12th Gen Intel Core BIOS 3.08 Release

The Linux update does definitely not work from 3.06 to 3.08.
script error line number 116 …

Edit:
Used other stick, formatted and copied in Windows with Fat32 again.
It worked…

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I just ran the beta EFI shell updater and was able to upgrade from BIOS version 3.06 to 3.08 without issue. All ports are working and I didn’t even need to reinstall Grub.

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just tried to install using the EFI installer from 3.08a to latest (3.08d).
seems to work smoothly, just had green screen at the end of the update (I guess as a success lol).

will updated if anything comes up

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So where is the current BIOS update, and what are the recommended means of updating? This thread has become a nearly unmanageable mess to navigate, and I question if the BIOS instructions on the BIOS page are actually up to date. It would be great if these boards could get an official update before the 14th gen boards ship.

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The instructions on the knowledgebase are as up-to-date as the official instructions are. And for Windows it’s also dead-simple.
No other installer has been officially released.

I maintain that the release notes contain smaller errors and are incomplete. But that does not affect what you need to do to install it. And should you run into the same issue as I have (updating from <3.06) then I guess Framework wants you to be surprised and open a ticket with customer support. Maybe then they will even add a known issue and workaround to the official instructions.

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Which is why I will wait. A single official BIOS update that simply works 2 years after release is not too much to ask for. It is a bar so low, it might as well be in the mud.

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either just run the windows one or the EFI, my best guess is, if nomore faults popup and mostly successes reported, this bios is release. unless they have a new bios update ofcourse. which might also mean, if its basicly a minor update, this bigger one is required before any later smaller updates. dont forget this isnt just bumping the version number and some updates on the bios itself, it also updates various other components on the board, which is why there are various partss that need updates (and a reboot inbetween). If you really dont care about the technical implementation, wait and or use the windows version.

The 3.08 BIOS is already an official release. Only the .EFI updater is currently in BETA.

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I am on linux. Not building yet another WIndows to Go install to perform a basic BIOS update.

Maybe on Windows. I run a supported version of Linux. Where is the official release?

The idea that anytime anyone points out a glaring issue (and it is glaring after two years), people comment about how they can simply jump through hoops to perform something that should be as simple and direct as fwupdmgr update . My point is that Framework needs to simply fix it. They have had time, they have had enormous patience on the part of the community, and still they have not delivered.

The answer is simple. Fix it, then release it. I am done playing with BETA releases.

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On that you might be waiting forever. It seems the BIOS we have CANNOT update the ME firmware via capsule (by itself, what fwupdmgr requires). With the Windows installer, this is hidden, because you run an executable and it just hides that that part of the update executes a standalone & in-place installer while the other parts are capsules that are handled by the BIOS and could be handled identically by fwupdmgr.

Framework has been surprisingly unreceptive of just splitting their update into “everything except ME”, which can be udpated via fwupdmgr. And then ship the ME update as a separate executable similar to what is done with Windows. That one they could have already done, could do anytime, but have chosen not to consistently. So I would not get my hopes up.

13th gen seems to support ME updates via capsule, so there is a software fix that could work on ours, though we would need to know way more to predict whether that is a fix that could reasonably come to the 12th gen via BIOS update (i.e. one update to fix the updater, then full updates via fwupdmgr. Given the current pace I’d have my doubts that they would ever get around to it before officially EOLing 12th gen).

But also, Framework has been subtly started calling the EFI standalone updater “Linux updater”, so I’d think they have actually given up on ever doing a true Linux firmware update again for 12th gen. And it will be EFI updater + Windows update in case there ever is any problem with fwupdmgr. Which also does not give them the control they seem to want, only rolling some updates out depending on the board even though the firwmare being updated is not on the mainboard and the same for multiple boards…

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Guessing I will be moving to a 15th gen board before my 12th gen board receives an update. Absolutely ludicrous situation. 3 boards soon to be 4 and a whole new platform have been released before a single stable BIOS update for 12th gen. It is really difficult to believe at this point thatt any level of prioritization has been assigned to this issue.

