latest microcode is not working properly on intel core i9

More details can be found here - https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=339625

intel-microcode is provided as binaries by Intel - other than removing the particular microcode binary blob from the package which is used by this particular processor, there is nothing the Ubuntu developers can do to fix this. I notice on the upstream Intel github project page there is a comment that they are aware of issues for some CPUs and particular microcodes https://github.com/intel/Intel-Linux-Processor-Microcode-Data-Files/issues/31#issuecomment-761228960 - and their suggestion is to ensure you are running the latest BIOS update for your machine - can you please make sure you try this first?

I'm using latest BIOS version for my notebook. Also as mentioned above 3.20191115.1ubuntu3_amd64.deb is working properly.

Al BIOS version is here - https://rog.asus.com/laptops/rog-series/rog-g703-series/helpdesk_bios/.

Hello

What we can do if still no response from intel on github. Maybe it is not supporting anymore.
https://github.com/intel/Intel-Linux-Processor-Microcode-Data-Files/issues/50

It is pity :)

Hello

Finally I have got email about new intel microcode release - https://github.com/intel/Intel-Linux-Processor-Microcode-Data-Files/releases/tag/microcode-20210608. Can somebody update live usb with latest microcode and I will test it with intel core i9?

With hope
Thanks in Advance

This update is now available in all Ubuntu releases (except impish where it is currently still sitting in -proposed) - once it migrates to the release pocket of impish then it should get included in the daily ISO builds at http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily-live/current/ so hopefully a live image will be available in the next few days including this update.

If it is available in all ubuntu releases then why I can see in Ubuntu 20.04.2.0 LTS intel-microcode 3.20201110.0ubuntu0.20.04.2?

In any case still not fixed intel-microcode. https://github.com/intel/Intel-Linux-Processor-Microcode-Data-Files/issues/50

On Tue, Jun 22, 2021 at 02:17:40PM -0000, Dmitriy wrote:
> If it is available in all ubuntu releases then why I can see in Ubuntu
> 20.04.2.0 LTS intel-microcode 3.20201110.0ubuntu0.20.04.2?

Is the mirror you're looking a out of date?

The current version of intel-microcode in focal-security/focal-updates
is 3.20210608.0ubuntu0.20.04.1:

  https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/intel-microcode

--
Steve Beattie
<email address hidden>

Just downloaded latest LTS here - https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop/thank-you?version=20.04.2.0&architecture=amd64. I thought that iso img should also with latest intel-microcode but as I can see it is not like that.

On Tue, Jun 22, 2021 at 07:26:30PM -0000, Dmitriy wrote:
> Just downloaded latest LTS here - https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop
> /thank-you?version=20.04.2.0&architecture=amd64. I thought that iso img
> should also with latest intel-microcode but as I can see it is not like
> that.

No, that will give you the released 20.04.2 iso. The iso images
available from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/focal/daily-live/current/
has the updated intel-microcode packages; these are daily built images
of focal that include all the updates in focal-security, and will
eventually be the basis for the Ubuntu 20.04.3 release media.

--
Steve Beattie
<email address hidden>

Thanks. But daily-live also is not working with the latest intel-microcode due to intel-microcode still not fixed.

Hello
Half a year since issue posted in https://github.com/intel/Intel-Linux-Processor-Microcode-Data-Files/issues/50 but is seems like nobody support intel microcode and I still can't use my laptop with ubuntu and latest intel-microcode(which already installed out of the box on ubuntu). Also as I can see other customers have another issues with intel microcode but there is still no response/fixes.
Is it possible to exclude intel-microcode package from next ubuntu releases?
What is the positive things when intel microcode installed on ubuntu?

With hope
Thanks in Advance

Hello
Asus delivered new BIOS update for the laptop - " Version 309 2021/12/06" (https://rog.asus.com/laptops/rog-flow/rog-g703-series/helpdesk_bios) with description "Optimize system performance". After upgrading BIOS problem solved and I can use laptop with the latest intel microcode.
It a SHAME for the ASUS ROG due to fix was delivered AFTER 2 years! Also there is no info about fix, just description "Optimize system performance". Unfortunately premium ASUS ROG laptop with bad quality support.

Hello
I have latest Linux Mint version with intel microcode 3.20210608.0ubuntu0.20.04.1 and today I got updates with intel-microcode (3.20220510.0ubuntu0.20.04.1). After updating I'm again have the same issue as in the past - black screen and nothing working, helps only change boot option "quite splash" to "dis_ucode_ldr". Please stop updating intel microcode without proper testing or a lot users with Asus ROG laptop will have the same black screen.
Thanks in Advance

@dimitryk thanks for letting us know. FYI I tested this update against approximately 30 different machines before releasing it, and Intel have their own internal testing as well but it is just not possible to test against every possible machine and every possible BIOS combination ahead of time.

