linux-kernel - Re: Intel Microcode loader, tg3 driver, and the -rc8-mmotd New World Order firmware...

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Date:	Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:24:34 +0200
From:	"Giacomo A. Catenazzi" <cate@...ian.org>
To:	Tigran Aivazian <tigran@...azian.fsnet.co.uk>
CC:	Valdis.Kletnieks@...edu, Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	David Woodhouse <dwmw2@...radead.org>,
	Arjan van de Ven <arjan@...radead.org>,
	"Selbak, Rolla N" <rolla.n.selbak@...el.com>,
	Shaohua Li <shaohua.li@...el.com>
Subject: Re: Intel Microcode loader, tg3 driver, and the -rc8-mmotd New World
 Order firmware...

[ Added Arjan and the relevant Intel contact]

Tigran Aivazian wrote:
> On Thu, 3 Jul 2008 Valdis.Kletnieks@...edu wrote:
> 
>> On Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:17:16 BST, Tigran Aivazian said:
>>> Hi Valdis,
>>>
>>> On Wed, 2 Jul 2008 Valdis.Kletnieks@...edu wrote:
>>>
>>>> I built the -rc8-mmotd kernel, and built it with 
>>>> 'CONFIG_FIRMWARE_IN_KERNEL
>> =n'.
>>>> Lo and behold, the microcode.ko was now doing a request_firmware for
>>>> 'intel-ucode/06-0f-06' (which makes sense, the Core2 Duo in this 
>>>> laptop is
>>>> family 6, model 15, stepping 6).  However, what I had in 
>>>> /lib/firmware was
>>>> the Intel-distributed 'microcode.dat' with updates for all the CPUs 
>>>> (which
>>>> used to work in times past).
>>>>
>>>> What's the magic incantation to take the microcode.dat and create 
>>>> something
>>>> that the firmware driver is willing to use, or is this all borked up 
>>>> and
>>>> I need to do a major rethink or fix my config?
>>>
>>> that's because it expects the Intel-supplied microcode data and you are
>>> using the old style microcode.dat data.
>>
>> I fed it the stuff I downloaded today from this URL:
>>
>> http://downloadcenter.intel.com/filter_results.aspx?strTypes=all&ProductID=2643&OSFullName=Linux*&lang=eng&strOSs=39&submit=Go! 
>>
>>
>> which gets me a microcode-20080401.dat that does the same thing.  Is 
>> there
>> some *other* Intel-supplied microcode data I should be getting instead?
> 
> Oh, sorry, I assumed that Intel distribute the data in the format that 
> driver expects.

There are two format of Intel CPU microcode and two methods to load it.
- old: the microcodes are in a big file, which include multiple
   microcodes (for multiple CPU).  The driver require a char device
   and a user space loader ("microcode_ctl")
- new: one microcode per file, using the 'request_firmware'
   infrastructure. No user space support needed.

Actually Intel provides only the old methods.
There was talks with Arjan and Intel about the distribution format
for the new methods. But I don't have any new.
I think that when the new format is fully specified (directory
structure, tar, gzip,...) Intel will distribute the microcodes
in the new form.

ciao
	cate

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