linux-kernel - Re: [ RFC, PATCH - 1/2, v2 ] x86-microcode: refactor microcode output messages

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Date:	Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:54:22 +0100
From:	Dmitry Adamushko <dmitry.adamushko@...il.com>
To:	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>
Cc:	Andreas Herrmann <herrmann.der.user@...glemail.com>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>,
	Mike Travis <travis@....com>,
	Tigran Aivazian <tigran@...azian.fsnet.co.uk>,
	Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
	Borislav Petkov <borislav.petkov@....com>,
	Andreas Mohr <andi@...as.de>, Jack Steiner <steiner@....com>
Subject: Re: [ RFC, PATCH - 1/2, v2 ] x86-microcode: refactor microcode output 
	messages

2009/11/12 Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>:
>
> -tip testing found the following bug - there's a _long_ boot delay of
> 58.6 seconds if the CPU family is not supported:
>
> [    1.421761] calling  microcode_init+0x0/0x137 @ 1
> [    1.426532] platform microcode: firmware: requesting amd-ucode/microcode_amd.bin
> [   61.433126] microcode: failed to load file amd-ucode/microcode_amd.bin
> [   61.439682] microcode: CPU0: AMD CPU family 0xf not supported
> [   61.445441] microcode: CPU1: AMD CPU family 0xf not supported
> [   61.451273] Microcode Update Driver: v2.00 <tigran@...azian.fsnet.co.uk>, Peter Oruba
> [   61.459116] initcall microcode_init+0x0/0x137 returned 0 after 58625622 usecs
>
> Where does this delay come from?

My guess is that it's comming from

static int loading_timeout = 60;        /* In seconds */

drivers/base/firmware_class.c

given that you seem to have MICROCODE build in kernel, so this patch
http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/x86/linux-2.6-tip.git;a=commit;h=d1c84f79a6ba992dc01e312c44a21496303874d6

will result in sending a request for a firmware image to user-space
(unless that firmware image is also built-in into the kernel) and
user-space has not started yet.

If so, copying the following block from microcode_cpu_init() into
init_microcode_amd() will help.

/* Trigger a delayed update? */
if (system_state != SYSTEM_RUNNING)
        return UCODE_NFOUND;


>
>        Ingo
>

-- Dmitry
--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@...r.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at  http://www.tux.org/lkml/