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

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Message-ID: <yw1x4mejx3le.fsf@unicorn.mansr.com>
Date:	Mon, 11 Jan 2016 20:29:01 +0000
From:	Måns Rullgård <mans@...sr.com>
To:	Borislav Petkov <bp@...e.de>
Cc:	Michal Marek <mmarek@...e.cz>,
	Markus Trippelsdorf <markus@...ppelsdorf.de>,
	Thomas Voegtle <tv@...96.de>, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: x86/microcode update on systems without INITRD

Borislav Petkov <bp@...e.de> writes:

> On Fri, Jan 08, 2016 at 03:48:37PM +0100, Michal Marek wrote:
>> The comments are printed during make oldconfig if a symbol in the
>> current menu needs updating. Which is probably not the case here, both
>> MICROCODE and BLK_DEV_INITRD are existing symbols.
>
> Right, and the problem is that "make oldconfig" sees that BLK_DEV_INITRD
> is not enabled in that case and disables CONFIG_MICROCODE too. So by the time
> the comment gets evaluated, CONFIG_MICROCODE is off so no workie.
>
> I tried a different thing, see below. It is a bit lengthly but it does
> what it should and we can always extend it for other stuff later as it
> might turn useful, according to my suspicion :-)
>
> With Thomas' config it says:
>
> $ make oldconfig
> You have CONFIG_MICROCODE enabled without BLK_DEV_INITRD. Enable
> it and make sure microcode is added to your initrd as explained in
> Documentation/x86/early-microcode.txt
>
> scripts/kconfig/Makefile:85: recipe for target 'oldconfig' failed
> make[1]: *** [oldconfig] Error 1
> Makefile:531: recipe for target 'oldconfig' failed
> make: *** [oldconfig] Error 2

But this is wrong.  Microcode update doesn't need initrd.

-- 
Måns Rullgård