[Trusty Feature] New Intel CPU microcode-20140122

[Yingying Zhao]

The latest CPU microcode version 20140122 was uploaded on: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=23574

Please consider to update the microcode in Ubuntu.

[Tim Gardner (timg-tpi)]

Released with 2.20140122.1

[Steve Langasek (vorlon)]

Hello Yingying, or anyone else affected,

Accepted intel-microcode into precise-proposed. The package will build now and be available at http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/intel-microcode/0.20140122-p-1ubuntu1 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug, mentioning the version of the package you tested, and change the tag from verification-needed to verification-done. If it does not fix the bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to verification-failed. In either case, details of your testing will help us make a better decision.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance!

[Henrique de Moraes Holschuh (hmh)]

On Wed, 30 Apr 2014, Steve Langasek wrote:
> Accepted intel-microcode into precise-proposed. The package will build
> now and be available at http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/intel-
> microcode/0.20140122-p-1ubuntu1 in a few hours, and then in the
> -proposed repository.

Updates to the 0-series microcode packages (or use of the
update-intel-microcode utility from "microcode.ctl") will regress very old
processors, because Intel removes the microcode for several older processors
from the distribution every once in a while. The only way to avoid this is
to merge older .dat files with the new one.

That's why we did not update Debian oldstable to 0.20140122, and instead
provided a 1-series intel-microcode package (along with iucode-tool) through
oldstable-backports (unfortunately, the 1.20140122 update for Debian
oldstable backports is still sitting in an upload queue somewhere waiting
approval at the time I am writing this).

I suggest that Ubuntu should try to use the 1-series packages (taken from
Debian stable) instead of the 0-series packages. This also requires
iucode-tool (either from Debian stable or Debian unstable), and the
transitional microcode.ctl package from Debian stable (for a better upgrade
path). 1-series and later intel-microcode packages do not regress old
processors.

PS: 0-series, version 0.*, intel-provided microcode selection;
    1-series, version 1.*, distro-controlled microcode selection;
    2-series, version 2.*, early initramfs support.

--
  "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

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package intel-microcode - 0.20140430-p-1ubuntu1

---------------
intel-microcode (0.20140430-p-1ubuntu1) precise; urgency=medium

  * New upstream data file: microcode-20140430
    https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=23829
    -LP: #1319114
 -- Tim Gardner <email address hidden> Tue, 13 May 2014 12:15:53 -0600