linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 2/6] wl1251: Use request_firmware_prefer

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Date:   Fri, 27 Jan 2017 17:23:07 +0200
From:   Kalle Valo <kvalo@...eaurora.org>
To:     Pali Rohár <pali.rohar@...il.com>
Cc:     Arend Van Spriel <arend.vanspriel@...adcom.com>,
        Ming Lei <ming.lei@...onical.com>,
        "Luis R. Rodriguez" <mcgrof@...nel.org>,
        Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>,
        David Gnedt <david.gnedt@...izone.at>,
        Michal Kazior <michal.kazior@...to.com>,
        Daniel Wagner <wagi@...om.org>,
        Tony Lindgren <tony@...mide.com>,
        Sebastian Reichel <sre@...nel.org>,
        Pavel Machek <pavel@....cz>,
        Ivaylo Dimitrov <ivo.g.dimitrov.75@...il.com>,
        Aaro Koskinen <aaro.koskinen@....fi>,
        Grazvydas Ignotas <notasas@...il.com>,
        linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, linux-wireless@...r.kernel.org,
        netdev@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH 2/6] wl1251: Use request_firmware_prefer_user() for loading NVS calibration data

Pali Rohár <pali.rohar@...il.com> writes:

> On Friday 27 January 2017 14:26:22 Kalle Valo wrote:
>> Pali Rohár <pali.rohar@...il.com> writes:
>> 
>> > 2) It was already tested that example NVS data can be used for N900 e.g.
>> > for SSH connection. If real correct data are not available it is better
>> > to use at least those example (and probably log warning message) so user
>> > can connect via SSH and start investigating where is problem.
>> 
>> I disagree. Allowing default calibration data to be used can be
>> unnoticed by user and left her wondering why wifi works so badly.
>
> So there are only two options:
>
> 1) Disallow it and so these users will have non-working wifi.
>
> 2) Allow those data to be used as fallback mechanism.
>
> And personally I'm against 1) because it will break wifi support for
> *all* Nokia N900 devices right now.

All two of them? :)

But not working is exactly my point, if correct calibration data is not
available wifi should not work. And it's not only about functionality
problems, there's also the regulatory aspect.

>> > 3) If we do rename *now* we will totally break wifi support on Nokia
>> > N900.
>> 
>> Then the distro should fix that when updating the linux-firmware
>> packages. Can you provide details about the setup, what distro etc?
>
> Debian stable, Ubuntu LTSs 14.04, 16.04. 

You can run these out of box on N900?

> And I think that other LTS distributions contains that example nvs
> file too (I'm not going to verify others, but list will be probably
> long). Upgrading linux-firmware is against policy of those
> distributions. So no this is not an solution.

So instead we should workaround distro policies in kernel? Come on.

Seriously, just rename the file in linux-firmware and file a bug (with a
patch) to distros. If they don't fix the bug you just have to do a
custom hack for N900. But such is life.

-- 
Kalle Valo