Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1756641AbYGCMKq (ORCPT ); Thu, 3 Jul 2008 08:10:46 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1755873AbYGCMKf (ORCPT ); Thu, 3 Jul 2008 08:10:35 -0400 Received: from xsmtp1.ethz.ch ([82.130.70.13]:23448 "EHLO xsmtp1.ethz.ch" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1752264AbYGCMKe (ORCPT ); Thu, 3 Jul 2008 08:10:34 -0400 X-Greylist: delayed 964 seconds by postgrey-1.27 at vger.kernel.org; Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:10:34 EDT Message-ID: <486C9AD2.6020604@debian.org> Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:24:34 +0200 From: "Giacomo A. Catenazzi" User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.14 (Windows/20080421) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Tigran Aivazian CC: Valdis.Kletnieks@vt.edu, Andrew Morton , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, David Woodhouse , Arjan van de Ven , "Selbak, Rolla N" , Shaohua Li Subject: Re: Intel Microcode loader, tg3 driver, and the -rc8-mmotd New World Order firmware... References: <4534.1215048758@turing-police.cc.vt.edu> <32146.1215066947@turing-police.cc.vt.edu> In-Reply-To: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-OriginalArrivalTime: 03 Jul 2008 09:24:38.0601 (UTC) FILETIME=[9DB10390:01C8DCEE] Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 2447 Lines: 65 [ Added Arjan and the relevant Intel contact] Tigran Aivazian wrote: > On Thu, 3 Jul 2008 Valdis.Kletnieks@vt.edu wrote: > >> On Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:17:16 BST, Tigran Aivazian said: >>> Hi Valdis, >>> >>> On Wed, 2 Jul 2008 Valdis.Kletnieks@vt.edu wrote: >>> >>>> I built the -rc8-mmotd kernel, and built it with >>>> 'CONFIG_FIRMWARE_IN_KERNEL >> =n'. >>>> Lo and behold, the microcode.ko was now doing a request_firmware for >>>> 'intel-ucode/06-0f-06' (which makes sense, the Core2 Duo in this >>>> laptop is >>>> family 6, model 15, stepping 6). However, what I had in >>>> /lib/firmware was >>>> the Intel-distributed 'microcode.dat' with updates for all the CPUs >>>> (which >>>> used to work in times past). >>>> >>>> What's the magic incantation to take the microcode.dat and create >>>> something >>>> that the firmware driver is willing to use, or is this all borked up >>>> and >>>> I need to do a major rethink or fix my config? >>> >>> that's because it expects the Intel-supplied microcode data and you are >>> using the old style microcode.dat data. >> >> I fed it the stuff I downloaded today from this URL: >> >> http://downloadcenter.intel.com/filter_results.aspx?strTypes=all&ProductID=2643&OSFullName=Linux*&lang=eng&strOSs=39&submit=Go! >> >> >> which gets me a microcode-20080401.dat that does the same thing. Is >> there >> some *other* Intel-supplied microcode data I should be getting instead? > > Oh, sorry, I assumed that Intel distribute the data in the format that > driver expects. There are two format of Intel CPU microcode and two methods to load it. - old: the microcodes are in a big file, which include multiple microcodes (for multiple CPU). The driver require a char device and a user space loader ("microcode_ctl") - new: one microcode per file, using the 'request_firmware' infrastructure. No user space support needed. Actually Intel provides only the old methods. There was talks with Arjan and Intel about the distribution format for the new methods. But I don't have any new. I think that when the new format is fully specified (directory structure, tar, gzip,...) Intel will distribute the microcodes in the new form. ciao cate -- 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/