Bug 24605 - No Realtek firmware "dkms-8821ce" or "rtl-8821ce" existing in mageia's repositories
Summary: No Realtek firmware "dkms-8821ce" or "rtl-8821ce" existing in mageia's reposi...
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: Mageia
Classification: Unclassified
Component: RPM Packages (show other bugs)
Version: 7
Hardware: All Linux
Priority: Normal normal
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Kernel and Drivers maintainers
QA Contact:
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on: 27672
Blocks:
  Show dependency treegraph
 
Reported: 2019-03-31 14:39 CEST by Roger Checa
Modified: 2020-12-03 11:07 CET (History)
8 users (show)

See Also:
Source RPM: rtlwifi-firmware
CVE:
Status comment:


Attachments
lspci (5.52 KB, text/plain)
2019-10-08 11:37 CEST, Roger Checa
Details
dmesg (90.05 KB, text/plain)
2019-10-08 11:39 CEST, Roger Checa
Details
"dmesg" while waiting connection to be up (68.97 KB, text/plain)
2019-10-09 00:25 CEST, Roger Checa
Details
"dmesg" when connection is up (72.00 KB, text/plain)
2019-10-09 00:26 CEST, Roger Checa
Details
dmesg (72.09 KB, text/plain)
2019-10-12 14:10 CEST, Roger Checa
Details
dracut -f (4.24 KB, text/plain)
2019-10-12 14:26 CEST, Roger Checa
Details
DMESG when booting with NetworkManager (67.52 KB, text/plain)
2019-10-18 20:35 CEST, Roger Checa
Details

Description Roger Checa 2019-03-31 14:39:36 CEST
Description of problem:
- Combo card Realtek WIFI/BLUETOOTH needing firmware "8821ce" not working with mageia 7 and kernels generation 5x.

- Sources present to GITHUB's : "https://github.com/tomaspinho/rtl8821ce" must be compiled in order to have the card working.

- New RPM 8821ce present to ROSA's distribution only works for kernels 4x, and restrictively activates WIFI but not BLUETOOTH.

Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
- 5.0.5-desktop-2.mga7

- Command: "urpmf 8821" initially doesn't issue any result, but after compiling lists of course all the archives created when compiling.  

Thank you.


How reproducible:


Steps to Reproduce:
1.
2.
3.
Marja Van Waes 2019-04-01 09:19:50 CEST

CC: (none) => marja11
Assignee: bugsquad => kernel

Comment 1 Jybz 2019-04-02 09:53:00 CEST
[jibz@jabztop ~]$ urpmf 8821ce | wc -l
0

[jibz@jabztop ~]$ urpmf 8821 | wc -l
219

[jibz@jabztop ~]$ urpmf 8821
[...]
rtlwifi-firmware:/lib/firmware/rtl_bt/rtl8821a_fw.bin
rtlwifi-firmware:/lib/firmware/rtl_bt/rtl8821c_config.bin
rtlwifi-firmware:/lib/firmware/rtl_bt/rtl8821c_fw.bin
rtlwifi-firmware:/lib/firmware/rtlwifi/rtl8821aefw.bin
rtlwifi-firmware:/lib/firmware/rtlwifi/rtl8821aefw_29.bin
rtlwifi-firmware:/lib/firmware/rtlwifi/rtl8821aefw_wowlan.bin
[...]

[jibz@jabztop ~]$ curl pkgsubmit.mageia.org/data/maintdb.txt 2>/dev/null | grep rtlwifi-firmware
rtlwifi-firmware tmb

CC: (none) => j.biernacki

Comment 2 Roger Checa 2019-04-25 22:01:53 CEST
Seems sources have been recently modified at
https://github.com/tomaspinho/rtl8821ce
to allow installation with kernels above 5.1.x generation.

Thanks
egc 2019-05-08 20:49:04 CEST

CC: (none) => egc

Comment 3 egc 2019-06-09 15:41:43 CEST
Will this be included in the final version? It's still not in 7RC ...
Comment 4 Thierry Vignaud 2019-06-11 03:37:52 CEST
Added to latest kernel & to driver list in drakx's list_modules.pm

CC: (none) => thierry.vignaud

Comment 5 Roger Checa 2019-06-11 16:08:38 CEST
Thanks,

Will be tested with "Release", or new kernel update on "RC", as already manually compiled on this last.

