Bug#987491: Fwd: Missing firmware not declared / kernel modules not included in initrd
Updating the issue with "previously missing information"
----- Forwarded message from "Andrew M.A. Cater" -----
Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2021 10:13:59 +0000
From: "Andrew M.A. Cater" <amacater@einval.com>
To: debian-boot@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: [AMD/ATI graphics] Missing firmware not declared / kernel modules not included in initrd
On Sun, Apr 25, 2021 at 10:26:42AM +0200, Holger Wansing wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Holger Wansing <hwansing@mailbox.org> wrote (Sun, 25 Apr 2021 10:08:32 +0200):
> > >I don't understand:
> > >does this mean that the issue that you reported in
> > >https://lists.debian.org/debian-boot/2020/12/msg00026.html can be
> > >considered fixed? And that the situation improved between buster and
> > >bullseye?
> >
> > For this (old) hardware: yes, seems so.
> >
> > However, we have several user reports, that not installed firmware leads to problems
> > like black or garbled screen.
>
> To be more clear:
>
> The main point of my report at
> https://lists.debian.org/debian-boot/2020/12/msg00026.html ist:
> the installer is - per design - unable to detect, that the hardware needs
> firmware to be installed.
>
> And this situation did not change!
>
> The bullseye installation yesterday did not install the firmware package.
>
> What seems to have changed is:
> GNOME seems to work (at least on this hardware !!!), even without the firmware
> installed.
>
> (Also: Look at the other reports I quoted in my mail above for more user cases.)
>
>
> Holger
>
Adding to this, if I may.
I've got two machines which both turn out to need firmware-amd-graphics
rather than the more modern firmware-amdgpu.
Installing with Bullsye RC1 netinst for amd64 but NOT the unofficial firmware
version. debian-bullseye-DI-rc1-amd64-netinst.iso
Even on an expert text mode install.the installer does not prompt for the
firmware-amd-graphics package to be installed - it does complain about
Realtek ethernet drivers and a Ralink WiFi card suggesting that you install
the firmware for these. Booting the install medium does show, in passing,
in text that you need Radeon firmware R600 for modesetting.
If you _do not_ install the firmware, then on these two machines at least
there is a fallback mode to 800x600x16 so graphics remains (just) usable.
GNOME and Wayland work but it's not really practicable.
AT that point, you can install firmware-amd-graphics and it just works.
The meta-package which does this is firmware-linux-nonfree which also includes
amd64-microcode
Once the firmwre is installed, these machines will drive a 2k monitor
This is explicitly NOT amdgpu which is where people are reporting black
screens and no output whatsoever, I think.
Hope this helps,
Andy C.
>
>
> --
> Holger Wansing <hwansing@mailbox.org>
> PGP-Fingerprint: 496A C6E8 1442 4B34 8508 3529 59F1 87CA 156E B076
>
----- End forwarded message -----
Those who feel more comformatable to close this issue than me,
should close this issue.
Groeten
Geert Stappers
--
Silence is hard to parse
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