Introduction to 8086 emulation

1
Introduction to 8086 emulation

• Using Virtual-8086 mode to execute real-mode
  procedures in a protected-mode environment

2
Features of real-mode

• At power-up the Pentium begins executing in
  real-address mode (memory addressing does not
  require use of descriptor tables)
• CPU privilege-restrictions are not imposed
• Memory addresses are limited to 20-bits
• Interrupt-routing is handled using the IVT
• Multitasking and paging are unsupported
• Lots of legacy software written for 8086

3
Rationale for 8086 emulation

• It is desirable to run multiple 8086 tasks in an
  environment that protects each task from
  interference by other tasks, yet offers each
  task the illusion of being in control of the
  system (as in real-mode environment)
• Duplicate the environment of an 8086 cpu
• Synchronize access to shared resources, (such as
  files and peripheral i/o devices)

4
Commercial imperatives

• 1981 IBM-PC (to compete with CP/M)
• 1984 Macintosh (introduces graphics)
• 1985 Windows 1.0 (to rival Macintosh)
• 1986 Windows 2.0 (80286 multitasking)
• Macintosh had 32-bit processor (M68000), but
  Windows 2.0 had 16-bit processor and was
  handicapped by slow mode-switching needed to
  execute its firmware routines

5
Intels 80386

• Windows 3.0 ran on new 32-bit processor
• Faster mode-switching (whenever needed)
• Virtual memory support (for task isolation)
• Hardware breakpoint debugging support
• Virtual-8086 (for firmware and legacy code)

6
The VM-bit in EFLAGS

• The CPU executes in Virtual-8086 mode when the
  VM-bit (bit 17) in EFLAGS is 1
• POPFL instruction cannot modify VM-bit
• Two methods for entering VM86-mode
• 1) use the IRET instruction (.code32)
• 2) use a task-switch to a new 386 TSS
• The only way to leave VM86-mode is with an
  interrupt (either hardware or software) or by
  resetting the processor (i.e., reboot)

7
Entering a VM86-mode procedure
Ring-0 Stack-Frame
GS-image
FS-image
DS-image
Execute IRET instruction from 32-bit
code-segment while in protected-mode at
privilege-level 0
ES-image
SS-image
SP-image
EFLAGS ( VM1, NT0 )
CS-image
IP-image
SSESP
8
I/O-sensitive Instructions

• While in VM86-mode, certain instructions are
  sensitive to the current value of the
  IOPL-field in EFLAGS
• The CLI and STI instructions
• The PUSHF and POPF instructions
• The PUSHFL and POPFL instructions
• The IRET and IRETL instructions
• The INT-nn instruction
• The above instructions will generate a General
  Protection Exception (INT-13) unless IOPL3

9
The EFLAGS register
31
17 13 12
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
I D
V I P
V I F
A C
V M
R F
0
N T
I O P L
O F
D F
I F
T F
S F
Z F
0
A F
0
P F
1
C F
Legend VM Virtual-8086 Mode (1yes,
0no) IOPL I/O Privilege-Level
(0,1,2,3) VIF Virtual Interrupt-Flag (if
CR4.0 1) VIP Virtual Interrupt Pending (if
CR4.0 1) ID CPUID-supported (1yes,
0no) CF Carry-Flag TF Trap-Flag PF
Parity-Flag IF Interrupt-Flag AF
Auxilliary-Flag DF Direction-Flag ZF
Zero-Flag RF Resume-Flag SF Sign-Flag NT
Nested Task OF Overflow-Flag AC
Alignment Check
10
Emulating I/O-sensitive instructions

• Suppose a task executing in VM86-mode tries to
  disable device-interrupts, using a cli
  instruction
• If IOPL ? 3, this instruction will cause a
  GP-fault (exception 0x0D) with an error-code
  equal to 0
• An exception-handler can examine the opcode (by
  using the saved CSIP address on its stack)
• If that opcode equals 0xFA (i.e., cli), then
  the handler can clear bit 9 in the saved EFLAGS
  image (i.e., the IF-bit), increment the saved IP,
  then execute IRET to resume the VM86 task

11
When IOPL 3

• A VM86-task executes at privilege-level 3
• If IOPL3, then the VM86 task is allowed to
  execute all the IO-sensitive instructions (except
  INT-nn) without generating a fault

