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

[Tobias Powalowski]

Hi,
short summarize from irc:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/CompressKernelFirmware
xz -C crc32 is the only supported mode

mkinitcpio needs to be patched:
https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/72263

>From my side unknown, if dracut and booster can handle compressed firmware
files.

greetings
tpowa

Am Di., 28. Sept. 2021 um 06:55 Uhr schrieb Tobias Powalowski <
tobias.powalowski at googlemail.com>:

> Hi,
> according to google in 5.3 the xz compression was introduced so all
> kernels we ship should support it.
> greetings
> tpowa
>
> Am Mo., 27. Sept. 2021 um 21:54 Uhr schrieb Giancarlo Razzolini via
> arch-dev-public <arch-dev-public at lists.archlinux.org>:
>
>> Em setembro 27, 2021 16:46 Jelle van der Waa via arch-dev-public escreveu:
>> > On 27/09/2021 21:13, Jan Alexander Steffens (heftig) via
>> arch-dev-public
>> > wrote:
>> >> 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.
>> >
>> >
>> > I second this, the biggest firmware sizes are from these fancynetwork
>> > equipemnt folks such as netronome. An alternative is enabling xz
>> > compression for the firmware itself this should save space as well, but
>> > it depends on support in the LTS kernel.
>> >
>>
>> Can't we do both? Enable xz and split the larger firmwares? Or LTS don't
>> have
>> plans to support xz for firmware?
>>
>> Regards,
>> Giancarlo Razzolini
>>
>
>
> --
> Tobias Powalowski
> Archlinux Developer & Package Maintainer (tpowa)
> http://www.archlinux.org
> tpowa at archlinux.org
>


-- 
Tobias Powalowski
Archlinux Developer & Package Maintainer (tpowa)
http://www.archlinux.org
tpowa at archlinux.org