Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 07:49:50 -0800 From: Cy Schubert - ITSD Open Systems Group <cschuber@uumail.gov.bc.ca> To: security-officer@freebsd.org Cc: freebsd-security@freebsd.org Subject: Updating microcode on the fly Message-ID: <199711121550.HAA06579@cwsys.cwsent.com>
next in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
It appears from a couple of postings on BUGTRAQ, this being the second one,
and a BSDI fix being the first, that Intel has released a workaround or
possibly even a microcode patch. What are the chances of the FreeBSD Core
Team getting their hands on this patch from Intel?
Regards, Phone: (250)387-8437
Cy Schubert Fax: (250)387-5766
UNIX Support OV/VM: BCSC02(CSCHUBER)
ITSD BITNET: CSCHUBER@BCSC02.BITNET
Government of BC Internet: cschuber@uumail.gov.bc.ca
Cy.Schubert@gems8.gov.bc.ca
"Quit spooling around, JES do it."
------- Forwarded Message
Received: (from uucp@localhost) by passer.osg.gov.bc.ca (8.8.8/8.6.10) id
HAA01211 for <cy@passer.osg.gov.bc.ca>; Wed, 12 Nov 1997 07:16:06 -0800 (PST)
X-UIDL: 879348978.008
Resent-Message-Id: <199711121516.HAA01211@passer.osg.gov.bc.ca>
Received: from localhost(127.0.0.1), claiming to be "passer.osg.gov.bc.ca"
via SMTP by localhost, id smtpdaabdca; Wed Nov 12 07:15:59 1997
Received: (from uucp@localhost) by passer.osg.gov.bc.ca (8.8.8/8.6.10) id
HAA27214 for <cschuber@passer.osg.gov.bc.ca>; Wed, 12 Nov 1997 07:15:56 -0800
(PST)
Received: from orca.gov.bc.ca(142.32.102.25)
via SMTP by passer.osg.gov.bc.ca, id smtpdaabdva; Wed Nov 12 07:15:44 1997
Received: from brimstone.netspace.org by orca.gov.bc.ca (5.4R3.10/200.1.1.4)
id AA20483; Wed, 12 Nov 1997 07:15:43 -0800
Received: from unknown@netspace.org (port 58972 [128.148.157.6]) by
brimstone.netspace.org with ESMTP id <96982-12505>; Wed, 12 Nov 1997 09:50:03
-0500
Received: from NETSPACE.ORG by NETSPACE.ORG (LISTSERV-TCP/IP release 1.8c) with
spool id 5580459 for BUGTRAQ@NETSPACE.ORG; Wed, 12 Nov 1997 09:47:17
-0500
Received: from brimstone.netspace.org (brimstone.netspace.org
[128.148.157.143]) by netspace.org (8.8.7/8.8.2) with ESMTP id
JAA22118 for <BUGTRAQ@NETSPACE.ORG>; Wed, 12 Nov 1997 09:36:53 -0500
Received: from unknown@netspace.org (port 58972 [128.148.157.6]) by
brimstone.netspace.org with ESMTP id <96517-12502>; Wed, 12 Nov 1997
09:36:45 -0500
Approved-By: aleph1@UNDERGROUND.ORG
Received: from wildcat.tomcat.ru (wildcat.tomcat.ru [194.58.216.216]) by
netspace.org (8.8.7/8.8.2) with ESMTP id JAA19197 for
<BUGTRAQ@NETSPACE.ORG>; Wed, 12 Nov 1997 09:03:36 -0500
Received: (root@localhost) by wildcat.tomcat.ru (8.7.6/SCA-6.6) id OAA00745 for
BUGTRAQ@NETSPACE.ORG; Wed, 12 Nov 1997 14:02:46 GMT
X-Mailer: SCO OpenServer Mail Release 5.0
Message-Id: <199711121402.OAA00745@wildcat.tomcat.ru>
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 17:02:46 MSK
Reply-To: Superuser <root@wildcat.olly.ru>
Sender: Bugtraq List <BUGTRAQ@netspace.org>
From: Superuser <root@wildcat.olly.ru>
Subject: Updating microcode on the fly
To: BUGTRAQ@netspace.org
Resent-To: cy@passer.osg.gov.bc.ca
Resent-Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 07:15:58 -0800
Resent-From: Cy Schubert - ITSD Open Systems Group
<cschuber@passer.osg.gov.bc.ca>
Hi !
