_implicit_vsock() to avoid conflict with
  built-in device
- Skips TSI port mapping when vhost-user-vsock is active

Signed-off-by: Dorinda Bassey <dbassey@redhat.com>
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