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Bug#390994: Interesting discoveries in e100 microcode!



* D102_E_RCVBUNDLE_UCODE is identical in OpenBSD and Linux.
* D101M_B_RCVBUNDLE_UCODE is not.  OpenBSD contains version 2.10.
Linux 2.6.17 contains an unknown version. The differing sequence is near the
end:

0x00041000, 0x00010004, 0x003806A8 in Linux
0x00041000, 0x003806A8 in BSD

Looks like an extra opcode.  

* D101S_RCVBUNDLE_UCODE is not.  OpenBSD contains version 1.20; Linux
2.6.17 contains an unknown version.  There are two differences this time.

A one-bit difference:
0x000C0001, 0x00101213, 0x00260FF8, 0x00041000, 0x00010004 in BSD
0x000C0001, 0x00101213, 0x00260FF7, 0x00041000, 0x00010004 in Linux

And another difference later:
0x003805A7, 0x00000000, 0x00000000, 0x00000000, 0x00000000, \
0x00000000, 0x00000000, 0x00000000, 0x00000000, 0x00000000, \
0x00130831, 0x0010090B, 0x00124813, 0x000CFF80, 0x00260703, \
0x00041000, 0x00380700, 0x00000000,  in BSD

0x003805A7, 0x00000000, 0x00000000, 0x00000000, 0x00000000, \
0x00000000, 0x00000000, 0x00000000, 0x00000000, \
0x00130831, 0x0010090B, 0x00124813, 0x000CFF80, 0x00260703, \
0x00041000, 0x00010004, 0x00380700  in Linux

Notice that the sequence is moved back one byte in Linux, and the 0x0010004
is inserted (as in M_B).  There should be a trailing zero word in Linux; this 
is clearly a bug in the Linux driver, which currently writes a garbage byte 
to the hardware instead!

If we had source, we would know what these changes meant.  As it is, we don't 
know what they mean, but legally we cannot distribute them unless they are 
considered insignificant to copyright.  Now, it's likely that they *are* 
insignificant-- they're *tiny*.

The e100 firmware in the BSDs originates from a Linux e100 driver release from 
Intel, but a very old one (the 1.x series) which Intel is no longer 
distributing.

--
Nathanael Nerode  <neroden@fastmail.fm>

Bush admitted to violating FISA and said he was proud of it.
So why isn't he in prison yet?...

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