Intel microcode

[oldboy]

I upgraded to wheezy. Most packages are working. During bootup, there is an error regarding the intel microcode. But the system seems to function.

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Jan 22 17:01:52 shum-i7 kernel: [    5.629988] microcode: CPU0 sig=0x106a5, pf=0x2, revision=0x11
Jan 22 17:01:52 shum-i7 kernel: [    5.631533] platform microcode: firmware: agent aborted loading intel-ucode/06-1a-05 (not found?)
Jan 22 17:01:52 shum-i7 kernel: [    5.631649] microcode: CPU1 sig=0x106a5, pf=0x2, revision=0x11
Jan 22 17:01:52 shum-i7 kernel: [    5.633164] platform microcode: firmware: agent aborted loading intel-ucode/06-1a-05 (not found?)
Jan 22 17:01:52 shum-i7 kernel: [    5.633239] microcode: CPU2 sig=0x106a5, pf=0x2, revision=0x11
Jan 22 17:01:52 shum-i7 kernel: [    5.634817] platform microcode: firmware: agent aborted loading intel-ucode/06-1a-05 (not found?)
Jan 22 17:01:52 shum-i7 kernel: [    5.634933] microcode: CPU3 sig=0x106a5, pf=0x2, revision=0x11
Jan 22 17:01:52 shum-i7 kernel: [    5.636425] platform microcode: firmware: agent aborted loading intel-ucode/06-1a-05 (not found?)
Jan 22 17:01:52 shum-i7 kernel: [    5.636559] microcode: CPU4 sig=0x106a5, pf=0x2, revision=0x11
Jan 22 17:01:52 shum-i7 kernel: [    5.638085] platform microcode: firmware: agent aborted loading intel-ucode/06-1a-05 (not found?)
Jan 22 17:01:52 shum-i7 kernel: [    5.638218] microcode: CPU5 sig=0x106a5, pf=0x2, revision=0x11
Jan 22 17:01:52 shum-i7 kernel: [    5.639660] platform microcode: firmware: agent aborted loading intel-ucode/06-1a-05 (not found?)
Jan 22 17:01:52 shum-i7 kernel: [    5.639750] microcode: CPU6 sig=0x106a5, pf=0x2, revision=0x11
Jan 22 17:01:52 shum-i7 kernel: [    5.641297] platform microcode: firmware: agent aborted loading intel-ucode/06-1a-05 (not found?)
Jan 22 17:01:52 shum-i7 kernel: [    5.641387] microcode: CPU7 sig=0x106a5, pf=0x2, revision=0x11
Jan 22 17:01:52 shum-i7 kernel: [    5.642855] platform microcode: firmware: agent aborted loading intel-ucode/06-1a-05 (not found?)
Jan 22 17:01:52 shum-i7 kernel: [    5.642979] microcode: Microcode Update Driver: v2.00 <tigran@aivazian.fsnet.co.uk>, Peter Oruba
Jan 22 17:01:52 shum-i7 kernel: [    5.783818] EXT4-fs (sda5): mounted filesystem with ordered data mode. Opts: (null)

How do I resolve this? Thanks.

[dilberts_left_nut]

Maybe this? - http://packages.debian.org/search?keywo ... -microcode

[oldboy]

Thanks. I already have the package for wheezy installed. I also installed microcode.ctl as in this thread
http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php? ... de#p296049
But, I cannot use any of the commands mentioned.
I do not understand the use of the microcodes, since my system seems to function. Please someone explain. Thanks.

[roseway]

Are you sure that you have an Intel processor?

[oldboy]

Yes, intel i7 920

[emariz]

The package microcode.ctl was replaced by iucode-tool a couple of months ago in Backports, a change that should have also happened in Wheezy. The latest firmware version even conflicts with microcode.ctl.

[oldboy]

Thanks. I also have iucode-tool installed. Not sure how this will help. Please elaborate.

[emariz]

Thanks. I also have iucode-tool installed. Not sure how this will help. Please elaborate.

Purge all three packages, restart and then install the latest version of intel-microcode. It should pull iucode-tool as a recommended dependency and correctly update your firmware.

[oldboy]

Thanks. I have given up and returned to squeeze. However, I have installed Wheezy on another drive, just to play, and there is no error on the intel microcode. The gdm3 is so different that it is hard to get used to, besides, I cannot get my cpu temperature to be displyed on the panel. I will continue to play with it, but I do not think I will bother to upgrade my desktop for now.

[steve_v]

FWIW, I also ran into this. Purging then (re)installing intel-microcode should download the non-free non-redistributable microcode files (as part of the postinst)?

[oldboy]

Thanks. I'll keep it in mind. I think the problem might be that my initial upgrade did not include calib and non-free. Right now, I am still trying to find out about where things had gone in this new gdm3 and desktop environment, e.g, I do not know how to remove items from the applet-panel (the top strip of the screen where all the applications used to reside in squeeze). I drag the icons and put them on the applet-panel, but I cannot remove them or reposition them once they are there. Also, the weather applet cannot be found. I'll keep trying and searching, and until I got those back, I will not upgrade to wheezy on the production pc.

[sdothum]

Is it safe to assume that this error means the microcode firmware is not loaded, so it is safe to remove the intel-microcode and uicode-tool packages to eliminate the boot up error messages?

Tx.

[PAP]

I had a similar problem today, which was solved, so I thought it might be useful for others to post my experience about it here.
Today, apt-get switched from kernel 3.2 to 3.9. After that, rebooting the new kernel caused a warning message to appear, very similar to the one oldboy reported in this thread. The only difference was the hexadecimal number in the end, which I assume it corresponds to the intel proccessor:

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platform microcode: firmware: agent aborted loading intel-ucode/06-0f-0b (not found?)

