Re: [PLUG] Question about AMD Ryzen 3000x rdrand bug

Not sure if you are speaking to me or to Bhaskar, but the repetitive 0xFFFFFFFF notation (please pardon me if that is not the proper term!) was easy to check on Google. Many folks, about a year ago, were finding their Linux apps would freeze up. Some found Linux would not boot at all. There was quite a lengthy exchange going on about it briefly but it appears all concluded it was the RNG known as rdrand which was buggy. Windows users who played Destiny 2 also found their systems freezing because of this bug.

Since then it seems this bug was forgotten as distros such as Ubuntu did a work around for most applications. Then, AMD introduced a BIOS correction which would interpret rdrand properly. Apparently that is now their solution to the problem. If you have an older MOB you need to reflash it with an updated BIOS. Seems poor style to me, that is, to make a defective product and expect the user to make the correction for it.

Randall

On Mon, Dec 7, 2020 at 7:33 PM Steve Litt via plug <plug@lists.phillylinux.org> wrote:

Hi Bhaskar,

So do you think your reinstall removed a package that was somehow
messing things up via conflict with other software or with the hardware?

This was an intermittent problem, as evidenced by the fact that it
worked "until I attempted to download an application which froze almost
immediately with a long chain of 0xFFFFFFFF notations." Is it possible
the problem's still there but hasn't symptomed yet?

What made you so sure this was a "rdrand" problem?

Thanks,

SteveT

Steve Litt
Autumn 2020 featured book: Thriving in Tough Times
http://www.troubleshooters.com/thrive

On Mon, 7 Dec 2020 15:10:59 -0500
"K.S. Bhaskar via plug" <plug@lists.phillylinux.org> wrote:

> Randall –
>
> I successfully did a fresh install of Lubuntu 20.10 on that machine
> this morning. It worked as advertised.
>
> Regards
> – Bhaskar
>
> On Sun, Dec 6, 2020 at 11:05 AM K.S. Bhaskar <ksbhaskar@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > It so happens that I will be setting up Ubuntu 20.10 on a Ryzen 7
> > 3700X this week. I will let you know how it goes.
> >
> > Regards
> > – Bhaskar
> >
> > On Sat, Dec 5, 2020 at 8:42 PM Randall Detra via plug <
> > plug@lists.phillylinux.org> wrote:
> >
> >> Hello everyone,
> >>
> >> I have been using a Ryzen 5 3600 CPU with Ubuntu 20.04.1
> >> successfully
> >>
> >> I know this arises from a flaw in the CPU "rdrand" call which used
> >> to make booting Linux impossible. My understanding is Ubuntu came
> >> up with a work around for this bug so most of the time a user,
> >> such as myself, will never notice it. I also know reflashing the
> >> BIOS may correct the issue but I have acquired a 3rd generation
> >> Ryzen 7 3700x CPU and would like to install it with the assumption
> >> AMD has finally fixed this bug in their product.
> >>
> >> I am a much much more casual hobbyist with Linux than, perhaps,
> >> many of you and would prefer to simply replace the CPU rather than
> >> reflash the BIOS. Does anyone know if this bug still exists in
> >> newer AMD products?
> >>
> >> Of course, if I have to reflash the BIOS, I will do so!
> >>
> >> Randall
> >>
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