[arch-dev-public] linux-firmware package, some thoughts

[Jan Alexander Steffens (heftig)]

On Mon, Sep 27, 2021 at 8:30 PM Tobias Powalowski via arch-dev-public <
arch-dev-public at 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.