Merci Thierry
Comment 6 egc 2019-06-12 14:25:30 CEST
Yep, works great here :-) Thanks!!
Comment 7 Jybz 2019-06-12 14:27:24 CEST
\o/

Status: NEW => RESOLVED
Resolution: (none) => FIXED

Comment 8 Roger Checa 2019-06-12 14:46:36 CEST
Test with kernel-update 5.1.9-1

=> In order to disallow auto recompil => stop dkms-autorebuild; uninstall dkms, dkms-minimal, kernel-devel.

Update done; installation of 5.1.9-1; reboot;

The WIFI perfectly works !

No more tainted kernel.

MILIONS OF THANKS
Comment 9 egc 2019-10-07 00:32:44 CEST
With kernel 5.3.2 it does not work anymore. 
The driver seems to be installed, but when trying to connect to a wifi in network center, it says: "No network interface found for this device (using 8821ce)"
Comment 10 egc 2019-10-07 00:33:38 CEST
With kernel 5.3.2 it does not work anymore. 
The driver seems to be installed, but when trying to connect to a wifi in network center, it says: "No network interface found for this device (using 8821ce)"
Comment 11 Roger Checa 2019-10-07 10:13:06 CEST
Confirmed here: Don't work anymore with kernel 5.3.2-1-1.1

To be noted: With previous versions of kernels, the connection lasted (+/-) 1 minute after the end of the boot to be effective.
=> Observing procesus (by mean of "Top") the start of the connection waited for "RTW_CMD_THREAD" just followed by "wpa_supplicant", to take effect =>
(Wether "network-manager" is installed or not, and "wpa_supplicant" launched at the start of the boot process, or not).
No way to get the start of the connection immediately at the end of the boot.
Thanks.
Comment 12 Thomas Backlund 2019-10-08 07:57:05 CEST
please provide output of lspcidrake -v

CC: (none) => tmb

Comment 13 Roger Checa 2019-10-08 11:37:16 CEST
Created attachment 11304 [details]
lspci
Comment 14 Roger Checa 2019-10-08 11:39:05 CEST
Created attachment 11305 [details]
dmesg
Comment 15 Thomas Backlund 2019-10-08 11:48:05 CEST
Ok, that's a driver/firmware crash ...

Will look into it

Status: RESOLVED => REOPENED
Resolution: FIXED => (none)

Comment 16 Thomas Backlund 2019-10-08 23:16:34 CEST
Can you try kernel-5.3.5-1.mga7 that is now in updates_testing
Comment 17 Roger Checa 2019-10-08 23:44:35 CEST
OK! Working now! Great job!

...Nevertheless the delay of about 1 minute for the connection to be up, has come back, just like with previous versions.
Before the driver was introduced as module in the kernel, when this driver was compiled at hand, the connection was immediate (no delay)...
Thanks anyway.
Comment 18 Thomas Backlund 2019-10-08 23:55:59 CEST
(In reply to Roger Checa from comment #17)
> OK! Working now! Great job!
> 
> ...Nevertheless the delay of about 1 minute for the connection to be up, has
> come back, just like with previous versions.
> Before the driver was introduced as module in the kernel, when this driver
> was compiled at hand, the connection was immediate (no delay)...
> Thanks anyway.

Yeah,
the realtek codedrops are quite low quality, and happends to work with older kernels, but gets in trouble with newer kernels...

And realtek does not really care about providing new drivers for "old" hw...

Thats why there is so many 3rdparty repos with warious quality exists...


Can you attach dmesg when booting the 5.3.5-1 kernel so I can see if it gives any hint about the delay?
Comment 19 Roger Checa 2019-10-09 00:25:29 CEST
Created attachment 11307 [details]
"dmesg" while waiting connection to be up
Comment 20 Roger Checa 2019-10-09 00:26:32 CEST
Created attachment 11308 [details]
"dmesg" when connection is up
Comment 21 Thomas Backlund 2019-10-09 00:44:26 CEST
Ok, so the wifi driver is still having issues with the new kernels, wich causes the delays...

