linux-stable.git/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/microcode/internal.h, branch linux-rolling-stable

x86/microcode: Introduce staging step to reduce late-loading time

2025-10-15T14:46:58+00:00

As microcode patch sizes continue to grow, late-loading latency spikes can
lead to timeouts and disruptions in running workloads. This trend of
increasing patch sizes is expected to continue, so a foundational solution is
needed to address the issue.

To mitigate the problem, introduce a microcode staging feature. This option
processes most of the microcode update (excluding activation) on
a non-critical path, allowing CPUs to remain operational during the majority
of the update. By offloading work from the critical path, staging can
significantly reduce latency spikes.

Integrate staging as a preparatory step in late-loading. Introduce a new
callback for staging, which is invoked at the beginning of
load_late_stop_cpus(), before CPUs enter the rendezvous phase.

Staging follows an opportunistic model:

  *  If successful, it reduces CPU rendezvous time
  *  Even though it fails, the process falls back to the legacy path to
     finish the loading process but with potentially higher latency.

Extend struct microcode_ops to incorporate staging properties, which will be
implemented in the vendor code separately.

Signed-off-by: Chang S. Bae 
Signed-off-by: Borislav Petkov (AMD) 
Reviewed-by: Chao Gao 
Reviewed-by: Tony Luck 
Tested-by: Anselm Busse 
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/20250320234104.8288-1-chang.seok.bae@intel.com

x86/microcode: Add microcode loader debugging functionality

2025-09-04T14:15:19+00:00

Instead of adding ad-hoc debugging glue to the microcode loader each
time I need it, add debugging functionality which is not built by
default.

Simulate all patch handling the loader does except the actual loading of
the microcode patch into the hardware.

Signed-off-by: Borislav Petkov (AMD) 
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/20250820135043.19048-3-bp@kernel.org

x86/microcode: Consolidate the loader enablement checking

2025-05-05T08:51:00+00:00

Consolidate the whole logic which determines whether the microcode loader
should be enabled or not into a single function and call it everywhere.

Well, almost everywhere - not in mk_early_pgtbl_32() because there the kernel
is running without paging enabled and checking dis_ucode_ldr et al would
require physical addresses and uglification of the code.

But since this is 32-bit, the easier thing to do is to simply map the initrd
unconditionally especially since that mapping is getting removed later anyway
by zap_early_initrd_mapping() and avoid the uglification.

In doing so, address the issue of old 486er machines without CPUID
support, not booting current kernels.

  [ mingo: Fix no previous prototype for ‘microcode_loader_disabled’ [-Wmissing-prototypes] ]

Fixes: 4c585af7180c1 ("x86/boot/32: Temporarily map initrd for microcode loading")
Signed-off-by: Borislav Petkov (AMD) 
Signed-off-by: Ingo Molnar 
Signed-off-by: Borislav Petkov (AMD) 
Cc: 
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/CANpbe9Wm3z8fy9HbgS8cuhoj0TREYEEkBipDuhgkWFvqX0UoVQ@mail.gmail.com

x86/microcode/AMD: Remove unused save_microcode_in_initrd_amd() declarations

2025-02-17T08:42:31+00:00

Commit

  a7939f016720 ("x86/microcode/amd: Cache builtin/initrd microcode early")

renamed it to save_microcode_in_initrd() and made it static. Zap the
forgotten declarations.

No functional changes.

Signed-off-by: Borislav Petkov (AMD) 
Reviewed-by: Thomas Gleixner 
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20250211163648.30531-3-bp@kernel.org

x86/microcode: Rework early revisions reporting

2023-11-21T15:35:48+00:00

The AMD side of the loader issues the microcode revision for each
logical thread on the system, which can become really noisy on huge
machines. And doing that doesn't make a whole lot of sense - the
microcode revision is already in /proc/cpuinfo.

So in case one is interested in the theoretical support of mixed silicon
steppings on AMD, one can check there.

What is also missing on the AMD side - something which people have
requested before - is showing the microcode revision the CPU had
*before* the early update.

So abstract that up in the main code and have the BSP on each vendor
provide those revision numbers.

Then, dump them only once on driver init.

On Intel, do not dump the patch date - it is not needed.