In my case, installing the package intel-microcode (which also installed lucode-tool as a dependency) solved the problem. So I am guessing installing intel-microcode, if not installed, or purging and reinstalling it, if it was already installed, is the way to go, as emariz suggested.

Hope it helps anyone having the same problem, especially after switching kernels from 3.2 to 3.9.

[lithopsian]

The installation will also rebuild your initramfs. The correct microcode bin for your CPU is copied in there so it can be applied as early as possible when booting. Just having the microcode on your machine isn't sufficient.

There are no "commands" to use with microcode, just a small program that can be loaded onto your CPU if necessary by the kernel. You can force it to happen by using the command (as root):

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echo 1 > /sys/devices/system/cpu/microcode/reload

The kernel will then look in /lib/firmware to see if there is a microcode version for your CPU that is newer than the firmware already on it. If so then it will load it. A message will go in the logs (see dmesg). Usually nothing will happen if you do this because the latest version will already have been loaded during boot (again see dmesg).

[improper]

I have the same problem too on Jessie after installing kernel: 3.9-1-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 3.9.6-1 x86_64 GNU/Linux
[ 7.268734] microcode: CPU0 sig=0x106a5, pf=0x1, revision=0x11
[ 8.131809] platform microcode: firmware: agent aborted loading intel-ucode/06-1a-05 (not found?)
... (previous two lines repeated for all Intel CPUx cores i have)
[ 8.165125] microcode: Microcode Update Driver: v2.00 <tigran@aivazian.fsnet.co.uk>, Peter Oruba

I have purged and reinstalled intel-microcode and iucode-tool but the messages stay.
I also ran "echo 1 > /sys/devices/system/cpu/microcode/reload" which adds more messages above.

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cat /proc/cpuinfo
processor	: 0
vendor_id	: GenuineIntel
cpu family	: 6
model		: 26
model name	: Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU           E5520  @ 2.27GHz
stepping	: 5
microcode	: 0x11
cpu MHz		: 1596.000
cache size	: 8192 KB
physical id	: 0
siblings	: 8
core id		: 0
cpu cores	: 4
apicid		: 0
initial apicid	: 0
fpu		: yes
fpu_exception	: yes
cpuid level	: 11
wp		: yes
flags		: fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx rdtscp lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts nopl xtopology nonstop_tsc aperfmperf pni dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm dca sse4_1 sse4_2 popcnt lahf_lm ida dtherm tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority ept vpid
bogomips	: 4521.93
clflush size	: 64
cache_alignment	: 64
address sizes	: 40 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
power management:

... (the above 16 times for all (hyper threading) cores)

p.s.
In case any of you kernel experts could comment on an unanswered question http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=86740 of mine that worries me more, then please do.

[lithopsian]

Apparently Intel withdrew this microcode release and you have just got a kernel that understands that. Older kernels happily apply that microcode, new ones refuse. Not an error.
http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=699412

[craig_sillva]

For what it's worth, I always remove the microcode packages. If intel won't tell me what bug its fixing why would I want to install it?

I've never had any problems. If there were anything seriously wrong with it i'd probably see a bios update from the hardware manufacturer, and mine always has bootable usb patches.

[improper]

@ lithopsian:
Thanks for the link to the bug report!
When i searched at the time i did not find that myself :-/

@ craig_sillva:
Logical thinking, i like it
But just because vendors try to get away in silence with their bugs do not mean they aren't there.
And having a new bios update made costs money and leaving it up to OS updates doesn't, since this computer is not running the intended OS (OSX) of its creator i doubt i will somehow automatically get any such updates.

[craig_sillva]

The last update intel released for my processor, that would be addressed by the microcode is from back in 2010.

AN112 A 64-bit Register IP-relative Instruction May Return Unexpected
Results
Problem: Under an unlikely and complex sequence of conditions in 64-bit mode, a register IP-
relative instruction result may be incorrect
Implication: A register IP-relative instruction result may be incorrect and could cause software to
read from or write to an incorrect memory location. This may result in an unexpected
page fault or unpredictable system behavior.
Workaround: It is possible for the BIOS to contain a workaround for this erratum.
Status:
For the steppings affected, see the Summary Tables of Changes.

The latest firmware for my laptop is 2012. Does the BIOS actually contain the workaround? Yes, five revisions previous is the following update:

BIOS: 1.44 / ECP: 1.26
- (New) Updated CPU microcode

So, there is nothing for me to gain by running the intel microcode. People with other processors (mine is duo-core) and different computers can check their manufacturer's website to see if they have anything to gain by running the microcode.

And I haven't even been keeping up with the bios updates. Here are the last three bios updates released for my laptop. Nothing in here I care about, so I don't update.

Version 1.52
BIOS: 1.52 / ECP: 1.31

(New) Added support for the M key on the French keyboard for the Power-On, Hard disk and Supervisor password.

Version 1.51
BIOS: 1.51 / ECP: 1.31

(Fix) Fixed an issue where incorrect Embedded Controller version was shown in SMBIOS Type 0 and 11.

Version 1.49
BIOS: 1.49 / ECP: 1.30

(Fix) Improved battery firmware update program.
(Fix) Fixed an issue where the keyboard beep function might not work correctly.

[fanchengniang]

Thanks very much!I have encounter the same problem.The solution you have given is quite right.