12
How to leave VM-8086 mode?

• In VM86-mode, certain instructions trigger a
  General Protection Fault regardless of the
  current value in EFLAGS IOPL-field
• One of these is the halt-instruction (hlt)
• The GP fault-handler can examine the opcode that
  triggered the fault (using the saved CSIP
  address on its ring0 stack) and, if it is 0xF4
  (i.e., hlt), can terminate the VM86 task, if
  that is what is desired

13
Example vm86demo.s

• This demo illustrates entering and leaving a
  Virtual-8086 procedure within a 386 task that is
  executing in protected-mode
• The procedure draws directly to video ram,
  changing all the characters attribute-bytes to
  white on a blue-colored background
• It executes with device-interrupts disabled
• It includes no io-sensitive instructions
• It uses hlt to exit from Virtual-8086 mode

14
In-class exercise 1

• We want to modify vm86demo.s -- to do something
  thats much more interesting!
• Lets add a software interrupt instruction, to
  try executing some ROM-BIOS code
• Easiest to try is int 0x1C -- because it
  normally does nothing but return (iret)
• We will need to add code to our GP-fault handler
  that emulates an int-nn opcode

15
Steps for int-nn emulation

• Increment the saved IP-image by 2 bytes (to
  simulate fetching the instruction)
• Simulate the push of FLAGS, CS, and IP onto the
  VM86 tasks ring3 stack
• Identify the interrupts ID-number, and copy its
  vector from IVT onto ring0 stack
• Clear IF and TF bits in the saved EFLAGS
• Use iret to resume virtual-8086 mode

16
Emulating int-nn
Ring-3 Stack
Ring-0 Stack
GS
FS
DS
FLAGS
ES
CS
SS
IP
Real-Mode IVT
SP
CS
Ring-3 code-segment
EFLAGS
IP
CS
int
nn
IP
SSESP
17
Emulating iret
Ring-3 Stack
Ring-0 Stack
GS
FS
DS
FLAGS
ES
CS
SS
IP
SP
EFLAGS
CS
IP
SSESP
18
Other emulations if IOPL lt 3

• If you try executing code in Virtual-8086 mode
  without IOPL3, then youre likely to need to
  emulate the other io-sensitive instructions
  (iret, cli, sti, pushf, popf)
• The CLI and STI instructions are easy
• The PUSHF/POPF are a little harder
• The IRET is the most complex of these

19
Emulating cli or sti
Ring-0 Stack
GS
FS
DS
ES
Simply adjust bit number 9 in the
saved image of the EFLAGS register
on the ring0 stack
SS
SP
EFLAGS
CS
IP
SSESP
20
Emulating popf
Ring-3 Stack
Ring-0 Stack
GS
FS
DS
ES
SS
FLAGS
SP
Copy the topmost word from the ring3 stack
to the low-half of the saved EFLAGS-image
on the ring0 stack Add 2 to
the saved SP-value Add 1 to the
saved IP-value then execute IRET to
resume
EFLAGS
CS
IP
SSESP
21
Emulating pushf
Ring-3 Stack
Ring-0 Stack
GS
FS
DS
ES
SS
FLAGS
SP
Subtract 2 from the saved SP-image Copy
low-half of the saved EFLAGS-image from ring0
stack to top word of ring3 stack Add
1 to the saved IP-value then execute
IRET to resume
EFLAGS
CS
IP
SSESP
22
IO-permission Bitmap

• For tasks that execute in VM86-mode, the ability
  to execute IN/OUT instructions can be controlled
  on a port-by-port basis, using a bitmap
  data-structure within the TSS
• The bitmap can be up to 8192 bytes long (one bit
  for each of the 65536 i/o ports)
• The CPU finds this bitmap by using the value at
  offset 0x66 within the TSS, which holds the
  bitmaps starting TSS offset

23
Layout of the Task-State Segment
I/O Permission Bitmap
IOMAP
0x66
TSS Base-Address
24
Trapping I/O

• If you do not want a VM86 task to directly
  perform I/O operations on a specific port, you
  can set that ports bit within the bitmap
• For example, to prevent a VM86 task from reading
  mouse-data (io-port 0x60), just set bit 0x60
  within that tasks io-permission bitmap this
  will causes a GP-fault if the instruction in
  0x60, al is encountered

25
Pentium improves VM86-mode

• The Pentium processor introduced some
  speed-improvements to Virtual-8086 mode (largely
  for the benefit of Windows 3.0)
• So-called Virtual Mode Extensions (VME) can be
  enabled (by setting bit 0 in a new Control
  Register named CR4)
• Then even software-interrupt instructions dont
  require use of emulation code