Re: OCF Support on linux 2.6.

[David McCullough <David_Mccullough@securecomputing.com>]

Jivin Nawang Chhetan lays it down ...
> Hi David,
>                  I have noticed that with every release of OCF-Linux
> backward compatibilty is not taken care of.
> 
> For example in cryptosoft.c file you declared a new instance of
> blkcipher_desc structure, this structure is no defined upto 2.6.18. I
> could find it on 2.6.20.1. I dont know about version of kernel in
> between.
> 
> Is this a specific observation, or backward compatibilty is not
> considered at all?

Ok,  if you are looking in the current 2007 based releases,  cryptosoft
doesn't even work in that release :-(

The version I am trying to put up this week has full backward compat to
2.4 so that is just an aberation (a long one :-(

In general,  backwards compat is high on the list of things to provide.
It helps ensure that the HW drivers are easier to maintain if nothing
else ;-)

Cheers,
Davidm

> On 7/18/07, David McCullough <David_Mccullough@securecomputing.com> wrote:
> >
> >Jivin Nawang Chhetan lays it down ...
> >> Hi David,
> >>         Thanks for the reply. Since there is no proper API
> >> documentation for the OCF-Linux, can we refer to original OpenBsd
> >> Cryptographic Documentaton . Like the one in the following link:
> >>
> >> http://www.digipedia.pl/man/crypto.9.html
> >>
> >>
> >> I just cross checked few API's and realized they are almost the same.
> >
> >They are the same :-)  Its a linux port of the FreeBSD version of the
> >OpenBSD crypto API.
> >
> >Have you looked at:
> >
> >       http://www.thought.net/jason/ocfpaper/
> >       http://www.usenix.org/publications/library/proceedings/bsdcon03/tech/leffler_crypto/leffler_crypto.pdf
> >
> >All available from the links page on:
> >
> >       http://ocf-linux.sourceforge.net/links.html
> >
> >Cheers,
> >Davidm
> >
> >> On 7/18/07, David McCullough <David_Mccullough@securecomputing.com> 
> >wrote:
> >> >
> >> >Jivin Nawang Chhetan lays it down ...
> >> >> Hi David,
> >> >>   Thanks for the reply. I have been using the SafeXcel 1141 card on
> >> >> x86 platform. Need to investigate this further as suggested by you.
> >> >
> >> >Make sure you have the latest safenet driver from the 2007 tarball,
> >> >there are some bus width fixes in there IIRC for all the PCI drivers.
> >> >
> >> >Other than that,  it's debug time.
> >> >
> >> >> I have a question, I have noticed that list of hardware accelerators
> >> >> are supported with OCF-Linux is a bit unclear, even though these
> >> >> hardware accelerators are mentioned clearly:
> >> >>
> >> >> 1.    Hifn-7751
> >> >
> >> >hifn 7751, 7956
> >> >
> >> >safenet 1141, 1741
> >> >
> >> >Intel IXP (465 425 and 422)
> >> >
> >> >Freescale SEC (talitos)
> >> >
> >> >There is also a Via padlock driver in freebsd that would be trivial to
> >> >port.
> >> >
> >> >Software (using linux kernel crypto API,  which may also use hardware 
> >:-)
> >> >
> >> >> Is this the exhaustive list ?
> >> >
> >> >The list above is,
> >> >
> >> >Cheers,
> >> >Davidm
> >> >
> >> >> On 7/17/07, David McCullough <David_Mccullough@securecomputing.com>
> >> >wrote:
> >> >> >
> >> >> >Jivin Nawang Chhetan lays it down ...
> >> >> >> Hi All,
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >> I am trying to integrate OCF-linux with Quicksec on linux 2.6 
> >kernels.
> >> >> >> Many versions of OCF-Linux have been released but wtihout clear
> >> >> >> demarcation of 2.6 kernel versions they support. All they mention 
> >is
> >> >> >> support for kernel verison 2.6.11 and later and the README within 
> >the
> >> >> >> distributions states it can be easily modified to support recent
> >> >> >> version of kernels( which is true, I did it for 2.6.17.7 )
> >> >> >> My Question here is that:
> >> >> >> Is there any good OCF-Linux documentation available ?
> >> >> >
> >> >> >Only whats on the website.  Your best bet is to ask.
> >> >> >The current releases work for kernels up to 2.6.18 without
> >> >> >any major issues.  I should be doing a release this week with
> >> >> >everything up to 2.6.22 supported fully.  Just finishing off the
> >> >> >testing.
> >> >> >
> >> >> >> What is/are the version of 2.6 kernel, the OCF-Linux is most
> >> >> >> stable/tested/developed for ?
> >> >> >> Further I tried to use SafeXcel-1141 hardware accelerator ( which 
> >is
> >> >> >> claimed to be supported) with OCF-Linux, but inserting the module
> >> >> >> safe.ko (after ocf.ko and cryptodev.ko ) hangs the machine (Kernel
> >> >> >> version 2.6.17.6 .).
> >> >> >> Do I need to insmod the SafeXcel-1141 driver too ?
> >> >> >
> >> >> >I have used the safenet driver on SuperH and ARM platforms. It works
> >> >> >fine there.  I don't have any way to test it on x86 though.
> >> >> >
> >> >> >It should work fine on 2.6.17, load everything with debug enabled
> >> >> >and see what happens.
> >> >> >
> >> >> >If you are running on an x86_64 system, disable all the code in
> >> >> >"random.c" however,  it was broken on 64bits arches in older 
> >versions.
> >> >> >
> >> >> >Cheers,
> >> >> >Davidm
> >> >> >
> >> >> >--
> >> >> >David McCullough,  david_mccullough@securecomputing.com,   Ph:+61
> >> >734352815
> >> >> >Secure Computing - SnapGear  http://www.uCdot.org
> >> >http://www.cyberguard.com
> >> >> >
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> --
> >> >> Nawang Chhetan
> >> >> Software Engineer
> >> >> SafeNet India.
> >> >>
> >> >
> >> >--
> >> >David McCullough,  david_mccullough@securecomputing.com,   Ph:+61 
> >734352815
> >> >Secure Computing - SnapGear  http://www.uCdot.org 
> >http://www.cyberguard.com
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Nawang Chhetan
> >> Software Engineer
> >> SafeNet India.
> >>
> >
> >--
> >David McCullough,  david_mccullough@securecomputing.com,   Ph:+61 734352815
> >Secure Computing - SnapGear  http://www.uCdot.org http://www.cyberguard.com
> >
> 
> 
> -- 
> Nawang Chhetan
> Software Engineer
> SafeNet India.
> 

-- 
David McCullough,  david_mccullough@securecomputing.com,   Ph:+61 734352815
Secure Computing - SnapGear  http://www.uCdot.org http://www.cyberguard.com