linux-kernel - Re: Patches for REALLY TINY 386 kernels

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: <20070718210452.GG3898@one.firstfloor.org>
Date:	Wed, 18 Jul 2007 23:04:52 +0200
From:	Andi Kleen <andi@...stfloor.org>
To:	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>
Cc:	Andi Kleen <andi@...stfloor.org>, Matt Mackall <mpm@...enic.com>,
	Jonathan Campbell <jon@...dgrounds.com>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: Patches for REALLY TINY 386 kernels

On Wed, Jul 18, 2007 at 01:24:41PM -0700, H. Peter Anvin wrote:
> Andi Kleen wrote:
> > I was waiting for someone to make that "point" ...
> > 
> >> Every byte you can shave off the compressed kernel image is another
> >> byte you can use for userspace on your FLASH.
> > 
> > Now let's see if that 1MB 386 contains any flash at all. Guesses?  
> > 
> 
> CPUID is hardly something you want to give up for modern embedded stuff.
>  I haven't seen any new embedded stuff using anything less than a 586,
> and even those are disappearing quickly in favor of Geode and VIA.
> 
> However, compressed size reductions as an abstract thing is useful for
> this market.  Just not these particular ones.  The first thing to get
> there is probably an LZMA-based compressor instead of gzip.

That would need more memory again.

Better just write less bloated code. Perhaps mandatory bloatometer
runs during -rc*s for kernels with minimal config with public code pig shame lists
similar to the regression lists are useful. Anyone volunteering?

I suspect there is also much more low hanging fruit of this around.

I don't think eliminating cpuid is a step forward though; that's
just madness.

I killed about 20k in a i386 defconfig kernel in my upcomming patchkit
(and add some other code instead, but not much) so I'm coming out well currently.

-Andi
-
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/