linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] smb: Use arc4 library instead of duplicate arc4 code

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Message-ID: <20250907185555.GA3530@sol>
Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2025 11:55:55 -0700
From: Eric Biggers <ebiggers@...nel.org>
To: ronnie sahlberg <ronniesahlberg@...il.com>
Cc: Steve French <smfrench@...il.com>, linux-cifs@...r.kernel.org,
	Steve French <sfrench@...ba.org>,
	Paulo Alcantara <pc@...guebit.org>,
	Namjae Jeon <linkinjeon@...nel.org>,
	Shyam Prasad N <sprasad@...rosoft.com>, Tom Talpey <tom@...pey.com>,
	Bharath SM <bharathsm@...rosoft.com>,
	Sergey Senozhatsky <senozhatsky@...omium.org>,
	linux-crypto@...r.kernel.org, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH] smb: Use arc4 library instead of duplicate arc4 code

On Mon, Sep 08, 2025 at 04:33:18AM +1000, ronnie sahlberg wrote:
> On Mon, 8 Sept 2025 at 03:59, Steve French <smfrench@...il.com> wrote:
> >
> > Ronnie may have additional context, but it may have been forked due to
> > unrelated restrictions on the arc4 module (that had nothing to do with
> > cifs.ko very narrow usage of arc4) breaking cifs.ko.
> >
> > Ronnie,
> > Do you remember the context?
> 
> Yepp.
> The context was that to my understanding it was suggested that the
> arc4 module would be going away
> and would be removed so cifs had to stop using it. (or create its own
> private copy)
> 
> Must been a misunderstanding of what/how would happen with arc4 when
> it was retired.
> 

Looks like it was this thread:
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cifs/YRXlwDBfQql36wJx@sol.localdomain/T/#u

Ard and I suggested that, *if* the MD4 code has no other users, it
should be *moved* into fs/cifs/.  Unfortunately, it turned out it does
have another user: iwd uses MD4 via AF_ALG.  But either way, we never
suggested adding a duplicate copy of either the MD4 or ARC4 code.

- Eric