How to enable automatic microcode updates

[meyergru]

But you wrote about problems with fwupd - AFAIK, that is a Linux tool to update device firmwares, not microcodes.

Any decent hypervisor will block CPU microcode updates on VM guests (I know for a fact VMware does that), so you should be safe trying this inside a VM (in vain) - unless my information w/r to this is wrong. Of course, the update code will only try if the emulated CPU matches, anyway, so for KVM, it would have to be "host", not any emulated type (and I bet that the microcode update is not emulated, either).

[Taunt9930]

How would effectively roll-back these steps / remove the functionality ready for the built-in version upcoming in a release. Do I need to, or can I leave as-is without issue/conflict?

[franco]

Yep, doesn't matter [what you did manually to set it up before] as long as you install the right plugin for your CPU.

Cheers,
Franco

[franco]

I updated the 24.7-amd kernel to hold the early loading patches on top of what is probably going to be a good 24.7.3 kernel for further testing. I think we can introduce them in the next 24.7.x kernel round. Hopefully that's not going to be 24.7.4. ;)


Cheers,
Franco

[olmari]

Indeed only thing at the moment preventing me to test happy-path of Amd early loading is lack of more fresh microcode, indeed otherwise I'm happy with what we have had so far (the check and "no patch to update" as DEC750 already has the current latest =)

[2HgRyz13]

FYI — version 24.7.2 (August 21, 2024), opnsense release doc:

"As a special note we now have native CPU microcode update plugins for either AMD or Intel to install from the GUI. Apart from a reboot these plugins require no further user interaction and will keep the applicable microcode at the latest known version as shipped in the packages repository."

[2HgRyz13]

After updating my DEC850 's (AMD EPYC) firmware and installing the new microcode plugin, I used SSH to see the running microcode version:

0x800126f

Unfortunately, I forgot to check the microcode version before I installed the plugin.

Is 0x800126f the latest?

When was it released?

If released recently, did it fixed the SinkClose vulnerability?

I didn't find the answers in numerous online searches.

I'm still waiting for the sinkclose fix before I deploy my new DEC850.

[Patrick M. Hausen]

Why do you think sinkclose is relevant for a dedicated firewall appliance? It's not.

[olmari]

I see the 24.7.6 having early loading landed in it, thank you! Only thing now missing from the "final test" for my devices is the actual microcode release by AMD. xD