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HP Recommended
HP Z620 Base Model Workstation

Hi Folks, This is a question or a request directed at HP rather than the support community.  I am not here to tell HP how to run their business but when it comes to new Bios releases, would it be possible to do the Bios releases at least every 6 months just to keep up with the Processor Microcode updates?  It looks like the latest Bios release for Z620 Workstations was done back in 2019 nearly 5 years ago.  In my mind, this is unacceptable.   
This issue involves Intel also.  Instead of taking responsibility for their own products, Intel appears to have passed the responsibility for updating their microprocessors onto other vendors like Microsoft, HP, Dell etc.  Why should HP be responsible for updating a microprocessor manufactured by Intel?  Why can’t Intel setup a website to update consumers’ PCs, notebooks etc. with the latest microcode updates?  It is like saying we sold you a car and you have to go the dealer to get your engine fixed every day.  It makes absolutely no sense to me.  Intel also has the means to update the microcode for a processor at their factories permanently using a software tool.  Why can’t they use the same software at a website created by them to do the updates ?  

Thanks

Kind Regards,

11 REPLIES 11
HP Recommended

first of all microcode updates are usually machine/chipset/bios specific rather than cpu specific

 

the motherboard maker not intel determines which feature set and custom bios to use and as such vendor "A" may have a security issue that vendor "B" does not due to the chipset, or bios feature set options enabled on each system

 

also intel does not sell systems or create bios's (or even motherboards any more) vendors such as HP are responsible for maintaining their products, and they decide which items to upgrade/fix

 

second bios's are released when there is something to fix, if there's nothing to fix then there is no reason for a bios patch is there?

HP Recommended

Thanks for the reply.  I see what you are saying but I also would like to give Z620 Workstations as an example.  The last Bios update was released by HP back in 2019.  By this time, this was a mature product and the issues relating to the 942-Memory training issues was well known by HP.  In other words, this problem had been around for at least 5 years if not longer.   The microcode update fixes this issues but HP chose to ignore it for the past 5 years and failed to include it in the Bios Updates.  Had they released the Bios updates more frequently, or at least once a year, this issue would not have lingered around for this long… 

Does the CPU know what platform it is running on when you turn on the machine?  It does.  Can it perform the platform specific or manufacturer specific microcode based on what it is running on?  It certainly can… Could Intel incorporate all of this microcode updates so that there are no Hotfixes by the vendors ?  I would think so.  Is there a will to do it? NO!  And what about the non-platform specific updates that concern all?  Plus, the microcode updates are released by Intel not HP.    HP takes the data and incorporates into the Bios release.  If there is nothing to fix in the Bios, at least the processor microcode would be fixed… And this is precisely my point.

HP Recommended

first of all the z620 does NOT have a memory training issue, anyone who does have this or any other issue is in the minority of the total installed z620 user base

 

and most memory training issues have been resolved to faulty or incompatible Ram or PCI-E cards

 

as for your microcode statements,..........you have much to learn

HP Recommended

Incorrect!  Z620s with the later  Bios Block Dates with the V2 processors have this issue and it is incorrectly attributed to the hardware problems.  Test it yourself and you will see what I am talking about.  😀

HP Recommended

It looks like Z620 with the V2 processors also have this issue.

HP Recommended

Read this and maybe you will understand what I am talking about…

 

FIT Microcode Update

The Firmware Interface Table (FIT) is a data structure located in the platform BIOS SPI flash that may contain pointers to one or more microcode updates. Loading a microcode update from the FIT is the preferred way to load a microcode update in Intel platforms, because it helps ensure all the update components1 are loaded at the earliest point in the boot process. Before executing the first instruction of the BIOS firmware at the Intel® architecture (IA) reset vector, the CPU processes the FIT to locate a microcode update suitable for that particular CPU. If a suitable update is found, the CPU loads the update before the first instruction of the BIOS firmware is fetched. After loading an update from the FIT, the bootstrap processor (BSP) begins fetching and executing the BIOS firmware from the IA reset vector, while the application processors (APs) enter into the Wait-for-SIPI state.

On some processors, a microcode update is loaded from the FIT only on the BSP core, while on other processors, it may be loaded on all cores.

  • For products based on the Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge microarchitectures, a microcode update is loaded from the FIT only on the BSP core if Intel® Trusted Execution Technology (Intel® TXT) is enabled.
  • For server products based on the Skylake microarchitecture (including Cascade Lake and Cooper Lake microarchitectures, except Xeon E3), a microcode update is loaded from the FIT on the BSP core only.
  • For products based on the Haswell and Broadwell microarchitectures, client products based on the Skylake microarchitecture (including Xeon E3), Atom family products starting with the Goldmont microarchitecture, and all later microarchitectures, a microcode update is loaded from the FIT on all cores.

A microcode update is loaded from the FIT after either a warm or cold hardware reset. It does not occur in response to an INIT event.

Where possible, Intel recommends loading new microcode updates from the FIT; for example, through installing a BIOS update.

HP Recommended

We just tested a z620 with a E5-2690V2 processor again and still getting the 942-Memory training error code(3016).  
HP Product Number: LJ450AV. 

As far as the E5-2690V1 on older systems, this problem may not be there. 
It is possible that the engineers at HP overlooked and did not include the  processor microcode update in the Bios releases for the Xeon V2 processors (E5-2690V2).  

Since HP uses the same version bios for Z420, Z620, and Z820, All three would have to be included in the updates.  

Respect your elders!  and your peers!  😀

HP Recommended

Wrong!  Microcode updates are processor specific for the platform the CPU will be running on.  As the name states, it is called a “microprocessor microcode update” .   If HP did a better job supporting their products, we would not be here discussing these things…

HP Recommended

The last time HP released a Bios update was 5 LONG YEARS AGO!  Do you call this good product support?  😀

† The opinions expressed above are the personal opinions of the authors, not of HP. By using this site, you accept the <a href="https://www8.hp.com/us/en/terms-of-use.html" class="udrlinesmall">Terms of Use</a> and <a href="/t5/custom/page/page-id/hp.rulespage" class="udrlinesmall"> Rules of Participation</a>.