37 lines
1.8 KiB
Plaintext
37 lines
1.8 KiB
Plaintext
Linux Processor Microcode Data File
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The microcode data file contains the latest microcode definitions for all Intel
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processors. Intel releases microcode updates to correct processor behavior as
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documented in the respective processor specification updates. While the regular
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approach to getting this microcode update is via a BIOS upgrade, Intel realizes
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that this can be an administrative hassle. The Linux operating system and VMware
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ESX products have a mechanism to update the microcode after booting.
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This SlackBuild repackages the official Intel microcode archive.
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The "microcode.dat" file is placed under /lib/firmware/microcode.dat and can be
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later uploaded using microcode_ctl utility (available from SlackBuilds.org).
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This approach (microcode.dat + microcode_ctl) is kept for compatibility reasons
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and should be avoided whenever possible. * Use the solution described below. *
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If the iucode_tool (available from SlackBuilds.org) is installed on the system,
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this SlackBuild will:
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1) write the microcodes with the file names as expected by the Linux kernel
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firmware loader and place them under /lib/firmware/intel-ucode directory.
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The correct microcode is uploaded when the Intel microcode kernel's module
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is loaded.
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2) write the microcodes to an early initramfs archive: /boot/intel-ucode.cpio
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This archive should be prepended to the regular initramfs to allow
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the kernel to update processor microcode very early during system boot.
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To get started with early microcode loading, please have a look at:
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1) https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/x86/early-microcode.txt
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2) iucode_tool man page, especially about --write-earlyfw option.
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For example, on my system that uses syslinux, to load the microcode early
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during the boot process, the configuration file reads something like that:
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INITRD /boot/intel-ucode.cpio,/boot/initrd-generic-4.4.x.gz
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