linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] virt: vbox: Implement passing requestor info to the host for VirtualBox 6.0.x

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Date:   Wed, 20 Mar 2019 10:52:05 +0100
From:   Hans de Goede <hdegoede@...hat.com>
To:     Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>
Cc:     Arnd Bergmann <arnd@...db.de>,
        Michael Thayer <michael.thayer@...cle.com>,
        "Knut St . Osmundsen" <knut.osmundsen@...cle.com>,
        linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, stable@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH] virt: vbox: Implement passing requestor info to the host
 for VirtualBox 6.0.x

Hi,

On 20-03-19 10:46, Greg Kroah-Hartman wrote:
> On Wed, Mar 20, 2019 at 10:35:19AM +0100, Hans de Goede wrote:
>> VirtualBox 6.0.x has a new feature where the guest kernel driver passes
>> info about the origin of the request (e.g. userspace or kernelspace) to
>> the hypervisor.
>>
>> If we do not pass this information then when running the 6.0.x userspace
>> guest-additions tools on a 6.0.x host, some requests will get denied
>> with a VERR_VERSION_MISMATCH error, breaking vboxservice.service and
>> the mounting of shared folders marked to be auto-mounted.
>>
>> This commit implements passing the requestor info to the host, fixing this.
>>
>> Cc: stable@...r.kernel.org
> 
> This feels like support for a "new feature", so why would this need to
> go to older kernels?
> 
> It's not our fault that vb implemented a non-backwards-compatible change
> for their new release, right?  So why should we be forced to add new
> features to stable kernels?

 From a technical point of view I completely agree with you and I'm unhappy
with this breakage after vb agreed with me to keep ABI compatibility so
that we could add a version of the vboxguest driver to the mainline kernel.

OTOH this is going to bite users out there, which is why I added the Cc:
stable. But this is entirely your call.

> I have no problem to add this for 5.2, but not for older stuff.

Can we at least at it as a fix to 5.1 ? It is not very adventurous.

Regards,

Hans