Re: [PATCH 0/2] x86: Add IMR support to Quark/Galileo

[Darren Hart]

On Tue, Jan 06, 2015 at 01:56:25PM +0000, Bryan O'Donoghue wrote:
> On 06/01/15 06:00, Darren Hart wrote:
> >>Galileo:
> >>Intel's Arduino compatible Galileo boards boot to Linux with IMRs protecting
> >>the compressed kernel image and boot params data structure. The memory that
> >
> >What is the motivation behind this?
> 
> The main motivation is to place an IMR around the kernel which if violated
> by a wayward DMA transaction would immediately cause an IMR violation.
> Secondary motivation is demonstration of usage of IMRs in a run-time context
> and validation of the IMR enabling code for setup not just tear-down.
> 
> An IMR around the run-time kernel .text area, is what the BSP does and so I
> thought it was worth maintaining.
> 
> To be clear though, the requirement is to sanitize boot time IMRs, the setup
> of an IMR around the run-time kernel is optional, the system will run just
> fine without it.
> 
> >>the compressed kernel and boot params data structure is in, is marked as
> >>usable memory by the EFI memory map. As a result it is possible for memory
> >
> >Based on your response to the above, is marking this memory as usable a bad idea
> >in general? Or just bad in certain situations?
> 
> The EFI memory map is 100% correct. The area of memory that grub places a
> compressed kernel image should be reusable by kernel.
> 
> >>A DMA to a region of memory by a system agent which is not allowed access
> >>this memory result in a system reset. Without tearing down the IMRs placed
> >>around the compressed kernel image and boot params data structure there is a
> >>high risk of triggering an inadvertent system reset when performing DMA
> >>actions with any of the peripherals that support DMA in Quark such as the
> >>MMC, Ethernet or USB host/device.
> >>
> >>Therefore Galileo specific platform code is the second component of this
> >>patchset. The platform code tears-down every unlocked IMR to ensure no
> >
> >The firmware sets these IMRs, but does not lock them then, correct?
> 
> Correct. Firmware locks the IMRs around ACPI runtime data data.
> 
> In the patch here, we cycle though every unlocked IMR and zap it - which
> will include tear-down of the IMRs placed around the compressed kernel image
> and boot params data structure. Firmware puts those IMRs in place to ensure
> no invalid DMA, SMM access to the compressed kernel image during boot can
> take place.

Thanks Bryan, this clears these questions up for me.

Are we confident that the tear-down of the IMRs around the compressed kernel
image happens early enough and deterministically, such that there is no race
condition in which a driver could get DMA into this memory?

-- 
Darren Hart
Intel Open Source Technology Center
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