Re: How to self-load non-freeware firmware on existing netinst ISO installer
On Sun 28 Feb 2021 at 18:36:49 -0600, David Wright wrote:
> On Thu 25 Feb 2021 at 14:32:49 (+0000), Brian wrote:
> > On Wed 24 Feb 2021 at 22:47:59 -0600, David Wright wrote:
> > > On Thu 25 Feb 2021 at 10:36:40 (+0800), Robbi Nespu wrote:
> > >
> > > > > 5. Create /lib/firmware: mkdir /lib/firmware and transfer the
> > > > > firmware there.
> > > > >
> > > > > 6. ALT-F1 to go back to d-i. d-i should now find the firmware.
> > >
> > > Note that on most systems, steps 3 through 6 are unnecessary as
> > > the installer will find the firmware itself anyway.
> >
> > That's the advice given in Section 6.4.1 if the Installer Guide and,
> > if it works, it works. However, I would not like to guarantee that it
> > does, just as, in the case of the OP, the non-free installer ISO does
> > not come up with installing the firmware.
>
> Agreed: it's difficult to do too much for the installer.
>
> And AFAICT my advice and the Installation Guide § 6.4.1 and
> § 4.3.1 are all out of date. It appears that nowadays (official
> buster 10.8 netinst, amd64 and i386), loose firmware files
> don't get picked up, either off a second USB stick¹, or off an
> extra partition added to the hybrid installation stick. You
> have to offer it the firmware in .deb files.
"loose firmware files" is a bit of a woolly term; it needs expanding
on. The .deb files will have a directory structure (please see later).
> OTOH my official wheezy 7.1.0 netinst i386 installer does pick up
> the loose files, exactly as described in the Installation Guide.
> So it appears we have a regression in the debian-installer.
That isn't quite my recollection but it is so long ago that I am not
willing to push it. I am also not motivated (yet) to try it out.
> I haven't tested jessie or stretch because my netinst media are
> all firmware versions, so I can't pinpoint the change in behaviour.
> The Installation Guide's wording in those two sections (above)
> became settled by the time of wheezy, but has remained unchanged
> since then. Unless the problem has been fixed for bullseye²,
> I would suggest that the guide text needs revising.
>
> > Transferring the firmware files directly to where the installer kernel
> > can find them seems more assured of success. If it doesn't, there is a
> > big problem for the system both during and after installation.
>
> I also haven't tested whether, when you copy loose files to
> /lib/firmware, you have to preserve the directory structure.
> For example, wheezy automatically copies the file tg3_tso5.bin
> from '/media/tigon' to '/lib/firmware/tigon', but would manually
> copying it to /lib/firmware/tg3_tso5.bin still work (if the
> user wasn't aware of its usual location, …path-to/tigon/tg3_tso5.bin)?
> ↑↑↑↑↑↑
The directory structure has to remain intact. Execute, for example,
modinfo zd1211rw | less
At the top we have
firmware: zd1211/zd1211_uphr
The kernel would expect the firmware file to be in zd1211/.
--
Brian.
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