Bug 658942 – iwlwifi does not work for kernel version 4.9

• Product: Gentoo Linux
• Status: RESOLVED INVALID

[Description hkBst 2018-06-24 10:46:12 UTC]

Running Linux kernel version 4.4.119 my iwlwifi (Intel Corporation Wireless 8260 (rev 3a)) works fine with iwl8000-ucode-16.242414.0 with the following output in the kernel log:

Jun 24 11:33:53 blackbox kernel: [    3.846781] iwlwifi 0000:02:00.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-8000C-19.ucode failed with error -2
Jun 24 11:33:53 blackbox kernel: [    3.846789] iwlwifi 0000:02:00.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-8000C-18.ucode failed with error -2
Jun 24 11:33:53 blackbox kernel: [    3.846795] iwlwifi 0000:02:00.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-8000C-17.ucode failed with error -2
Jun 24 11:33:53 blackbox kernel: [    3.847352] iwlwifi 0000:02:00.0: loaded firmware version 16.242414.0 op_mode iwlmvm

After upgrading to Linux kernel version 4.9.109 my iwlwifi does NOT work any more and I get the following output in the kernel log:

Jun 24 11:29:12 blackbox kernel: [    3.770124] iwlwifi 0000:02:00.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-8000C-26.ucode failed with error -2
Jun 24 11:29:12 blackbox kernel: [    3.770131] iwlwifi 0000:02:00.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-8000C-25.ucode failed with error -2
Jun 24 11:29:12 blackbox kernel: [    3.770138] iwlwifi 0000:02:00.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-8000C-24.ucode failed with error -2
Jun 24 11:29:12 blackbox kernel: [    3.770146] iwlwifi 0000:02:00.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-8000C-23.ucode failed with error -2
Jun 24 11:29:12 blackbox kernel: [    3.770152] iwlwifi 0000:02:00.0: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-8000C-22.ucode failed with error -2
Jun 24 11:29:12 blackbox kernel: [    3.770153] iwlwifi 0000:02:00.0: no suitable firmware found!

Looking at the firmware versions that are tried it looks like an upgrade to iwl8000-ucode would help, but no newer version is in the tree.

[Comment 1 Mike Pagano 2018-06-25 13:24:57 UTC]

Hi, 

Not the exact same card, of course, but I actually run the 8265 with no issues with some caveats.

I've only had 4.16 and 4.17 kernels on this system.
I am loading the following firmware successfully:

File: iwlwifi-8000C-36.ucode
Version 36.e91976c0.0

via:
=sys-kernel/linux-firmware-20180518

Could you upgrade your firmware?

[Comment 2 hkBst 2018-07-07 07:55:48 UTC]

I've installed linux-firmware (as requested), but i does not help. It works fine with gentoo-sources-4.4.119, but not with 4.9.109.

[Comment 3 Alice Ferrazzi 2018-07-09 08:55:23 UTC]

can you bisect the kernel?
https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Kernel_git-bisect

try to go down on 4.9 version until you don't find one that works

[Comment 4 Alice Ferrazzi 2018-07-09 09:01:34 UTC]

before bisecting (because as a blob is difficult to point the problem) please be sure that the configuration is actually correct (firmware folder and binary path) and that the binary actually exists.

be sure also to have read this:
https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Iwlwifi

[Comment 5 hkBst 2018-07-13 07:25:03 UTC]

Thanks Alice, it'd been so long since needing to change the firmware setting (since I stubbornly did not use kernel modules) I'd completely forgotten about it. I'm recompiling the kernel with the right firmware and then it should work again.

[Comment 6 hkBst 2018-07-17 07:56:53 UTC]

Okay, thanks for all the help. It works again now. The problem was indeed of my own making.