Microcode update package question

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1

Hello

today during a command line update I noticed that I been getting Intel microcode updates


Installing: ucode-intel-20191115-lp151.2.21.1.x86_64 .......................................................................[done]

Executing %posttrans script 'ucode-intel-20191115-lp151.2.21.1.x86_64.rpm' -------------------------------------------------------------]
Output of ucode-intel-20191115-lp151.2.21.1.x86_64.rpm %posttrans script:

why em I getting this updates when my CPU is an AMD? In YaST2 I noticed that ucode-amd and ucode-intel are both selected. Does the default install not probe my hardware to determine what kind of hardware I have and therefore enable/disable packages? or by default it just enables both CPU manufactures? Can I uncheck and remove the Intel ucode and all its dependencies from my system?

thank you

2

Yes, I get both and I have an Intel processor.

I think it’s just a matter of having both around. And then the appropriate one is used when needed. But, okay, I’m really just guessing on that.

3

Not to these details. These packages are unconditionally recommended by default.

Can I uncheck and remove the Intel ucode and all its dependencies from my system?

Yes, but you will need to lock them otherwise they will be installed again.

4

I guess it is not easy to please everybody.

There are people that have openSUSE on USB memeory and want to boot it on any system they see.
There are also people (you will find several threads here over time) that want to switch disks to another system, or clone disks/partitions to other systems and run them without much thinking or tinkering (let alone fresh installing).
In those cases it is nice that it works on both types of CPU IMHO.

5

Can I brick my system by removing the intel microcode?

6

If your system doesn’t have a CPU from Intel then, probably not …

  • Take a look at the Release Notes supplied with the “ucode-intel” package – ‘/usr/share/doc/packages/ucode-intel/releasenote’.
  • If there’s nothing in there remotely related to your system, then, it’s possibly OK to remove the “ucode-intel” package …
7

I’m speculating,
But to the limit of my understanding the microcode patches only provide patches, and are applied on every boot. Nothing is permanently written to silicon so although a missing patch ordinarily should never affect core functionality of anything, if any kind of a problem should ever happen it should be easy to resolve… Either undo whatever you did or better yet just roll back using Snapper to a moment in time before you blacklisted the package.

TSU

8

Leaving the code will not hurt anything and the space space saving is minuscule. Not understanding the reason to remove the code.