diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'system/intel-microcode/README')
| -rw-r--r-- | system/intel-microcode/README | 45 |
1 files changed, 25 insertions, 20 deletions
diff --git a/system/intel-microcode/README b/system/intel-microcode/README index fef45f24af..9eb300f9c0 100644 --- a/system/intel-microcode/README +++ b/system/intel-microcode/README @@ -7,25 +7,30 @@ approach to getting this microcode update is via a BIOS upgrade, Intel realizes that this can be an administrative hassle. The Linux operating system and VMware ESX products have a mechanism to update the microcode after booting. -This SlackBuild repackages the official Intel microcode tarball, placing the -microcode.dat file under /lib/firmware/microcode.dat, which can be later -uploaded using microcode_ctl utility (available from SlackBuilds.org). +This SlackBuild repackages the official Intel microcode archive. + +The "microcode.dat" file is placed under /lib/firmware/microcode.dat and can be +later uploaded using microcode_ctl utility (available from SlackBuilds.org). +This approach (microcode.dat + microcode_ctl) is kept for compatibility reasons +and should be avoided whenever possible. * Use the solution described below. * If the iucode_tool (available from SlackBuilds.org) is installed on the system, -this SlackBuild writes the microcodes with the file names expected by the Linux -kernel firmware loader and places them under /lib/firmware/intel-ucode -directory. In that case, the correct microcode is uploaded when the Intel -microcode kernel's module is loaded. - -Please note that the method using the iucode_tool is preferred for multiple -reasons, one being the deprecation of the kernel's interface used by the -microcode_ctl utility. - -If you need to load the microcode early during the boot: -1) read https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/x86/early-microcode.txt -2) read the manual for iucode_tool, especially about --write-earlyfw option -3) make sure your kernel has the followings: - CONFIG_MICROCODE=y - CONFIG_MICROCODE_EARLY=y - CONFIG_MICROCODE_INTEL=y - CONFIG_MICROCODE_INTEL_EARLY=y +this SlackBuild will: + +1) write the microcodes with the file names as expected by the Linux kernel + firmware loader and place them under /lib/firmware/intel-ucode directory. + The correct microcode is uploaded when the Intel microcode kernel's module + is loaded. + +2) write the microcodes to an early initramfs archive: /boot/intel-ucode.cpio + This archive should be prepended to the regular initramfs to allow + the kernel to update processor microcode very early during system boot. + +To get started with early microcode loading, please have a look at: +1) https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/x86/early-microcode.txt +2) iucode_tool man page, especially about --write-earlyfw option. + +For example, on my system that uses syslinux, to load the microcode early +during the boot process, the configuration file reads something like that: + + INITRD /boot/intel-ucode.cpio,/boot/initrd-generic-4.4.x.gz |