Linux 5.8's Multi-Queue Block Code Plumbed To Support Inline Encryption

For a number of months now various Google engineers have been working on inline encryption support for FSCRYPT in order to offer better encryption performance on modern SoCs. That FSCRYPT side work is coming together and now also queued up for Linux 5.8 is plumbing inline encryption into blk-mq.

The multi-queue block code (blk-mq) now has support for inline encryption in being able to communicate the encryption context down the stack.

This inline encryption plumbing for blk-mq was queued into the kernel's block code ahead of the Linux 5.8 cycle opening up next month.

It's looking like the FSCRYPT support allowing inline encryption for the likes of EXT4 and F2FS could also be ready for introduction in Linux 5.8. Besides needing a SoC capable of inline encryption, the inlinecrypt mount option also needs to be passed for enabling the functionality.