Re: [RFC] Small PCI core patch

[Avi Kivity]

Jeff Garzik wrote:

> On Tue, Nov 22, 2005 at 05:46:41PM +0200, Avi Kivity wrote:
>  
>
> > 4) Write a translation layer (for xorg or the kernel) that can load 
> > Windows drivers. Use binary translation for non-x86. Hope the APIs are 
> > not patented.
> >    
>
> Give up all hope of ever diagnosing or fixing a crash.
>
> Welcome to Windows instability, circa 1995.
>
>  
You exaggerate. Windows drivers work well enough in Windows (or so I 
presume). One just has to implement the environment these drivers 
expect, very carefully.

For the untrusting, options do remain:

- run the driver in userspace (if it's a xorg driver, in a separate 
process) so that all outputs can be validated
- use binary translation even on x86 and validate all memory and I/O 
accesses (like valgrind, but hopefully faster)

It's still possible for the driver to dma stuff where it shouldn't. 
Maybe IOMMU games (where available) can help. But I seriously doubt it 
will be that bad.

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