Select only needed firmware

amc252 · 2022-11-01 06:45:49

Hi,

The Debian/Devuan installer has a rather neat feature (which I haven't seen in any other installer AFAIK), that is to detect and install only the firmware needed by the computer in use.
I was wondering if this feature can be replicated by some commands on the terminal, I mean at least determining precisely what firmware drivers the system needs.

Thanks.

Head_on_a_Stick · 2022-11-01 06:59:44

# apt install isenkram
# isenkram-autoinstall-firmware

EDIT: or perhaps

# isenkram-pkginstall

I've never actually used it though.

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2022-11-01 07:00:44)

amc252 · 2022-11-01 07:03:57

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

# apt install isenkram
# isenkram-autoinstall-firmware
EDIT: or perhaps
# isenkram-pkginstall
I've never actually used it though.

I have seen the suggestion about isenkram on the Debian wiki. Is that what the installer use?
It's a 10mb download and I was wondering if there was a commandline alternative.

Last edited by amc252 (2022-11-01 07:06:15)

Kelsoo · 2022-11-01 12:11:13

isenkram-cli

Head_on_a_Stick · 2022-11-01 13:38:46

Another alternative is to check dmesg and see what the kernel says is missing then find those files and place them under /lib/firmware/.

amc252 wrote:

Is that what the installer use?

I don't know. I haven't used the chimaera installer.

Evenson · 2022-11-01 13:53:24

I believe it is a setting in /etc/initramfs.conf

#
# initramfs.conf
# Configuration file for mkinitramfs(8). See initramfs.conf(5).
#
# Note that configuration options from this file can be overridden
# by config files in the /etc/initramfs-tools/conf.d directory.

#
# MODULES: [ most | netboot | dep | list ]
#
# most - Add most filesystem and all harddrive drivers.
#
# dep - Try and guess which modules to load.
#
# netboot - Add the base modules, network modules, but skip block devices.
#
# list - Only include modules from the 'additional modules' list
#

MODULES=most

Head_on_a_Stick · 2022-11-01 14:19:00

That's just for the initramfs. Setting MODULES=dep wouldn't cause any firmware packages to be installed or removed.

Evenson · 2022-11-01 14:27:30

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

That's just for the initramfs. Setting MODULES=dep wouldn't cause any firmware packages to be installed or removed.

No that just determines the device drivers to load, not the packages to have available which is what i thought OP was querying?

Head_on_a_Stick · 2022-11-01 14:33:31

Hmm, I thought the opposite

We'll have to wait for the OP to clarify.

Evenson · 2022-11-01 14:40:11

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

Hmm, I thought the opposite
We'll have to wait for the OP to clarify.

Bit of both i think. I was of the opinion that the installer made all free and non-free firmware like network firmware available at install and you had to choose non-free sources to have those packages available after the install. Particularly when using expert installation, im not sure about guided installs?

Last edited by Evenson (2022-11-01 14:41:09)

golinux · 2022-11-01 15:01:08

Official Devuan policy from https://www.devuan.org/os/install:

Non-free firmware packages are available on all install media. These packages will only be installed if required by your wifi adapter. To avoid the automatic installation and loading of needed non-free firmware, choose the Expert install option during the installation process.
The desktop-live and minimal-live images have non-free firmware packages pre-installed. These packages may be removed after boot using the remove_firmware.sh script available under /root.

amc252 · 2022-11-01 15:55:22

Thank everybody for your suggestions.

I think my question was twofold:
1) I was curious as to how the installer checks which firmware drivers (whether free or non-free - by the way Debian installer asks permission if non-free drivers are needed whereas Devuan just installs them, both on expert and guided mode) and then proceeds to install them.
2) I wanted to know if there was a way to do the same after the install doing some commandline magic, maybe using grep or something.

I tried isenkram on a test install, and efectively it detects and installs some missing firmware. It just requires to install isenkram + deps, which on my system was about 10mb.
Somehow, my question is a bit academic, since Devuan does what I need and Devuan is what I use, but I might want to do the same if I install some other distro for testing.

Last edited by amc252 (2022-11-01 15:56:16)

Ogis1975 · 2022-11-02 12:36:49

amc252 wrote:

Hi,
The Debian/Devuan installer has a rather neat feature (which I haven't seen in any other installer AFAIK), that is to detect and install only the firmware needed by the computer in use.

Hello. This not a new feature. This feature has been around for a long time.

amc252 · 2022-11-02 17:01:55

Ogis1975 wrote:

amc252 wrote:
Hi,
The Debian/Devuan installer has a rather neat feature (which I haven't seen in any other installer AFAIK), that is to detect and install only the firmware needed by the computer in use.
Hello. This not a new feature. This feature has been around for a long time.

Yes, when I said I haven't found it in any other installer I was referring to other distros. One of many reasons why I love Debian and love Devuan even more.

The officially official Devuan Forum!

#1 2022-11-01 06:45:49

Select only needed firmware

#2 2022-11-01 06:59:44

Re: Select only needed firmware

#3 2022-11-01 07:03:57

Re: Select only needed firmware

#4 2022-11-01 12:11:13

Re: Select only needed firmware

#5 2022-11-01 13:38:46

Re: Select only needed firmware

#6 2022-11-01 13:53:24

Re: Select only needed firmware

#7 2022-11-01 14:19:00

Re: Select only needed firmware

#8 2022-11-01 14:27:30

Re: Select only needed firmware

#9 2022-11-01 14:33:31

Re: Select only needed firmware

#10 2022-11-01 14:40:11

Re: Select only needed firmware

#11 2022-11-01 15:01:08

Re: Select only needed firmware

#12 2022-11-01 15:55:22

Re: Select only needed firmware

#13 2022-11-02 12:36:49

Re: Select only needed firmware

#14 2022-11-02 17:01:55

Re: Select only needed firmware

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