From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Jeff Garzik Subject: Re: [RFC] ATA host-protected area (HPA) device mapper? Date: Fri, 09 Jun 2006 10:48:50 -0400 Message-ID: <44898A52.2010008@garzik.org> References: <20060609104759.26001.qmail@web26913.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Return-path: Received: from srv5.dvmed.net ([207.36.208.214]:29066 "EHLO mail.dvmed.net") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1751444AbWFIOsx (ORCPT ); Fri, 9 Jun 2006 10:48:53 -0400 In-Reply-To: <20060609104759.26001.qmail@web26913.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> Sender: linux-ide-owner@vger.kernel.org List-Id: linux-ide@vger.kernel.org To: Etienne Lorrain Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, linux-ide@vger.kernel.org Etienne Lorrain wrote: > Your hard disk is a lot more powerfull than what you think, only very old 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 only set the Not true. > Gujin also do the absolutely needed setup of the IDE hard disk which is to freeze > the password system _and_ the config system of all the IDE hard disks present, so > that no virus can put a random password and send you an E-mail with the address > where to send the money to get the password to unlock the hard disk and so access > again your data. Again, freezing means no more modifiable until next power cycle, > so IMO it is the job of the bootloader to setup the hard disk, before running > anything like Linux, a commercial OS, a bootable CDROM... This is totally broken, and I am going to strongly recommend that no one use this software. It is the OS responsibility to do this. As a simple example, when the libata ACPI patches are merged (soon), libata will send BIOS-specified taskfiles to the device -- including the hard drive password, if any. Then it will freeze the settings. Gujin's behavior will prevent the user from accessing their data, if they have protected it via BIOS. > Gujin is assuming that your hard disk are accessible by the documented ATA ide > system, and some (or all?) IDE SATA interface have (volumtary?) broken > implementation: they are not IDE register compatible. More evidence that Gujin is completely broken. Host controller programming interfaces have _always_ been variable. PCI IDE standard was never a requirement for all host controllers, indeed such a requirement would be stupid, and widely ignored. Modern SATA controllers are all FIS-based, and are not (and should not be) limited by the legacy IDE register programming interface. Jeff