VirtIO-FS File-System Driver Being Added For Linux 5.4

[phoronix]

Phoronix: VirtIO-FS File-System Driver Being Added For Linux 5.4

In addition to the initial exFAT driver landing for Linux 5.4, also slated to land for this next kernel cycle is the VirtIO-FS file-system driver...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=VirtIO-FS-Linux-5.4-File-System

[oleid]

It's using the fuse protocol, however, it's not a fuse file system.

[c117152]

Sure it's faster. Since it's directly sharing memory between the host and the client. So much for isolation...

[bitman]

No windows support again?

[intelfx]

Sure it's faster. Since it's directly sharing memory between the host and the client. So much for isolation...

That's virtio. It's explicitly designed this way.

Also, what's wrong with sharing memory between the host and the client?

[c117152]

That's virtio. It's explicitly designed this way.

Also, what's wrong with sharing memory between the host and the client?

isolation of the VM for security. Many customers don't fully trust their host providers and encrypt their instances.

[intelfx]

isolation of the VM for security.

How does virtio conflict with this goal? Barring bugs in virtio (because there can be bugs in any driver, virtio drivers are even less likely to have bugs due to virtio being drastically simpler than any emulated hardware)?

Many customers don't fully trust their host providers and encrypt their instances

Assuming there really are people who encrypt everything, including memory, and use hardware features like secure enclaves to store encryption keys... If you don't trust your host and want to have nothing to do with it, then you really have no point in using virtio-fs in the first place, don't you?