linux-kernel - Re: x86/microcode update on systems without INITRD

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Date:	Fri, 8 Jan 2016 12:36:41 +0100
From:	Borislav Petkov <bp@...e.de>
To:	Måns Rullgård <mans@...sr.com>
Cc:	Thomas Voegtle <tv@...96.de>,
	Markus Trippelsdorf <markus@...ppelsdorf.de>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: x86/microcode update on systems without INITRD

On Fri, Jan 08, 2016 at 11:18:51AM +0000, Måns Rullgård wrote:
> Neither "depends on" nor "select" makes sense to me here.  The driver
> apparently works without it,

The driver works without it if you build your microcode into the kernel.

There are use cases where building microcode into the kernel is *not* a
viable option so we have to support both builtin microcode and microcode
from the initrd.

> and simply having BLK_DEV_INITRD enabled doesn't prevent improper
> (according to some people) use of the driver. If updating microcode
> is inherently unsafe when a real disk is mounted, the driver ought
> to detect this and refuse the operation (possibly with an override
> option).

Huh, what?

-ENOPARSE.

-- 
Regards/Gruss,
    Boris.

SUSE Linux GmbH, GF: Felix Imendörffer, Jane Smithard, Graham Norton, HRB 21284 (AG Nürnberg)
--