linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH RFC] x86: check for and defend against BIOS memory corruption

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Message-ID: <20080906180950.GA18649@elte.hu>
Date:	Sat, 6 Sep 2008 20:09:50 +0200
From:	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>
To:	Jeremy Fitzhardinge <jeremy@...p.org>
Cc:	Hugh Dickins <hugh@...itas.com>,
	Rafał Miłecki <zajec5@...il.com>,
	Alan Jenkins <alan-jenkins@...fmail.co.uk>,
	Alan Cox <alan@...rguk.ukuu.org.uk>,
	Yinghai Lu <yhlu.kernel@...il.com>,
	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>,
	Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	Dave Jones <davej@...hat.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH RFC] x86: check for and defend against BIOS memory
	corruption


* Jeremy Fitzhardinge <jeremy@...p.org> wrote:

> > I would prefer you both to use the minimal memmap= solutions for 
> > now; but others may disagree.
> 
> The fact that we're seeing this problem in two completely different 
> systems with different BIOSes and everything else makes me worried 
> that this is quite widespread.  It's only the persistence and 
> diligence of our bug reporters that we managed to work out that 
> they're the same problem.  How many other people are getting strange 
> crashes and haven't managed to correlate it any particular BIOS 
> interaction?  Or just happen to be corrupting memory we don't care 
> about right now, but is only a small code change or link order change 
> away from disaster?

please put this all behind a .config debug option that distros can turn 
on/off. Also, when it's enabled in the .config, there should be another 
.config option that marks it disabled by default but it can be enabled 
via a boot parameter.

Distro debug kernels will most likely enable the .config - even release 
kernels might enable it it, with default off - users can enable the boot 
switch if they suspect something, without having to build a new kernel.

	Ingo
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