Avoiding the use of test signing for the GPLPV drivers for 64 bit Windows

["Moritz Mühlenhoff" <muehlenhoff@univention.de>]

Hi,
we've been investigating ways to deploy the GPLPV drivers for Windows 2008
w/o the need to activate the test mode (not for strictly technical reasons; 
the drivers work fine but some third party applications void their warranty 
if run under test mode and the mandatory note on the desktop may lead to user
confusion).

I found a mailing lis thread, where a similar scenario has been discussed
for the libusb drivers. The relevant bits start here:
http://libusb.6.n5.nabble.com/WHQL-Testing-Agreement-and-GPLv3-conflicts-td3335877.html

Microsoft doesn't permit GPLv2 und GPLv3 drivers in their Windows Logo
Program (which is a prerequisite for WHQL certification). However in this
thread someone from Wind River contacted Microsoft and they pointed to the
possibility to sign the driver with a certificate issues by a CA instead of
the WHQL signatures (the full document is attached to the second link):

http://libusb.6.n5.nabble.com/WHQL-Testing-Agreement-and-GPLv3-conflicts-tp335877p3337666.html
http://libusb.6.n5.nabble.com/WHQL-Testing-Agreement-and-GPLv3-conflicts-tp3335877p3341534.html

In my understanding this certificate would be a SPC certificate
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff552299%28v=vs.85%29.aspx
http://www.certum.eu/certum/cert,offer_software_publisher.xml

Later on in the thread it's being confirmed that this procedure allows the
installation of the driver w/o popups and activation of the test mode:
http://libusb.6.n5.nabble.com/WHQL-Testing-Agreement-and-GPLv3-conflicts-tp3335877p3339827.html

Is anyone already building and signing  the GPLPV drivers with that procedure?

Cheers,
Moritz
-- 
Moritz Mühlenhoff                         muehlenhoff@univention.de
Open Source Software Engineer and Consultant
Univention GmbH  Linux for Your Business     fon: +49 421 22 232- 0
Mary-Somerville-Str.1  28359 Bremen          fax: +49 421 22 232-99
http://www.univention.de