Intel Microcode

Just keep learning new shtuff!

Microcode website

When I upgraded the RAM on my netbook, I was instructed to update my BIOS firmware to the latest release. So I bit my lip and prayed that everything went right. This is one procedure that you don't want to miss on. It can leave your system in an unrecoverable state. It's called bricking your computer. After loading the operating system my BIOS did not recognize the increase in memory. Subsequently neither would the operating system software. My skin crawls when I can't get something to work right, so I set about making sure there wasn't a newer release or perhaps there was a fix for this out there in ether land. While searching Intel's download servers I kept running across these microcode downloads. I had my mind set on BIOS and it took me a little while to investigate just what was this microcode stuff I have never heard of.

http://urbanmyth.org/microcode/

Intel Microcode Update Utility for Linux

The microcode_ctl utility is a companion to the IA32 microcode driver written by Tigran Aivazian <tigran@aivazian.fsnet.co.uk>. The utility has two uses:
it decodes and sends new microcode to the kernel driver to be uploaded to Intel IA32 processors. (Pentium Pro, PII, PIII, Pentium 4, Celeron, Xeon etc - all P6 and above, which does NOT include pentium classics). It also supports processors of the x86_64 architecture.


Microcode has been around for a long time. It was written in assembly code into the harder, more permanent areas of memory.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcode

Modern microcode is normally written by an engineer during the processor design phase and stored in a ROM (read-only memory) or PLA (programmable logic array)[1] structure, or a combination of both.[2] However, machines also exists which have some (or all) microcode stored in SRAM or flash memory. This is traditionally denoted a writeable control store in the context of computers. Complex digital processors may also employ more than one (possibly microcode based) control unit in order to delegate sub-tasks which must be performed (more or less) asynchronously in parallel. Microcode is generally not visible or changeable by a normal programmer, not even by an assembly programmer. Unlike machine code which often retains some compatibility among different processors in a family, microcode only runs on the exact electronic circuitry for which it is designed, as it constitutes an inherent part of the particular processor design itself.


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Several Intel CPUs in the x86 architecture family have writable microcode.[16] This has allowed bugs in the Intel Core 2 microcode and IntelXeon microcode to be fixed in software, rather than requiring the entire chip to be replaced. Such fixes can be installed by Linux,[17]FreeBSD,[18] Microsoft Windows,[19] or the motherboard BIOS.[20]

Intel has recently released these software updates to by-pass the BIOS updates and write binary code to the processor.

http://dereenigne.org/computers/linux/update-intel-cpu-microcode
You are probably familiar with the terms firmware and drivers in the context of computer hardware, and the endless updating that they require. Most people associate these drivers and firmware updates with peripheral equipment such as graphic cards and DVD drives. You might not however be aware that you can also update the firmware on your CPU (firmware is called microcode in CPU speak).

These microcode updates are normally bundled in with BIOS updates. Given the fact that BIOS updates are inherently risky, motherboard manufacturers are reluctant to issue BIOS updates for anything other than major bugs. This means your microcode can become quite dated. Both Intel and AMD realize this and release standalone microcode updates.

If you are running Debian or Ubuntu and Intel CPU (there is a pretty good chance you are), you can use the intel-microcode and microcode.ctl packages to update your microcode. This will download the latest microcode for your CPU and apply the update automatically on each boot. This process does not apply the update permanently, and is completely reversible.

Periodically run sudo update-intel-microcode
to download the latest microcode version from Intel.

I was already wary of BIOS updates so I didn't just dive in and start downloading files. microcode.ctl is available from the Ubuntu Software Center. I downloaded the program ran the update and voila, even though my BIOS seems unaware of my RAM upgrade it's no longer fooling my operating system.

Now if I could just convince it that it's only a single core.... :)

64-bit Ubuntu upgrade

I recently updated my Netbook to the Ubuntu LINUX 64-bit (ubuntu-11.10-dvd-amd64.iso). At first I had heard that the 64-bit didn't provide adequate support for the mostly 32-bit software available. When I decided to take another look, I was seeing more positive reviews and decided to give it a whirl. I have been pleasantly surprised so far. Programs seem more responsive and I have been seeing less graying out when starting programs. The system monitor has now correctly detected my 2GB of RAM. It still appears to believe that I have a dual core processor. (Intel® Atom™ CPU N450 @ 1.66GHz × 2) As far as I can tell, from the product information, It's a single core 2 thread processor.
No glitches and it's the OS that this was designed to run.
Next step install the 64-bit LTS on the (wife's) desktop!


