rpi w2 and alternative wifi firmware

[tim-moody]

Environment:

• rpi w2
• 12/11/2023 64 bit raspios lite
• wifi_up_down: True
• rpi3bplus_rpi4_wifi_firmware: 19
• rpizerow_rpi3_wifi_firmware: os

dmesg | grep Firmware: [ 14.091548] brcmfmac: brcmf_c_preinit_dcmds: Firmware: BCM43430/1 wl0: Jun 14 2023 07:27:45 version 7.45.96.s1 (gf031a129) FWID 01-70bd2af7 es7

Note that this firmware not not correspond with any strings output in /lib/firmware/cypress/:

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 397444 Dec 16 19:00 ../cypress/brcmfmac43430-sdio.bin_2018-09-11_7.45.98.65
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   7222 Dec 16 19:00 ../cypress/brcmfmac43430-sdio.clm_blob_2018-09-11_7.45.98.65
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 399344 Nov 15 14:19 ../cypress/cyfmac43430-sdio.bin
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root     25 Dec 16 19:00 ../cypress/cyfmac43430-sdio.bin.iiab -> cyfmac43430-sdio.bin.orig
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 399344 Nov 15 14:19 ../cypress/cyfmac43430-sdio.bin.orig
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   4733 Nov 15 14:19 ../cypress/cyfmac43430-sdio.clm_blob
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root     30 Dec 16 19:00 ../cypress/cyfmac43430-sdio.clm_blob.iiab -> cyfmac43430-sdio.clm_blob.orig
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   4733 Nov 15 14:19 ../cypress/cyfmac43430-sdio.clm_blob.orig

But it does correspond with /lib/firmware/brcm/brcmfmac43430-sdio.raspberrypi,model-zero-2-w.bin -> brcmfmac43436s-sdio.bin (and not with brcmfmac43430b0-sdio.raspberrypi,model-zero-2-w.bin -> brcmfmac43436-sdio.bin)

That suggests and new pattern for firmware deployment. I'm not sure if it is statically compiled or what tells the kernel to load that one.

[tim-moody]

I ran my standard wifi connection test with 11 possible connections.

I got 9, presumably because wifi_up_down was True. The other day I got 10 connections with that False.

[holta]

firmware [doesn't] correspond with any strings output in /lib/firmware/cypress/

Very strange indeed!

1. Over the past 2 years dmesg | grep Firmware: has always matched the version shown by...

   strings /lib/cypress/cyfmac43430-sdio.bin | grep Version

   ...with Zero W, RPi 3 and presumably also Zero 2 W.

2. Whereas with RPi 3 B+ and RPi 4, dmesg | grep Firmware: has always matched the version shown by...

   strings /lib/cypress/cyfmac43455-sdio.bin | grep Version

Related:

• https://github.com/iiab/iiab/issues/823#issuecomment-662285202
• PR #3103
• PR #3482
• PR #3564

• 3682

[tim-moody]

FWIW

• set rpizerow_rpi3_wifi_firmware: 30 in local vars per https://github.com/iiab/iiab/pull/3103
• did ./runrole firmware && sudo reboot

no change in output of dmesg | grep Firmware:

[holta]

did ./runrole firmware && sudo reboot

Do you mean ./runrole --reinstall firmware then reboot?

[tim-moody]

no. followed https://github.com/iiab/iiab/pull/3103

[tim-moody]

reran with ./runrole --reinstall firmware no change

root@box:~# dmesg | grep Firmware:
[   13.138203] brcmfmac: brcmf_c_preinit_dcmds: Firmware: BCM43430/1 wl0: Jun 14 2023 07:27:45 version 7.45.96.s1 (gf031a129) FWID 01-70bd2af7 es7

[holta]

Thanks for having confirmed that!