Bug#1105145: ITP: linux-board-support-package-rb3gen2 -- Firmware for RB3Gen2

[Dmitry Baryshkov <dmitry.baryshkov@oss.qualcomm.com>]

On 18/05/2025 19:57, Ben Hutchings wrote:
> On Wed, 2025-05-14 at 01:59 -0700, Roger Shimizu wrote:
> > Thanks for your feedback, Ben!
> >
> > On Mon, May 12, 2025 at 8:21 PM Ben Hutchings <ben@decadent.org.uk> wrote:
> > > On Mon, 2025-05-12 at 19:33 -0700, Roger Shimizu wrote:
> [...]
> > > > For linux-board-support-package-* packages, it includes such as blob
> > > > for bootloader, etc, which is not open sourced yet.
> > > > The main purpose for this ITP is to create the install media for Qualcomm SoC.
> > > > Except the install media, probably there's not much use for those blobs.
> > >
> > > OK, so you should:
> > >
> > > - Make this package contain *only* the boot loader and other non-free
> > > blobs that run on the host, with a description that does not mention
> > > "firmware".
> > >
> > > - Submit the device firmware to linux-firmware.git, so it can go into
> > > firmware-nonfree.  (Or preferably get someone at Qualcomm to do that.)
> >
> > Understood.
> > Qualcomm already upstreamed the firmware as much as possible.
> > I'm not sure why there're still a few blobs not upstreamed, or not accepted yet.
> > Before those get accepted, I think it's ok to keep it in this
> > non-free-firmware package.
> [...]
>
> You are mixing up archive sections:
>
> * non-free-firmware:
>    - Firmware that runs on peripheral devices should go here
>    - Software that runs on the host, including boot loaders, are not
>      allowed here

Please don't. We definitely don't want a mixture of different firmware 
files from different sources. For example, upstream WiFi drivers are 
supposed to be used only with the firmware from linux-firmware.

> * non-free:
>    - Software that runs on the host must go here
>    - Firmware that runs on peripheral devices can go here, but should
>      not because most Debian systems do not have this archive section
>      enabled

I've added Loïc, he has been looking at providing Debian images for 
those boards. He might have suggestions regarding packages he might need 
for that (or he might have some WiP with boot files).

But as have had this question beforehand, I see a little value in 
packaging BSP files (at least at this point). If you want to improve 
Debian support on those boards, I'd really suggest looking at D-I or at 
sorting out dtb vs bootloader situation (Christopher and I did a 
presentation at FOSDEM this year).

> So you should build 2 binary packages.  I don't know whether it is
> allowed to build both non-free and non-free-firmware binary packages
> from a single source package.  You might need to create 2 source
> packages.

--
With best wishes
Dmitry