Hopefully ASUS will release another BIOS update since I expect that if you can upgrade the BIOS so that it contains and loads a newer microcode itself then that should resolve this issue. Please feel free to file a new bug though detailing both the hardware details of your machine plus the symptoms which you see as a result of this new intel-microcode update so that we can track it separately. Thanks.

FYI I tested this against 3 other machines with the same CPU and they booted fine after installing the new microcode update:

model name : Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-9980HK CPU @ 2.40GHz

So this is likely an issue specific to this ASUS laptop model, not this specific CPU model.

Hello

Thanks for quick response. But why it is an issue related to my laptop if before updating intel-microcode everything were fine? I can't agree with it. How can we find a bug in the latest intel microcode in order to solve this issue?
P.S. I have laptop ROG G703 and the latest BIOS. I'm not sure that vendor still support it and maybe BIOS will not be updated anymore.

With hope
Thanks i nAdvance

Microcodes are specific to CPU models - so in my testing on 3 different machines with this same CPU model I didn't observe this issue. However, on your machine you do see the issue, which leads me to think this is specific to your machine.

I suspect the issue in your case occurs when the microcode is loaded in early boot - with the older intel-microcode package, it is likely the same version as the microcode that is packaged in your BIOS - and so no microcode would get loaded in early boot as they are the same. Now that we have updated the intel-microcode package to contain the newer microcode release from Intel, this will get loaded in early boot since it is newer than the microcode in your BIOS and so triggers this bug. And since we haven't observed this bug on other machines I can only suspect the bug is either hardware specific to your machine / model.

Hello

Thanks for response. I'm not sure that above issue related only to my notebook and I think that at least other customers with Asus ROG laptop can have the same issue. Also do we have possibility to change logic of intel microcode due to vendor can't support all notebooks released long time ago?. It means that if intel microcode logic will not be changed then later a lot users can have the same pain with intel-microcode and black screen without possibility to update BIOS. Also I don't need to update BIOS for Windows and I don't have issues with updates under the windows.

With hope
Thanks in Advance

In addition - do we have possibility to find a bug or change behavior of microcode loading on early boot? Also I can test deb package before decision regarding release new version for all users.

Thanks in Advance

Currently the microcode driver does not have any mechanism to avoid loading the microcode on particular machines - and neither does the intel-microcode package in Ubuntu - the only option is to remove this particular microcode from the intel-microcode package - however though as I said above, it only appears to fail on this one machine so far - others with the same CPU are not affected. And so if we were to remove this particular microcode for this CPU from the package then other users would then become vulnerable to the various security issues etc that this microcode update is fixing. So at this stage I don't think there is a lot we can easily do.

Thanks for detail explanation.

Does it means that customer with the same PC need to update BIOS every time when intel-microcode released? Do we have ideas how I can find an issue with my PC?

Can you please explain what does it means if I change "quite splash" boot option to "dis_ucode_ldr" and what limitations can I have if I will always use boot option "dis_ucode_ldr"?.

Thanks in Advance

I am not sure if others with the same PC will encounter this issue - it could possibly be a hardware issue with just your PC or a more general issue with all models of this PC but without further evidence it is hard to say.

dis_ucode_ldr disables the microcode loader - so at early boot any new microcode in the initramfs will *not* get loaded - so then your machine will just have whatever microcode is contained within the BIOS and continue to use that.

Alex thanks for quick and detail responses.

So, as I understood, I need to update BIOS every time when new microcode released. BIOS should contain the same intel microcode as inside installed on Ubuntu.

Does it means that if I have different version of intel microcode (packaged inside BIOS and for Linux Ubuntu) it is better to set boot option "dis_ucode_ldr" and I will not have any limitations inside linux after such changes? At the same time, after such changes, intel-microcode that is packaged inside BIOS will work and maybe I will not have such issues with my PC.

Yes I think unfortunately in your case if there is a newer microcode in Ubuntu than your BIOS then you may have to disable it from being loaded via dis_icode_ldr.

Thanks, and does it means that dis_ucode_ldr option instead "quite splash" related only to disabling intel microcode packaged in Ubuntu without other limitations? So in such case, after such changes, I have the same functionality inside OS (without other limitations related to design and OS functionality) but just with intel microcode from BIOS?

Thanks in Advance for your response

Yes, all this does is disable the microcode which is contained within the intel-microcode package from being loaded in early boot.

Alex, thanks for quick and detail response.

Have a nice day.