Yet Another Microcode Question.

89c51 · 2014-10-29 14:58:33

I run a bootloaderless setup (EFISTUB) with systemd services updating mount points as described here > https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/EF … ng_systemd

When i installed the intel-ucode package the .img file was copied to boot.

So the question is how do i handle the ucode updates??

Do i just add something like ExecStart=/usr/bin/cp -f /boot/intel-ucode.img $esp/EFI/arch/intel-ucode.img in the service so it will be copied after each kernel update.

Or i have to handle it another way in case ucode updates are not done in parallel with the kernel?

karol · 2014-10-29 18:05:35

I'm not sure I understand. A new version of this package should also be copied to boot. Why do you want to update it after a kernel update?

89c51 · 2014-10-29 18:15:30

Because with my bootloader you have to read intel-ucode.img from /EFI/arch. It didn't work when trying to load it from /boot.

If ucode is updated with each kernel i can copy it along the other files. If it is updated on different times i have to do it another way. (with a systemd service maybe???).

ewaller · 2014-10-29 18:57:24

Boy, you are out in the scary corners of the flight envelope.

I don't use EFI, so this is a complete WAG (1):
# efibootmgr -d /dev/sdX -p Y -c -L "Arch Linux" -l /vmlinuz-linux -u "root=/dev/sdaY rw initrd=\"/intel-ucode.img /initramfs-linux.img\""

YYMV.

(1) Wild Ass Guess

89c51 · 2014-10-29 19:05:45

ewaller wrote:

Boy, you are out in the scary corners of the flight envelope.
I don't use EFI, so this is a complete WAG (1):
# efibootmgr -d /dev/sdX -p Y -c -L "Arch Linux" -l /vmlinuz-linux -u "root=/dev/sdaY rw initrd=\"/intel-ucode.img /initramfs-linux.img\""
YYMV.
(1) Wild Ass Guess

It is not what i am asking. The scary parts (looks worst than what you posted) are already done. My boot works already.

The handling of the ucode update is what i am asking about.

Last edited by 89c51 (2014-10-29 19:06:04)

ewaller · 2014-10-29 19:11:47

Thought the problem was that you could not apply the cpu microcode to the CPUs. Are you able to apply the microcode at all?
I ask, because, at least in GRUB, you need two RAM disk images that get passed to the kernel loaded at boot. The wiki showed how to set up one.

Is the question then, how to migrate the microcode back to the EFI directory automatically? I guess I am a bit lost.

89c51 · 2014-10-29 19:27:58

Microcode applies just fine as it seems

journalctl -k| grep  microcode
Oct 29 17:25:16 mainland kernel: CPU0 microcode updated early to revision 0x1b, date = 2014-05-29
Oct 29 17:25:16 mainland kernel: CPU1 microcode updated early to revision 0x1b, date = 2014-05-29
Oct 29 17:25:16 mainland kernel: CPU2 microcode updated early to revision 0x1b, date = 2014-05-29
Oct 29 17:25:16 mainland kernel: CPU3 microcode updated early to revision 0x1b, date = 2014-05-29
Oct 29 17:25:16 mainland kernel: microcode: CPU0 sig=0x306a9, pf=0x2, revision=0x1b
Oct 29 17:25:16 mainland kernel: microcode: CPU1 sig=0x306a9, pf=0x2, revision=0x1b
Oct 29 17:25:16 mainland kernel: microcode: CPU2 sig=0x306a9, pf=0x2, revision=0x1b
Oct 29 17:25:16 mainland kernel: microcode: CPU3 sig=0x306a9, pf=0x2, revision=0x1b
Oct 29 17:25:16 mainland kernel: microcode: CPU4 sig=0x306a9, pf=0x2, revision=0x1b
Oct 29 17:25:16 mainland kernel: microcode: CPU5 sig=0x306a9, pf=0x2, revision=0x1b
Oct 29 17:25:16 mainland kernel: microcode: CPU6 sig=0x306a9, pf=0x2, revision=0x1b
Oct 29 17:25:16 mainland kernel: microcode: CPU7 sig=0x306a9, pf=0x2, revision=0x1b
Oct 29 17:25:16 mainland kernel: microcode: Microcode Update Driver: v2.00 <tigran@aivazian.fsnet.co.uk>, Peter Oruba

And yes the question is exactly this. How to handle the copying of intel-ucode.img from /boot to /EFI/arch.

