linux-kernel - Re: preferred way of fw loading

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Message-ID: <20061101072957.GA14955@bitwizard.nl>
Date:	Wed, 1 Nov 2006 08:29:57 +0100
From:	Rogier Wolff <R.E.Wolff@...Wizard.nl>
To:	Jiri Slaby <jirislaby@...il.com>
Cc:	Linux kernel mailing list <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	R.E.Wolff@...Wizard.nl
Subject: Re: preferred way of fw loading

On Wed, Nov 01, 2006 at 01:15:28AM +0100, Jiri Slaby wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> is preferred to have firmware in kernel binary (and go through array of chars)
> or userspace (and load it through standard kernel api)?

IMHO, from a theoretical point-of-view, I prefer the way it is: 
the driver will upload any firmware you tell it to upload. 

Since writing the driver, some consensus has been reached on how
this is done. This, for example, doesn't involve the misc device
that I use.

> For char sx driver in this case (I hope there is no later fw):
> ftp://ftp.bitwizard.nl/specialix/sx_firmware_306c.tgz

> Now it's 2 .c files used by loader through ioctl. After compilation it has:
>    text    data     bss     dec     hex filename
>       4    8416       2    8422    20e6 si2_z280.o
>       4   19484       2   19490    4c22 si3_t225.o

I see two different processors, there are three.

> So convert it to binary (and load it through userspace) or simply #include it in
> the sources? I hope the former is preferred?

>From a legal point of view, that is undesirable: You'd be linking
the propritary firmware with the kernel, which disallows distribution
of the resulting kernel or module binary. 

	Roger. 

-- 
** R.E.Wolff@...Wizard.nl ** http://www.BitWizard.nl/ ** +31-15-2600998 **
*-- BitWizard writes Linux device drivers for any device you may have! --*
Q: It doesn't work. A: Look buddy, doesn't work is an ambiguous statement. 
Does it sit on the couch all day? Is it unemployed? Please be specific! 
Define 'it' and what it isn't doing. --------- Adapted from lxrbot FAQ
-
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@...r.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at  http://www.tux.org/lkml/