Bug 20375

Summary:	Let kernel-firmware obsolete microcode_ctl? (was: update-microcode fails during monthly cron)
Product:	Mageia	Reporter:	Stefan Puch <s.puch>
Component:	RPM Packages	Assignee:	Kernel and Drivers maintainers <kernel>
Status:	NEW ---	QA Contact:
Severity:	normal
Priority:	Normal	CC:	lists.jjorge, marja11, tmb
Version:	Cauldron
Target Milestone:	---
Hardware:	All
OS:	Linux
Whiteboard:	MGA5TOO
Source RPM:	microcode_ctl-2.1-4.mga5.src.rpm	CVE:
Status comment:

Description Stefan Puch 2017-03-01 11:42:46 CET

Description of problem:
The script to check for updated microcode package which is executed monthly with cron fails with code 1 due to an invalid (not existing) download URL

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Install microcode_ctl-2.1-4.mga5
2. run /etc/cron.monthly/update-microcode from commandline as root
3. see that the download URL http://feeds.downloadcenter.intel.com/rss/?p=483&lang=eng is not existing


According to the URL in the src.rpm http://fedorahosted.org/microcode_ctl

"Please be advised microcode_ctl is obsolete and v2.0+ is the temporary solution. Future microcode updates will be delivered through the kernel-firmware infrastructure."

The version from fedora doesn't provide a cronjob script, instead a daemon which could be started in intended.

Cauldron will probably have the same problem with microcode_ctl-2.1-6.mga6.i586.rpm

I don't know if the rpm could safely be dropped?

David Walser 2017-03-01 12:07:49 CET

CC: (none) => lists.jjorge

Comment 1 Marja Van Waes 2017-03-02 07:30:30 CET

(In reply to Stefan Puch from comment #0)

> 
> 
> According to the URL in the src.rpm http://fedorahosted.org/microcode_ctl
> 
> "Please be advised microcode_ctl is obsolete and v2.0+ is the temporary
> solution. Future microcode updates will be delivered through the
> kernel-firmware infrastructure."
> 

The fedorahosted link no longer works.
"fedorahosted.org will be retired on 2017-02-28. If you are viewinng this page, odds are it's after that date and you have been redirected here by attempting to go to some project on fedorahosted.org."

And https://pagure.io/microcode_ctl only says:

   This repo is brand new!

   The Project Creator has not pushed any code yet


> 
> I don't know if the rpm could safely be dropped?

I don't know whether something should be done while building kernel-firmware* to enable the microcode control functionality

Assigning to the kernel maintainers.

CC: (none) => marja11
Version: 5 => Cauldron
Assignee: bugsquad => kernel
Summary: update-microcode fails during monthly cron => Let kernel-firmware obsolete microcode_ctl? (was: update-microcode fails during monthly cron)
Whiteboard: (none) => MGA5TOO

Comment 2 Thomas Backlund 2017-03-02 08:41:52 CET

Yeah, linux-firmware git carries the microcodes for both Amd and Intel.

I have kept the microcode* packages separate from kernel-firmware-nonfree as it was easier to ship a small firmware rpm as an update, than pushing a full nonfree update just for a couple of updated microcodes (like I also do for radeon-firmware) (to save people from downloading firmware rpms that has not really changed).

But now I guess its time to rework the kernel-firmware script to redo the firmware sources tarballs to cover for the microcodes too.

CC: (none) => tmb

Comment 3 Stefan Puch 2017-03-02 13:28:53 CET

> I don't know if the rpm could safely be dropped?
OK, I assumed that the same microcodes are available through the rpm microcode-0.20161104-1.mga5.nonfree which seems to be up-to-date (Bug 20228).

Comment 4 José Jorge 2017-03-03 19:43:30 CET

(In reply to Thomas Backlund from comment #2)
> But now I guess its time to rework the kernel-firmware script to redo the
> firmware sources tarballs to cover for the microcodes too.

Please note I have reworked the microcode rpm in MGA6 to add firmwares from old CPUs, that are no more in the intel tarball.

Please ensure they are all in kernel before you obsolete microcode.