T42p TCPA Linux driver (fingerprint reader?)

[Master One]

I am actually thinking about purchasing a T42p (UC2F4GE / 2373-F4G).

The only real uncertainty may be about the embedded security features, which most likely will be of no use under Linux. I already searched for info about the fingerprint reader & Linux, but nothing came up except the Linux TCPA driver from the IBM site http://www.research.ibm.com/gsal/tcpa/
Not sure what that driver is supposed to do, and if anyone could get it to do something usefull. That driver is available for 2.6 kernels, but as I've seen, it's not in portage.

I would love to hear, that someone got the fingerprint reader to work with it.

Any comments are highly appreciated.

[whizkid]

I just scanned the white paper on that page. It talks about the TCPA chip, which appears to be about caching encryption keys and authentication tokens securely. There's no mention of the fingerprint reader, but it makes sense that it would apply to that system too.

[Master One]

I have not taken a closer look at that issue, but I assume it's not that easy. I assume you need a PAM module for using the fingerprint-reader as password replacement. I am not a coder, just a user, and I think it would be pretty useless for me, until someone comes up with a proper How-To for a ready-to-fit solution.

I wonder if someone is already working on it, to get the fingerprint-reader into action under Linux. It may not be a small number of people, already using such a notebook with fingerprint-reader, so a userbase should be out there interested in that matter.

[hkhalil]

I have a X31 with a Tensor fingerpint reader installed.

The TCPA driver enables the IBM Embeded Security Subsystem. which stores all sorts of things like digital cretificates, fingerprints, folder encryption keys etc.

Under Windows, when you press Ctrl+Alt+Del to log-on, you get a replacement IBM GINA log-on window that handles the authentication via the chip.

I have the same concerns re Linux as I would like to dual boot. Even though a TCPA driver is available; does anyone know if the security chip will work simultaneously under two different OSes?

Many thanks, HKhalil

[nicpottier]

Pretty sure the fingerprint reader is not yet supported on Linux.

I saw a thread go by on the Linux kernel that talked about this and nobody on there knew of any support yet, mostly due to not being able to get detailed enough specs from IBM.

So unless something has changed in the past month (possible, but unlikely) I would say the fingerprint reader will be a nice conversation piece, but nothing more when running Linux.

-Nic