firmware-updates.adoc

   1 [[chapter_firmware_updates]]
   2 Firmware Updates
   3 ----------------
   4 ifdef::wiki[]
   5 :pve-toplevel:
   6 endif::wiki[]
   7 Firmware updates from this chapter should be applied when running {pve} on a
   8 bare-metal server. Whether configuring firmware updates is appropriate within
   9 guests, e.g. when using device pass-through, depends strongly on your setup and
  10 is therefore out of scope.
  11
  12 In addition to regular software updates, firmware updates are also important
  13 for reliable and secure operation.
  14
  15 When obtaining and applying firmware updates, a combination of available options
  16 is recommended to get them as early as possible or at all.
  17
  18 The term firmware is usually divided linguistically into microcode (for CPUs)
  19 and firmware (for other devices).
  20
  21
  22 [[sysadmin_firmware_persistent]]
  23 Persistent Firmware
  24 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  25 This section is suitable for all devices. Updated microcode, which is usually
  26 included in a BIOS/UEFI update, is stored on the motherboard, whereas other
  27 firmware is stored on the respective device. This persistent method is
  28 especially important for the CPU, as it enables the earliest possible regular
  29 loading of the updated microcode at boot time.
  30
  31 CAUTION: With some updates, such as for BIOS/UEFI or storage controller, the
  32 device configuration could be reset. Please follow the vendor's instructions
  33 carefully and back up the current configuration.
  34
  35 Please check with your vendor which update methods are available.
  36
  37 * Convenient update methods for servers can include Dell's Lifecycle Manager or
  38 Service Packs from HPE.
  39
  40 * Sometimes there are Linux utilities available as well. Examples are
  41 https://network.nvidia.com/support/firmware/mlxup-mft/['mlxup'] for NVIDIA
  42 ConnectX or
  43 https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/storage-and-ethernet-connectivity/ethernet-nic-controllers/bcm957xxx/adapters/software-installation/updating-the-firmware/manually-updating-the-adapter-firmware-on-linuxesx.html['bnxtnvm'/'niccli']
  44 for Broadcom network cards.
  45
  46 * https://fwupd.org[LVFS] could also be an option if there is a cooperation with
  47 a https://fwupd.org/lvfs/vendors/[vendor] and
  48 https://fwupd.org/lvfs/devices/[supported hardware] in use. The technical
  49 requirement for this is that the system was manufactured after 2014, is booted
  50 via UEFI and the easiest way is to mount the EFI partition from which you boot
  51 (`mount /dev/disk/by-partuuid/<from efibootmgr -v> /boot/efi`) before installing
  52 'fwupd'.
  53
  54 TIP: If the update instructions require a host reboot, make sure that it can be
  55 done safely. See also xref:ha_manager_node_maintenance[Node Maintenance].
  56
  57
  58 [[sysadmin_firmware_runtime_files]]
  59 Runtime Firmware Files
  60 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  61 This method stores firmware on the {pve} operating system and will pass it to a
  62 device if its xref:sysadmin_firmware_persistent[persisted firmware] is less
  63 recent. It is supported by devices such as network and graphics cards, but not
  64 by those that rely on persisted firmware such as the motherboard and hard disks.
  65
  66 In {pve} the package `pve-firmware` is already installed by default. Therefore,
  67 with the normal xref:system_software_updates[system updates (APT)], included
  68 firmware of common hardware is automatically kept up to date.
  69
  70 An additional xref:sysadmin_debian_firmware_repo[Debian Firmware Repository]
  71 exists, but is not configured by default.
  72
  73 If you try to install an additional firmware package but it conflicts, APT will
  74 abort the installation. Perhaps the particular firmware can be obtained in
  75 another way.
  76
  77
  78 [[sysadmin_firmware_cpu]]
  79 CPU Microcode Updates
  80 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  81 Microcode updates are intended to fix found security vulnerabilities and other
  82 serious CPU bugs. While the CPU performance can be affected, a patched microcode
  83 is usually still more performant than an unpatched microcode where the kernel
  84 itself has to do mitigations. Depending on the CPU type, it is possible that
  85 performance results of the flawed factory state can no longer be achieved
  86 without knowingly running the CPU in an unsafe state.
  87
  88 To get an overview of present CPU vulnerabilities and their mitigations, run
  89 `lscpu`. Current real-world known vulnerabilities can only show up if the
  90 {pve} host is xref:system_software_updates[up to date], its version not
  91 xref:faq-support-table[end of life], and has at least been rebooted since the
  92 last kernel update.
