linux-kernel - Re: [RFC] Second attempt at kernel secure boot support

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Message-ID: <87fw4nv1vj.fsf@xmission.com>
Date:	Mon, 05 Nov 2012 19:36:32 -0800
From:	ebiederm@...ssion.com (Eric W. Biederman)
To:	Matthew Garrett <mjg59@...f.ucam.org>
Cc:	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>,
	James Bottomley <James.Bottomley@...senPartnership.com>,
	Pavel Machek <pavel@....cz>,
	Chris Friesen <chris.friesen@...band.com>,
	Eric Paris <eparis@...isplace.org>,
	Jiri Kosina <jkosina@...e.cz>, Oliver Neukum <oneukum@...e.de>,
	Alan Cox <alan@...rguk.ukuu.org.uk>,
	Josh Boyer <jwboyer@...il.com>, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	linux-security-module@...r.kernel.org, linux-efi@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [RFC] Second attempt at kernel secure boot support

Matthew Garrett <mjg59@...f.ucam.org> writes:

> On Mon, Nov 05, 2012 at 06:46:32PM -0800, Eric W. Biederman wrote:
>> Matthew Garrett <mjg59@...f.ucam.org> writes:
>> 
>> > On Mon, Nov 05, 2012 at 11:16:12AM -0800, Eric W. Biederman wrote:
>> >> Matthew Garrett <mjg59@...f.ucam.org> writes:
>> >> > No, in the general case the system will do that once it fails to find a 
>> >> > bootable OS on the drive.
>> >> 
>> >> In the general case there will be a bootable OS on the drive.
>> >
>> > That's in no way a given.
>> 
>> You have it backwards.  The conclusion here is that having a case where
>> a non-interactive install is possible is not a given.
>
> I deal with customers who perform non-interactive installs. The fact 
> that you don't care about that use case is entirely irrelevant to me, 
> because you're not the person that I am obliged to satisfy.

I have spent what feels like half my life doing automatic installs.  I
care a lot and I understand the requirements.  I also see through
misstatements about reality used to justify stupid design decisions.

For automated installs you don't have to satisfy me.  Feel free to
deliver a lousy solution to your users.   Just don't use your arbitrary
design decisions to justify your kernel patches.

Non-interactive installs do not justify removing all trust from the root
user of a system, disabling suspend to disk and completely rewriting
kexec for the simple expedient removing a couple of lines of code from
your bootloader.

Eric
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