Messages in this thread | | | Subject | RE: [PATCH] drivers/net: remove network drivers' last few uses of IRQF_SAMPLE_RANDOM | Date | Thu, 15 May 2008 09:07:52 -0700 | From | "Brandeburg, Jesse" <> |
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Alan Cox wrote: > Chris Peterson <cpeterso@cpeterso.com> wrote: >> I know Jeff Garzik says he's not interested in an anti-entropy >> pogrom for existing net drivers, but here is the patch if anyone >> else is interested..? :) >> >> Only 12 net drivers are affected, the last of the >> theoretically-exploitable network entropy. > > Looks fine to me. If Jeff doesn't want to touch them then send them > direct to Andrew/Linus. > > A more interesting alternative might be to mark things like network > drivers with a new flag say IRQF_SAMPLE_DUBIOUS so that users can be > given a switch to enable/disable their use depending upon the > environment.
we've been hearing rumblings of big customers wanting (maybe requiring) wired network drivers from Intel to advertise this flag. Jeff have you heard of such?
I think the argument is that a headless system (no keyboard/mouse, no soundcard, probably no video) with a libata based driver and a network driver without IRQF_SAMPLE_RANDOM has *no* sources of entropy. In this case the argument is very strong for at least *some* source of entropy from interrupts so that randomness can get some external input. Just try rebuilding a kernel RPM over an ssh session and you'll see what I mean.
In short, I agree with Alan's IRQF_SAMPLE_DUBIOUS, and know of Linux customers who also want the same.
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