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Guidance Please: Packaging Atheros Free Firmware?

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dialUp
Posts: 16
Joined: 2016-02-01 20:37
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska

Guidance Please: Packaging Atheros Free Firmware?

#1 Post by dialUp »

Hi. Lately I've been using the TPE-N150USB Wireless N USB Adapter from ThinkPenguin. It is certified RYF buy FSF. The firmware binary, license, and source all neatly available:

http://ryf.fsf.org/TPE-N150USB/
https://www.thinkpenguin.com/files/ath9 ... ICENCE.TXT
https://www.thinkpenguin.com/files/ath9 ... tc_9271.fw
https://www.thinkpenguin.com/files/ath9 ... tc_7010.fw
https://www.thinkpenguin.com/gnu-linux/ ... re-install

There is a firmware-atheros package in nonfree, but I was wondering what it would take to get that into Debian as, say, a firmware-atheros-free package. Would I need to learn how to package it, and become a maintainer? Or is this something trivial that another maintainer could easily do?

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stevepusser
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Re: Guidance Please: Packaging Atheros Free Firmware?

#2 Post by stevepusser »

Since the driver is part of the kernel, I have to wonder why the firmware source code isn't just included in the kernel source, compiled, and installed with the driver. Whatever is keeping it out of the kernel might also be keeping it out of free.

If you want to to create a new package, I'd guess you'd file a bug against the current firmware-atheros and also an ITP (Intent To Package) for your new firmware package.
MX Linux packager and developer

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GarryRicketson
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Joined: 2015-01-20 22:16
Location: Durango, Mexico

Re: Guidance Please: Packaging Atheros Free Firmware?

#3 Post by GarryRicketson »

The OP might want to look at this:

https://mentors.debian.net/intro-maintainers
From: https://mentors.debian.net/intro-maintainers

1. Find a requested package

Debian is a distribution, not a general purpose repository. Many of us do not believe every piece of free software necessarily belongs in Debian. Please do not treat Debian as a platform to advertise your own software, ------snip
The atheros firmware is all ready available in the Debian repositories.
https://packages.debian.org/jessie/kern ... re-atheros
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
https://packages.debian.org/search?keyw ... re-atheros
Lately I've been using the TPE-N150USB Wireless N USB Adapter from ThinkPenguin.
If you are using Debian, I don't know if that is a very good idea, I try to stick with what is made for Debian, and is in the Debian repos,...

https://wiki.debian.org/DontBreakDebian

infrared
Posts: 20
Joined: 2013-08-12 17:19

Re: Guidance Please: Packaging Atheros Free Firmware?

#4 Post by infrared »

GarryRicketson wrote:The OP might want to look at this:

https://mentors.debian.net/intro-maintainers
From: https://mentors.debian.net/intro-maintainers

1. Find a requested package

Debian is a distribution, not a general purpose repository. Many of us do not believe every piece of free software necessarily belongs in Debian. Please do not treat Debian as a platform to advertise your own software, ------snip
The atheros firmware is all ready available in the Debian repositories.
https://packages.debian.org/jessie/kern ... re-atheros
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
https://packages.debian.org/search?keyw ... re-atheros
Lately I've been using the TPE-N150USB Wireless N USB Adapter from ThinkPenguin.
If you are using Debian, I don't know if that is a very good idea, I try to stick with what is made for Debian, and is in the Debian repos,...

https://wiki.debian.org/DontBreakDebian
For other post readers who might not follow links, I just want to point out that the firmware-atheros package is a non-free package full of non-free firmware. The OP has a networking device that can be run using firmware that is certified as free software by FSF and that has it's source code and license information documented.

dialUp
Posts: 16
Joined: 2016-02-01 20:37
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska

Re: Guidance Please: Packaging Atheros Free Firmware?

#5 Post by dialUp »

It looks like the free atheros firmware is a contained as a subset of the firmware available in the nonfree "firmware-atheros" package. I do not know why the free firmware is not simply included in the kernel itself — maybe nobody really cared enough (until now) to separate out the free firmware from the nonfree? In any case, since the free firmware is already in Debian, it seems like one should be able to install it from the repositories without having to install the nonfree firmware as well. Say, a "firmware-atheros-free" package?

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