AWS Nitro Secure Module Driver Going Upstream For Linux 6.8

[phoronix]

Phoronix: AWS Nitro Secure Module Driver Going Upstream For Linux 6.8

As part of AWS Nitro Enclaves, coming for the Linux 6.8 kernel in the new year is a Nitro Secure Module driver...

https://www.phoronix.com/news/AWS-Nitro-Secure-Linux-6.7

[timofonic]

What's this useful for outside Amazonverse? I guess it uses features from their own proprietary hypervisor.

[amxfonseca]

What's this useful for outside Amazonverse? I guess it uses features from their own proprietary hypervisor.

It is probably as useful as the remaining 99% of kernel driver code when used outside of their respective supported devices.

There are a lot of people and companies running their code on AWS, so having good kernel support is a positive thing.

[timofonic]

It is probably as useful as the remaining 99% of kernel driver code when used outside of their respective supported devices.

There are a lot of people and companies running their code on AWS, so having good kernel support is a positive thing.

Yes, depending on the cloud mafia is always a good thing. A twisted tivoization way

[spicfoo]

Yes, depending on the cloud mafia is always a good thing. A twisted tivoization way

That ship has sailed a decade back. Preventing drivers from getting merged upstream doesn’t change any of it

[timofonic]

That ship has sailed a decade back. Preventing drivers from getting merged upstream doesn’t change any of it

I understand we live in a dystopia, okay. But I refuse to like it.

[spicfoo]

I understand we live in a dystopia, okay. But I refuse to like it.

I get that but discouraging drivers from going upstream is going to make that black box even more proprietary. Linux has always been open to merging drivers for hardware that very few people have even seen. That's the right strategy since these drivers aren't enabled by any distribution kernel by default and costs nothing but pushing away vendors from merging drivers also pushes them away from contributing things like performance improvements everyone benefits from.