Re: Please test the new kernel (2.6.18.dfsg.1-9)

[Josip Rodin <joy@entuzijast.net>]

On Tue, Jan 30, 2007 at 08:32:59PM +0100, Josip Rodin wrote:
> > I didn't try any earlier 2.6.x, so this is not necessarily a regression
> > from the last Debian's kernel, just a general problem.
> > 
> > On my Fire 280R, it has two problems:
> > * the Qlogic FC controller booted, reported that it can't load firmware,
> >   and then just continued to sit there waiting. :(
> > 
> > The first issue has a clear workaround (even if horrible, because the
> > default display mode is very, very slow to render text), but I can't
> > quite figure out the second one (and it's tedious to debug).
> > I actually downloaded a file from the URL provided in the kernel help,
> > and put it into /usr/lib/hotplug/firmware, but it seems sort of obvious
> > that that won't quite work if you can't even get to / without the firmware.
> 
> It seems this is a more general regression, the Ubuntu folks have this:
> 
> https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/udev/+bug/74004

I worked around it by including the ql2200_fw.bin file into the initrd,
by using this initramfs hook file:

% cat /etc/initramfs-tools/hooks/qla2200
#!/bin/sh

. /usr/share/initramfs-tools/hook-functions

mydest="lib/firmware/${version}"

mkdir -p ${DESTDIR}/$mydest

copy_exec /lib/firmware/ql2200_fw.bin /$mydest

# maybe needed
copy_exec /lib/firmware/ql2200_fw.bin /lib/firmware

# almost definitely needed
copy_exec /lib/udev/firmware.agent /lib/udev/

--cut--

Also, it's of utmost importance *not* to put qla2xxx into the modules file,
because that will try to load the module just before the init-premount
scripts have run, and one of those scripts starts udev, which is necessary
for the firmware loader to work.

-- 
     2. That which causes joy or happiness.