Reboot required after updating firmware-amd-graphics?

local10

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Dec 7, 2022, 10:00:05 AM12/7/22

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Hi,

Is reboot required after updating firmware-amd-graphics for the updates to take effect?

Regards,

# cat /etc/debian_version && uname -a
bookworm/sid
Linux tst 6.0.0-5-amd64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Debian 6.0.10-1 (2022-11-26) x86_64 GNU/Linux

to...@tuxteam.de

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Dec 7, 2022, 10:50:05 AM12/7/22

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On Wed, Dec 07, 2022 at 03:52:26PM +0100, local10 wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Is reboot required after updating firmware-amd-graphics for the updates to take effect?

I'd expect the firmware to be loaded when the driver is loaded.

You might try to unload the relevant driver (probably something
something amdgpu), but I have no clue whether that will work :)

So a rough approximation to an answer would be "yes".

Cheers
--
t

signature.asc

local10

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Dec 7, 2022, 11:50:05 AM12/7/22

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Dec 7, 2022, 15:42 by to...@tuxteam.de:

> So a rough approximation to an answer would be "yes".
>

That was my thought as well but I was hoping maybe there was some automagical way it could refresh itself in RAM.

Regards,

David Wright

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Dec 7, 2022, 1:10:05 PM12/7/22

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On Wed 07 Dec 2022 at 17:43:16 (+0100), local10 wrote:
> That was my thought as well but I was hoping maybe there was some automagical way it could refresh itself in RAM.

Downloading firmware and installing it is bread and butter for the
debian-installer, but you have to be able to remove the module,
which might not be possible if you can't make it non-busy.

Example from d-i:

Apr 17 01:03:35 kernel: [ 142.854404] r8169 0000:03:00.0: firmware: failed to load rtl_nic/rtl8168g-2.fw (-2)

Apr 17 01:03:35 kernel: [ 142.854408] r8169 0000:03:00.0: Direct firmware load for rtl_nic/rtl8168g-2.fw failed with error -2
Apr 17 01:03:35 kernel: [ 142.854411] r8169 0000:03:00.0: Unable to load firmware rtl_nic/rtl8168g-2.fw (-2)

Apr 17 01:03:44 check-missing-firmware: installing firmware package /cdrom/firmware/firmware-realtek_20210315-3_all.deb

Apr 17 01:03:53 check-missing-firmware: removing and loading kernel module r8169
Apr 17 01:03:53 kernel: [ 160.974875] r8169 0000:03:00.0: can't disable ASPM; OS doesn't have ASPM control
Apr 17 01:03:53 kernel: [ 160.989733] r8169 0000:03:00.0 eth0: RTL8168g/8111g, a4:1f:72:6e:2d:3f, XID 4c0, IRQ 27

Apr 17 01:03:54 check-missing-firmware: no missing firmware in loaded kernel modules

Apr 17 01:04:09 kernel: [ 176.898782] r8169 0000:03:00.0: firmware: direct-loading firmware rtl_nic/rtl8168g-2.fw

Apr 17 01:04:11 kernel: [ 178.724622] r8169 0000:03:00.0 enp3s0: Link is Up - 100Mbps/Full - flow control rx/tx

Cheers,
David.

Sven Hartge

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Dec 8, 2022, 2:50:05 AM12/8/22

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You can see firmware as kind-of an OS for the component. And just like
the Linux Kernel can't refresh itself while running, (most of) the
firmware running on a component can't do that, it (usually) needs to get
reinitialized.

This will happen during a reboot of the whole PC or (in many cases) by
unloading and then reloading the Kernel module for that component.

S°

--
Sigmentation fault. Core dumped.