Reported-by: Linus Torvalds 
Signed-off-by: Borislav Petkov (AMD) 
Reviewed-by: Thomas Gleixner 
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/CAHk-=wg=%2B8rceshMkB4VnKxmRccVLtBLPBawnewZuuqyx5U=3A@mail.gmail.com

x86/microcode: Prepare for minimal revision check

2023-10-24T13:05:55+00:00

Applying microcode late can be fatal for the running kernel when the
update changes functionality which is in use already in a non-compatible
way, e.g. by removing a CPUID bit.

There is no way for admins which do not have access to the vendors deep
technical support to decide whether late loading of such a microcode is
safe or not.

Intel has added a new field to the microcode header which tells the
minimal microcode revision which is required to be active in the CPU in
order to be safe.

Provide infrastructure for handling this in the core code and a command
line switch which allows to enforce it.

If the update is considered safe the kernel is not tainted and the annoying
warning message not emitted. If it's enforced and the currently loaded
microcode revision is not safe for late loading then the load is aborted.

Signed-off-by: Thomas Gleixner 
Signed-off-by: Borislav Petkov (AMD) 
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20231017211724.079611170@linutronix.de

x86/microcode: Handle "offline" CPUs correctly

2023-10-24T13:05:55+00:00

Offline CPUs need to be parked in a safe loop when microcode update is
in progress on the primary CPU. Currently, offline CPUs are parked in
mwait_play_dead(), and for Intel CPUs, its not a safe instruction,
because the MWAIT instruction can be patched in the new microcode update
that can cause instability.

  - Add a new microcode state 'UCODE_OFFLINE' to report status on per-CPU
  basis.
  - Force NMI on the offline CPUs.

Wake up offline CPUs while the update is in progress and then return
them back to mwait_play_dead() after microcode update is complete.

Signed-off-by: Thomas Gleixner 
Signed-off-by: Borislav Petkov (AMD) 
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20231002115903.660850472@linutronix.de

x86/microcode: Rendezvous and load in NMI

2023-10-24T13:05:55+00:00

stop_machine() does not prevent the spin-waiting sibling from handling
an NMI, which is obviously violating the whole concept of rendezvous.

Implement a static branch right in the beginning of the NMI handler
which is nopped out except when enabled by the late loading mechanism.

The late loader enables the static branch before stop_machine() is
invoked. Each CPU has an nmi_enable in its control structure which
indicates whether the CPU should go into the update routine.

This is required to bridge the gap between enabling the branch and
actually being at the point where it is required to enter the loader
wait loop.

Each CPU which arrives in the stopper thread function sets that flag and
issues a self NMI right after that. If the NMI function sees the flag
clear, it returns. If it's set it clears the flag and enters the
rendezvous.

This is safe against a real NMI which hits in between setting the flag
and sending the NMI to itself. The real NMI will be swallowed by the
microcode update and the self NMI will then let stuff continue.
Otherwise this would end up with a spurious NMI.

Signed-off-by: Thomas Gleixner 
Signed-off-by: Borislav Petkov (AMD) 
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20231002115903.489900814@linutronix.de

x86/microcode: Add per CPU result state

2023-10-24T13:05:54+00:00

The microcode rendezvous is purely acting on global state, which does
not allow to analyze fails in a coherent way.

Introduce per CPU state where the results are written into, which allows to
analyze the return codes of the individual CPUs.

Initialize the state when walking the cpu_present_mask in the online
check to avoid another for_each_cpu() loop.

Enhance the result print out with that.

The structure is intentionally named ucode_ctrl as it will gain control
fields in subsequent changes.

Signed-off-by: Thomas Gleixner 
Signed-off-by: Borislav Petkov (AMD) 
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20231017211723.632681010@linutronix.de

x86/microcode: Handle "nosmt" correctly

2023-10-24T13:05:54+00:00

On CPUs where microcode loading is not NMI-safe the SMT siblings which
are parked in one of the play_dead() variants still react to NMIs.

So if an NMI hits while the primary thread updates the microcode the
resulting behaviour is undefined. The default play_dead() implementation on
modern CPUs is using MWAIT which is not guaranteed to be safe against
a microcode update which affects MWAIT.

Take the cpus_booted_once_mask into account to detect this case and
refuse to load late if the vendor specific driver does not advertise
that late loading is NMI safe.

AMD stated that this is safe, so mark the AMD driver accordingly.

This requirement will be partially lifted in later changes.

Signed-off-by: Thomas Gleixner 
Signed-off-by: Borislav Petkov (AMD) 
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20231002115903.087472735@linutronix.de