Re: Is there a way to load/unload a firmware manually?

[deloptes <deloptes@gmail.com>]

Mikhail Morfikov wrote:

> Basically there's an option to load/unload a kernel module via modprobe
> and modprobe -r . Is there a way to do this with, for instance, WiFi
> firmware? Also, what happens to the loaded firmware when you unload the
> corresponding module? And another question: when I compile a module into
> the kernel and that module needs some firmware -- can this firmware be
> loaded later and make the hardware work properly, or this can't be done
> and you have to include the firmware in the kernel image itself?

Some driver may require firmware for one hardware class and not for another.
Firmware comes separately (might be a package like the packages included in
debian already) or just a file you copy yourself to /lib/firmware

according to my understanding the firmware is loaded by the driver. I am not
aware that it can be loaded later.

So if you compile the driver static in the kernel I am not sure 100% but it
should have the firmware already somewhere to be loaded. This is
interesting question. I think most of the usecases include using initrd
that would have driver and firmware.