__u8 pad;
        } nmi;
        __u32 sipi_vector;
-       __u32 flags;   /* must be zero */
+       __u32 flags;
 };
 
 4.30 KVM_SET_VCPU_EVENTS
 
 See KVM_GET_VCPU_EVENTS for the data structure.
 
+Fields that may be modified asynchronously by running VCPUs can be excluded
+from the update. These fields are nmi.pending and sipi_vector. Keep the
+corresponding bits in the flags field cleared to suppress overwriting the
+current in-kernel state. The bits are:
+
+KVM_VCPUEVENT_VALID_NMI_PENDING - transfer nmi.pending to the kernel
+KVM_VCPUEVENT_VALID_SIPI_VECTOR - transfer sipi_vector
+
 
 5. The kvm_run structure
 
 
        __u8 reserved[31];
 };
 
+/* When set in flags, include corresponding fields on KVM_SET_VCPU_EVENTS */
+#define KVM_VCPUEVENT_VALID_NMI_PENDING        0x00000001
+#define KVM_VCPUEVENT_VALID_SIPI_VECTOR        0x00000002
+
 /* for KVM_GET/SET_VCPU_EVENTS */
 struct kvm_vcpu_events {
        struct {
 
 
        events->sipi_vector = vcpu->arch.sipi_vector;
 
-       events->flags = 0;
+       events->flags = (KVM_VCPUEVENT_VALID_NMI_PENDING
+                        | KVM_VCPUEVENT_VALID_SIPI_VECTOR);
 
        vcpu_put(vcpu);
 }
 static int kvm_vcpu_ioctl_x86_set_vcpu_events(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu,
                                              struct kvm_vcpu_events *events)
 {
-       if (events->flags)
+       if (events->flags & ~(KVM_VCPUEVENT_VALID_NMI_PENDING
+                             | KVM_VCPUEVENT_VALID_SIPI_VECTOR))
                return -EINVAL;
 
        vcpu_load(vcpu);
                kvm_pic_clear_isr_ack(vcpu->kvm);
 
        vcpu->arch.nmi_injected = events->nmi.injected;
-       vcpu->arch.nmi_pending = events->nmi.pending;
+       if (events->flags & KVM_VCPUEVENT_VALID_NMI_PENDING)
+               vcpu->arch.nmi_pending = events->nmi.pending;
        kvm_x86_ops->set_nmi_mask(vcpu, events->nmi.masked);
 
-       vcpu->arch.sipi_vector = events->sipi_vector;
+       if (events->flags & KVM_VCPUEVENT_VALID_SIPI_VECTOR)
+               vcpu->arch.sipi_vector = events->sipi_vector;
 
        vcpu_put(vcpu);