firmware: new "platform microcode" warning in v3.13-rc1+

firmware: new "platform microcode" warning in v3.13-rc1+

[Paul Bolle]

0) Booting v3.13-rc1 and v3.13-rc2 triggers two new warnings on an
(outdated, I'm afraid) ThinkPad X41:
    [...]
    <6>[   16.746119] libipw: 802.11 data/management/control stack, git-1.1.13
    <6>[   16.746125] libipw: Copyright (C) 2004-2005 Intel Corporation <jketreno@linux.intel.com>
    <4>[   16.761998] platform microcode: Direct firmware load failed with error -2
    <4>[   16.762022] platform microcode: Falling back to user helper
    <6>[   16.787885] ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Network Driver, 1.2.2kmprq
    <6>[   16.787895] ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2006 Intel Corporation
    <6>[   16.788741] ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG Network Connection
    [...]

(I've added the surrounding lines because they suggest this is about the
firmware for that wireless device. Please note that this device appears
to work no worse than it did under v3.12.)

1) These warnings can be traced back to commit 3e358ac2bb5b ("firmware:
Be a bit more verbose about direct firmware loading failure").

2) Is there something I'm supposed to do to silence these warnings? If
so, what would that be? If not, can these messages perhaps be downgraded
to dev_info or dev_notice?


Paul Bolle

Re: firmware: new "platform microcode" warning in v3.13-rc1+

[Ming Lei]

Hi,

On Mon, Dec 2, 2013 at 1:32 AM, Paul Bolle <pebolle@tiscali.nl> wrote:
> 0) Booting v3.13-rc1 and v3.13-rc2 triggers two new warnings on an
> (outdated, I'm afraid) ThinkPad X41:
>     [...]
>     <6>[   16.746119] libipw: 802.11 data/management/control stack, git-1.1.13
>     <6>[   16.746125] libipw: Copyright (C) 2004-2005 Intel Corporation <jketreno@linux.intel.com>
>     <4>[   16.761998] platform microcode: Direct firmware load failed with error -2
>     <4>[   16.762022] platform microcode: Falling back to user helper
>     <6>[   16.787885] ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Network Driver, 1.2.2kmprq
>     <6>[   16.787895] ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2006 Intel Corporation
>     <6>[   16.788741] ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG Network Connection
>     [...]
>
> (I've added the surrounding lines because they suggest this is about the
> firmware for that wireless device. Please note that this device appears
> to work no worse than it did under v3.12.)
>
> 1) These warnings can be traced back to commit 3e358ac2bb5b ("firmware:
> Be a bit more verbose about direct firmware loading failure").

Yes, the warning was introduced in the commit since Neil thought it
is needed.

>
> 2) Is there something I'm supposed to do to silence these warnings? If
> so, what would that be? If not, can these messages perhaps be downgraded
> to dev_info or dev_notice?

Currently the messages are dumped via dev_warn(), and it is a bit difficult
to make policy about the warning: sounds like Neil need them, and you
don't like them, :-)


Thanks,
--
Ming Lei

Re: firmware: new "platform microcode" warning in v3.13-rc1+

[Takashi Iwai]

At Tue, 24 Dec 2013 09:15:09 +0800,
Ming Lei wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> On Mon, Dec 2, 2013 at 1:32 AM, Paul Bolle <pebolle@tiscali.nl> wrote:
> > 0) Booting v3.13-rc1 and v3.13-rc2 triggers two new warnings on an
> > (outdated, I'm afraid) ThinkPad X41:
> >     [...]
> >     <6>[   16.746119] libipw: 802.11 data/management/control stack, git-1.1.13
> >     <6>[   16.746125] libipw: Copyright (C) 2004-2005 Intel Corporation <jketreno@linux.intel.com>
> >     <4>[   16.761998] platform microcode: Direct firmware load failed with error -2
> >     <4>[   16.762022] platform microcode: Falling back to user helper
> >     <6>[   16.787885] ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Network Driver, 1.2.2kmprq
> >     <6>[   16.787895] ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2006 Intel Corporation
> >     <6>[   16.788741] ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG Network Connection
> >     [...]
> >
> > (I've added the surrounding lines because they suggest this is about the
> > firmware for that wireless device. Please note that this device appears
> > to work no worse than it did under v3.12.)
> >
> > 1) These warnings can be traced back to commit 3e358ac2bb5b ("firmware:
> > Be a bit more verbose about direct firmware loading failure").
> 
> Yes, the warning was introduced in the commit since Neil thought it
> is needed.

The current behavior isn't much useful as is, unfortunately.  It just
warns that the firmware loading failed, but it doesn't tell you
*which* firmware failed.

> > 2) Is there something I'm supposed to do to silence these warnings? If
> > so, what would that be? If not, can these messages perhaps be downgraded
> > to dev_info or dev_notice?
> 
> Currently the messages are dumped via dev_warn(), and it is a bit difficult
> to make policy about the warning: sounds like Neil need them, and you
> don't like them, :-)

IMO, dev_warning() is too much in a case like Intel wifi driver.  It
retries with different firmware revision when the latest firmware
doesn't exist, so the missing firmware isn't always a problem.


Takashi