Hey, I'm trying to get CPU Microcode Updates working on Unraid. Reason is security, features, perfomance and stability.

So far:

• Checked my current Microcode Version using

  dmesg | grep microcode

   and copied the result to my notepad.
• Installed `un-get` from @ich777 (Grüße) using the CC from here `https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ich777/un-get/master/un-get.plg` (🔗Github)
• installed the package `intel-microcode` by using a root user

  un-get install intel-microcode

  `(🔗Package Source with infos)
• added these line using `nano /etc/rc.conf` as it was recommended online

  microcode_update_enable="YES"
  cpu_microcode_load="YES"
  cpu_microcode_name="/boot/intel-ucode.cpio"

• Changed my syslinux configuration for the boot entry "UnraidOS" to (Main > Flash > Syslinux Configuration)

  kernel /bzimage
  append initrd=/intel-ucode.cpio,/bzroot

  
  to load the microcode loader(?)
• reboot
• Checked with

  dmesg | grep microcode

   plus

  dmesg | grep -i microcode

  aaaand for my understanding, looks like a success!
  Microcode Version for my intel 7400t was from 2023-03-29 and is now 2023-09-28.

 

Here's the part I need help with please:

1. The installer tells me that 

   /bin/bash: line 1: /sys/devices/system/cpu/microcode/reload: Permission denied

   Why?

   grep CONFIG_MICROCODE /usr/src/linux-*/.config

   • outputs

     CONFIG_MICROCODE=y
     CONFIG_MICROCODE_INTEL=y
     CONFIG_MICROCODE_AMD=y
     # CONFIG_MICROCODE_LATE_LOADING is not set

     
     so it seems to be okay-ish for my newb understanding. 
     What does the the permission denied mean in detail? How can we avoid this?
2. Because the documentation of the intel-microcode package just tell us to use the syslinux config (🔗Source), are the changes to the `rc.conf` still needed? To keep in mind: Unraid is Slackware based.
3. Are the changes to the microcode persistent or if I remove the package should I be reverted to the ones that were shipped with the UEFI/CPU?

 

Thanks! 🙂

p0p

 

Edited October 4, 20241 yr by p0p
added code fields. forgot that unraid forum doesn't support markdown.

And did I get the first value of this result
 

 

I have the problem that the file “rc.conf” disappears after a restart

And I get this error message.

I3 N305 and Unraid 7.0.0 

 

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
EDIT:
I would have to adjust the values.
When installing microcode it did not install “intel-ucode.cpio” boot but “intel-ucode.img”

So the loading worked and he did the update

 

But the rc.conf file still disappears from etc folder after reboot

Do you have a solution for this?
Is it absolutely necessary?

 

Edited February 17, 20251 yr by SvensenDE

@SvensenDE Same problem for me.

 

Unraid did not start after making changes

 

rc.conf file also disappears after reboot

@tobasium
see if you change that it should work.

When installing microcode it did not install “intel-ucode.cpio” boot but “intel-ucode.img”

Is there a way to find out which of the two it installed BEFORE you reboot? I'd rather not run into that issue. Would be a big hassle to solve this, because my unRAID NAS is not connected to a monitor (since there is no monitor in that room) and the USB drive is plugged in a USB port directly on the motherboard and cannot be removed, unless I remove the motherboard first.

@Vexz 

No one can give you a 100% guarantee what will happen to your server...

But you have to check in any case if you have cpio or img file because that was the problem for me.

When I entered img it worked for me.

And because of the monitor problem I also had this issue 
And I bought a small portable monitor for it... 

@SvensenDE

Then how did you know you needed to enter "intel-ucode.img"? How did you get to know about this file? I mean you must have found out about this somehow and the system must store this file somewhere.

Eventually he followed the printed error message and found out, that there is no such file. Instead of that there is the mentioned file in the folder. 

Did the trick for me, too.

Edited February 18, 20251 yr by k3vbert

Same problem here: "intel-ucode.img" instead of the other file. After rebooting "rc.conf" disappears. What should I do?

I would strongly recommend to not use this method to update the Microcode.

Please keep in mind that this post is from October and now that Unraid 7.0.0 came out the Microcode should be up to date as time of writing.

On 2/17/2025 at 11:55 PM, SvensenDE said:

@Vexz 

No one can give you a 100% guarantee what will happen to your server...

I know now how to find out and it was much easier than I thought after reading the original post again.

In the third line of the "/etc/rc.conf" you point to the specific file. So before you reboot, you just check the contents of your unRAID USB drive. I can see the "intel-ucode.img" there, so I know I'd need to use this, not the CPIO-file.

@tobasium @SvensenDE @nicx

 

Update!

 

I just tested this (using unRAID 7.0.0) and found out that you do NOT need that part with the "/etc/rc.conf". I never created that file and it didn't exist for me, ergo I never wrote something inside that file. The part with the "/etc/rc.conf" was completely skipped.

 

So after you install the microcode with un-get, check the contents of your flash drive in "/boot". Depending on what file you see there (the "intel-ucode.cpio" OR the "intel-ucode.img") you just need to change the part in the Syslinux Configuration in the web UI.

 

In my case the Syslinux Configuration looks like this, because it downloaded the "intel-ucode.img":

kernel /bzimage
append initrd=/intel-ucode.img,/bzroot

 

After that, just reboot your unRAID server and the microcode update will be applied.

 

Result after the reboot:

root@NAS:~# dmesg | grep microcode
[    0.000000] microcode: updated early: 0xe -> 0x1c, date = 2024-09-06
[    1.975603] microcode: Microcode Update Driver: v2.2.

 

Before the reboot "dmesg | grep microcode" wouldn't give me any output, so there definitely is a change and the patch was applied.

Edited October 30, 2025Oct 30 by Vexz