Re: How to self-load non-freeware firmware on existing netinst ISO installer
On Thu 25 Feb 2021 at 10:36:40 (+0800), Robbi Nespu wrote:
> On Wed, 24 Feb 2021 16:07:09 +0000, Brian <ad44@cityscape.co.uk> wrote:
> > [T]his is from memory; I haven't done it for some time.
> >
> > 1. The USB stick you boot from will have empty space or a secomd
> > partition.
> >
> There only one partition but there is lot of empty space
Take care: this stick will have very strange partitioning.
This is how fdisk sees a buster stick on this system:
Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/sdb1 * 0 774143 774144 378M 0 Empty
/dev/sdb2 4048 9711 5664 2.8M ef EFI (FAT-12/16/32)
Fdisk can create a partition for you to use with the commands:
(defaults in parentheses)
# fdisk /dev/sdX
p
n
(p)
(3)
(0000000) accept the defaults. The actual numbers may vary
(0000000) from week to week with different versions.
t
(3)
c
p
w
Don't just type them blindly: read and take account of the
responses from fdisk.
Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/sdb1 * 0 774143 774144 378M 0 Empty
/dev/sdb2 4048 9711 5664 2.8M ef EFI (FAT-12/16/32)
/dev/sdb3 786432 1998847 1212416 592M c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
Now you can create the filesystem:
# mkdosfs -v -i 12345670 -F 32 -n mypartition /dev/sdX3
> > 2. Extract the firmware files from the .deb and put them on the
> > stick.
Mount it
# mount /dev/sdX3 /mnt
Copy the firmware from wherever you have it
# cp -ip /lib/firmware/iwlwifi-2030-6.ucode /mnt
# umount /mnt
> It doesn't matter where I put right (on root location)? or need to
> have special directory?
Root is best. IIRC the installer looks widely for partitions,
but not to any depth in each.
> > 3. Boot and change to console 2: ALT-F2.
> >
> > 4. Mount the partition holding the firmware on /mnt.
Type:
# mount -t vfat /dev/
and press TAB twice. You'll get a listing of everything in /dev.
Usually sticks appear as /dev/sd… so type s and press TAB twice.
You should be able to distinguish the stick from any other drives.
So you end up with, say:
# mount -t vfat /dev/sdb3 /mnt
Check by typing:
# ls -l /mnt
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 707392 Aug 22 2019 iwlwifi-2030-6.ucode
That would confirm the correct partition.
> > 5. Create /lib/firmware: mkdir /lib/firmware and transfer the
> > firmware there.
> >
> > 6. ALT-F1 to go back to d-i. d-i should now find the firmware.
Note that on most systems, steps 3 through 6 are unnecessary as
the installer will find the firmware itself anyway.
If you can find iwlwifi-2030-5.ucode, by all means copy it onto
the stick as well as iwlwifi-2030-6.ucode. The latter is at least
8 years old, and can probably do all that -5 ever could. Typically
the installer will try loading each version in reverse order
(newest first). (It's IWLWIFI, or course.)
Cheers,
David.
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