Bug#893912: firmware-realtek: Failed to load rtl_bt/rtl8821a_config.bin

[Rathorian]

Package: firmware-realtek
Version: 20161130-3
Severity: important

Dear Maintainer,

Every time I start Debian, I get an error message saying:
"bluetooth hci0: firmware: failed to load rtl_bt/rtl8821a_config.bin"

I have also tried to install the package since stretch-backports, without any success.

Cordially
Rathorian

-- System Information:
Debian Release: 9.4
  APT prefers stable-updates
  APT policy: (500, 'stable-updates'), (500, 'stable')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 4.9.0-6-amd64 (SMP w/4 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=fr_FR.utf8, LC_CTYPE=fr_FR.utf8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE=fr_FR.utf8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)

firmware-realtek depends on no packages.

firmware-realtek recommends no packages.

Versions of packages firmware-realtek suggests:
ii  initramfs-tools  0.130

-- no debconf information

[Francisco M Neto]

This happens on my machine as well.

I'm running buster with 4.16 kernel and firmware-realtek is installed.
It seems that this file should be in the package but it hasn't been
include for some reason, even though it is available from https://githu
b.com/lwfinger/rtl8723au_bt/.

Installing the file on /lib/firmware/rtl_bt/ solves the issue.


On Fri, 23 Mar 2018 19:02:48 +0100 "Rathorian" <con...@rathorian.fr>
wrote:

--
--
[]s,

Francisco M Neto

[living proof]

[    2.574742] Bluetooth: hci0: rtl: loading rtl_bt/rtl8821a_config.bin
[    2.575137] bluetooth hci0: firmware: failed to load rtl_bt/rtl8821a_config.bin (-2)
[    2.575143] bluetooth hci0: Direct firmware load for rtl_bt/rtl8821a_config.bin failed with error -2
[    2.575145] Bluetooth: hci0: Failed to load rtl_bt/rtl8821a_config.bin

copying rtl8723a_config.bin from https://github.com/lwfinger/rtl8723au_bt/ to  /lib/firmware/rtl_bt/ does NOT solve the issue. You are actually pointing to a config file for a completly different device.

We are using the rtl8821a this config file is for the rtl8723au_bt...

[living proof]

for as well stretch-backports does not fix the problem

[dugb...@gmail.com]

Это банальная ошибка.Откройте nautilus с правами root, и измените имя
файла rtl8821c_config.bin на rtl8821a_config.bin. У меня все работает.

[dugb...@gmail.com]

[Kate Komi]

On Sun, 3 Mar 2019 22:46:20 +0000 living proof <livin...@live.de> wrote:
> for as well stretch-backports does not fix the problem
>

[    2.574742] Bluetooth: hci0: rtl: loading rtl_bt/rtl8821a_config.bin
[    2.575137] bluetooth hci0: firmware: failed to load rtl_bt/rtl8821a_config.bin (-2)
[    2.575143] bluetooth hci0: Direct firmware load for rtl_bt/rtl8821a_config.bin failed with error -2
[    2.575145] Bluetooth: hci0: Failed to load rtl_bt/rtl8821a_config.bin

copying rtl8723a_config.bin from https://github.com/lwfinger/rtl8723au_bt/ to  /lib/firmware/rtl_bt/ does NOT solve the issue. You are actually pointing to a config file for a completly different device.

We are using the rtl8821a this config file is for the rtl8723au_bt...

Good evening.

I was fighting with this problem (Direct firmware load for rtl_bt/rtl8821a_config.bin failed with error -2) for some time. In /lib/firmware/rtl_bt/ directory I found that indeed this file has a 
problem to load because this file does not even exist. For some reason only one file is present, rtl8821a_fw.bin, where another device has two (rtl8821c_config.bin and rtl8821c_fw.bin):

ls -al /lib/firmware/rtl_bt

...
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 40520 Aug 23 02:04 rtl8812ae_fw.bin
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 37420 Aug 23 02:04 rtl8821a_fw.bin
-rw-r--r--  1 root root    10 Aug 23 02:04 rtl8821c_config.bin
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 37356 Aug 23 02:04 rtl8821c_fw.bin
...

I had package firmware-realtek installed in newest version, so I downloaded .deb package from Debian webpage (https://packages.debian.org/buster-backports/firmware-realtek). Browsing it as 
archive I found that file rtl_bt/rtl8821a_config.bin is also absent, for unknown to me reason.

Then I started looking for this file in other releases (sid and bullseye), with no positive result. I visited Realtek webpage, only to find that they have drivers only for Windows for this 
device. Digging further, on address https://patchwork.ozlabs.org/patch/952071/ , I discovered following note about some Realtek devices:

> The Bluetooth parts of RTL8723D and RTL8723B share the same lmp
> subversion, thus we need to check both lmp subversion and hci revision
> to distinguish the two. The same situation is true for RTL8821A and
> RTL8821C. Accordingly, the selection code is revised.