I'll try to look into it
Comment 22 Thomas Backlund 2019-10-12 10:40:10 CEST
Can you try kernel-5.3.6-1.mga7 from testing ?
Comment 23 Roger Checa 2019-10-12 14:10:43 CEST
Created attachment 11311 [details]
dmesg
Comment 24 Roger Checa 2019-10-12 14:25:40 CEST
No change - no result.
(See dmesg above)
My feeling is that the problem is not with the module itself, but with the network connection coping with the module.
This connection never worked with "Network-Manager" at the difference of ROSA or OpenMandriva, which both have the compiled driver at hand version ...and as far as I remember, with Mageia Cauldon before the module was introduced.
It is precisely "Network-Nanager" which launches the 8821ce during the boot of these distribs.
...And because also, what appears strange to me is the result of command "dracut -f" where "systemd" appears not loaded in the initrd (what I think could be a wrong message or momentaneous one) but which could explain the delay...
=> Join dracut -f below.
Comment 25 Roger Checa 2019-10-12 14:26:19 CEST
Created attachment 11312 [details]
dracut -f
Comment 26 Thomas Backlund 2019-10-17 00:04:05 CEST
Enough tests, flushing out so I can build kmods for virtualbox security update

Keywords: (none) => advisory, validated_update
CC: (none) => sysadmin-bugs
Whiteboard: (none) => MGA7-64-OK, MGA7-32-OK

Comment 27 Thomas Backlund 2019-10-17 00:05:15 CEST
Oops, wrong report...

Whiteboard: MGA7-64-OK, MGA7-32-OK => (none)
Keywords: advisory, validated_update => (none)

Comment 28 Thomas Backlund 2019-10-18 18:35:53 CEST
There is now a kernel-5.3.7-1.mga7 in testing with more fixes to rtl8821ce...

Does it make any difference ?
Comment 29 Roger Checa 2019-10-18 20:34:31 CEST
Updated kernel + all new firmwares (just in case...)

No change with 5.3.7-1 => same delay.

Following, several tries:
1/ With "Modem manager" => no change => delay

2/ With "Network-Manager" => NO CONNECTION!
=> + ERRORS:
A/ "a start job ... LSB => failed to bring up network"
B/ "usb 1.4.1" address in DMESG (see below).
..but note => "8821ce renamed from wlan0"

3/ On same session (I mean, not rebooting) with errors, disabling/stopping Network-Manager + modifying as "NO" the config (disallowing NM to manage the connection) => the connection starts!
=> What happened with error about "usb 1.4.1" address, if the connection is OK?

Always same scaring messages (see above "COMMENT 25") with command "dracut -f".
Comment 30 Roger Checa 2019-10-18 20:35:50 CEST
Created attachment 11325 [details]
DMESG when booting with NetworkManager
Comment 31 Aurelien Oudelet 2020-12-01 11:08:19 CET
rtl-8821ce support has been restored in
5.9.11-3.mga7 kernel in updates_testing

Please test this.

Component: New RPM package request => RPM Packages
CC: (none) => ouaurelien
Source RPM: dkms-rtl8192eu / rtlwifi-firmware => rtlwifi-firmware

Comment 32 Morgan Leijström 2020-12-01 19:52:14 CET
*** Bug 27698 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

CC: (none) => omeritzicschwartz

Comment 33 Roger Checa 2020-12-02 16:19:21 CET
Kernel 5.9.12-1 in testing updates

YES !
The delay of (+/-) 1 minute -I had here- to get the connection working has now disappeared.
As soon as reaching the desk the connection is up.
(I am not using "Network_Manager" or "Modem-Manager" but Only "Network" in the services.)
To be noted :
1/ - That the sole install of the kernel did not resolve the problem => the definitive solution was when I installed "rtlwifi-firmware" (20201022 - 1.mga7.nonfree noarch).
2/ - According the "dkms-rtl8821ce" was always installed, and the connection working well 1 minute after the end of the boot, this may confirm (IMHO) something wrong with the load of the firmware not necessarily the kernel itself. I mean, the dkms package could have been conflicting with another interface config/module. For instance, on my Mageia8-Cauldron for more than 1 month I had solved the problem -using precedents kernels- after "playing" with mga-applet (spare me the details I don't remember).
3/ - ROSA distrib has made a rpm for "8821ce" -and not a dkms package- and there has never been any problem with much older kernels.
4/ - Of course people not using "nonfree" firmware will not be totally satisfied but this is not my posture concerning the hardware. 

Thank you and bravo anyway for having solved the problem.
Aurelien Oudelet 2020-12-02 17:20:54 CET

Depends on: (none) => 27672

Comment 34 Aurelien Oudelet 2020-12-03 11:07:01 CET
An update for this issue has been pushed to the Mageia Updates repository.

https://advisories.mageia.org/MGAA-2020-0239.html

Resolution: (none) => FIXED
Status: REOPENED => RESOLVED


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