[DONE] M5 64-bit Microcode Update

[elmago]

During a routine Mageia 5 update on an older laptop I spotted an update item as Microcode Update. Is updating microcode inside the Intel/AMD processors is a routine task?

The only reason I thought was the requirement for SSE2 support in order to run Pale Moon web browser which I recently installed. But then this laptop CPU is 1st generation i7 Q 720 1.6GHz. The SSE2 had been in existence since Pentium-4 (1990s). No wonder all Core-2 and Core-2 quads, i3,i5,i7, multi-core AMD Phenom series and later have SSE2 or higher like SSE3/4. So, why the microcode update? Is this really necessary?

Thanks.

[doktor5000]

You may want to read https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/microcode if your'e interested.

[elmago]

Thanks to doktor.
It seems this update is necessary even though it may not be immediately apparent.
The description of the update (under MCC update system) shows that earlier GCC library components were broken because of firmware bugs. Latest Intel CPU updates are dated sometime in last month.

[doktor5000]

You're talking about this update? http://advisories.mageia.org/MGAA-2016-0072.html - it's about AMD cpu's, and there's nothing about gcc library components.
I don't see any such changelog entries you mentioned: http://svnweb.mageia.org/packages/updat ... c?view=log

[elmago]

I am not sure about the version. Right now I do not have the laptop and so looked up the "microcode" under MCC Software Install from the desktop. It shows I have two patches installed on the desktop.
It also shows what I saw on the laptop couple of days back... something about glibc lock elision. See the attached image. It is a 299.7 KB file on my disk. Unless the forum web server reduces the resolution during upload, you will see what I mean.

Whether it is in the context of another glibc issue I do not know. However, bundling the cure with cpu-microcode patch makes me believe it has something to do with microcode. So, the bell rang... I decided it was necessary . But you are right about the Intel/AMD. I messed up between the Apr 2016 patch of AMD with Intel. According to this patch, last intel patch was in 2014.

[doktor5000]

something about glibc lock elision

Yeah, and? That was before Mageia5 was released and was fixed already in the upper changelog entry, which is the package version that made it into normal Mageia 5 release packages.
See e.g. https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/39631 for more details

[elmago]

The original question was "So, why the microcode update? Is this really necessary?"

The laptop has Mageia-5 64-bit freshly installed a few months back from DVD. Then why is MCC asking for microcode update now?
At MCC, I see microcode is one of the updates. See attached image.

[doktor5000]

The laptop has Mageia-5 64-bit freshly installed a few months back from DVD. Then why is MCC asking for microcode update now?

Because the microcode update package has fixes for some AMD cpus, I've linked to the advisory already: http://advisories.mageia.org/MGAA-2016-0072.html

[elmago]

Your URL describes update for AMD cpus. Would it not be possible to detect between Intel and AMD cpu and push the updates accordingly?

[doktor5000]

My URL describes the update for the most recent update of the microcode package. Why do you get so irritated about the microcode update?
It's a shared package which contains microcode updates for most common CPUs, and either you install the update or you leave it be. Either way, I can't provide any more information then what I've already written.

[elmago]

Thanks doktor. You answered my question.
Unfortunately, English is a language that sounds more irritating the less you write.

[doktor5000]

Please mark the thread accordingly by editing the topic of the first post and prefix it by [DONE], thanks