AMD Energy Monitoring Driver Slated To Be Removed From The Linux Kernel

[phoronix]

Phoronix: AMD Energy Monitoring Driver Slated To Be Removed From The Linux Kernel

As a surprise and big disappointment, the "amd_energy" driver that exposes AMD EPYC server CPU energy monitoring metrics under Linux for being able to calculate the per-core and package power consumption and more is now set to be removed from the mainline Linux kernel...

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=No-More-AMD-Energy

[tildearrow]

Sure, it is only for EPYC, but terrible indeed.

I am predicting a flamewar that brings Windows, sensors and an avian species to the table... :<

[khnazile]

groeck never changes. By 2025 we'll have no sensors drivers left.

[willmore]

Why is restricting access to this data to privileged users a problem?

[wizard69]

Sounds like a good move from the standpoint of security.

[darkbasic]

Why is restricting access to this data to privileged users a problem?

Exactly. Why?

[fafreeman]

Why is restricting access to this data to privileged users a problem?

probably because of ease of use. can't make a panel applet, can't output to conky and other applications, can't have it in a nice GUI form of hardware monitoring like say hwinfo like on windows, etc. having a amd gpu myself, to change the fan speeds, i have to issue it as root. its annoying having to either sudo and remember the right ' and " when doing echo or su - to do it. i've grown a habit of always keeping a tab open in my terminal that's already logged in as root. which is kinda problematic from a security standpoint but its a lot more convenient.

[willmore]

probably because of ease of use. can't make a panel applet, can't output to conky and other applications, can't have it in a nice GUI form of hardware monitoring like say hwinfo like on windows, etc. having a amd gpu myself, to change the fan speeds, i have to issue it as root. its annoying having to either sudo and remember the right ' and " when doing echo or su - to do it. i've grown a habit of always keeping a tab open in my terminal that's already logged in as root. which is kinda problematic from a security standpoint but its a lot more convenient.

Then make a set UID program/script that accesses the data and distills out what the user is allowed to know. If time resolution is critical to this attack, just put a little sleep(1); in there.

[fafreeman]

Then make a set UID program/script that accesses the data and distills out what the user is allowed to know. If time resolution is critical to this attack, just put a little sleep(1); in there.

well like i mentioned, having a normal user being able to do it is ease of use. having to go through loops isn't ease of use. something as simple as seeing sensor data shouldn't need to be locked away. granted i use intel so i don't particularly have this problem but i can relate as i have to jump through a loop just to change fan speed on my gpu.

[Jumbotron]

And how does Intel or Nvidia handle this? And If they provide a suitable solution why can't AMD emulate that solution in their own way for both Ryzen and EPYC ?

I'm telling you now AMD is really crapping on the great position they find themselves as the x86 performance leader and the only x86 solution provider to have both a performant discreet and integrated GPU division as well. Intel is beginning to build said GPU division as they have given up being just a CPU company trying to drive GPU workloads to scads of mini_CPUs with vector extensions. And Nvidia will never get an x86 license but will become king of the ARM eco-system in terms of CPUs PARTICULARLY after they are tied to Nvidia class leading GPUs.

But where AMD will ultimately run out of runway AGAIN like they did after the Opteron/Athlon era is in the fact they have NO coherent software and/or compiler stack and NO coherent or even obvious or evident strategic vision for A.I. or ML apart from their GPUs and their purchase of Xilinx and their FPGAs.

3DNow! - Market rejected
Clustered Muti-threaded - Market Rejected
Fusion and HSA - Market Rejected
OpenCL- Market Rejected
ROCm - Market Rejected
Mantle - Market Rejected
Infinity Fabric - Market Rejected
Properly feature supported and marketed Consumer products - Market Rejected

The only thing that the Market has accepted are finely tuned, task specific server data gobblers at prices that can't be ignored. Just like the halcyon days of Athlons and Opterons.

And how long did that last ?

AMD had better enjoy the next 3 years. Because after Zen 4 it's all downhill if they do not come up with a diverse Heterogeneous hardware stack that includes discreet Neural Network Accelerators and Processors, Data Processor Units and Accelerators, as well as their newly acquired Xilinx FPGAs all lashed together with a coherent, integrated and composable software, development and compiler stack. And give EVERY University with a Computer Science Department worth mentioning free hardware and free development software to train and incolcate the next generation of AMD inspired engineers instead of giving that away to Intel and Nvidia.