WiFi firmware issue in Bookworm
Gary Dale
I'm trying to use a Linksys AE1200 wifi usb dongle as a second network connection for my Bookworm workstation. The device shows up in lsusb but not in ip link.
According to what I've found, it needs the brcmfmac driver module, which seems to be in the 6.1 kernel and loaded:
$ lsmod | grep brcmfmac
brcmfmac 360448 0
brcmutil 20480 1 brcmfmac
cfg80211 1122304 1 brcmfmac
mmc_core 208896 1 brcmfmac
usbcore 344064 10
xhci_hcd,snd_usb_audio,usbhid,snd_usbmidi_lib,usblp,usb_storage,uvcvideo,brcmfmac,xhci_pci,uas
I'm using KDE/Plasma as my
desktop and plasma-nm is loaded. However it too doesn't seem to
think that there is a wifi network.
Interestingly the device works in Bullseye as I installed Bullseye on the computer that used to use it. That really only required downloading the correct firmware package that contained the brcmfmac module. That package no longer exists in Bookworm.
Dmesg reveals the problem:
[ 176.393749]
usb
1-3.1: new high-speed
USB device number 6 using xhci_hcd
[
176.546464] usb 1-3.1: New USB device
found, idVendor=13b1, idProduct=0039, bcdDevice= 0.01
[
176.546467] usb 1-3.1: New USB device
strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[
176.546469] usb 1-3.1: Product:
Linksys AE1200
[
176.546470] usb 1-3.1: Manufacturer:
Cisco
[
176.546470] usb 1-3.1: SerialNumber:
000000000001
[
176.573466] brcmfmac: brcmf_fw_alloc_request:
using brcm/brcmfmac43236b for chip BCM43235/3
[
176.573530] usb 1-3.1: firmware:
failed to load brcm/brcmfmac43236b.bin (-2)
[
176.573535] usb 1-3.1: firmware:
failed to load brcm/brcmfmac43236b.bin (-2)
[
176.573537] usb 1-3.1: Direct
firmware load for brcm/brcmfmac43236b.bin failed with error -2
[
458.854083] usb 1-3.1: USB
disconnect, device number 6
[
464.232185] usb 1-3.1: new high-speed
USB device number 7 using xhci_hcd
[
464.392635] usb 1-3.1: New USB device
found, idVendor=13b1, idProduct=0039, bcdDevice= 0.01
[
464.392642] usb 1-3.1: New USB device
strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[
464.392644] usb 1-3.1: Product:
Linksys AE1200
[
464.392645] usb 1-3.1: Manufacturer:
Cisco
[
464.392646] usb 1-3.1: SerialNumber:
000000000001
[
464.422271] brcmfmac: brcmf_fw_alloc_request:
using brcm/brcmfmac43236b for chip BCM43235/3
[
464.422449] usb 1-3.1: firmware:
failed to load brcm/brcmfmac43236b.bin (-2)
[
464.422462] usb 1-3.1: firmware:
failed to load brcm/brcmfmac43236b.bin (-2)
[
464.422465] usb 1-3.1: Direct
firmware load for brcm/brcmfmac43236b.bin failed with error -2
Apparently the firmware isn't loading.
Any ideas on how to fix this?
The Wanderer
> I'm trying to use a Linksys AE1200 wifi usb dongle as a second network
> connection for my Bookworm workstation. The device shows up in lsusb but
> not in ip link.
>
> According to what I've found, it needs the brcmfmac driver module, which
> seems to be in the 6.1 kernel and loaded:
>
> $ lsmod | grep brcmfmac
> brcmfmac 360448 0
> brcmutil 20480 1 brcmfmac
> cfg80211 1122304 1 brcmfmac
> mmc_core 208896 1 brcmfmac
> usbcore 344064 10
> xhci_hcd,snd_usb_audio,usbhid,snd_usbmidi_lib,usblp,usb_storage,uvcvideo,brcmfmac,xhci_pci,uas
>
> I'm using KDE/Plasma as my desktop and plasma-nm is loaded. However it
> too doesn't seem to think that there is a wifi network.
