linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 4/6] kexec: A new system call, kexec_file

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Date:	Sat, 21 Dec 2013 13:15:34 +0100
From:	Torsten Duwe <duwe@....de>
To:	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>
Cc:	"Eric W. Biederman" <ebiederm@...ssion.com>,
	Vivek Goyal <vgoyal@...hat.com>,
	Matthew Garrett <mjg59@...f.ucam.org>,
	Greg KH <greg@...ah.com>, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	kexec@...ts.infradead.org, Peter Jones <pjones@...hat.com>,
	Kees Cook <keescook@...omium.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 4/6] kexec: A new system call, kexec_file_load, for in
	kernel kexec

On Fri, Dec 20, 2013 at 07:32:11PM -0800, H. Peter Anvin wrote:
> thing, as currently built there are megabytes of zeroes in it for no
> good reason.

Then remove them ;) AFAICS, that's x86 only? What a waste!

What's the reason? ALIGN_RODATA? Even if so, vmlinux.gz might be
a fair trade-off.

> 
> Even if you don't need the entry code, the additional metadata is
> meaningful.

Any idea, or maybe even a list of features that would get lost?
What are the blossoms of this organically grown structure?
Many architectures, even embedded x86, boot happily any ELF kernel.

I'm with Eric here: this is not about _not_ supporting bzImage, it's
about _do_ support ELF first. As I wrote: if the existing signature 
is, let's say, impractical, and a new one is needed anyway, why not 
(detached-) sign vmlinux or vmlinux.gz?

Every architecture can benefit from a secure boot or secure kexec
that is done right.

	Torsten

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