19.7.7 update + vm.pmap.pti sysctl

[tigersharke]

Hello!

Possibly I am in the minority of users who have AMD hardware, so when an update fails causing continuous reboot I may eventually remember that I need to solve it as below:

choose boot loader
set vm.pmap.pti=0
boot

After bootup, go to system > settings > tunables to re-create the line
tunable: vm.pmap.pti
description: annoying AMD unfriendly mitigation
value: 0

IMHO, it would be helpful if this mitigation did not cause trouble for processors other than intel, could processor be detected and sysctl automatically inserted as above? At the moment for me it is simply remembering the solution.

[weust]

Which CPU are you using? Mine is a GX-420CA SOC and no problems at all.

[tigersharke]

It is an AMD Phenom(tm) II X4 960T.  I believe I have had the same issue with an AMD Athlon II X2 270 Regor.  However, so long as I am able to recall the sysctl to adjust, I can progress past the bump in the road and get an update just fine.

[tigersharke]

I am very pleased to report that my update from 19.7.x to 20.1 worked exactly as expected.  Either my custom config tunable vm.pmap.pti was retained or OPNsense now handles it better for my processor.

To all those involved, thank you very much!

[franco]

Hey there,

Adding it to System: Settings: Tunables retains this setting neatly nowadays.


Cheers,
Franco