https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/Linux_Firmware_Minimization
This document represents a proposed Change. As part of the Changes process, proposals are publicly announced in order to receive community feedback. This proposal will only be implemented if approved by the Fedora Engineering Steering Committee.
== Summary == Split linux-firmware into more subpackages, and add the ability to automatically install firmware based on the hardware present
== Owner == * Name: [[User:Salimma|Michel Alexandre Salim]], [[User:Dcavalca|Davide Cavalca]] * Email: michel@fb.com, dcavalca@fb.com
== Detailed Description == The `linux-firmware` RPM is very large (175M src.rpm, 287M *.noarch.rpm per 20211027-126) that bundles most of the system firmware loaded by the kernel, regardless of whether it’s actually needed. Some additional firmwares are already split up into individual subpackages. This change would extend that, splitting out most firmare into appropriate subpackages. The Change would also make the subpackages `Supplements` the appropriate `modalias(...)` for the hardware they support and `Provides` `firmware(kmodname/firmwarefile.bin)`
Candidates for splitting out: * CPU firmwares * GPU firmwares * Non-Intel wifi firmwares * Bluetooth firmwares
Conversely some firmware could probably be grouped together, e.g. have iwlwifi-firmware that pulls in iwl*-firmware (corresponding to openSUSE's kernel-firmware-iwlwifi).
We will also introduce `linux-firmware-all` that will pull in all subpackages; this will make it easier to manage the firmware packages in different Fedora variants.
A DNF plugin will be written to make use of the `Supplements` metadata to automatically install the appropriate firmware packages based on the hardware present on the system (see openSUSE's `libzypp`: https://github.com/openSUSE/libzypp/blob/a34d857dbe3b16d4a7e0219cd213cc5a879... and https://github.com/openSUSE/libzypp/blob/7f345ea4892fd02345e8de47c2a08ab5b17...)
== Feedback ==
== Benefit to Fedora == This would save a lot of disk space on Fedora installations, and make it easier to test individual firmware updates by replacing a single subpackage. It will also bring us into alignment with openSUSE (see their [https://code.opensuse.org/package/kernel-firmware/blob/master/f/kernel-firmw... kernel-firmware.spec]).
== Scope == * Proposal owners: ** Create test COPR with proposed changes ** Add some additional firmware subpackages ** Add the required metadata (supplements, provides) ** Write DNF plugin to make use of supplements ** Write libdnf plugin for PackageKit (and in the future, microdnf) ** refactor [https://pagure.io/fedora-comps/blob/main/f/comps-f37.xml.in#_2887-2903 comps for F37]
* Other developers: ** Validate that installation works with iwl*-firmware replaced by iwlwifi-firmware ** Test the DNF plugin ** If it works well, preinstall the DNF plugin and stop installing iwlwifi-firmware or any of the iwl*-firmware
* Release engineering: [https://pagure.io/releng/issues #Releng issue number] * Policies and guidelines: N/A (not needed for this Change) * Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change) * Alignment with Objectives:
== Upgrade/compatibility impact == No compatibility impact.
== How To Test == * Enable the test COPR * Verify that after upgrading, no firmware subpackages are removed * Install the DNF plugin * Verify that the DNF plugin works: `dnf mark remove` a firmware package that is needed, then verify that `dnf autoremove` does not remove it * `dnf mark remove` all firmware packages, and verify that `dnf autoremove` only remove the unneeded packages
== User Experience == More disk space available, no functional changes.
== Dependencies == No dependency, `linux-firmware` is not required by any package
== Contingency Plan == * Contingency mechanism: If the plugin is not ready in time, the other changes would preserve the status quo. So we can postpone shipping the DNF plugin to F38. * Contingency deadline:<br>Decide on whether to postpone the DNF plugin by beta freeze * Blocks release? No
== Documentation == Documentation will be added in [https://hackmd.io/KnHbJ40pQ8eJjc1H80R10w this HackMD]
== Release Notes ==
On Fri, Jul 1 2022 at 01:54:58 PM -0400, Ben Cotton bcotton@redhat.com wrote:
A DNF plugin will be written to make use of the `Supplements` metadata to automatically install the appropriate firmware packages based on the hardware present on the system (see openSUSE's `libzypp`: https://github.com/openSUSE/libzypp/blob/a34d857dbe3b16d4a7e0219cd213cc5a879... and https://github.com/openSUSE/libzypp/blob/7f345ea4892fd02345e8de47c2a08ab5b17...)
