[SOLVED]: Missing /lib/firmware/rtw89 driver file

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

Still can’t get wireless networking going on my new system with antiX
Network:
Device-1: Realtek driver: rtw89_8852ae

https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89 – this is the wireless driver that is not working on antiX on my brand new HP Laptop 14-fq1xxx (14-fq1025nr).
This driver is properly implemented on MX Linux, PCLinuxOS, and Xubuntu. It’s not correctly implemented on antiX 21 runit full amd64, and it doesn’t work correctly on siduction either.

Comparing /lib/firmware/rtw89 on antiX and MX Linux, I found out why – our antiX firmware only has one of two files in this directory.

I tried manually copying the other file into

/lib/firmware/rtw89

; this did not resolve my issue, Connman and ceni are unable to find my wireless hardware. (We don’t have any Ethernet wired hardware anymore where I live, so that means I have no networking on my newest device); my other devices DO work as usual.

• This topic was modified 7 months, 1 week ago by Brian Masinick.

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Brian Masinick

[Forum Admin anticapitalista]

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According to stevo at MX Linux https://forum.mxlinux.org/viewtopic.php?p=692364#p692364

a 5.16 or later kernel is needed.

Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.

antiX with runit - leaner and meaner.

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

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anticapitalista wrote:

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::According to stevo at MX Linux https://forum.mxlinux.org/viewtopic.php?p=692364#p692364

a 5.16 or later kernel is needed.

I did that; I installed a very recent Liquorix kernel on MX Linux and literally copied all the image, initrd and system files in /boot for that kernel, then I updated my GRUB boot loader, hoping it would work, then I went back to antiX 21 with the Liquorix kernel, hoping THAT would solve the problem; it didn’t, so then I started looking at the distributions where this driver does work and I spotted a difference – MX Linux, PCLinuxOS and Xubuntu have one thing in common regarding the /lib/firmware/rtw89 directory: they all have TWO wireless driver files.

Thinking that would solve my problem, I copied the files from a working /lib/firmware/rtw89 directory and then rebooted antiX with the 5.19 kernel, hoping the combination of ALL three conditions would solve the problem; still not working.

When the antiX 22 (or 23) images are completed, please make sure that the /lib/firmware/rtw89 directory contains TWO driver files; whatever inventory file or hidden configuration gets updated when these are all in place, maybe THAT will finally solve my problem.

I’m going to look at siduction again, which exhibits the same symptoms to see if they’re missing the same file. If so, that is the source of the problem. What I don’t understand is that even when I manually copy the files from a working system to antiX it still doesn’t solve the problem, whether using a kernel > 5.16 or not.

The only other thing I can think of is to rebuild the rtw89 code. The problem there is that I also have to bring in kernel source code and compile it first, then compile the rtw89 code; I know how to do it, but that’s a time-consuming operation that I’m hoping can be incorporated instead when the next release comes out; I can be patient enough to wait on that; meanwhile when I have the urge to run antiX, fortunately I have a few other systems available that DO work.

Thanks for your consideration.

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Brian Masinick

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

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Also, when I do as the MX thread suggests:

echo -e 'amdgpu\n\nloop' | sudo tee /etc/modules
[sudo] password for masinick: 
amdgpu

loop

is the result on MX Linux. I’ll try that on antiX and see if it’s the same or different. Maybe I have to manually unload and load the amdgpu module!

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Brian Masinick

[Forum Admin anticapitalista]

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MX uses later firmware (from Ubuntu) if I remember correctly.

Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.

antiX with runit - leaner and meaner.

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

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Interesting!

When I boot into antiX 21 – in which I DID place the second wireless driver, I see the same results:

amdgpu

loop

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Brian Masinick

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

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Ah!

Here is the problem!

When I run modprobe amdgpu I get a fatal error in /lib/modules/5.19.0-9.1-liquorix-amd64.

I’ll check what’s there and copy exactly what I have on MX Linux and that should solve the problem.

I’ll work with modprobe until I can activate the WiFi network properly and I will report the results!

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Brian Masinick

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

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I copied the /lib/modules/5.19.0-9.1-liquorix-amd64 directory from MX Linux, and now my Liquorix kernel works with antiX, so I’m posting this message from my newest computer, the brand new HP Laptop 14-fq1xxx (14-fq1025nr).

Issue resolved!

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Brian Masinick

[Author]

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