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Date:      Mon, 01 Apr 2002 15:05:02 -0800
From:      Terry Lambert <tlambert2@mindspring.com>
To:        Michael Smith <msmith@freebsd.org>
Cc:        Dmitry Konyshev <daemon@agava.com>, freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: finding out boot device
Message-ID:  <3CA8E79E.51DF359D@mindspring.com>
References:  <200204011857.g31Iv0g01534@mass.dis.org>

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Michael Smith wrote:
> > One way to obtain this information is to write a program
> > that uses vm86() calls to read the first N sectors of a
> > BIOS disk, then read the same area using the protected mode
> > drivers.  When you get a unique MD5 hash match between the
> > BIOS and the boot device, you're there.
> 
> This won't work, since we'll have spammed the device state by then.
> You'd have to compute the fingerprints in the loader before booting.

Yep.

It's worse than that, because it means identical disks need
to be differentiated some other way, besides just upping the
MD5 region until it covers the whole disks (e.g. writing to
them).

This is how Windows converts open file handles in TSRs into
VFAT32 file handles, BTW.  Of course, now everyone knows
where it was invented, it will be an unacceptable approach...
;^).

-- Terry

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