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Daniel Kiper 2c33c27fd6 x86/boot: Introduce kernel_info
The relationships between the headers are analogous to the various data
sections:

  setup_header = .data
  boot_params/setup_data = .bss

What is missing from the above list? That's right:

  kernel_info = .rodata

We have been (ab)using .data for things that could go into .rodata or .bss for
a long time, for lack of alternatives and -- especially early on -- inertia.
Also, the BIOS stub is responsible for creating boot_params, so it isn't
available to a BIOS-based loader (setup_data is, though).

setup_header is permanently limited to 144 bytes due to the reach of the
2-byte jump field, which doubles as a length field for the structure, combined
with the size of the "hole" in struct boot_params that a protected-mode loader
or the BIOS stub has to copy it into. It is currently 119 bytes long, which
leaves us with 25 very precious bytes. This isn't something that can be fixed
without revising the boot protocol entirely, breaking backwards compatibility.

boot_params proper is limited to 4096 bytes, but can be arbitrarily extended
by adding setup_data entries. It cannot be used to communicate properties of
the kernel image, because it is .bss and has no image-provided content.

kernel_info solves this by providing an extensible place for information about
the kernel image. It is readonly, because the kernel cannot rely on a
bootloader copying its contents anywhere, but that is OK; if it becomes
necessary it can still contain data items that an enabled bootloader would be
expected to copy into a setup_data chunk.

Do not bump setup_header version in arch/x86/boot/header.S because it
will be followed by additional changes coming into the Linux/x86 boot
protocol.

Suggested-by: H. Peter Anvin (Intel) <hpa@zytor.com>
Signed-off-by: Daniel Kiper <daniel.kiper@oracle.com>
Signed-off-by: Borislav Petkov <bp@suse.de>
Reviewed-by: Konrad Rzeszutek Wilk <konrad.wilk@oracle.com>
Reviewed-by: Ross Philipson <ross.philipson@oracle.com>
Reviewed-by: H. Peter Anvin (Intel) <hpa@zytor.com>
Cc: Andy Lutomirski <luto@amacapital.net>
Cc: ard.biesheuvel@linaro.org
Cc: Boris Ostrovsky <boris.ostrovsky@oracle.com>
Cc: dave.hansen@linux.intel.com
Cc: eric.snowberg@oracle.com
Cc: Ingo Molnar <mingo@redhat.com>
Cc: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>
Cc: Juergen Gross <jgross@suse.com>
Cc: kanth.ghatraju@oracle.com
Cc: linux-doc@vger.kernel.org
Cc: linux-efi <linux-efi@vger.kernel.org>
Cc: Peter Zijlstra <peterz@infradead.org>
Cc: rdunlap@infradead.org
Cc: ross.philipson@oracle.com
Cc: Thomas Gleixner <tglx@linutronix.de>
Cc: x86-ml <x86@kernel.org>
Cc: xen-devel@lists.xenproject.org
Link: https://lkml.kernel.org/r/20191112134640.16035-2-daniel.kiper@oracle.com
2019-11-12 16:10:34 +01:00
Documentation x86/boot: Introduce kernel_info 2019-11-12 16:10:34 +01:00
LICENSES LICENSES: Rename other to deprecated 2019-05-03 06:34:32 -06:00
arch x86/boot: Introduce kernel_info 2019-11-12 16:10:34 +01:00
block block: fix null pointer dereference in blk_mq_rq_timed_out() 2019-09-27 07:01:25 -06:00
certs PKCS#7: Refactor verify_pkcs7_signature() 2019-08-05 18:40:18 -04:00
crypto Merge branch 'next-lockdown' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/jmorris/linux-security 2019-09-28 08:14:15 -07:00
drivers ARM: SoC fixes 2019-09-30 10:04:28 -07:00
fs for-5.4-rc1-tag 2019-09-30 10:25:24 -07:00
include A few more tracing fixes: 2019-09-30 09:29:53 -07:00
init Merge branch 'next-lockdown' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/jmorris/linux-security 2019-09-28 08:14:15 -07:00
ipc ipc/sem.c: convert to use built-in RCU list checking 2019-09-25 17:51:41 -07:00
kernel A few more tracing fixes: 2019-09-30 09:29:53 -07:00
lib Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2019-09-28 17:47:33 -07:00
mm Merge branch 'hugepage-fallbacks' (hugepatch patches from David Rientjes) 2019-09-28 14:26:47 -07:00
net Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2019-09-28 17:47:33 -07:00
samples rpmsg updates for v5.4 2019-09-22 10:58:15 -07:00
scripts Merge branch 'next-integrity' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/zohar/linux-integrity 2019-09-27 19:37:27 -07:00
security Merge branch 'next-lockdown' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/jmorris/linux-security 2019-09-28 08:14:15 -07:00
sound sound fixes for 5.4-rc1 2019-09-24 16:46:16 -07:00
tools A few more tracing fixes: 2019-09-30 09:29:53 -07:00
usr Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2019-09-28 17:47:33 -07:00
virt * s390: ioctl hardening, selftests 2019-09-18 09:49:13 -07:00
.clang-format clang-format: Update with the latest for_each macro list 2019-08-31 10:00:51 +02:00
.cocciconfig
.get_maintainer.ignore Opt out of scripts/get_maintainer.pl 2019-05-16 10:53:40 -07:00
.gitattributes .gitattributes: set git diff driver for C source code files 2016-10-07 18:46:30 -07:00
.gitignore Modules updates for v5.4 2019-09-22 10:34:46 -07:00
.mailmap Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net-next 2019-09-18 12:34:53 -07:00
COPYING COPYING: use the new text with points to the license files 2018-03-23 12:41:45 -06:00
CREDITS CREDITS: Update email address 2019-09-13 17:21:38 +03:00
Kbuild kbuild: do not descend to ./Kbuild when cleaning 2019-08-21 21:03:58 +09:00
Kconfig docs: kbuild: convert docs to ReST and rename to *.rst 2019-06-14 14:21:21 -06:00
MAINTAINERS Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net 2019-09-28 17:47:33 -07:00
Makefile Linux 5.4-rc1 2019-09-30 10:35:40 -07:00
README Drop all 00-INDEX files from Documentation/ 2018-09-09 15:08:58 -06:00

README

Linux kernel
============

There are several guides for kernel developers and users. These guides can
be rendered in a number of formats, like HTML and PDF. Please read
Documentation/admin-guide/README.rst first.

In order to build the documentation, use ``make htmldocs`` or
``make pdfdocs``.  The formatted documentation can also be read online at:

    https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/

There are various text files in the Documentation/ subdirectory,
several of them using the Restructured Text markup notation.

Please read the Documentation/process/changes.rst file, as it contains the
requirements for building and running the kernel, and information about
the problems which may result by upgrading your kernel.