On Mon, Sep 27, 2021 at 8:30 PM Tobias Powalowski via arch-dev-public < arch-dev-public@lists.archlinux.org> wrote:
Hi guys, lately did a lot of archboot hacking and stumbled over our firmware package. It needs installed 750 MB, download size is 130 MB. I tried to get it smaller and uploaded the archboot-linux-firmware package for my purposes. Our linux kernel needs only 180 MB installed size, download size is about 37 MB. Wouldn't it make sense to provide for each kernel we ship, a separate firmware package? Just my 2 cwnts, greetings tpowa
The method used there wouldn't produce a usable firmware package for me. For example, `modinfo -F firmware iwlwifi` lists `iwlwifi-Qu-c0-hr-b0-64.ucode` but linux-firmware does not contain that file. The driver will fall back to the next lower version, `iwlwifi-Qu-c0-hr-b0-63.ucode`, which is in linux-firmware but not in the modinfo output. I think the best we can do is split some of the more obscure vendors that have large firmware sets, like Netronome, Qualcomm, Mellanox, Marvell, Cavium, QLogic and NXP.