11/02/11
Update: My printer drivers are 32-bit! Canon PIXMA MX340. I was able to get the scanner to work with Simple Scan. The printer not. I'm trying Google Cloud Print but not tested it yet. I will not be updating desktop to 64-bit until CANON gets up to speed!

Playing Catch-up!

I was researching the specs on my Acer netbook. It has the Intel Atom N450 processor. While reading, the article went on to tell about the next generation of this line with the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) integrated into the processor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Atom I will only paste the applicable section here.

Second generation cores
[edit]Pineview microprocessor

On December 21, 2009, Intel announced the N450, D510 and D410 with integrated graphics.[2] Total kit power goes from 11.8 W to 7 W with the new processor and chipset, a 40% improvement.[34][35] Intel GMA 3150, a 45 nm shrink of the GMA 3100 with no HD capabilities, is included as the on-die GPU. Netbooks using this new processor were expected to be publicly shown at CES on January 4, 2010, and to be released for sale on January 11, 2010.[36][37] The major new feature includes longer battery life, with 6 cell systems reporting 10 or more hours of battery life.[38][39][40]

The current generation of the Atom is codenamed "Pineview" which is used in the "Pine Trail" platform. Intel's current netbook platform (codenamed Pine Trail-M) utilizes an Atom processor (codenamed Pineview-M) and Platform Controller Hub (codenamed Tiger Point). The graphics and memory controller have moved into the processor, which is paired with the Tiger Point PCH. This creates a more power efficient 2-chip platform rather than the 3-chip one used with previous-generation Atom chipsets.[41]

On 1 March 2010 Intel officially announced the introduction of the N470 processor,[42][43] running at 1.83 GHz with a 667 MHz FSB and a Max TDP of 6.5 W.[18]

The new Atom N4xx chips became available on 11 January 2010.[44] It is used in netbook/nettop systems, and features an integrated single-channel DDR2 memory controller and an integrated graphics core. It features hyper-threading and is still manufactured on a 45 nm[45]process. The new design uses half the power of the older "Menlow" platform. This reduced overall power consumption and size makes the platform more desirable for use in smartphones and other mobile internet devices.

On December 23, 2009, MSI introduced a new series of netbooks to be released in January 2010[dated info], the Wind U130 and U135, that were among the first netbooks to incorporate the new "Pine Trail" platform. ASUS and Dell have since introduced netbooks based on the Pineview-M chip N4xx.

The D4xx and D5xx series support the x86-64 bit instruction set and DDR2-800. It is rated for embedded use. The series has an integrated graphics processor built directly into the CPU to help improve performance. The models are targeted at nettops and low end desktops. They do not support speedstep.

The Atom D510 processor features dual core running at 1.66 GHz, with 1 MB of L2 cache.[46] The Atom D410 processor features a single core running at 1.66 GHz, with 512 KB of L2 cache.[47] Power requirements are rated at 13 watts[46] for the D510 and 10 watts[47] for the D410.

Rakarrack

http://rakarrack.sourceforge.net/

Loads of fun! Even has a Bass effect!

http://www.geek.com/articles/news/ubuntu-to-switch-from-x-window-system-to-wayland-2010115/


Just starting to get used to X-Window and pfft!

http://wayland.freedesktop.org/

IPAD 2 Q&A: The next advance in computing technology.

A friend recently bought an IPAD 2 and I was asking him about the specs on the unit. Because I have no Apple knowledge or experience I had the feeling we were talking apples and oranges! :)


When I had time today to research why I was posing some seemingly difficult questions, here is what I found.

First some background: Advanced readers skip ahead!

The CPU(central processing unit)  is the square thingy on your motherboard, (the electronic thingy in the metal box with the lights on it), the CPU is under the fan on the motherboard. In a PC, you can exchange the CPU for a faster one. You can buy a better fan or cooler, because some of them are water-cooled. Sounds like a scary mix to me but fast processors have always used a lot of power and in any electronic device, power has always meant heat.  


RAM! All PC people are familiar with RAM (random access memory) or soon to be (really ancient memory). We know it, we love it, it's one of the first questions asked after what type processor do you have. RAM is also up-gradable on the PC. It's the little stick thingy you buy and replace the same kind of thingy but the new one has more little black boxes on it. Those little black boxes, just like the CPU, are integrated circuits(IC's).


SHORT HISTORY OF COMPUTING FOR BACKGROUND
I'm showing my age for your benefit here. In the Air Force in the 70s, I was an Avionics Instrument Systems Specialist. I kept all the gauges working for the pilots. Normally I would find which part of the system was broken, usually a black box containing electronics, swapped it with a new one and bring the broken one back to a different shop that fixed them. When we were not busy we would help out the other shop by fixing some of our own black boxes.