What about Fedora editions that don't have dnf (Silverblue, Kinoite, CoreOS)?
On Fri, Jul 1, 2022 at 2:10 PM Michael Catanzaro mcatanzaro@gnome.org wrote:
On Fri, Jul 1 2022 at 01:54:58 PM -0400, Ben Cotton bcotton@redhat.com wrote:
A DNF plugin will be written to make use of the `Supplements` metadata to automatically install the appropriate firmware packages based on the hardware present on the system (see openSUSE's `libzypp`: https://github.com/openSUSE/libzypp/blob/a34d857dbe3b16d4a7e0219cd213cc5a879... and https://github.com/openSUSE/libzypp/blob/7f345ea4892fd02345e8de47c2a08ab5b17...)
What about Fedora editions that don't have dnf (Silverblue, Kinoite, CoreOS)?
They load libdnf through rpm-ostree, so a libdnf plugin will still work.
On 7/1/22 18:14, Neal Gompa wrote:
On Fri, Jul 1, 2022 at 2:10 PM Michael Catanzaro mcatanzaro@gnome.org wrote:
On Fri, Jul 1 2022 at 01:54:58 PM -0400, Ben Cotton bcotton@redhat.com wrote:
A DNF plugin will be written to make use of the `Supplements` metadata to automatically install the appropriate firmware packages based on the hardware present on the system (see openSUSE's `libzypp`: https://github.com/openSUSE/libzypp/blob/a34d857dbe3b16d4a7e0219cd213cc5a879... and https://github.com/openSUSE/libzypp/blob/7f345ea4892fd02345e8de47c2a08ab5b17...)
What about Fedora editions that don't have dnf (Silverblue, Kinoite, CoreOS)?
They load libdnf through rpm-ostree, so a libdnf plugin will still work.
I'm not the most qualified to speak to this point, but I'm not sure that just because rpm-ostree uses libdnf under the hood this will automatically just work. I suspect that it won't work. Probably for those variants we'd just need to include the `linux-firmware-all` package (or whatever equivalent to get what we currently have).
Dusty
Agree with Dusty here: it's likely that the DNF plugin won't be used at all with rpm-ostree.
This change would however enable some rpm-ostree variants to more finely select the firmwares that they want: for example, Fedora CoreOS could skip all WiFi related firmwares and Fedora Silverblue could skip weird server hardware firmwares.
On Fri, Jul 1, 2022 at 9:47 PM Dusty Mabe dusty@dustymabe.com wrote:
On 7/1/22 18:14, Neal Gompa wrote:
On Fri, Jul 1, 2022 at 2:10 PM Michael Catanzaro mcatanzaro@gnome.org wrote:
On Fri, Jul 1 2022 at 01:54:58 PM -0400, Ben Cotton bcotton@redhat.com wrote:
A DNF plugin will be written to make use of the `Supplements` metadata to automatically install the appropriate firmware packages based on the hardware present on the system (see openSUSE's `libzypp`: https://github.com/openSUSE/libzypp/blob/a34d857dbe3b16d4a7e0219cd213cc5a879... and https://github.com/openSUSE/libzypp/blob/7f345ea4892fd02345e8de47c2a08ab5b17...)
What about Fedora editions that don't have dnf (Silverblue, Kinoite, CoreOS)?
They load libdnf through rpm-ostree, so a libdnf plugin will still work.
I'm not the most qualified to speak to this point, but I'm not sure that just because rpm-ostree uses libdnf under the hood this will automatically just work. I suspect that it won't work. Probably for those variants we'd just need to include the `linux-firmware-all` package (or whatever equivalent to get what we currently have).
Or could the plugin be used to create rpm-ostree layers with the necessary firmware packages?
On Fri, Jul 1, 2022 at 1:57 PM Ben Cotton bcotton@redhat.com wrote:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/Linux_Firmware_Minimization
This document represents a proposed Change. As part of the Changes process, proposals are publicly announced in order to receive community feedback. This proposal will only be implemented if approved by the Fedora Engineering Steering Committee.
