Issued:

2013-11-20

Updated:

2013-11-20

RHBA-2013:1668 - microcode_ctl bug fix and enhancement update

Synopsis

microcode_ctl bug fix and enhancement update

Type/Severity

Bug Fix Advisory (none)

Topic

Updated microcode_ctl packages that fix one bug and add one enhancement 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, the microcode_ctl utility did not detect if it was running in a virtual machine and attempted to install the CPU microcode updates. This behavior caused several errors to be returned in the kernel ring buffer. The underlying source code has been modified and microcode_ctl no longer tries to update the CPU microcode in the described scenario. (BZ#1000317)

In addition, this update adds the following enhancement:

• The Intel CPU microcode file has been updated to version 20130906. (BZ#915957, BZ#1005606)

All users of microcode_ctl are advised to upgrade to these updated packages, which fix this bug and add this enhancement. 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/site/articles/11258

Affected Products

Updated Packages

• microcode_ctl-debuginfo-1.17-17.el6.x86_64.rpm
• microcode_ctl-1.17-17.el6.i686.rpm
• microcode_ctl-1.17-17.el6.x86_64.rpm
• microcode_ctl-debuginfo-1.17-17.el6.i686.rpm
• microcode_ctl-1.17-17.el6.src.rpm

Fixes

• This content is not included.BZ - 1000317

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.