missing firmware in debian 9

[Anil Duggirala]

hello,
I am getting this message at boot.

[ 10.678576] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: firmware: failed to load ath10k/pre-cal-pci-0000:03:00.0.bin (-2)
[ 10.678631] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: Direct firmware load for ath10k/pre-cal-pci-0000:03:00.0.bin failed with error -2
[ 10.678655] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: firmware: failed to load ath10k/cal-pci-0000:03:00.0.bin (-2)
[ 10.678699] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: Direct firmware load for ath10k/cal-pci-0000:03:00.0.bin failed with error -2
[ 10.681081] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: firmware: failed to load ath10k/QCA6174/hw3.0/firmware-5.bin (-2)
[ 10.681127] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: Direct firmware load for ath10k/QCA6174/hw3.0/firmware-5.bin failed with error -2
[ 10.681131] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: could not fetch firmware file 'ath10k/QCA6174/hw3.0/firmware-5.bin': -2

I have installed the firmware-atheros package from backports in Debian 9, I had installed the package from the main repository before but I was also getting this message. I have also installed the firmware-linux-free package.

Help please,
thanks,

[Sven Eckelmann]

Post by Anil Duggirala
hello,
I am getting this message at boot.
[ 10.678576] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: firmware: failed to load ath10k/pre-cal-pci-0000:03:00.0.bin (-2)
[ 10.678631] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: Direct firmware load for ath10k/pre-cal-pci-0000:03:00.0.bin failed with error -2
[ 10.678655] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: firmware: failed to load ath10k/cal-pci-0000:03:00.0.bin (-2)
[ 10.678699] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: Direct firmware load for ath10k/cal-pci-0000:03:00.0.bin failed with error -2
[ 10.681081] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: firmware: failed to load ath10k/QCA6174/hw3.0/firmware-5.bin (-2)
[ 10.681127] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: Direct firmware load for ath10k/QCA6174/hw3.0/firmware-5.bin failed with error -2
[ 10.681131] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: could not fetch firmware file 'ath10k/QCA6174/hw3.0/firmware-5.bin': -2
I have installed the firmware-atheros package from backports in Debian 9, I had installed the package from the main repository before but I was also getting this message. I have also installed the firmware-linux-free package.

Where should Debian take it when QCA is not providing a firmware-5.bin? Kalle
Valo's repo [1] contains different firmware-6.bin (which your ath10k version
doesn't seem to support yet) and firmware-4.bin. And Debian ships both - I
think the ones which were in linux-firmware [2] at the time of the release.

I don't have a QCA6174 hw3.0 but I would guess that ath10k loaded the
firmware-4.bin after it failed to load the firmware-5.bin.

Kind regards,
Sven

[1] https://github.com/kvalo/ath10k-firmware/tree/master/QCA6174/hw3.0/
[2] https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git/

[Kalle Valo]

Post by Sven Eckelmann

Post by Anil Duggirala
hello,
I am getting this message at boot.
[ 10.678576] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: firmware: failed to load
ath10k/pre-cal-pci-0000:03:00.0.bin (-2)
[ 10.678631] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: Direct firmware load for
ath10k/pre-cal-pci-0000:03:00.0.bin failed with error -2
[ 10.678655] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: firmware: failed to load
ath10k/cal-pci-0000:03:00.0.bin (-2)
[ 10.678699] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: Direct firmware load for
ath10k/cal-pci-0000:03:00.0.bin failed with error -2
[ 10.681081] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: firmware: failed to load
ath10k/QCA6174/hw3.0/firmware-5.bin (-2)
[ 10.681127] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: Direct firmware load for
ath10k/QCA6174/hw3.0/firmware-5.bin failed with error -2
[ 10.681131] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: could not fetch firmware file
'ath10k/QCA6174/hw3.0/firmware-5.bin': -2
I have installed the firmware-atheros package from backports in
Debian 9, I had installed the package from the main repository
before but I was also getting this message. I have also installed
the firmware-linux-free package.

Where should Debian take it when QCA is not providing a firmware-5.bin? Kalle
Valo's repo [1] contains different firmware-6.bin (which your ath10k version
doesn't seem to support yet) and firmware-4.bin. And Debian ships both - I
think the ones which were in linux-firmware [2] at the time of the release.
I don't have a QCA6174 hw3.0 but I would guess that ath10k loaded the
firmware-4.bin after it failed to load the firmware-5.bin.

That's what I'm guessing as well. And these warnings should be visible
anymore with this commit:

c8e028026387 ath10k: use firmware_request_nowarn() to load firmware

https://git.kernel.org/linus/c8e028026387

It was introduced in v4.18 so once you upgrade the kernel to v4.18 or
later you should not see the warnings anymore.

[Anil Duggirala]

Post by Kalle Valo
It was introduced in v4.18 so once you upgrade the kernel to v4.18 or
later you should not see the warnings anymore.

I see that I am running kernel 4.9.0-8. It may be quite some time before I get to 4.18 right?
thanks,

[Anil Duggirala]

Post by Sven Eckelmann
I don't have a QCA6174 hw3.0 but I would guess that ath10k loaded the
firmware-4.bin after it failed to load the firmware-5.bin.

How can I make sure this is the case? I have had a couple of issues with my bluetooth, how can I test it?
thanks very much,

[Kalle Valo]

Post by Anil Duggirala

Post by Sven Eckelmann
I don't have a QCA6174 hw3.0 but I would guess that ath10k loaded the
firmware-4.bin after it failed to load the firmware-5.bin.

How can I make sure this is the case?

ath10k prints lots of information to dmesg after it has initialised the
device, so check that. You should see the firmware version and what api
is used (the number N from firmware-N.bin).

Post by Anil Duggirala
I have had a couple of issues with my bluetooth, how can I test it?

The warnings you posted are because ath10k is trying to find optional
calibration data and various firmware versions of firmware file from
user space. The warnings and commit c8e028026387 have nothing to do with
bluetooth, so that must be a separate issue.

[Anil Duggirala]

Post by Kalle Valo

Post by Anil Duggirala
How can I make sure this is the case?

ath10k prints lots of information to dmesg after it has initialised the
device, so check that. You should see the firmware version and what api
is used (the number N from firmware-N.bin).

Ok, I have checked and it is:
[ 9.883661] ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: firmware: direct-loading firmware ath10k/QCA6174/hw3.0/firmware-4.bin

thank you Kalle and Sven,