Intel Tries Again To Auto Enable GuC/HuC Functionality For Their Linux Graphics Driver

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Intel Tries Again To Auto Enable GuC/HuC Functionality For Their Linux Graphics Driver

Intel previously tried auto-enabling GuC and HuC functionality within their Linux kernel graphics driver but ended up reverting the support since the driver didn't gracefully handle the scenarios of missing/corrupt firmware files. The driver should now be more robust in such situations so they will try again for turning on the automatic behavior, possibly for the upcoming Linux 5.4 cycle...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Intel-GuC-HuC-Auto-Enable-Again

[Space Heater]

As implicated by the text of the article, somehow the reader is supposed to know what GuC and HuC abbreviations stand for.

I think it's for Get us Coffe and Hares under Cover.

I don't think their names are publicly known. I believe the "uC" part stands for microcontroller, as they are firmware blobs for microcontrollers.

This the most detail I can find on what these firmware blobs do:

https://01.org/linuxgraphics/downloads/firmware

https://01.org/linuxgraphics/gfx-docs/drm/gpu/i915.html#wopcm

[rbmorse]

I think it's more a case of, "In keeping with long-standing and venerable Intel traditions, our new processors have many new features, but..."

[JMB9]

For those who want to now:
GuC: Generic microcontroller - little OS for the graphics controller that handles interrupt-driven task scheduling for the compute cores
HuC: ? microcontroller ? - for high efficiency video coding
Maybe using just the acronyms is better ...

[9Strike]

For those who want to now:
GuC: Generic microcontroller - little OS for the graphics controller that handles interrupt-driven task scheduling for the compute cores
HuC: ? microcontroller ? - for high efficiency video coding
Maybe using just the acronyms is better ...

Maybe H for H.264/265?

[bobbie424242]

Yes please someone expand on what HuC/GuC is, with concrete example on where it is useful...

[Hibbelharry]

So still, here we have an article that is about something, but noone knows what that something actually is.

Thats just you...

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Intel-Linux-Driver-Getting-HuC

https://01.org/linuxgraphics/downloads/firmware

[rapiteanu]

Yes please someone expand on what HuC/GuC is, with concrete example on where it is useful...

GuC - General Micro-Controller
HUC - HEVC Micro-Controller

https://01.org/linuxgraphics/downloads/firmware

https://01.org/sites/default/files/documentation/intel-gfx-prm-osrc-skl-vol02a-commandreference-instructions-huc.pdf

[Guest]

GuC/HuC hasn't been enabled by default due to problems on some earlier platforms

Ran into unable being able to boot about an hour ago on a Haswell laptop when I randomly decided to try forcing GuC firmware to load on kernel 5.2