A Simple Guide to Updating Your ThinkPad Firmware on Linux
For years, updating the BIOS or firmware on a ThinkPad running Linux was a chore. It often involved creating a bootable USB drive or, in some cases, temporarily installing Windows. Fortunately, those days are long gone. Thanks to the Linux Vendor Firmware Service (LVFS) and the powerful fwupd utility, keeping your ThinkPad’s firmware up-to-date is now a simple, secure, and streamlined process directly within your Linux environment.
Keeping your system firmware current is not just about gaining new features; it’s a critical aspect of system security and stability. Here’s how you can easily manage your ThinkPad firmware updates on Linux.
Why Firmware Updates Are Crucial
Before diving into the process, it’s important to understand why you should never neglect firmware updates. These updates are released by manufacturers like Lenovo to:
- Patch critical security vulnerabilities: Flaws discovered in firmware can expose your system to low-level attacks that are difficult for traditional antivirus software to detect. Updating your firmware is a fundamental security practice.
- Improve hardware compatibility and stability: Updates can resolve bugs that cause system instability, improve compatibility with new peripherals, and enhance the performance of existing components.
- Enhance performance and power management: Manufacturers often release updates that optimize system performance, improve battery life, and fine-tune thermal management.
The Modern Solution: fwupd and LVFS
The fwupd project is an open-source daemon that allows session software to update device firmware on your Linux system. It works in conjunction with the Linux Vendor Firmware Service (LVFS), a secure web portal where hardware vendors like Lenovo can upload their firmware updates.
When you run fwupd, it securely connects to the LVFS, checks the model of your hardware, and downloads the correct, vendor-approved updates for your system. This eliminates the risk of downloading incorrect or malicious firmware from unverified sources.
Step-by-Step: Updating Your ThinkPad Firmware via Command Line
For most users, the command line provides the quickest and most direct way to handle firmware updates. Open your terminal and follow these simple steps.
Step 1: Install fwupd
On most modern Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Fedora, and Arch Linux, fwupd comes pre-installed. If for some reason it isn’t on your system, you can easily install it using your package manager.
For Debian/Ubuntu-based systems:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install fwupd
For Fedora-based systems:
sudo dnf install fwupd
Step 2: Refresh the Metadata from LVFS
Before checking for updates, you need to sync with the LVFS to get the latest list of available firmware.
sudo fwupdmgr refresh --force
This command downloads the latest metadata from the LVFS. The --force flag ensures you are getting a fresh copy, overriding any cached data.
Step 3: Check for Available Updates
Next, ask fwupd to check if any of your hardware components have pending updates.
sudo fwupdmgr get-updates
The system will scan your devices—including the system BIOS, Thunderbolt controller, SSD, and more—and compare their current firmware versions against the available ones on the LVFS. If updates are available, they will be listed here.
Step 4: Apply the Firmware Updates
If the previous command showed available updates, you can install them all with a single command.
sudo fwupdmgr update
The tool will download the necessary files, perform integrity checks, and stage them for installation. Crucially, most system BIOS/UEFI updates require a system reboot to be applied. The fwupd utility will handle this automatically by setting up a one-time boot loader entry. Simply confirm the update, and when prompted, reboot your computer.
During the reboot, your ThinkPad will boot into a special UEFI update environment to flash the new firmware. Do not turn off your computer during this process. Once complete, it will reboot again into your normal Linux environment.
Using a Graphical Interface
If you prefer a graphical user interface, you’re in luck. Desktop environments like GNOME and KDE have integrated fwupd support directly into their software centers.
- In GNOME Software, available updates will appear in the “Updates” tab alongside your regular software updates.
- In KDE Discover, firmware updates are also listed with other system updates, providing a simple point-and-click update experience.
These graphical tools use the fwupd daemon in the background, offering the same security and reliability as the command-line method.
Essential Security and Best Practices
While the fwupd process is very safe, applying firmware updates is a sensitive operation. Follow these best practices to ensure a smooth experience:
- Ensure a stable power supply. Connect your laptop to a power adapter before starting the update process. A power loss during a firmware flash can potentially brick your device.
- Back up your important data. Although the process is reliable, it’s always a wise precaution to back up any critical files before performing a major system update.
- Do not interrupt the process. Once the update begins, especially after the reboot, let it complete without interruption. Be patient, as it can sometimes take several minutes.
By leveraging the power of fwupd and the LVFS, Linux users can now maintain their ThinkPad firmware with the same ease and security as users on any other operating system.
Source: https://linuxblog.io/upgrade-thinkpad-firmware-linux-fwupd/
