Bug#1029804: hw-detect: decide whether to automatically install amd64-microcode/intel-microcode

[Cyril Brulebois <kibi@debian.org>]

Package: hw-detect
Severity: important
X-Debbugs-Cc: amd64-microcode@packages.debian.org, intel-microcode@packages.debian.org

Hi,

Both of those *-microcode packages are featured in my initial list of
firmware packages that I found interesting to move from non-free to
non-free-firmware:
  https://lists.debian.org/debian-boot/2023/01/msg00150.html

Henrique (in X-D-Cc) is fine with the proposed move, even if that hasn't
happened yet (and I won't consider this a blocker for the upcoming D-I
release):
  https://salsa.debian.org/hmh/amd64-microcode/-/merge_requests/3
  https://salsa.debian.org/hmh/intel-microcode/-/merge_requests/2

That being said, contrary to other firmware packages:
 - we are not going to see log lines in dmesg to tell us that firmware
   loading failed, so we won't try and find firmware packages shipping
   those missing files (via check-missing-firmware);
 - they don't ship appstream metadata which would give us hints about
   hardware that could benefit from firmware packages, even without
   log lines in dmesg (via 50install-firmware, post-base-installer).

We could probably implement specific detection in hw-detect to install
those packages anyway (alternatively, maybe discover but nothing's been
happening there for a while anyway). Should we?

Various topics if we wanted to implement that:
 - Those are not needed during the installation, so installing them
   as soon as possible is not required, contrary to regular firmware
   packages; queueing their installation would be sufficient, along
   with enabling non-free-firmware (apt-setup/non-free-firmware).
 - Those have dependencies, so dpkg -i wouldn't fly and something like
   `in-target apt-get` should be used instead):
     https://salsa.debian.org/installer-team/hw-detect/-/commit/c876e43039
 - intel-microcode requires iucode-tool, currently in contrib, but
   Henrique is fine with moving it to main:
     https://salsa.debian.org/hmh/intel-microcode/-/merge_requests/2
 - What would be the best way to perform detection?

That, along with the move of those 3 packages between sections, is not
something I consider a blocker for the upcoming D-I release, or even for
the first Bookworm release. Just something that seems nice to have, if
we want to.


Cheers,
-- 
Cyril Brulebois (kibi@debian.org)            <https://debamax.com/>
D-I release manager -- Release team member -- Freelance Consultant