Re: [RFC] Small PCI core patch

From: Jeff Garzik
Date: Fri Nov 25 2005 - 01:36:06 EST


Robert Hancock wrote:
Jeff Garzik wrote:

One sticking point is validation: ensuring userspace cannot cause
invalid GPU microcode to be generated. [I can just hear Al Viro
swearing, just thinking about creating secure compilers...]


I suspect the amount of data going through is large enough that this wouldn't really be practical. I think you'd have to deal with the code generating GPU instructions having to be trusted and have the device interface require root privileges..

All I said was "ensuring userspace cannot cause invalid GPU microcode to be generated."

No matter what runs with root priveleges, other graphics processes do not, and one must ensure that app clients cannot generate sequences which cause the hardware to fail. Which is a lot more difficult, when the unpriveleged app clients are submitting GLSL.

Jeff


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