[SOLVED] New Kernels can't find iwlwifi-7260-17.ucode, while Slacks can

karabot · 06-23-2019, 09:36 AM

Good morning all,

Slackware 14.2 new installation on a Dell Precision M4800. I have been trying to figure out why the WIFI is not working.

dmesg shows the following:

Code:

[    0.524363] Intel(R) Wireless WiFi driver for Linux
[    0.524364] Copyright(c) 2003- 2015 Intel Corporation
[    0.524849] iwlwifi 0000:03:00.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-7260-17.ucode failed with error -2
[    0.524851] iwlwifi 0000:03:00.0: no suitable firmware found!
[    0.524852] iwlwifi 0000:03:00.0: iwlwifi-7260-17 is required
[    0.524853] iwlwifi 0000:03:00.0: check git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git

Once I got the firmware from the fore-mentioned git repo, the default kernel (/boot/vmlinuz) that comes with Slackware 14.2 now recognizes WIFI, I can hook up to the net etc.

Once I attempted to upgrade to a later version of the kernel, e.g. 5.1.12 or 4.19.55, configured and recompiled the kernel for the Intel 7260, the dmesg messages above are now back.

Here's my kernel .config settings, at least the ones I think they are relevant--am I missing something else?

Code:

CONFIG_FW_LOADER=y
CONFIG_EXTRA_FIRMWARE=""

CONFIG_WIRELESS=y
CONFIG_CFG80211=y
CONFIG_MAC80211=y

CONFIG_WLAN=y
CONFIG_WLAN_VENDOR_INTEL=y
CONFIG_IWLWIFI=y
CONFIG_IWLWIFI_LEDS=y
CONFIG_IWLDVM=y
CONFIG_IWLMVM=y

Cheers,
George

business_kid · 06-23-2019, 10:26 AM

Briefly, someone got into the kernel firmware and junked "all that old sh** that nobody uses," upsetting 50% of linux users wh douse "all that old sh**"

.

Slackware has a kernel-firmware package which repopulates /lib/firmware with "all that old sh**"

If you copy the lib/firmware directory & contents, everything should work.

karabot · 06-24-2019, 10:45 AM

Hey business_kid,

It works right now if I make use of Slackware's out-of-the-self kernel. As such I doubt the problem has to do with the /lib/firmware contents but the new kernels I am attempting to compile.

Cheers,
George

TheRealGrogan · 06-24-2019, 01:04 PM

Try building your wifi driver as a module, or build the firmware blob right in the kernel. (CONFIG_EXTRA_FIRMWARE is a named list of firmware blobs to build in)

karabot · 06-24-2019, 03:13 PM

Hey TheRealGrogan,

That did it! Once I added

Code:

CONFIG_EXTRA_FIRMWARE="iwlwifi-7260-17.ucode"
CONFIG_EXTRA_FIRMWARE_DIR="/lib/firmware"

to the .config, make, copy the new bzImage under /boot, rerun lilo

I now see:

Code:

[    0.558603] Intel(R) Wireless WiFi driver for Linux
[    0.558603] Copyright(c) 2003- 2015 Intel Corporation
[    0.559333] iwlwifi 0000:03:00.0: loaded firmware version 17.3216344376.0 op_mode iwlmvm
[    0.559367] iwlwifi 0000:03:00.0: Detected Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless AC 7260, REV=0x144
[    0.578305] iwlwifi 0000:03:00.0: base HW address: f8:16:54:46:42:22

Many thanks!

Cheers,
George

TheRealGrogan · 06-24-2019, 03:59 PM

I am glad you got it. The problem is, when you build a network adapter driver right in the kernel, the driver is initialized very early (for remote boot purposes) and your filesystem isn't available yet.