[LinuxBIOS] is linuxbios installable on a VAIO VGN-AR21SR?

[LOU Ludovic]

Hello everyone i hope i don't annoy you.

I own a vaio VGN-AR21SR

click or copy link to see spec

http://www.vaio-link.com/specifications/specifications.asp?site=voe_en_gb_co...

and i would like to install linuxbios is it compatible? will it erase BIOS 
config and password?.

thank you and have a nice day.

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[Peter Stuge]

On Mon, Aug 13, 2007 at 01:48:07AM +0000, LOU Ludovic wrote:
> Hello everyone i hope i don't annoy you.

No worries.
> I own a vaio VGN-AR21SR
>
> click or copy link to see spec
>
> http://www.vaio-link.com/specifications/specifications.asp?site=voe_en_gb_co...
>
> and i would like to install linuxbios is it compatible?

Unfortunately LB does not have support for any laptops yet.
> will it erase BIOS config and password?.

Yes, if the system was supported and you replaced the factory BIOS
with LB there would be nothing left.

Note that some laptop hard drives have password protection. LB does
not currently offer any way to enter the password for such drives,
but it will be simple enough to add that once there is support for
the laptop itself.

//Peter

[Uwe Hermann]

On Mon, Aug 13, 2007 at 03:56:37AM +0200, Peter Stuge wrote:
> > will it erase BIOS config and password?.
>
> Yes, if the system was supported and you replaced the factory BIOS
> with LB there would be nothing left.
>
> Note that some laptop hard drives have password protection. LB does
> not currently offer any way to enter the password for such drives,
> but it will be simple enough to add that once there is support for
> the laptop itself.

I think he was talking about the "BIOS password" option, not a hard drive
password. However, that's an interesting question, too. Is there public
documentation about this type of hard drive password mechanism?
Can we easily implement such a feature?

Uwe.

[LinuxBIOS] Hard drive passwords

[Peter Stuge]

On Tue, Aug 14, 2007 at 02:12:28PM +0200, Uwe Hermann wrote:
> > Note that some laptop hard drives have password protection. LB does
> > not currently offer any way to enter the password for such drives,
> > but it will be simple enough to add that once there is support for
> > the laptop itself.
>
> I think he was talking about the "BIOS password" option, not a hard
> drive password. However, that's an interesting question, too. Is
> there public documentation about this type of hard drive password
> mechanism?

Yes, it's part of ATA-6 or so.
> Can we easily implement such a feature?

It's pretty easy to implement. Commands should be sent blind to the
hard drive, to unlock it, only then will it actually start responding
on the bus. Usually you get three tries, before the drive starts
ignoring you completely until power down.

//Peter

[LinuxBIOS] Hard drive passwords

[Quux]

there is also the issue, that unless BIOS disables the feature, a virus 
can lock up a modern hard drive for good at run time. this was reported 
on c't security some time ago.
There were no known legacy BIOSes aware of this vulnerability at the 
time (~2005).    --Q

Peter Stuge schrieb:
> > > Note that some laptop hard drives have password protection. LB does

[LinuxBIOS] Hard drive passwords

[Peter Stuge]

On Tue, Aug 14, 2007 at 04:07:28PM +0200, Quux wrote:
> there is also the issue, that unless BIOS disables the feature, a virus 
> can lock up a modern hard drive for good at run time. this was reported 
> on c't security some time ago.

Hah. :p

Well, not for good? It wouldn't be too difficult to make a brute
force thingy that tests a few passwords then resets power, then
continues.

I don't believe the drive ever locks up completely, regardless of the
number of tries.
> There were no known legacy BIOSes aware of this vulnerability at
> the time (~2005).    --Q

LB 1 - legacy 0

//Peter