Re: [patch-2.3.46-p2] P6 microcode update support

From: Mike A. Harris (mharris@meteng.on.ca)
Date: Wed Feb 16 2000 - 05:01:25 EST

On Wed, 16 Feb 2000, Tigran Aivazian wrote:

>> > I tested both SMP and UP kernels on my home SMP machine (CPU
>> > signature=0x673, upgraded to revision=14 microcode)
>>
>> The code looks ok, but "mtrr.c"?
>>
>> That just doesn't make any sense. Why not a separate simple driver?
>>
>> Linus
>
>Oh ok. I wanted to do that but I thought you would say "why having a
>separate simple driver if you can just put it in.. say mtrr.c?" :)
>Besides, it is from mtrr.c I learned that Linux can do function call
>IPIs like on other x86 UNIX flavours. Actually I wanted an ioctl on
>/proc/cpuinfo but that meant upgrading it from the status of simple
>"misc" proc file and mtrr already had ioctls.
>
>Ok, I will make a separate simple character driver with a single ioctl
>(to not have to deal with issues of multiple read(2)), although being
>able to just say "cat microcode > /dev/microcode" would be nice.
>
>Also, more importantly, Intel manual says "the update must run in the
>early stages of POST and always before L2 cache controllers are
>initialized". I ignored it and it still worked fine. However, on the bus
>to work this morning I thought "perhaps I should use some MSRs to
>disable cache and re-enable it?". I will think on this in the background
>but first rewrite it as a char driver.
>
>Thanks for your feedback,
>
>I suppose I need to ask Peter to grant me minor=180 of the major=10
>(misc character drivers)? And most difficult part - think of a short
>name prefix abbreviation for "Intel P6 Microcode Update Device" - IMU?
>/dev/imu

Why make it Intel specific? "/dev/mcode"

I dunno if other CPU's allow microcode updates, but there is
nothing stopping other vendors from doing this, so why not make
it generic from the start?

Then again, if various vendors did in fact do so, it is highly
likely that it would be very different from Intel's
implementation, however possibly still likely to be done in a
generic way no? 

--
Mike A. Harris                                     Linux advocate     
Computer Consultant                                  GNU advocate  
Capslock Consulting                          Open Source advocate

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