Re: Linux* Processor Microcode Data File

From: Andreas Herrmann <andreas.herrmann3@amd.com>
To: Sitsofe Wheeler <sitsofe@yahoo.com>
Cc: Gene Heskett <gene.heskett@verizon.net>,
	Arjan van de Ven <arjan@infradead.org>,
	Dragoslav Zaric <dragoslav.zaric.kd@gmail.com>,
	LKML <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>,
	tigran@aivazian.fsnet.co.uk
Subject: Re: Linux* Processor Microcode Data File
Date: Mon, 9 Mar 2009 18:57:46 +0100	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <20090309175746.GB20716@alberich.amd.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20090309162416.GC24213@silver.sucs.org>

On Mon, Mar 09, 2009 at 04:24:16PM +0000, Sitsofe Wheeler wrote:
> On Mon, Mar 09, 2009 at 11:58:22AM -0400, Gene Heskett wrote:
> > Mar  9 07:22:04 coyote kernel: [65725.855365] platform microcode: firmware: requesting amd-ucode/microcode_amd.bin

    ...

> > Mar 9 07:22:04 coyote kernel: [65725.863107] microcode: CPU3 patch
> > does not match (processor_rev_id: 1020, eqiv_cpu_id: 1022) is
> > printed.

This line should better be a debug message. There can be several
ucode-patches in amd-ucode/microcode_amd.bin. The kernel code checks
whether those patches match the CPU revision and if a patch doesn't
match, one such a line shows up. (which is ... obfuscating)

I'll fix this asap in mainline, but IMHO it's not worth to fix this in
.28.

> > Mar 9 07:22:04 coyote kernel: [65725.863120] microcode: CPU3
> > updated from revision 0x1000065 to 0x1000083

Finally CPU microcode was updated as this message is indicating.

Regards,
Andreas

PS: You can check the microcode patch level of your AMD family 10h and
    11h CPU by reading MSR 0x0000008b. E.g. using lsmsr from x86info
    package shows

    # lsmsr -r 0x0000008b -c 0
    PATCH_LEVEL = 0x0000000001000065

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