[Bookworm] installer stops due to missing wifi firmware

Ismael Farfán

unread,

Mar 28, 2023, 3:00:06 PM3/28/23

to

Hello

I'm trying to install Bookworm on a G513QY laptop with MT7921 wifi adapter.

As soon as the installer (Net or DVD) tries to detect the HW, the installer stops blank.

The last thing I see in dmesg is something like

Detected ethernet HW, renamed to eth0 (succeed)

then... :

Failed to load mt7821 firmware (lots of this)

hardware init failed

[ loaded modules]

[ stack trace ]

<TASK>

rfkill

wiphy

ieee802

Any ideas or workaround for this?

I also tried with the advanced installer from the DVD but it always wants to try detecting the network HW and stops there.

--

Do not let me induce you to satisfy my curiosity, from an expectation, that I shall gratify yours. What I may judge proper to conceal, does not concern myself alone.

David Wright

unread,

Mar 29, 2023, 11:20:06 AM3/29/23

to

On Tue 28 Mar 2023 at 12:57:28 (-0600), Ismael Farfán wrote:
>
> I'm trying to install Bookworm on a G513QY laptop with MT7921 wifi adapter.
>
> As soon as the installer (Net or DVD) tries to detect the HW, the installer
> stops blank.
>
> The last thing I see in dmesg is something like
> Detected ethernet HW, renamed to eth0 (succeed)
> then... :
> Failed to load mt7821 firmware (lots of this)
> hardware init failed
> [ loaded modules]
> [ stack trace ]
> <TASK>
> rfkill
> wiphy
> ieee802
>
>
> Any ideas or workaround for this?
>
> I also tried with the advanced installer from the DVD but it always wants
> to try detecting the network HW and stops there.

You need to post the full names of what you used to install with.
It's likely that your downloads aren't the firmware-inclusive
versions that you need. If so, you need to download one containing
the non-free firmware, which appears to be available:

* MediaTek MT7921 hdr firmware, version 20230117170855a
(mediatek/WIFI_MT7961_patch_mcu_1_2_hdr.bin)
* MediaTek MT7921 firmware, version 20230117170942
(mediatek/WIFI_RAM_CODE_MT7961_1.bin)

It's also /possible/ that the bookworm installer is still not
production-ready yet.

Cheers,
David.

Ismael Farfán

unread,

Mar 29, 2023, 11:40:06 AM3/29/23

to

I tried with these 2 installers:

7da925a34f6f7ab6e39ad64514139afb debian-bookworm-DI-alpha2-amd64-DVD-1.iso
547c0e2f85ec04ffec6d08a1e84c64e6 debian-bookworm-DI-alpha2-amd64-netinst.iso

both contain firmware-misc-nonfree_20230117-2_all.deb

which is, I guess, where it's trying to load the firmware from.

There's a newer version of the firmware in testing though: firmware-misc-nonfree_20230210-4_all.deb

I noticed there's a second installer in the snapshots section, it also fails to load the firmware but the installation continues correctly to the next step

aa5e3fe762300ba87fce77a6bf260a3e debian-testing-amd64-DVD-1.iso

Regards

-Ismael

Jude DaShiell

unread,

Mar 29, 2023, 12:40:07 PM3/29/23

to

Could it be Debian hasn't got your firmware in any of its installations?
That points at very new firmware.

-- Jude <jdashiel at panix dot com> "There are four boxes to be used in
defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and amo. Please use in that
order." Ed Howdershelt 1940.

On Wed, 29 Mar 2023, Ismael Farfán wrote:

> I tried with these 2 installers:
> 7da925a34f6f7ab6e39ad64514139afb debian-bookworm-DI-alpha2-amd64-DVD-1.iso
> 547c0e2f85ec04ffec6d08a1e84c64e6
> debian-bookworm-DI-alpha2-amd64-netinst.iso
>
> both contain firmware-misc-nonfree_20230117-2_all.deb
> which is, I guess, where it's trying to load the firmware from.
> There's a newer version of the firmware in testing though:
> firmware-misc-nonfree_20230210-4_all.deb
>

> I noticed there's a second installer in the *snapshots* section, it also
> fails to load the firmware but the *installation continues correctly* to

Ismael Farfán

unread,

Mar 29, 2023, 1:00:07 PM3/29/23

to

El mié, 29 mar 2023 a la(s) 10:33, Jude DaShiell (jdas...@panix.com) escribió:

Could it be Debian hasn't got your firmware in any of its installations?
That points at very new firmware.

The issue is that the installation should continue anyway and get packages from the DVD, instead the installer hangs there forever without any message.

The the snapshots installer worked just fine 👍

Jude DaShiell

unread,

Mar 29, 2023, 1:10:07 PM3/29/23

to

When the installation starts up, hit the < key until a numbered menu comes
up. A default will be on the menu don't take the default yet. Choose 19
which should be change priority and choose 4 in tha t low priority
messages. When you get back out to the menu choose 21 save logs and
choose save logs to mounted file system and hit enter.
Then when you get out to the menu again take the default number and go as
far as you are able. Your logs will be in /var/logs and those should be
sent to debia...@lists.debian.org with any additional information you
would like to share.
That may get debian improved.

