linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH v6 3/3] firmware: Add support for Qualcomm UEFI Secure Application

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Message-ID: <5487e816-f30c-468f-b860-a4cac30fba36@gmail.com>
Date:   Thu, 7 Sep 2023 22:52:00 +0200
From:   Maximilian Luz <luzmaximilian@...il.com>
To:     Trilok Soni <quic_tsoni@...cinc.com>,
        Bjorn Andersson <andersson@...nel.org>
Cc:     Andy Gross <agross@...nel.org>,
        Konrad Dybcio <konrad.dybcio@...aro.org>,
        Ard Biesheuvel <ardb@...nel.org>,
        Ilias Apalodimas <ilias.apalodimas@...aro.org>,
        Srinivas Kandagatla <srinivas.kandagatla@...aro.org>,
        Sudeep Holla <sudeep.holla@....com>,
        Johan Hovold <johan@...nel.org>,
        Steev Klimaszewski <steev@...i.org>,
        linux-arm-msm@...r.kernel.org, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
        Johan Hovold <johan+linaro@...nel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v6 3/3] firmware: Add support for Qualcomm UEFI Secure
 Application

On 8/27/23 23:59, Trilok Soni wrote:
> On 8/27/2023 2:53 PM, Maximilian Luz wrote:
>> On 8/27/23 23:26, Trilok Soni wrote:
>>> On 8/27/2023 2:14 PM, Maximilian Luz wrote:
>>>>    +config QCOM_QSEECOM_UEFISECAPP
>>>> +    bool "Qualcomm SEE UEFI Secure App client driver"
>>>
>>> Why not "tristate"? This driver can be a loadable module, right?
>>
>> As I understand, modular efivars have still not been fully sorted out in
>> the kernel. For example, userspace could try and mount efivarfs before
>> the module has been loaded and by that erroneously determine that the
>> system doesn't support efivars. So requiring it to be built in for now
>> is more of a workaround (which has been suggested by Johan Hovold).
>>
>> There is no technical limitation in this part of the code itself, so
>> enabling it (and QCOM_QSEECOM for that matter) to be built as module
>> should be fairly straightforward once that's been sorted out.
> 
> If not this application I would atleast like the QSEECOM driver to be a loadable module due to GKI (Generic Kernel Image) needs. Can we mark QSEECOM as "tristate" please? If not then there is a problem which we are not solving right now as you are documenting above and just moving it it for future and downstream vendors will keep having their additional changes to make it fit for loadable module needs.

Could you elaborate a bit on why/how switching to a tristate would help
here? I'm afraid I don't quite follow. Do you mean that this would make
it easier for downstream vendors to patch the module as opposed to
create their own new thing? IMHO if they already need to patch it they
can just as well modify it to be buildable as a module.

Generally I'm not opposed to have both loadable as modules, but I don't
quite see the point as it would not be usable as such in upstream at
the moment (at least not reliably, so to avoid those headaches I think
it's better to just stick to bool for now).

Regards,
Max