Help request: intel-microcode and old Intel processors
I am the maintainer of the intel-microcode and iucode-tool packages, used to
update the microcode[1] on Intel system processors (CPU chip).
I'd like to know whether the kernel microcode update is working well on some
of the older Intel 32-bit processors or not. These computers were sold
between years 2000 and 2010.
This information will be used to decide the level of microcode update
support for these processors on the next non-free release (Jessie).
If you happen to run Debian or Ubuntu on a computer with an old Intel
processor (Pentium M, Celeron M, Pentium 4 Mobile, Mobile Celeron, Pentium
4, Pentium II, Pentium III, Pentium D, Celeron D, Core Solo, etc), and you
have the intel-microcode package installed, I ask you to run this simple
test command in a terminal emulator (xterm, konsole, system console, etc):
grep microcode.*update /var/log/dmesg
The command above searches for a specific log message during boot that tells
me whether the microcode is being updated by Debian/Ubuntu or not.
If the test above returned something, it would be really helpful if you
could send me a reply (feel free to email it directly to me) with the result
of the following commands:
grep microcode /var/log/dmesg
cat /proc/cpuinfo
These commands display microcode-related log messages, and also some CPU
information (processor name, family, model and stepping, microcode version,
etc).
Thank you!
[1] A microcode update is a process used to fix defects (errata) on the
system processor, by updating its internal control program (microcode).
https://wiki.debian.org/Microcode
--
"One disk to rule them all, One disk to find them. One disk to bring
them all and in the darkness grind them. In the Land of Redmond
where the shadows lie." -- The Silicon Valley Tarot
Henrique Holschuh
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