Re: Tainting the kernel


Subject: Re: Tainting the kernel
From: civileme (civileme@mandrakesoft.com)
Date: Fri Jul 12 2002 - 20:27:09 AKDT


On Friday 12 July 2002 06:19 pm, Mac Mason wrote:
> I second this - nvidia + softraid + ext3 worked beautifully for me for
> a long time - I gave up on it the third time I killed a hard drive.
>
> ~Mac~
>
> On Thu, 2002-07-11 at 23:31, Anthony Valentine wrote:
> > I've been using the Nvidia drivers on my work PC for almost a year with
> > software RAID and ext3. No problems.
> >
> > I won't argue with you about the binary drivers as everyone has their
> > own opinion on the matter. I am aware of the issues and have made an
> > informed decision that I am happy with. YMMV.
> >
> > I do make it a habit to check what passes out through my firewall to
> > check on that sort of thing.
> >
> > Anthony
> >
> > On Thu, 2002-07-11 at 00:30, civileme wrote:
> > > On Wednesday 10 July 2002 11:01 pm, Anthony Valentine wrote:
> > > > That is all it means. It won't hurt anything. I've been running
> > > > nvidia drivers for quite some time with no problems.
> > > >
> > > > On Wed, 2002-07-10 at 21:15, Jon Reynolds wrote:
> > > > > I have an nvidia video card and when I try and install it it says:
> > > > >
> > > > > Warning: loading
> > > > > /lib/modules/2.4.18-3/kernel/drivers/video/NVdriver will taint the
> > > > > kernel: non-GPL license - NVIDIA
> > > > >
> > > > > Is this just because it has a non-GPL license and will it hurt
> > > > > anything to install it?
> > > > >
> > > > > Jon
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > ---------
> > > > > To unsubscribe, send email to <aklug-request@aklug.org>
> > > > > with 'unsubscribe' in the message body.
> > > >
> > > > ---------
> > > > To unsubscribe, send email to <aklug-request@aklug.org>
> > > > with 'unsubscribe' in the message body.
> > >
> > > Actually, my test results show that the NVIdia drivers do affect the
> > > kernel. Software RAID with JFS, XFS, Reiserfs, and ext3/ext2 all
> > > corrupt within a week of exercise using the 3d accel drivers from
> > > Nvidia.
> > >
> > > No corruption is shown in those circumstances using the XFree 2D GPL
> > > NVidia drivers. In otherwise identical tests with KT266A and NForce
> > > chipsets, no corruption with the XFree drivers, but of course no
> > > tuxracer or bzflag either.
> > >
> > > And if you havent noticed the prize money given out for
> > > proof-of-concept spyware lately, and if you think binary-only drivers
> > > wont soon have such a payload even for linux, then you haven't been
> > > following the computer industry's down turn and the rise of greed.
> > >
> > > It is a VERY BAD THING to put binary-only drivers into the kernel.
> > > There is NO WAY you can prove it is not harmful without becoming
> > > outlaw, and maybe not even then.
> > >
> > > That is what the taint message means.
> > >
> > > Civileme
> >
> > ---------
> > To unsubscribe, send email to <aklug-request@aklug.org>
> > with 'unsubscribe' in the message body.
>
> ---------
> To unsubscribe, send email to <aklug-request@aklug.org>
> with 'unsubscribe' in the message body.

OK I will put up the exerciser software I used on www.civileme.net and you
can try it. This happened right away on an NForce board and more slowly on a
KT266A board but it did happen and installing the XFree driver stopped it.

Figure two days for me to produce a clean version. It will be

FSledge and FSledge2

Just make them executable and drop in /usr/bin

Civileme

---------
To unsubscribe, send email to <aklug-request@aklug.org>
with 'unsubscribe' in the message body.



This archive was generated by hypermail 2a23 : Fri Jul 12 2002 - 20:27:12 AKDT