Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S275387AbTHGO74 (ORCPT ); Thu, 7 Aug 2003 10:59:56 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S275378AbTHGO57 (ORCPT ); Thu, 7 Aug 2003 10:57:59 -0400 Received: from pc1-cwma1-5-cust4.swan.cable.ntl.com ([80.5.120.4]:38275 "EHLO lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S275343AbTHGO47 (ORCPT ); Thu, 7 Aug 2003 10:56:59 -0400 Subject: Re: Loading Pentium III microcode under Linux - catch 22! From: Alan Cox To: Chris Rankin Cc: tigran@veritas.com, Linux Kernel Mailing List In-Reply-To: <20030807143831.73389.qmail@web40603.mail.yahoo.com> References: <20030807143831.73389.qmail@web40603.mail.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Organization: Message-Id: <1060267992.3168.70.camel@dhcp22.swansea.linux.org.uk> Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Ximian Evolution 1.2.2 (1.2.2-5) Date: 07 Aug 2003 15:53:13 +0100 Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1465 Lines: 41 On Iau, 2003-08-07 at 15:38, Chris Rankin wrote: > July 2000, and my current BIOS just doesn't have any > microcode for them. Without the update, I used to come > back at the end of the day, switch on the KVM and be > unable to use the keyboard and mouse. Sounds believable > Anyway, I wasn't aware that Intel had released a > changelist for their microcode updates. Goodness knows > what bugs they're fixing. Generally speaking its the ones that end "Can be worked around by the BIOS" in the big list of errata. Some of those are however other things like setting timing registers or turning off features via semi-secret mtrr registers > memory), and CPU malfunction is the leading candidate > explanation. I have already replaced the 300W PSU with > a 400W one and tested the memory. Ok > Yes, that's the "catch-22" bit. I was originally > thinking about either a bootstrapping floppy disk, or > maybe hacking some code into the boot-up sequence > itself. > > > it can load it very early after that from initrd. > > OK, I'll look into that. Looking at it you can do it in initrd fine, or you can do it as the first thing you do once the real root fs is mounted from init's scripts (/etc/rc.sysinit normally) - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/