  93
  94 Besides the recommended microcode update via
  95 xref:sysadmin_firmware_persistent[persistent] BIOS/UEFI updates, there is also
  96 an independent method via *Early OS Microcode Updates*. It is convenient to use
  97 and also quite helpful when the motherboard vendor no longer provides BIOS/UEFI
  98 updates. Regardless of the method in use, a reboot is always needed to apply a
  99 microcode update.
 100
 101
 102 Set up Early OS Microcode Updates
 103 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 104 After enabling the
 105 xref:sysadmin_debian_firmware_repo[Debian Firmware Repository], run
 106 `apt install <intel-microcode|amd64-microcode>` and reboot the {pve} host
 107 xref:ha_manager_node_maintenance[safely] afterwards.
 108
 109 Infrequent future microcode updates also require a reboot to be loaded.
 110
 111
 112 Microcode Version
 113 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 114 To get the current running microcode revision for comparison or debugging
 115 purposes:
 116
 117 ----
 118 # grep microcode /proc/cpuinfo | uniq
 119 microcode       : 0xf0
 120 ----
 121
 122 Since a microcode package contains microcode for different CPU types, an updated
 123 microcode for your CPU will only be included occasionally. Therefore, date
 124 information from the package can also not be matched to a specific release date
 125 from the vendor.
 126
 127 If the microcode package is installed, the system has been rebooted, and the
 128 microcode included in the package is more recent than that on the motherboard
 129 and CPU, the message "microcode updated early" appears in the log:
 130
 131 ----
 132 # dmesg | grep microcode
 133 [    0.000000] microcode: microcode updated early to revision 0xf0, date = 2021-11-12
 134 [    0.896580] microcode: Microcode Update Driver: v2.2.
 135 ----
 136
 137
 138 [[sysadmin_firmware_troubleshooting]]
 139 Troubleshooting
 140 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 141 For debugging purposes, the set up Early OS Microcode Update applied regularly
 142 at system boot can be temporarily disabled as follows:
 143
 144 1. make sure that the host can be rebooted xref:ha_manager_node_maintenance[safely]
 145 2. reboot the host to get to the GRUB menu (hold `SHIFT` if it is hidden)
 146 3. at the desired {pve} boot entry press `E`
 147 4. go to the line which starts with `linux` and append separated by a space
 148 *`dis_ucode_ldr`*
 149 5. press `CTRL-X` to boot this time without an Early OS Microcode Update
 150
 151 If a problem related to a recent microcode update is suspected, a package
 152 downgrade should be considered instead of package removal
 153 (`apt purge <intel-microcode|amd64-microcode>`). Otherwise, a too old
 154 xref:sysadmin_firmware_persistent[persisted] microcode might be loaded, even
 155 though a more recent one would run without problems.
 156
 157 A downgrade is possible if an earlier microcode package version is
 158 available in the Debian repository, as shown in this example:
 159
 160 ----
 161 # apt list -a intel-microcode
 162 Listing... Done
 163 intel-microcode/stable-security,now 3.20230808.1~deb12u1 amd64 [installed]
 164 intel-microcode/stable 3.20230512.1 amd64
 165 ----
 166 ----
 167 # apt install intel-microcode=3.202305*
 168 ...
 169 Selected version '3.20230512.1' (Debian:12.1/stable [amd64]) for 'intel-microcode'
 170 ...
 171 dpkg: warning: downgrading intel-microcode from 3.20230808.1~deb12u1 to 3.20230512.1
 172 ...
 173 intel-microcode: microcode will be updated at next boot
 174 ...
 175 ----
 176
 177 Make sure (again) that the host can be rebooted
 178 xref:ha_manager_node_maintenance[safely]. To apply an older microcode
 179 potentially included in the microcode package for your CPU type, reboot now.
 180
 181 [TIP]
 182 ====
 183 It makes sense to hold the downgraded package for a while and try more recent
 184 versions again at a later time. Even if the package version is the same in the
 185 future, system updates may have fixed the experienced problem in the meantime.
 186 ----
 187 # apt-mark hold intel-microcode
 188 intel-microcode set on hold.
 189 ----
 190 ----
 191 # apt-mark unhold intel-microcode
 192 # apt update
 193 # apt upgrade
 194 ----
 195 ====