latesst kernel breaks Intel Wi-Fi Ax210 wireless firmware for Framework 13

[roggenkamps]

Qubes OS release

4.2.3 kernel: 6.11.2-1 mockbuild@a186e408....

Brief summary

Hardware: Framework 13 Intel, see HCL: https://forum.qubes-os.org/t/laptop-13-intel-core-ultra-series-1/29523

Yesterday (2024-10-20) I updated my qubes to the latest versions. sys-net stoppped working after the update.

I don't know the previous kernel version, but it includes Intel wireless driver iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-89.ucode thrrough ...-72.ucode. The ...89.ucode through ...73.ucode do not work with my hardware, but the ...72.ucode does and wifi connects.

The current kernel (above) includes the Intel wireless drivers -89 through -77. None of these seem to match the Intel AX210 wireless chipset I have on my Framework.

I would include specific lines from the log, but it's difficult without the networking.

Steps to reproduce

1. Procure a Framework 13 as described in the referenced HCL.
2. Install latest verssion of Quebes..
3. Boot up

Expected behavior

Wireless connection should work as it did before ugrading.

Actual behavior

Wireless chipset is not recognized.

[marmarek]

What template you use for sys-net? Debian may be missing latest firmware packages...

[roggenkamps]

I'm using the Debian-12-xfce template.

I should also add the error message ends with "XX.ucode failed with error -2".

It appears the last working version for this hardware was XX=72 and it is now up to XX=89. It appears to me that a breaking change was introduced with version XX=73 but was masked until that version was dropped. It may be an Intel issue. I can see in the system log that it tries version starting at 89 and goes down to 72 before finding a suitable version.

Sorry for so few details, but I'm having to transcribe the info from one machine to another.

[marmarek]

Yes, so that looks to be the problem. Newer kernel requires newer firmware, but Debian has only old firmware package. You can install new firmware package in Debian from bookworm-backports repo.

[roggenkamps]

I've been busy the last couple of days and haven't been able to respond. I now have a wired internet connection rather than using wireless.

Here is a a section of the system log where it successfully loaded the firmware:

...
[2024-10-20 15:26:05] [ 7928.757996] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-75.ucode failed with error -2
[2024-10-20 15:26:05] [ 7928.758036] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-74.ucode failed with error -2
[2024-10-20 15:26:05] [ 7928.758084] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-73.ucode failed with error -2
[2024-10-20 15:26:05] [ 7928.760185] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: TLV_FW_FSEQ_VERSION: FSEQ Version: 0.0.2.36
[2024-10-20 15:26:05] [ 7928.760645] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: loaded firmware version 72.daa05125.0 ty-a0-gf-a0-72.ucode op_mode iwlmvm
[2024-10-20 15:26:05] [ 7928.781035] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: Detected Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6 AX210 160MHz, REV=0x420
[2024-10-20 15:26:05] [ 7928.869516] usb 1-1: new high-speed USB device number 2 using ehci-pci
[2024-10-20 15:26:06] [ 7928.958035] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: WFPM_UMAC_PD_NOTIFICATION: 0x1f
[2024-10-20 15:26:06] [ 7928.958096] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: WFPM_LMAC2_PD_NOTIFICATION: 0x1f
[2024-10-20 15:26:06] [ 7928.958150] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: WFPM_AUTH_KEY_0: 0x90
[2024-10-20 15:26:06] [ 7928.958209] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: CNVI_SCU_SEQ_DATA_DW9: 0x0
[2024-10-20 15:26:06] [ 7928.959358] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: loaded PNVM version 64acdc51
[2024-10-20 15:26:06] [ 7928.974930] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: Detected RF GF, rfid=0x10d000
...

After updating, here is the same section of the system log where it fails to load the firmware:

...
2024-10-20 15:40:54] [    2.367190] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: PCI dev 2725/0024, rev=0x420, rfid=0x10d000
[2024-10-20 15:40:54] [    2.367214] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: Detected Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6 AX210 160MHz
[2024-10-20 15:40:54] [    2.367568] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-89.ucode failed with error -2
[2024-10-20 15:40:54] [    2.367632] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-88.ucode failed with error -2
[2024-10-20 15:40:54] [    2.367693] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-87.ucode failed with error -2
[2024-10-20 15:40:54] [    2.367746] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-86.ucode failed with error -2
[2024-10-20 15:40:54] [    2.367795] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-85.ucode failed with error -2
[2024-10-20 15:40:54] [    2.367845] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-84.ucode failed with error -2
[2024-10-20 15:40:54] [    2.367912] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-83.ucode failed with error -2
[2024-10-20 15:40:54] [    2.367962] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-82.ucode failed with error -2
[2024-10-20 15:40:54] [    2.368011] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-81.ucode failed with error -2
[2024-10-20 15:40:54] [    2.368058] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-80.ucode failed with error -2
[2024-10-20 15:40:54] [    2.368105] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-79.ucode failed with error -2
[2024-10-20 15:40:54] [    2.368153] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-78.ucode failed with error -2
[2024-10-20 15:40:54] [    2.368201] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-77.ucode failed with error -2
[2024-10-20 15:40:54] [    2.368226] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: no suitable firmware found!
[2024-10-20 15:40:54] [    2.368241] iwlwifi 0000:00:0[2024-10-20 15:40:55] 6.0: minimum version required: iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-77
[2024-10-20 15:40:55] [    2.368259] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: maximum version supported: iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-89
[2024-10-20 15:40:55] [    2.368276] iwlwifi 0000:00:06.0: check git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git
...

I'm interested by the above message minimum version required: iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-77. From what I can tell, the numbers -XX represents a chipset rather than a version, see iwlwifi: update core69 and core72 firmwares for Ty device . Did the new kernel drop support for these devices? I find the -72 microcode file in the /lib/firmware:

-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 1499284 May  1  2023 /lib/firmware/iwlwifi-ty-a0-gf-a0-72.ucode

Thanks.

[marmarek]

As you can see, for your device it tries to load various versions, just doesn't go far enough (anymore) to reach what is available in Debian. The kernel driver itself definitely do support AX210 devices.