diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'flashrom.8')
-rw-r--r-- | flashrom.8 | 17 |
1 files changed, 17 insertions, 0 deletions
@@ -329,6 +329,23 @@ flashrom doesn't detect an active IT87 LPC<->SPI bridge, please send a bug report so we can diagnose the problem. .sp .TP +.B AMD chipsets +.sp +Beginning with the SB700 chipset there is an integrated microcontroller (IMC) based on the 8051 embedded in +every AMD southbridge. Its firmware resides in the same flash chip as the host's which makes writing to the +flash risky if the IMC is active. Flashrom tries to temporarily disable the IMC but even then changing the +contents of the flash can have unwanted effects: when the IMC continues (at the latest after a reboot) it will +continue executing code from the flash. If the code was removed or changed in an unfortunate way it is +unpredictable what the IMC will do. Therefore, if flashrom detects an active IMC it will disable write support +unless the user forces it with the +.sp +.B " flashrom \-p internal:amd_imc_force=yes" +.sp +syntax. The user is responsible for supplying a suitable image or leaving out the IMC region with the help of +a layout file. This limitation might be removed in the future when we understand the details better and have +received enough feedback from users. Please report the outcome if you had to use this option to write a chip. +.sp +.TP .B Intel chipsets .sp If you have an Intel chipset with an ICH8 or later southbridge with SPI flash |