linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] x86, CPU, AMD: Add workaround for family 16h, erratum 793

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Message-ID: <20140117101842.GB8715@pd.tnic>
Date:	Fri, 17 Jan 2014 11:18:42 +0100
From:	Borislav Petkov <bp@...en8.de>
To:	Henrique de Moraes Holschuh <hmh@....eng.br>
Cc:	Aravind Gopalakrishnan <aravind.gopalakrishnan@....com>,
	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>, X86 ML <x86@...nel.org>,
	LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>, Kim Naru <kim.naru@....com>,
	Sherry Hurwitz <sherry.hurwitz@....com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] x86, CPU, AMD: Add workaround for family 16h, erratum 793

On Thu, Jan 16, 2014 at 10:21:24PM -0200, Henrique de Moraes Holschuh wrote:
> On Thu, 16 Jan 2014, Aravind Gopalakrishnan wrote:
> > We might want to still have a software fix for this just in case
> > someone uses older BIOSes..
> 
> There is no "just in case" when it comes to someone using outdated firmware.
> It is a *given*, except for hardware that is only used in HPC and multiple
> (> 2) socket servers/workstations (which might be the case here, I don't
> know what processors we're talking about).
> 
> The vast majority of PC users will never update their firmware, unless the
> update is automatically offered to them, and sometimes not even in that
> case.

We also cannot carry *every* erratum workaround in the kernel just
because people don't update firmware. Firmware is becoming ubiquitous,
sadly, and because of that, admins should provision for firmware
upgrades too.

Besides, *even* if we put *all* errata fixes in the kernel, you'd need
to update it anyway and reboot. In this case, you can just as well
update your firmware instead, which involves that same reboot.

-- 
Regards/Gruss,
    Boris.

Sent from a fat crate under my desk. Formatting is fine.
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