[ale] News: Red Hat slams into reverse on CPU fix for Spectre design blunder

[Lightner, Jeffrey]

RHEL was issuing both a kernel patch and a microcode update for CPUs.   It may be other distros weren't doing the microcode update.  In RHEL's reversal they say they did the microcode as a convenience but view it as the chip maker's responsibility.   The reversal was to get rid of the RHEL microcode update and take out optimizations to the kernel that relied upon it.

Maybe SUSE and others weren't also providing a microcode update.  

Note that without a CPU firmware/microcode update you're not protected against Spectre but may be protected against Meltdown.


-----Original Message-----
From: Ale [mailto:ale-bounces at ale.org] On Behalf Of Beddingfield, Allen via Ale
Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2018 11:18 AM
To: Jim Kinney; Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts
Subject: Re: [ale] News: Red Hat slams into reverse on CPU fix for Spectre design blunder

I'm going to throw the question out to some SUSE folks and see what answer I get.  They would be the other one with the resources for independent testing . . .

On 1/18/18 10:16 AM, Jim Kinney wrote:
> Please check with other distros! RedHat is probably taking a lead in 
> building a patch as they have resources. I've seen other distros issue 
> kernel patches after rhel that are rpm based.
> 
> On January 18, 2018 11:12:50 AM EST, "Beddingfield, Allen via Ale" 
> <ale at ale.org> wrote:
> 
>     So, my question at this point:
>     We haven't heard anything similar out of SUSE, and I haven't heard of
>     anything in the Debian/Ubuntu world?  Are we to assume we are "good" if
>     we have SUSE and Debian/Ubuntu systems patched up, and that it is just
>     the RHEL world that can't get their act together?  It seems to me that
>     we are likely to hear a "me too" out of the other vendors following Red
>     Hat's announcement.  Thoughts?  I'm going to pose the same question to a
>     SUSE heavy audience, see what I get, and report back . . .
> 
>     Allen B.
> 
>     On 1/18/18 7:23 AM, DJ-Pfulio via Ale wrote:
> 
>         Red Hat slams into reverse on CPU fix for Spectre design 
> blunder
> 
>         
> https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/01/18/red_hat_spectre_firmware_upda
> te_woes/
> 
>         Be careful out there.
> 
>         Anyone seen system instabilities from the different layers of
>         patches?
> 
>         I've delayed patching the last few weeks to let others find most
>         of the
>         issues first. ;)
>         
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--
Allen Beddingfield
Systems Engineer
Office of Information Technology
The University of Alabama
Office 205-348-2251
allen at ua.edu
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