Gentoo Archives: gentoo-user

From: Marc Joliet <marcec@×××.de>
To: gentoo-user@l.g.o
Subject: Re: [gentoo-user] intel-microcode with systemd
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2017 23:55:26
Message-Id: 2012916.J5Po0IS2tL@thetick
In Reply to: [gentoo-user] intel-microcode with systemd by Mick
1 On Sunday 29 January 2017 13:51:39 Mick wrote:
2 > Hi All,
3 >
4 > I am trying out a systemd installation on a MackBook Pro and I am not sure
5 > the documentation on systemd + microcode is entirely correct. So, I read
6 > here:
7 >
8 > https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Intel_microcode#systemd
9 >
10 > that the "microcode loader is set as a module in the kernel configuration".
11 > However, my kernel configuration is not offering this option. Both 'CPU
12 > microcode loading support' and 'Intel microcode loading support' can only be
13 > set as built in elements. I am not using an initramfs (yet) so I wonder
14 > how I should go about this.
15
16 AIUI these days the microcode is supposed to be put in the initramfs and
17 loaded from there during early boot (I read this somewhere, but don't remember
18 where). Dracut takes care of this, e.g., the initramfs on my laptop contains
19 a microcode blob:
20
21 # lsinitrd /boot/initramfs-4.9.6-gentoo.img|grep -i micro
22 drwxr-xr-x 1 root root 0 Jan 27 01:14 kernel/x86/microcode
23 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 983040 Jan 27 01:14
24 kernel/x86/microcode/GenuineIntel.bin
25
26 The third journal entry on said laptop is then:
27
28 Jan 30 20:42:17 localhost kernel: microcode: microcode updated early to
29 revision 0x4, date = 2013-06-28
30
31 So it looks to me like the kernel loads it autonomously, and the reason to put
32 the file in the initramfs is for the microcode to get updated as early as
33 possible (before the kernel has to read from disk).
34
35 HTH
36 --
37 Marc Joliet
38 --
39 "People who think they know everything really annoy those of us who know we
40 don't" - Bjarne Stroustrup

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Replies

Subject Author
Re: [gentoo-user] intel-microcode with systemd Mick <michaelkintzios@×××××.com>
Re: [gentoo-user] intel-microcode with systemd Mick <michaelkintzios@×××××.com>