See the following letter for info about updating microcode for Pentium.
If SCO does that during booting UnixWare then it is possible for
any programs to do the update.
Pavel Yakovlev.
========== ftp://ftp.sco.com/SLS/ptf3343.ltr =================
Dear SCO Customer,
The enclosed Support Level Supplement (SLS) PTF3343, the Intel Pentium Pro
and Pentium II Microcode Driver, provides Intel P6 microcode fixes.
Some models and steppings of the Intel Pentium Pro processor and the Intel
Pentium II processor may, in some circumstances, depart from their
specifications. Some of these issues can be resolved by updating the
microcode of the processor at system startup. SLS PTF3343 installs updates
from the Intel Corporation to do that.
Contents
- --------
/etc/conf/bin/idtune
/etc/conf/pack.d/pstart/Driver_atup.o
/etc/conf/pack.d/pstart/Driver_mp.o
/etc/conf/pack.d/pstart/space.c
/usr/sbin/pat
Software Notes and Recommendations
- ----------------------------------
PTF3343 may be installed on any of these releases:
SCO UnixWare Application Server Release 2.01 or 2.02 or 2.03
SCO UnixWare Personal Edition Release 2.01 or 2.02 or 2.03
SCO UnixWare Application Server Release 2.1 or 2.1.1 or 2.1.2
SCO UnixWare Personal Edition Release 2.1 or 2.1.1 or 2.1.2
PTF3028B, the Virtual Memory Subsystem Improvements and Intel Processor SLS,
(on UnixWare Release 2.1.x) and PTF3131B, the Intel Processor Supplement,
(on Release 2.1.1 or 2.1.2) work around some other Intel P6 issues. You may
wish to install one of those additionally. If PTF3028B is installed after
PTF3343, then PTF3343 should be installed again after that. PTF3131B and
PTF3343 may be installed in either order. If osmp is installed after PTF3343,
then PTF3343 should be installed again after that. PTF3343 is incompatible
with PTF3191, the 4GB User Space Supplement.
New tunable INTEL_CPUREV is autotuned by idtune when the kernel is rebuilt
to minimize the size of the Pentium Pro & Pentium II microcode updates table
in pstart/space.c. Until the new driver is running, the full information to
minimize it is not available, so the table may be reduced when the kernel is
next rebuilt. If a different P6 processor is brought online in the future,
then it may be omitted from the updates table until the kernel is next rebuilt.
To avoid that possibility, manually tune INTEL_CPUREV to 0x6000000 for the
whole 12k table always to be built. Conversely, tune INTEL_CPUREV to 0 to
suppress all microcode updates.
/usr/sbin/pat is a patching utility taken from future releases of UnixWare.
Here it is used by /etc/conf/bin/idtune to extract the appropriate value for
INTEL_CPUREV from the running kernel.
Hardware Notes and Recommendations
- ----------------------------------
PTF3343 is designed for genuine Intel Pentium Pro processors or genuine Intel
Pentium II processors only.
Installation Instructions
- -------------------------
1. Download the ptf3343.Z file to the /tmp directory on your machine.
2. As root, uncompress the file and add the package to your system using
these commands:
$ su
Password: <type your root password>
# uncompress /tmp/ptf3343.Z
# pkgadd -d /tmp/ptf3343
# rm /tmp/ptf3343
3. Reboot the system after installing this package. Release notes
can be found in:
/var/sadm/pkg/ptf3343/install/ptf3343.txt
Removal Instructions
- --------------------
1. As root, remove the package using these commands:
$ su
Password: <type your root password>
# pkgrm ptf3343
2. Reboot the system after removing this package.
If you have questions regarding this SLS, or the product on which it is
installed, please contact your software supplier.
We appreciate your business.
SCO Support Services
------- End of Forwarded Message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?199711121550.HAA06579>