== Summary == Split linux-firmware into more subpackages, and add the ability to automatically install firmware based on the hardware present
== Owner ==
- Name: [[User:Salimma|Michel Alexandre Salim]],
[[User:Dcavalca|Davide Cavalca]]
- Email: michel@fb.com, dcavalca@fb.com
== Detailed Description == The `linux-firmware` RPM is very large (175M src.rpm, 287M *.noarch.rpm per 20211027-126) that bundles most of the system firmware loaded by the kernel, regardless of whether it’s actually needed. Some additional firmwares are already split up into individual subpackages. This change would extend that, splitting out most firmare into appropriate subpackages. The Change would also make the subpackages `Supplements` the appropriate `modalias(...)` for the hardware they support and `Provides` `firmware(kmodname/firmwarefile.bin)`
Candidates for splitting out:
- CPU firmwares
- GPU firmwares
- Non-Intel wifi firmwares
- Bluetooth firmwares
Conversely some firmware could probably be grouped together, e.g. have iwlwifi-firmware that pulls in iwl*-firmware (corresponding to openSUSE's kernel-firmware-iwlwifi).
We will also introduce `linux-firmware-all` that will pull in all subpackages; this will make it easier to manage the firmware packages in different Fedora variants.
A DNF plugin will be written to make use of the `Supplements` metadata to automatically install the appropriate firmware packages based on the hardware present on the system (see openSUSE's `libzypp`: https://github.com/openSUSE/libzypp/blob/a34d857dbe3b16d4a7e0219cd213cc5a879... and https://github.com/openSUSE/libzypp/blob/7f345ea4892fd02345e8de47c2a08ab5b17...)
== Feedback ==
== Benefit to Fedora == This would save a lot of disk space on Fedora installations, and make it easier to test individual firmware updates by replacing a single subpackage. It will also bring us into alignment with openSUSE (see their [https://code.opensuse.org/package/kernel-firmware/blob/master/f/kernel-firmw... kernel-firmware.spec]).
This is sorely needed, and I'm really looking forward to this being implemented!
Dne 01. 07. 22 v 19:54 Ben Cotton napsal(a):
== Detailed Description == The `linux-firmware` RPM is very large (175M src.rpm, 287M *.noarch.rpm per 20211027-126) that bundles most of the system firmware loaded by the kernel, regardless of whether it’s actually needed. Some additional firmwares are already split up into individual subpackages. This change would extend that, splitting out most firmare into appropriate subpackages. The Change would also make the subpackages `Supplements` the appropriate `modalias(...)` for the hardware they support and `Provides` `firmware(kmodname/firmwarefile.bin)`
Wow, I wanted this for loong time. Thank you for doing this.
A DNF plugin will be written to make use of the `Supplements` metadata to automatically install the appropriate firmware packages based on the hardware present on the system (see openSUSE's `libzypp`: https://github.com/openSUSE/libzypp/blob/a34d857dbe3b16d4a7e0219cd213cc5a879... and https://github.com/openSUSE/libzypp/blob/7f345ea4892fd02345e8de47c2a08ab5b17...)
Can this be paired with simple command line tool which will "just" print the appropriate packages? It would be usefull in e.g., creating Ansible playbooks for the machine.
Miroslav
On 01/07/2022 19:54, Ben Cotton wrote:
Split linux-firmware into more subpackages, and add the ability to automatically install firmware based on the hardware present
+1. Finally. Thanks for implementing this.
On Fri, Jul 1, 2022, 1:54 PM Ben Cotton bcotton@redhat.com wrote:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/Linux_Firmware_Minimization
This proposal has been withdrawn by the owners.
On Sat, Jul 2, 2022 at 12:29 PM Ben Cotton bcotton@redhat.com wrote:
On Fri, Jul 1, 2022, 1:54 PM Ben Cotton bcotton@redhat.com wrote:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/Linux_Firmware_Minimization
This proposal has been withdrawn by the owners.
All my hopes and dreams dashed with this statement. :(
Am 02.07.22 um 18:27 schrieb Ben Cotton:
On Fri, Jul 1, 2022, 1:54 PM Ben Cotton <bcotton@redhat.com mailto:bcotton@redhat.com> wrote:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/Linux_Firmware_Minimization <https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/Linux_Firmware_Minimization>
This proposal has been withdrawn by the owners.
Any explanation why?
Ralf
On Sat, Jul 2, 2022 at 8:36 PM Vitaly Zaitsev via devel devel@lists.fedoraproject.org wrote:
On 02/07/2022 18:27, Ben Cotton wrote:
This proposal has been withdrawn by the owners.
Why? Very useful feature.
Because they didn't coordinate with the maintainers, it wasn't ready and overall has flaws that need to be addressed. Something to a similar effect will be coordinated and submitted when it's actually viable.