RHBA-2013:1655 - Bug Fix Advisory

Topic

Updated seabios packages that fix several bugs and add two enhancements are now
available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.

Description

The seabios packages contain an open-source legacy BIOS implementation which can
be used as a coreboot payload. It implements the standard BIOS calling
interfaces that a typical x86 proprietary BIOS implements.

This update fixes the following bugs:

• Due to a bug in the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI)

description table, a stop error (known as Blue Screen of Death, or BSoD) could
occur on certain Windows guests. The problem was observed on the guests using
the virtio-win small computer system interface (SCSI) drivers during heavy S3
and S4 power state transitions, for example when running the CrystalDiskMark
benchmark. A patch has been applied to fix this bug, and a stop error no longer
occurs in the described scenario. (BZ#846519)

• The multiple ACPI description table (MADT) previously contained an incorrect

definition. Consequently, after switching to the S3 or S4 power state, the SCSI
driver could not have been disabled and was always attached to the Global System
Interrupt (GSI) number 9. The incorrect MADT definition has been fixed and the
SCSI driver can now be disabled and enabled in this situation as expected.
(BZ#846912)

• The SeaBIOS utility previously allowed booting even from deselected devices

when no bootable device was found. This problem has been fixed by adding support
for the HALT instruction, which prevents SeaBIOS from default boot attempts if
no bootable device is available. (BZ#888633)

In addition, this update adds the following enhancements:

• With this update, the SMBIOS GUID number (the same number as the system's

UUID) is now displayed on the BIOS Power-on self-test (POST) screen. (BZ#876250)

• This update modifies the virsh management user interface so the "virsh dump"

command now supports automatic core dumps. With appropriate kdump mechanism
settings, the vmcore file is automatically captured and the subsequent actions
are executed automatically. (BZ#963312)

Users of seabios are advised to upgrade to these updated packages, which fix
these bugs and add these enhancements.

Solution

Before applying this update, make sure all previously released errata relevant
to your system have been applied.

This update is available via the Red Hat Network. Details on how to use the Red
Hat Network to apply this update are available at
https://access.redhat.com/site/articles/11258

Affected Products

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 6 x86_64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server - Extended Life Cycle Support 6 x86_64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation 6 x86_64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop 6 x86_64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Scientific Computing 6 x86_64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server from RHUI 6 x86_64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server - Extended Life Cycle Support Extension 6 x86_64

Fixes

• BZ - 846519 - [virtio-win][scsi]Guest BSOD (9F) during s3/s4 while guest running crystal benchmark
• BZ - 846912 - [virtio-win][scsi] Disabling/enabling scsi driver stuck after S3/S4
• BZ - 888633 - don't boot from un-selected devices

CVEs

(none)

References

(none)