[PATCH 0/1] x86/kexec: UKI support

[Jarkko Sakkinen]

On Tue Sep 12, 2023 at 1:54 AM EEST, Jan Hendrik Farr wrote:
> > What the heck is UKI?
>
> UKI (Unified Kernel Image) is the kernel image + initrd + cmdline (+
> some other optional stuff) all packaged up together as one EFI
> application.
>
> This EFI application can then be launched directly by the UEFI without
> the need for any additional stuff (or by systemd-boot). It's all self
> contained. One benefit is that this is a convenient way to distribute
> kernels all in one file. Another benefit is that the whole combination
> of kernel image, initrd, and cmdline can all be signed together so
> only that particular combination can be executed if you are using
> secure boot.

Is this also for generic purpose distributions? I mean it is not
uncommon having to tweak the command-line in a workstation.

> The format itself is rather simple. It's just a PE file (as required
> by the UEFI spec) that contains a small stub application in the .text,
> .data, etc sections that is responsible for invoking the contained
> kernel and initrd with the contained cmdline. The kernel image is
> placed into a .kernel section, the initrd into a .initrd section, and
> the cmdline into a .cmdline section in the PE executable.

How does this interact with the existing EFI stub support in linux?

> If we want to kexec a UKI we could obviously just have userspace pick
> it apart and kexec it like normal. However in lockdown mode this will
> only work if you sign the kernel image that is contained inside the
> UKI. The problem with that is that anybody can then grab that signed
> kernel and launch it with any initrd or cmdline. So instead this patch
> makes the kernel do the work instead. The kernel verifies the
> signature on the entire UKI and then passes its components on to the
> normal kexec bzimage loader.
>
> Useful Links:
> UKI format documentation: https://uapi-group.org/specifications/specs/unified_kernel_image/
> Arch wiki: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Unified_kernel_image
> Fedora UKI support: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/Unified_Kernel_Support_Phase_1

BR, Jarkko