Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Fri, 9 Nov 2001 04:33:46 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Fri, 9 Nov 2001 04:33:37 -0500 Received: from atrey.karlin.mff.cuni.cz ([195.113.31.123]:33032 "EHLO atrey.karlin.mff.cuni.cz") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id ; Fri, 9 Nov 2001 04:33:22 -0500 Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 10:32:54 +0100 From: Pavel Machek To: Riley Williams Cc: Linux Kernel Subject: Re: PROBLEM: Linux updates RTC secretly when clock synchronizes Message-ID: <20011109103254.B2620@atrey.karlin.mff.cuni.cz> In-Reply-To: <20011108132639.A14160@atrey.karlin.mff.cuni.cz> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: User-Agent: Mutt/1.3.20i Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Hi! > >>>> least as KERN_DEBUG if not as KERN_NOTICE) whenever the RTC is > >>>> written to. It's too important a subsystem to be left hidden like > >>>> it currently is. > > >>> This can be as well done in userland, enforced by whoever does rtc > >>> writes, no? > > >> If some idiot writes a hwclock replacement that doesn't do logging... > > > Then it is *his* problem. That's no excuse for putting it into kernel. > > So you believe viruses are a good thing to have? Sorry, I have to > disagree with you. > Take the position of a sysadmin who can't understand why the system > clock on his computer keeps getting randomly changed under Linux, and > has verified using another operating system that it isn't a hardware > problem, then ask yourself what said sysadmin would expect from the > kernel to help him/her track the problem down. Would said sysadmin > prefer to be told... > > 1. "Look in the system log - you'll get a message every time any > program writes to the RTC." > > 2. "Sorry, you'll have to go through every piece of software on > your system and find the one that's updating the system clock > that shouldn't be." > > According to your comments, you prefer (2). I most definitely prefer > (1). Hmm, and if some malicious software insmods kernel module to work around your printk()? We are talking root only here. If sofware with uid 0 is malicious, you have big problems. Pavel -- Casualities in World Trade Center: 6453 dead inside the building, cryptography in U.S.A. and free speech in Czech Republic. - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/