> To improve maintainability, a new id_table struct is defined, and an
> array of such structs is constructed. Adding a new device can thus be
> as simple as adding another value to the table.

With lack of luck in my quest to find rtl8821a_config.bin file for Debian Buster I decided to try a crazy idea: duplicate rtl8821c_config.bin file and rename duplication on rtl8821a_config.bin.

-rw-r--r--  1 root root 40520 Aug 23 02:04 rtl8812ae_fw.bin
-rw-r--r--  1 root root    10 Feb  5 17:11 rtl8821a_config.bin
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 37420 Aug 23 02:04 rtl8821a_fw.bin
-rw-r--r--  1 root root    10 Aug 23 02:04 rtl8821c_config.bin
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 37356 Aug 23 02:04 rtl8821c_fw.bin

If both devices are so similar, maybe providing fake rtl8821a_config.bin file will do the trick. After restart I I used dmesg and checked logs:

[   26.389532] Bluetooth: hci0: RTL: rtl: examining hci_ver=06 hci_rev=000a lmp_ver=06 lmp_subver=8821

[   26.390623] Bluetooth: hci0: RTL: rom_version status=0 version=1

[   26.390624] Bluetooth: hci0: RTL: rtl: loading rtl_bt/rtl8821a_fw.bin

[   26.392597] bluetooth hci0: firmware: direct-loading firmware rtl_bt/rtl8821a_fw.bin
[   26.392605] Bluetooth: hci0: RTL: rtl: loading rtl_bt/rtl8821a_config.bin

[   26.392748] bluetooth hci0: firmware: direct-loading firmware rtl_bt/rtl8821a_config.bin
[   26.392757] Bluetooth: hci0: RTL: cfg_sz 10, total sz 17438

Well, it looked promising. I installed some additional Bluetooth-related packages (blueman, bluewho and entire family of bluez; bluetooth and bluez were installed earlier) and then I 
launched Bluetooth Manager. It turns out that program not only detected Bluetooth device on my laptop but also I was able to send files between my laptop and my Nokia mobile on both 
directions. I paired successfully both devices, but because lack of Bluetooth speakers I do not know if it is possible to play music via Bluetooth. It should be, I hope.

So, my "solution" seems to work, at least for me. But may I ask the question why file named rtl8821a_config.bin is not present in the firmware-realtek package? It does not exist at all or was 
removed for some reason?

Also my method is nasty, I know about it, but if anyone will solve his/her problem by it, I will be happy.

With kindest regards,

Oliwia

[maximilian attems]

Dear Yang,

Would it be possible to add rtl8821a_config.bin config file?

According to two bug reports, current state results in the following
failure:
--

[ 2.574742] Bluetooth: hci0: rtl: loading rtl_bt/rtl8821a_config.bin
[ 2.575137] bluetooth hci0: firmware: failed to load
rtl_bt/rtl8821a_config.bin (-2)
[ 2.575143] bluetooth hci0: Direct firmware load for
rtl_bt/rtl8821a_config.bin failed with error -2
[ 2.575145] Bluetooth: hci0: Failed to load
rtl_bt/rtl8821a_config.bin

--

According to bug reporter symlink of rtl8821c_config.bin to
rtl8821a_config.bin (
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=893912#32 )
solves the issue.
Or do you have this specific files and could push it upstream to
linux-firmware?


Thank you in advance.

--
maks

[vladikcomper]

Hello,

I have RTL8821AE, and according to my tests, the device functions
perfectly without "rtl_bt/rtl8821a_config.bin" firmware. So I believe
trying to symlink different firmware to this file for the sake of just
bypassing the error message alone can be unnecessary and harmful.

It appears that this specific firmware isn't provided by the
manufacturer and is missing in the latest Linux kernel at the time of
writing (please check:
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git/tree/rtl_bt).


For anyone getting other missing firmware errors regarding the
RTL8821AE device, like "rtl_bt/rtl8821a_fw.bin", please install the
"firmware-realtek" package (make sure to add "non-free" component to
your sources list to make this available).


Some Debian desktop installations seem to misconfigure PulseAudio,
which may result in failing to negotiate connection with Bluetooth
speakers/headphones even when your Bluetooth adapter is fully
functional. The symptom of this problem is usually a "Connection
Failed: Protocol not available" message.
To work around this problem, make sure "pulseaudio-module-bluetooth"
is installed, then run the following:

pactl load-module module-bluetooth-discover


Best regards,
Vladislav