David Wright

unread,

Mar 29, 2023, 2:50:06 PM3/29/23

to

On Wed 29 Mar 2023 at 09:39:01 (-0600), Ismael Farfán wrote:
> I tried with these 2 installers:
> 7da925a34f6f7ab6e39ad64514139afb debian-bookworm-DI-alpha2-amd64-DVD-1.iso
> 547c0e2f85ec04ffec6d08a1e84c64e6
> debian-bookworm-DI-alpha2-amd64-netinst.iso
>
> both contain firmware-misc-nonfree_20230117-2_all.deb
> which is, I guess, where it's trying to load the firmware from.

I don't know how to access that file. Currently, bullseye
has version 20210315-3, and the files that I quoted,

> > * MediaTek MT7921 hdr firmware, version 20230117170855a
> > (mediatek/WIFI_MT7961_patch_mcu_1_2_hdr.bin)
> > * MediaTek MT7921 firmware, version 20230117170942
> > (mediatek/WIFI_RAM_CODE_MT7961_1.bin)

are from a page that's slightly older than the version of the
package that it leads to, which you reference here:

> There's a newer version of the firmware in testing though:
> firmware-misc-nonfree_20230210-4_all.deb
>

> I noticed there's a second installer in the *snapshots* section, it also
> fails to load the firmware but the *installation continues correctly* to

> the next step
> aa5e3fe762300ba87fce77a6bf260a3e debian-testing-amd64-DVD-1.iso

. What version of firmware-misc-nonfree does that include?

. Does it try to load the two .bin files listed above?
It doesn't help to write "(lots of this)" unless
indicating whether any of the failures mention /your/
device name, as opposed to similar-looking ones.
It's normal for one module to try loading many .bins
before the right one is found.

I have noticed that those .bin files vary between packages having
different dates:

$ ls -GlgR /tmp/202*
/tmp/20210315-3:
total 792
-rw-r--r-- 1 90464 Jul 25 2021 WIFI_MT7961_patch_mcu_1_2_hdr.bin
-rw-r--r-- 1 712832 Jul 25 2021 WIFI_RAM_CODE_MT7961_1.bin

/tmp/20230210-4:
total 796
-rw-r--r-- 1 92192 Mar 11 08:15 WIFI_MT7961_patch_mcu_1_2_hdr.bin
-rw-r--r-- 1 719156 Mar 11 08:15 WIFI_RAM_CODE_MT7961_1.bin
$

I haven't looked at which kernel modules try to load that firmware,
and whether they have changed.

Cheers,
David.

Ismael Farfán

unread,

Mar 29, 2023, 4:20:07 PM3/29/23

to

El mié, 29 mar 2023 a la(s) 13:59, Steve McIntyre (st...@einval.com) escribió:

sulf...@gmail.com wrote
>-=-=-=-=-=-

>
>Hello
>
>I'm trying to install Bookworm on a G513QY laptop with MT7921 wifi adapter.
>
>As soon as the installer (Net or DVD) tries to detect the HW, the installer
>stops blank.
>
>The last thing I see in dmesg is something like
>Detected ethernet HW, renamed to eth0 (succeed)
>then... :
>Failed to load mt7821 firmware (lots of this)
>hardware init failed
>[ loaded modules]
>[ stack trace ]
><TASK>
>rfkill
>wiphy
>ieee802
>
>
>Any ideas or workaround for this?

There's a bug in the kernel driver here, that we've picked up in
testing of these exact images. See https://bugs.debian.org/1029116 and
https://bugs.debian.org/1031286 if you're interested in the details.

Yes, that's exactly the issue, and yeah, the weekly image worked just fine.

I already installed using the weekly image but I'll test when the new installer comes out anyway just to help the community :)

cheers

-Ismael

We're planning on doing another debian-installer release in the next
few days which will include this fix. Or if you try one of the current
daily/weekly images it will most likely work too...

--
Steve McIntyre, Cambridge, UK. st...@einval.com
< sladen> I actually stayed in a hotel and arrived to find a post-it
note stuck to the mini-bar saying "Paul: This fridge and
fittings are the correct way around and do not need altering"

Steve McIntyre

unread,

Mar 29, 2023, 4:30:06 PM3/29/23

to

sulf...@gmail.com wrote
>-=-=-=-=-=-

>
>Hello
>
>I'm trying to install Bookworm on a G513QY laptop with MT7921 wifi adapter.
>
>As soon as the installer (Net or DVD) tries to detect the HW, the installer
>stops blank.
>
>The last thing I see in dmesg is something like
>Detected ethernet HW, renamed to eth0 (succeed)
>then... :
>Failed to load mt7821 firmware (lots of this)
>hardware init failed
>[ loaded modules]
>[ stack trace ]
><TASK>
>rfkill
>wiphy
>ieee802
>
>
>Any ideas or workaround for this?

There's a bug in the kernel driver here, that we've picked up in
testing of these exact images. See https://bugs.debian.org/1029116 and
https://bugs.debian.org/1031286 if you're interested in the details.