I had a manual a stop watch and a computer. The computer was hooked up to the broken instrument or box, plugged in, and then using the manual and stop watch I started a test procedure. The computer was a metal box with switches and lights on the front. I flipped switches and timed how long it would take for a series of lights to turn on and off. This was an early version of what we use in our homes today. 


A computer at it's most basic level is a bunch of switches that are either on or off. You may have heard of binary code. It's 1s and 0s. On or off! A relay is an electrically activated switch. They are still used today in high power and automotive applications. Someone presses a button in a control room. That could be relayed up through larger and larger relays to open the doors on a dam. Something that requires a lot of power and a human would not want to stand there and try to close that switch.  


The vacuum tube was an electronic switch, like a relay but with no moving parts. When power was applied the Eswitch either opened or closed a circuit. Some Eswitches are open (or on) with no power applied, or closed(off) when power was applied. Tubes used a lot of power and were hot like a light bulb. They rather resembled a light bulb with transparent glass and wire filaments that could easily be seen. 


Transistors did the same thing electronically. They were the size of a pencil eraser and made the first portable electronic devices feasible. Since they were smaller and required no wires in the circuitry, they were called solid state. They used much less power, being some of the first battery operated devices. They also generated less heat. Heat is a loss of power. Whenever you can reduce the heat given off in circuitry you can operate on less power. 


In the FAA, until quite recently, RADAR scopes were CRT or (cathode ray tubes). Much like the old televisions they were heavy, bulky and ran hot. Air Conditioning in the room and fans were the cooling devices for this circuitry. If we lost air conditioning we had to shut the scopes off. If you have ever seen the movie "Apollo 13" they struggled to get the capsules power down below 12 amps. My battery powered drill supplies more power than that. They needed that to power a computer that had less computing power than a calculator watch. That helps illustrate how far we have come. Think of a watch battery running that space capsule.


What we use today are digital ICs. There are more than a billion transistors contained in some of the ICs in use today. Each, a tiny little switch, a 1 or a 0, open or closed, on or off.
They are etched into layers of silicon that can only be seen through a microscope.


What does this have to do with the IPAD 2?
The RAM is integrated into the CPU. You can't upgrade it. In fact measuring RAM is really hard to do in this case because it is part of the processor.
It uses a 64bit processor and doesn't have to access the RAM through the motherboard. More speed, less heat(No Fan), less power.(longer battery life)
http://www.arm.com/products/processors/cortex-a/cortex-a9.php
So you can't compare this processor with a PC. You have to run programs and time them and see what they do side by side.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4216/apple-ipad-2-gpu-performance-explored-powervr-sgx543mp2-benchmarked
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4216/apple-ipad-2-gpu-performance-explored-powervr-sgx543mp2-benchmarked/2


The same thing has happened to graphics cards. It's an on board GPU. Some graphics cards even had their own cooling fan.


The hard/FLASH drive is what drives the price of the IPAD 2 in GigaBytes. Starting at $500 for a 16GB solid state hard/FLASH drive. That's right the last of the internal moving parts have been designed out of the modern computing device. No more spinning disk with a stylus like the phonographs of old.
Why such a high price? If you want to be the first kid on the block with the new toy you have to pay for it. http://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-build-the-ipad-2-2011-3


PROS
No moving parts. No cables. Everything is integrated into the motherboard, equals speed! With less heat loss, through wires and cables and moving parts it requires less power and that increases battery life. Less power in turn means even less heat and therefore no cooling fan. 


This is what will be driving technology. Processing power doubles approximately every two years. Eventually every process will be on one IC. Then companies and consumers can decide what balance to shoot for between size and power.


CONS
I have read about problems with the IPAD when in the sun regarding visibility and overheating and shutting down. Anytime you are buying a cutting edge product you will be suffering through the inevitable initial bug problems. This is disposable technology. Nothing can be up-graded. Starting at $499 it's not like chucking the left over McFries. The price will come down as the manufacturing process finds it's stride. It will be made obsolete in 2 years by the next product. Hopefully there is an avenue to recycle these products.


MN

Opening thought

Hi,

This being my first blog, suggestions are helpful, criticism is not a Godly attribute. People that are helpful, use words of edification. Anybody can tell someone what they don't like. Two year olds are exceptionally gifted at this. It takes concerted thought to help someone else and build them up at the same time.