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Comment by nominated1 | Hacker News Reader

When looking at Linux support I start with the Linux Vendor Firmware Service [1]. If the model I’m looking at isn’t supported then it’s off my list. You’ll notice that not all Thinkpads are supported [2].

The E, L and Yoga series are not supported but the T, P and X series are.

[1] https://fwupd.org/

[2] https://fwupd.org/lvfs/search?&value=thinkpad

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Some Thinkpads that are not supported provide bootable isos that you can use to update your bios. It is my understanding that it also updates the firmware (but it doesn't explicitly say).

Here is an E model that has a bootable iso: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netb...

Yes, many vendors for many models do the same. Even if they don’t you could install it via Windows.

“Support” is more than just the ability to install an update. It’s to do with whether an issue affecting Linux is being addressed. In the case of the E and L series Thinkpads there are many shared components with the T series so your chances are much better.

> Even if they don’t you could install it via Windows.

Some enterprise PCs only have Windows, DOS and RHEL, SUSE options. There's no reason to use Windows when you can update BIOS and firmware via CentOS Live image with RHEL binaries.

My L560 is seemingly supported through fwup -- provided the existing firmware is not too old:

fwupdmgr commands fail with:

  Not compatible with firmware version 0.1.22, requires >= 0.1.42

And indeed history on fwupd.org goes back only to 0.1.43:

https://fwupd.org/lvfs/devices/com.lenovo.ThinkPadN1HET.firm...

Leaving a bootable ISO as apparently the only option. The snag being that the documentation refers only to Windows, and describes various Windows-UEFI interactions.

https://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/mobiles/n1hur35w.txt

So, the $1500 question is, could there be some hidden risk of bricking the laptop, at least for Linux installations?

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