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I ran the EFI updates just fine eventually. whats holding you back from running a “BETA” update if its probably production ready once flashed (cause the windows version uses the same files)

And eh 12th Gen Intel Core BIOS 3.08 Release - #9 by nadb
are you waiting for a final release on another FW13?

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Why? I updated mine, however I have another that is not my daily driver, and that shall not be updated until it is fully production ready. 2 years for a polished, finished, fully production ready BIOS update is not an unreasonable ask. The longer this goes on the less confidence I have in Framework being able to consistently deliver BIOS updates on future boards. This will affect my decisions moving forward and has already resulted in me warning individuals and businesses I deal with to wait on buying instead of jumping on the train.

The continued harassment by a number of community members as to why this is my stance is also disheartening, because quite frankly what may work for you does not work for others. It does not meet the bare minimum, especially now that they are selling to businesses. BIOS updates are part of the overall security plan for an individual or organization. The current state of affairs with the 12th gen board would satisfy a very tiny fraction of the aforementioned groups. With that in mind deployment of said updates matters immensely.

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Just in case anyone needs further proof that every BIOS is buggy and has vulnerabilities. While consumers may not be directly targeted. Businesses very much are and need these issues addressed promptly. (I do recognize that the article is regarding phoenix and not Insyde but the point remains)

As a consumer I’d prefer a short timeline on addressing this stuff as well…because who wants to use a known vulnerable platform?

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I second the @nadb sentiment. Sure I can just reinstall Windows, update the BIOS then install Linux again but the reason I bought the fw in the first place, what made actually buy it, was that I understood there would first class linux support. So sure I can spend a afternoon/day doing it but that is not first class, that is the regular messing around with your work tool from forum information and find out the hard way about problems if there are any.

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Same feeling, I love my Framework, sincerely, but it’s astonishing to see that changing the whole mainboard of this fantastic laptop takes less time and headache than updating a simple bios when using GNU/Linux…

I saw at some point the possibility to update the bios through a Windows USB volume, done using Windows To Go drive. I have W11 on an expansion card, which works well when needed. Is someone aware of the possibility to do this?

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I tried updating using a windows 11 usbc external hard drive, I could not get it working. I believe that it had something to do with the updater disconnecting the external devices when it restarts the computer.

I think it is more that Windows On-The-Go was designed to keep your data safe and on the stick, while supporting different, unspecified hardware. Would not make much sense if Windows then ran firmware updates on the PCs it is occasionally attached to. And the current 12th gen updater uses Windows integrated Capsule function. Maybe Windows even disabled that on purpose or it was never tested in OTG mode.
@JS1
But if you are already ready to jerry rig sth. then why not try the beta EFI updater?

Thanks. I use W11 from the USB-C expansion card twice a year for clients who have this wonderful piece of engineering which is Barco ClickShare :sleepy:
For this usage it works well, but OK, got it, it won’t help with the bios upgrade.

I’m quite used with various hardware bios/FW updates, however I rarely had so much doubts about the process… The Framework is my professional computer and it’s not helping with taking “risks” on it.

For example, I don’t have a clue about what’s retimer firmware, how can you see that it is not up to date eventually after bios upgrade?

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This is not really about bios update, but about bios/firmware functionality. I’m on bios 3.08.

I’m currently trying to get intel_lpmd working as a measure to save battery power. lpmd will deactivate most cores under light load conditions, thus saving more power than having those cores activated, but doing nothing.
My Intel 1260P should support HFI hints, used for lpmd to decide on activating/deactivating cores. Unfortunately, there seem none such hints to be delivered to the OS (see HfiLpmEnable set to 1 prevents from entering the low power mode on i7-1260P · Issue #40 · intel/intel-lpmd · GitHub) and the developer of lpmd seems to suspect that the firmware is simply not delivering HFI hints.
@ all users: Can someone approve or falsify my observation, that the firmware is not delivering HFI hints?
@Kieran_Levin As a question to the tech team: is the firmware of 12th gen frameworks correctly delivering HFI hints?

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