[PATCH v4 0/7] nvme-tcp: Support receiving KeyUpdate requests

[Alistair Francis]

On Tue, Oct 21, 2025 at 3:46 AM Hannes Reinecke <hare at suse.de> wrote:
>
> On 10/17/25 06:23, alistair23 at gmail.com wrote:
> > From: Alistair Francis <alistair.francis at wdc.com>
> >
> > The TLS 1.3 specification allows the TLS client or server to send a
> > KeyUpdate. This is generally used when the sequence is about to
> > overflow or after a certain amount of bytes have been encrypted.
> >
> > The TLS spec doesn't mandate the conditions though, so a KeyUpdate
> > can be sent by the TLS client or server at any time. This includes
> > when running NVMe-OF over a TLS 1.3 connection.
> >
> > As such Linux should be able to handle a KeyUpdate event, as the
> > other NVMe side could initiate a KeyUpdate.
> >
> > Upcoming WD NVMe-TCP hardware controllers implement TLS support
> > and send KeyUpdate requests.
> >
> > This series builds on top of the existing TLS EKEYEXPIRED work,
> > which already detects a KeyUpdate request. We can now pass that
> > information up to the NVMe layer (target and host) and then pass
> > it up to userspace.
> >
> > Userspace (ktls-utils) will need to save the connection state
> > in the keyring during the initial handshake. The kernel then
> > provides the key serial back to userspace when handling a
> > KeyUpdate. Userspace can use this to restore the connection
> > information and then update the keys, this final process
> > is similar to the initial handshake.
> >
>
> I am rather sceptical at the current tlshd implementation.
> At which place do you update the sending keys?

The sending keys are updated as part of gnutls_session_key_update().

gnutls_session_key_update() calls update_sending_key() which updates
the sending keys.

The idea is that when the sequence number is about to overflow the
kernel will request userspace to update the sending keys via the
HANDSHAKE_KEY_UPDATE_TYPE_SEND key_update_type. Userspace updates the
keys and initiates a KeyUpdate.

> I'm only seeing a call to 'gnutls_handhake_update_receiving_key()'.
>
> But I haven't found the matching function
> 'gnutls_handshake_update_sending_key()' in current gnutls.
> So how does updating of the sending keys work?

gnutls_session_key_update() calls update_sending_key() which updates
the sending keys.

When updating the sending keys we want to send a KeyUpdate request,
which is why it's a different flow.

Alistair

>
> Cheers,
>
> Hannes
> --
> Dr. Hannes Reinecke                  Kernel Storage Architect
> hare at suse.de                                +49 911 74053 688
> SUSE Software Solutions GmbH, Frankenstr. 146, 90461 Nürnberg
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