Issued:

2013-02-20

Updated:

2013-02-20

RHBA-2013:0348 - microcode_ctl bug fix and enhancement update

Synopsis

microcode_ctl bug fix and enhancement update

Type/Severity

Bug Fix Advisory

Topic

Updated microcode_ctl packages that fix a bug and add various enhancements are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.

Description

The microcode_ctl packages provide utility code and microcode data to assist the kernel in updating the CPU microcode at system boot time. This microcode supports all current x86-based, Intel 64-based, and AMD64-based CPU models. It takes advantage of the mechanism built-in to Linux that allows microcode to be updated after system boot. When loaded, the updated microcode corrects the behavior of various processors, as described in processor specification updates issued by Intel and AMD for those processors.

This update fixes the following bug:

• Previously, a udev rule in /lib/udev/rules.d/89-microcode.rules allowed the module to load more than once. On very large systems (for example, systems with 2048 or more CPUs), this could result in the system becoming unresponsive on boot. With this update, the udev rule has been changed to ensure the module loads only once. Very large systems now boot as expected. (BZ#740932)

This update also adds the following enhancements:

• The Intel CPU microcode file has been updated to version 20120606. (BZ#818096)

• The AMD CPU microcode file has been updated to version 20120910. (BZ#867078)

All users of microcode_ctl are advised to upgrade to these updated packages, which fix this bug and add these enhancements. Note: a system reboot is necessary for this update to take effect.

Solution

Before applying this update, make sure all previously-released errata relevant to your system have been applied.

This update is available via the Red Hat Network. Details on how to use the Red Hat Network to apply this update are available at https://access.redhat.com/knowledge/articles/11258

Affected Products

Updated Packages

• microcode_ctl-debuginfo-1.17-14.el6.x86_64.rpm
• microcode_ctl-debuginfo-1.17-14.el6.i686.rpm
• microcode_ctl-1.17-14.el6.x86_64.rpm
• microcode_ctl-1.17-14.el6.src.rpm
• microcode_ctl-1.17-14.el6.i686.rpm

Fixes

• This content is not included.BZ - 867078

CVEs

(none)

References

(none)

Additional information

• The Red Hat security contact is This content is not included.secalert@redhat.com. More contact details at https://access.redhat.com/security/team/contact/.
• Offline Security Data data is available for integration with other systems. See Offline Security Data API to get started.