[arch-releng] [RFC] [PATCH] [configs/releng] Make and use amd_ucode.bin for initrd.

Bryan L. Gay archlinux at bryangay.com
Sat Aug 25 02:24:36 UTC 2018


Well, fudge.

I see now that I needed to update GRUB so that it would put the microcode
in the kernel boot config:

grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

To now see:
initrd  /intel-ucode.img /amd-ucode.img /initramfs-linux.img

in the grub.cfg

Without this manual step, simply installing the amd-ucode doesn't take
effect. Duh.

Interesting part of dmesg output is now:

[    2.055382] microcode: microcode updated early to new
patch_level=0x0600063e
[    2.055412] microcode: CPU0: patch_level=0x0600063e
[    2.055420] microcode: CPU1: patch_level=0x0600063e
[    2.055428] microcode: CPU2: patch_level=0x0600063e
[    2.055435] microcode: CPU3: patch_level=0x0600063e
[    2.055443] microcode: CPU4: patch_level=0x0600063e
[    2.055451] microcode: CPU5: patch_level=0x0600063e
[    2.055456] microcode: CPU6: patch_level=0x0600063e
[    2.055462] microcode: CPU7: patch_level=0x0600063e
[    2.055503] microcode: Microcode Update Driver: v2.2.
[    2.422079] QUIRK: Enable AMD PLL fix

So, I guess that answers the question sought after.


On Fri, Aug 24, 2018 at 10:13 PM Bryan L. Gay <archlinux at bryangay.com>
wrote:

> I'd like to think I could do some verification since I'm on AMD... I'm new
> here, so help me along if there's something I've missed.
>
> I enabled the [testing] repo and installed:
> pacman -S testing/linux testing/amd-ucode testing/linux-firmware
>
> pacman -Q linux linux-firmware amd-ucode
> linux 4.18.5.arch1-1
> linux-firmware 20180821.1d17c18-2
> amd-ucode 20180821.1d17c18-2
>
> I did a mkinitcpio -p linux just in case, then rebooted.
>
> output of `dmesg | grep -ie code -ie amd` (with obvious fluff removed):
>
> [    0.000000]   AMD AuthenticAMD
> [    0.000000] random: get_random_u32 called from bsp_init_amd+0x1f9/0x290
> with crng_init=0
> [    0.000000] ACPI: SSDT 0x00000000BFDDFB10 001714 (v01 AMD    POWERNOW
> 00000001 AMD  00000001)
> [    0.000000] ACPI: IVRS 0x00000000BFDE12A0 0000E8 (v01 AMD    RD890S
>  00202031 AMD  00000000)
> [    0.025991] Spectre V2 : Mitigation: Full AMD retpoline
> [    0.036666] smpboot: CPU0: AMD FX(tm)-8120 Eight-Core Processor
> (family: 0x15, model: 0x1, stepping: 0x2)
> [    0.053345] Performance Events: Fam15h core perfctr, AMD PMU driver.
> [    1.950177] amd_uncore: AMD NB counters detected
> [    1.950462] perf: AMD IBS detected (0x000000ff)
> [    2.018364] microcode: CPU0: patch_level=0x0600063d
> [    2.018371] microcode: CPU1: patch_level=0x0600063d
> [    2.018379] microcode: CPU2: patch_level=0x0600063d
> [    2.018388] microcode: CPU3: patch_level=0x0600063d
> [    2.018396] microcode: CPU4: patch_level=0x0600063d
> [    2.018403] microcode: CPU5: patch_level=0x0600063d
> [    2.018410] microcode: CPU6: patch_level=0x0600063d
> [    2.018418] microcode: CPU7: patch_level=0x0600063d
> [    2.018457] microcode: Microcode Update Driver: v2.2.
> [    2.375803] QUIRK: Enable AMD PLL fix
> [    2.375865] ehci-pci 0000:00:12.2: applying AMD SB700/SB800/Hudson-2/3
> EHCI dummy qh workaround
> [    2.391345] ehci-pci 0000:00:13.2: applying AMD SB700/SB800/Hudson-2/3
> EHCI dummy qh workaround
> [    2.404862] ehci-pci 0000:00:16.2: applying AMD SB700/SB800/Hudson-2/3
> EHCI dummy qh workaround
> [    5.980964] microcode: CPU1: new patch_level=0x0600063e
> [    5.992588] microcode: CPU4: new patch_level=0x0600063e
> [    6.013367] microcode: CPU2: new patch_level=0x0600063e
> [    6.034148] microcode: CPU6: new patch_level=0x0600063e
> [    6.034221] x86/CPU: CPU features have changed after loading microcode,
> but might not take effect.
>
> Those microcode: lines at the end total 4, while I have an 8-core AMD
> FX-8120 - and the CPU numbers are usually different at each boot.
>
> Is there anything else I can do to assist?
>
> On Fri, Aug 24, 2018 at 5:10 PM Christian Hesse <list at eworm.de> wrote:
>
>> Gerardo Exequiel Pozzi via arch-releng <arch-releng at archlinux.org> on
>> Fri,
>> 2018/08/24 17:34:
>> > > And another note... Did anybody test if microcode is updated properly
>> if
>> > > both, intel-ucode.img and amd-ucode, are loaded?
>> > >
>> >
>> > At least one feedback from intel user [#2], fw is loaded fine.
>>
>> Well, intel ucode is loaded first, so that result is kind of expected.
>> Feedback from an amd user would be welcome.
>> --
>> main(a){char*c=/*    Schoene Gruesse                         */"B?IJj;MEH"
>> "CX:;",b;for(a/*    Best regards             my address:
>> */=0;b=c[a++];)
>> putchar(b-1/(/*    Chris            cc -ox -xc - && ./x
>> */b/42*2-3)*42);}
>>
>


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