From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Etienne Lorrain Subject: RE : Re: [RFC] ATA host-protected area (HPA) device mapper? Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2006 17:55:50 +0200 (CEST) Message-ID: <20060609155550.69188.qmail@web26907.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> References: <44898A52.2010008@garzik.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: QUOTED-PRINTABLE Return-path: Received: from web26907.mail.ukl.yahoo.com ([217.146.176.96]:31067 "HELO web26907.mail.ukl.yahoo.com") by vger.kernel.org with SMTP id S1030249AbWFIPzw (ORCPT ); Fri, 9 Jun 2006 11:55:52 -0400 In-Reply-To: <44898A52.2010008@garzik.org> Sender: linux-ide-owner@vger.kernel.org List-Id: linux-ide@vger.kernel.org To: Jeff Garzik Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, linux-ide@vger.kernel.org --- Jeff Garzik wrote: > > Your hard disk is a lot more powerfull than what you think, only = very old >=20 > No, it's not. I am well aware of what's in the ATA spec. > > > hard disks only have ATA set max command. Nowadays, you can not on= ly set the >=20 > Not true. If you want more info without reading the spec, here is some more: http://www.heise.de/ct/english/05/08/172/ > > Gujin also do the absolutely needed setup of the IDE hard disk whi= ch is to freeze > > the password system _and_ the config system of all the IDE hard di= sks present, so > > that no virus can put a random password and send you an E-mail wit= h the address > > where to send the money to get the password to unlock the hard dis= k and so access > > again your data. Again, freezing means no more modifiable until ne= xt power cycle, > > so IMO it is the job of the bootloader to setup the hard disk, bef= ore running > > anything like Linux, a commercial OS, a bootable CDROM... >=20 > This is totally broken, and I am going to strongly recommend that no = one=20 > use this software. But that is the recommended way to do in the ATA specification, since= ATA4: http://www.t13.org/project/d1153r18-ATA-ATAPI-4.pdf and read "6.10 Security Mode feature set" around page 30 / page 46. Pay attentiong to the last sentense of "6.10.4 Frozen mode". And some BIOS correctly implement it - most BIOS don't. > It is the OS responsibility to do this. As a simple example, when th= e=20 > libata ACPI patches are merged (soon), libata will send BIOS-specifie= d=20 > taskfiles to the device -- including the hard drive password, if any.= =20 > Then it will freeze the settings. Which setting are you talking about: freezing the HPA, the configurat= ion or the password - that is different ATA commands. Gujin can run a kernel (or some other software) without freezing each = of them independantly but the user has to explicitely request it - and sh= ould not try to boot a random CDROM with the password unfrozen. > Gujin's behavior will prevent the user from accessing their data, if=20 > they have protected it via BIOS. Some BIOS have support for password, but Gujin is not using BIOS services for "protection" because BIOS is not providing such services with a documented interface. > > Gujin is assuming that your hard disk are accessible by the docume= nted ATA ide > > system, and some (or all?) IDE SATA interface have (volumtary?) br= oken > > implementation: they are not IDE register compatible. >=20 > More evidence that Gujin is completely broken. >=20 > Host controller programming interfaces have _always_ been variable. = PCI=20 > IDE standard was never a requirement for all host controllers, indeed= =20 > such a requirement would be stupid, and widely ignored. >=20 > Modern SATA controllers are all FIS-based, and are not (and should no= t=20 > be) limited by the legacy IDE register programming interface. The complete ATA specification is describing a register interface sin= ce ATA1, SATA chipsets should be software compatible, even if they add commands= /interfaces: http://www.sata-io.org/interopfaq.asp say: Are there any known interoperability issues with SATA? One of the primary requirements of the SATA 1.0 specification was t= o maintain backward compatibility with existing operating system driv= ers to eliminate incompatibility issues. Etienne. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? En finir avec le spam? Yahoo! Mail vous offre la meilleure protection p= ossible contre les messages non sollicit=E9s=20 http://mail.yahoo.fr Yahoo! Mail=20