>
> Interestingly the device works in Bullseye as I installed Bullseye on
> the computer that used to use it. That really only required downloading
> the correct firmware package that contained the brcmfmac module. That
> package no longer exists in Bookworm.
That still exists in bookworm; it's just been moved to the new
non-free-firmware component, so it won't be showing up if your
sources.list doesn't reference that component (in addition to e.g. main,
contrib, and/or non-free).
There was another thread on this mailing list just within the past day
that asked a similar question regarding another firmware package, and
the replies to that question include links to the announcements about
the new component.
--
The Wanderer
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all
progress depends on the unreasonable man. -- George Bernard Shaw
piorunz
> Interestingly the device works in Bullseye as I installed Bullseye on
> the computer that used to use it. That really only required downloading
> the correct firmware package that contained the brcmfmac module. That
> package no longer exists in Bookworm.
under Bookworm. dmesg give you file name you want:
> [ 176.573530] usb 1-3.1: firmware: failed to load
> brcm/brcmfmac43236b.bin (-2)
firmware-brcm80211: /lib/firmware/brcm/brcmfmac43236b.bin
Install package firmware-brcm80211.
--
With kindest regards, Piotr.
⢀⣴⠾⠻⢶⣦⠀
⣾⠁⢠⠒⠀⣿⡁ Debian - The universal operating system
⢿⡄⠘⠷⠚⠋⠀ https://www.debian.org/
⠈⠳⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀
Gary Dale
> On 10/02/2023 02:39, Gary Dale wrote:
>> Interestingly the device works in Bullseye as I installed Bullseye on
>> the computer that used to use it. That really only required
>> downloading the correct firmware package that contained the brcmfmac
>> module. That package no longer exists in Bookworm.
>
> All you need to do, is to search for package, it may have different
> name under Bookworm. dmesg give you file name you want:
>
>> [ 176.573530] usb 1-3.1: firmware: failed to load
>> brcm/brcmfmac43236b.bin (-2)
>
> apt-file search brcmfmac43236b.bin
> firmware-brcm80211: /lib/firmware/brcm/brcmfmac43236b.bin
>
> Install package firmware-brcm80211.
>
# apt install firmware-brcm80211
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
E: Unable to locate package firmware-brcm80211
Gary Dale
it doesn't seem to search the new section. I found the announcement when
I searched for debian non-free firmware. Right now if you don't know it
exists, you can't find it. :(
piorunz
> Thanks. That points then to a problem with the package.debian.org page -
> it doesn't seem to search the new section. I found the announcement when
> I searched for debian non-free firmware. Right now if you don't know it
Bookworm is a testing distribution, it expects us to know things :) Once
its stable, it will have everything explained in Release Notes.
This is what you can put into sources.list to add new repository:
main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
Add it to every URL from debian.org you have enabled and using.
non-free-firmware - this is where your firmware lives from now on in
Bookworm.
Charles Curley
piorunz <pio...@gmx.com> wrote:
> On 10/02/2023 04:29, Gary Dale wrote:
> > Thanks. That points then to a problem with the package.debian.org
> > page - it doesn't seem to search the new section. I found the
> > announcement when I searched for debian non-free firmware. Right
> > now if you don't know it exists, you can't find it. 🙁
>
> Bookworm is a testing distribution, it expects us to know things :)
> Once its stable, it will have everything explained in Release Notes.
>
> This is what you can put into sources.list to add new repository:
> main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
> Add it to every URL from debian.org you have enabled and using.
> non-free-firmware - this is where your firmware lives from now on in
> Bookworm.
page. It will have to be corrected, sooner or later.
Apparently work on this is in train, and it will be fixed. See
https://lists.debian.org/debian-www/2023/01/msg00046.html and
https://lists.debian.org/debian-www/2023/02/msg00000.html et seq.
--
Does anybody read signatures any more?
https://charlescurley.com
https://charlescurley.com/blog/