Bug#980205: #980205 installation missing "non free" drivers.
Dave Dyer <ddyer@real-me.net> wrote (16 Jan 2021 04:09:02 UTC):
> Installing on an old x86 cpu which requires "non free" drivers, the
> installer correctly quotes the needed driver's name. Bravo. but...
>
> 1) it suggests adding removable media, which is basically impossible
> in the context of the installer running from a memory stick
Why? You can simply plug in a second USB stick to the PC.
> 2) it doesn't tell you in what path on the media to place the driver.
> I still don't know what path would be appropriate if I could figure out how
> and where to mount an additional memory stick where it would be seen,
> but if (instead) I go back and insert the file on the installer stick
> memory stick, it apparently has to go in /firmware
That's documented in the installation-guide, see
https://d-i.debian.org/doc/installation-guide/en.amd64/ch06s04.html
> 3) in my particular case, the driver is brcm/brcmfmac43340-sdio.bin, which
> *also* requires a text file, brcm/brcmfmac43340-sdio.txt. I know this because
> I figured out case 2B and got the installer to accept the .bin; it then
> it mentions the need for the .txt file. (Again, thanks, it would have
> been impossible to proceed without this key information). However,
> there's apparently no way to get the installer to accept the .txt
> file in the same way that it finds the .bin.
Hmm, looking into the package firmware-brcm80211
(https://packages.debian.org/buster/firmware-brcm80211)
there is no such txt file there.
So I wonder where you found such file?
> 4) a workaround, if you can complete the installation without
> the network working, is to copy both files into /lib/firmware/ and
> magically the network will work.
>
> --
>
> This whole process is very user unfriendly - especially for for
> the case of a novice user (I'm not) trying to install linux for
> the first time. Rather than trying to put the whole book of
> possibilities in the installer, how about if such messages were
> accompanied by links pointing to detailed explanations.
As already mentioned above, reading the installation-guide might have
helped.
Holger
--
Holger Wansing <hwansing@mailbox.org>
PGP-Fingerprint: 496A C6E8 1442 4B34 8508 3529 59F1 87CA 156E B076
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