linux-kernel - Re: [stable] [PATCH 46/61] fix Intel RNG detection

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Message-Id: <45813194.76E4.0078.0@novell.com>
Date:	Thu, 14 Dec 2006 10:12:20 +0000
From:	"Jan Beulich" <jbeulich@...ell.com>
To:	"dean gaudet" <dean@...tic.org>
Cc:	"Zwane Mwaikambo" <zwane@....linux.org.uk>,
	"Michael Buesch" <mb@...sch.de>,
	"Metathronius Galabant" <m.galabant@...glemail.com>,
	<stable@...nel.org>, "Michael Krufky" <mkrufky@...uxtv.org>,
	"Justin Forbes" <jmforbes@...uxtx.org>, <alan@...rguk.ukuu.org.uk>,
	"Theodore Ts'o" <tytso@....edu>,
	"Chris Wedgwood" <reviews@...cw.f00f.org>, <akpm@...l.org>,
	<torvalds@...l.org>, "Chuck Wolber" <chuckw@...ntumlinux.com>,
	"Dave Jones" <davej@...hat.com>,
	"Chris Wright" <chrisw@...s-sol.org>,
	"Greg Kroah-Hartman" <gregkh@...e.de>,
	<linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	"Randy Dunlap" <rdunlap@...otime.net>
Subject: Re: [stable] [PATCH 46/61] fix Intel RNG detection

>>> dean gaudet <dean@...tic.org> 14.12.06 09:40 >>>
>On Thu, 14 Dec 2006, Jan Beulich wrote:
>
>> >with the patch it boots perfectly without any command-line args.
>> 
>> Are you getting the 'Firmware space is locked read-only' message then?
>
>yep...
>
>so let me ask a naive question... don't we want the firmware locked 
>read-only because that protects the bios from viruses?  honestly i'm naive 
>in this area of pc hardware, but i'm kind of confused why we'd want 
>unlocked firmware just so we can detect a RNG.

Indeed, these are contradicting requirements. The RNG detection, as
outlined by Intel documentation, requires being able to write to firmware
hub space (which in turn is hidden behind BIOS space). But I agree that
this is not a good solution (and even without that, it is not good to
require temporarily making invisible the entire BIOS code/data in order
to detect a non-essential device like an RNG).

Jan
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