ath10k_pci logs errors about missing pre-cal and cal firmware on a laptop

[Paul Menzel]

[To: +debian-***@lists.debian.org]

Dear Jeff, dear Debian Linux kernel team,

On the Dell XPS 13 9360 with Debian sid/unstable, Linux 6.5.10 logs the
$ sudo dmesg | grep -e "DMI:" -e "Linux version" -e microcode
[ 0.000000] microcode: updated early: 0xf0 -> 0xf4, date = 2023-02-22
[ 0.000000] DMI: Dell Inc. XPS 13 9360/0596KF, BIOS 2.21.0 06/02/2022
[ 0.580689] microcode: Microcode Update Driver: v2.2.
$ sudo dmesg --level alert,crit,err
[ 0.053566] x86/cpu: SGX disabled by BIOS.
[ 1.942183] psmouse serio1: synaptics: Unable to query device: -5
[ 14.401112] ath10k_pci 0000:3a:00.0: firmware: failed to load ath10k/pre-cal-pci-0000:3a:00.0.bin (-2)
[ 14.401143] firmware_class: See https://wiki.debian.org/Firmware for information about missing firmware
[ 14.401185] ath10k_pci 0000:3a:00.0: firmware: failed to load ath10k/pre-cal-pci-0000:3a:00.0.bin (-2)
[ 14.401233] ath10k_pci 0000:3a:00.0: firmware: failed to load ath10k/cal-pci-0000:3a:00.0.bin (-2)
[ 14.401273] ath10k_pci 0000:3a:00.0: firmware: failed to load ath10k/cal-pci-0000:3a:00.0.bin (-2)
As it’s logged with error level, I’d like to address the ath10k_pci
errors, but I am unable to find the firmware in the Linux firmware
archive [1].
What can I do about this?
[1]: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git/

Adding the ath10k list so this isn't lost in the noise

The calibration files are optional and you should not see any warnings
if they are not present.
Note ath10k explicitly calls firmware_request_nowarn() when it loads the
files since it doesn't want any warnings from the firmware loader if the
files aren't present.
<https://elixir.bootlin.com/linux/v6.5.10/source/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath10k/core.c#L929>
<https://elixir.bootlin.com/linux/v6.5.10/source/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath10k/core.c#L1259>
So I'm confused where these warnings originate.
[ 14.401143] firmware_class: See https://wiki.debian.org/Firmware
for information about missing firmware
it seems you are not running a stock kernel. So perhaps Debian has
modified the firmware loading such that it ignores the FW_OPT_NO_WARN
flag and warns even when told not to do so? This does not appear to be
an upstream kernel issue.

Thank you very much for the analysis. It seems to be indeed a Debian
specific patch [1].

Dear Debian Linux kernel team, is my observation about the error log a
result of the patch and intended?


Kind regards,

Paul


[1]:
debian/patches/debian/firmware_class-refer-to-debian-wiki-firmware-page.patch

[Diederik de Haas]

FTR: I do NOT speak on behalf of the Debian kernel team.

Post by Paul Menzel

[ 14.401143] firmware_class: See https://wiki.debian.org/Firmware
for information about missing firmware
it seems you are not running a stock kernel. So perhaps Debian has
modified the firmware loading such that it ignores the FW_OPT_NO_WARN
flag and warns even when told not to do so? This does not appear to be
an upstream kernel issue.

Thank you very much for the analysis. It seems to be indeed a Debian
specific patch [1].
Dear Debian Linux kernel team, is my observation about the error log a
result of the patch and intended?
debian/patches/debian/firmware_class-refer-to-debian-wiki-firmware-page.patch

There are a number of Debian patches wrt firmware and *I* think they should get
a (serious) review. In https://bugs.debian.org/1040738 I requested a review of
the firmware related patches and described one of the issues I encountered
myself. I've also been involved in triaging Debian kernel bug issues and there
I've encountered several more such cases.

AFAIK quite a bit of work has happened upstream to make the firmware messages
more appropriate and I think the Debian patches haven't been (properly)
adjusted for those changes.

So they are (very) likely caused by the Debian patches and thus expected, but
I'm hesitant to call them intended ;-)