If the ucode updates with every kernel i can just stuff it in my systemd service. If not i can just create another service that will handle only that. I don't want to do it manually.

ewaller · 2014-10-29 19:38:37

Yep, I misunderstood. Sorry about that.

WorMzy · 2014-10-29 19:53:35

Rather than after every kernel update, copy it after every intel-ucode update.

graysky · 2014-10-29 19:59:04

89c51 wrote:

If the ucode updates with every kernel i can just stuff it in my systemd service. If not i can just create another service that will handle only that. I don't want to do it manually.

Perhaps store the md5sum of /boot/intel-ucode.img in a file and check against it for the replacement. See the code for modprobed-db which does just that for a modules database. Your implementation would be a single file and much more simplistic. Or maybe you could parse pacman.log and only run the check on a grep hit for the package name. You have many options.

Last edited by graysky (2014-10-29 19:59:53)

89c51 · 2014-10-29 20:09:36

Sooooo. I was thinking something like:

Create /etc/systemd/system/ucode-update.path

with

[Unit]
Description=Copy Intel Microcode to UEFISYS Partition

[Path]
PathChanged=/boot/intel-ucode.img

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

in it.

Then create /etc/systemd/system/ucode-update.service

with:

[Unit]
Description=Copy Intel Microcode to UEFISYS Partition

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/usr/bin/cp -f /boot/intel-ucode.img /boot/efi/EFI/arch/intel-ucode.img

then

systemctl enable ucode-update.path

Will this work?

Last edited by 89c51 (2014-10-29 20:10:15)

graysky · 2014-10-29 20:13:42

Never heard of .path files before. Why not try it and see with a dummy file.

EDIT: is your $esp always mounted?

Last edited by graysky (2014-10-29 20:14:07)

89c51 · 2014-10-29 20:19:12

Something like the above works flawlessly for the last two years i set up the PC.

@graysky i suspect yes it's always mounted (or at least nothing failed thus far with a similar configuration for the initramfs)

jean_no · 2014-10-30 17:57:53

Hi

I can confirm to you that these services work because that's how I practice with rEFInd.

intel_ucode_update.path

[Unit]
Description=Check update Microde intel-ucode

[Path]
PathChanged=/boot/intel-ucode.img

Unit=intel_ucode_update.service

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

intel_ucode_update.service

[Unit]
Description=Copy Microcode intel-ucode to UEFISYS Partition

[Service]
Type=oneshot

ExecStart=/usr/bin/cp -f /boot/intel-ucode.img /boot/efi/EFI/arch_1/intel-ucode.img
ExecStart=/usr/bin/cp -f /boot/intel-ucode.img /boot/efi/EFI/arch_1_ck/intel-ucode.img

$ cat /proc/cmdline

\EFI\arch_1_ck\vmlinuz-arch_1_ck.efi root=PARTUUID=665fca39-0246-467e-b74d-dadde7036567 rootfstype=ext4 rw add_efi_memmap systemd.unit=graphical.target elevator=bfq quiet initrd=EFI/arch_1_ck/intel-ucode.img initrd=EFI/arch_1_ck/initramfs-arch_1_ck.img

A+

Arch Linux

#1 2014-10-29 14:58:33

Yet Another Microcode Question.

#2 2014-10-29 18:05:35

Re: Yet Another Microcode Question.

#3 2014-10-29 18:15:30

Re: Yet Another Microcode Question.

#4 2014-10-29 18:57:24

Re: Yet Another Microcode Question.

#5 2014-10-29 19:05:45

Re: Yet Another Microcode Question.

#6 2014-10-29 19:11:47

Re: Yet Another Microcode Question.

#7 2014-10-29 19:27:58

Re: Yet Another Microcode Question.

#8 2014-10-29 19:38:37

Re: Yet Another Microcode Question.

#9 2014-10-29 19:53:35

Re: Yet Another Microcode Question.

#10 2014-10-29 19:59:04

Re: Yet Another Microcode Question.

#11 2014-10-29 20:09:36

Re: Yet Another Microcode Question.

#12 2014-10-29 20:13:42

Re: Yet Another Microcode Question.

#13 2014-10-29 20:19:12

Re: Yet Another Microcode Question.

#14 2014-10-30 17:57:53

Re: Yet Another Microcode Question.

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