Another Intel CPU bug: may explain my recent Celeron N2930 failure

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BLinux

cat lover server enthusiast
Jul 7, 2016
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I bought a little system to run as a router/firewall by Jetway that had a Celeron N2930 CPU a couple years back. This system was pretty great, silent and more than fast enough for my 1Gbps internet speed. Then, it all of a sudden shut off and would no longer power on again.

I've since replaced it with a HP T620PLUS and happy with that. But as I was thinking about what to do with the dead N2930 system, I thought I'd do a search online to see if someone else might have had a similar failure, and then I came across some posts about various CPU failures including the N2930. And then, I found this document by Intel:

https://www.intel.com/content/dam/w...Celeron-J1900-N2807-N2930-IoT-SU-Addendum.pdf

Published June 2018 (so just last month). Specifically:

Page 11, section 5.0:

5.1 VLPI1. System May Experience Inability to Boot or May Cease Operation

Problem: Under certain conditions where activity is high for several years the LPC, USB (low speed and full speed) and SD Card circuitry may stop functioning in the outer years of use.

Implication: LPC circuitry that stops functioning may cause operation to cease or inability to boot. SD Card or USB circuitry that stops functioning may cause SD Cards to be unrecognized or Low Speed or Full Speed USB devices to not function. Intel has only observed this behavior in simulation. Designs that implement the LPC interface at the 1.8V signal voltage are not affected by the LPC part of this erratum.

Workaround: Firmware code changes for LPC circuitry and mitigations for SD Card & USB circuitry have been identified and may be implemented for this erratum. Status: For the steppings affected, see the Summary Tables of Changes.
The mention of LPC sounds familiar... Atom C2000 AVR54?

Anyone with J1800, J1900, N2807, and N2930 may want to take notice....
 
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EffrafaxOfWug

Radioactive Member
Feb 12, 2015
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Yup. As much as I've enjoyed my Jetways, from everything I've read its days are numbered thanks to this bug (although in the UK I can get it replaced/part refunded regardless of the warranty the manufacturer gives it). Given the track record of the previous-gen Atom CPUs I've been extremely interested in what came out of AMDs Epyc 3000 and was hoping to see some great E3/Atom replacements but sadly that seems to have come to naught.
 
Mar 28, 2018
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We had a J1900 based pfsense router bite the dust in less than 6 months. It seems like the problems are pretty common across the line.