[LEDE-DEV] [RFC 2/3] ipq: Don't force selection of the IPQ4019 firmware.

[Matthew McClintock]

What ever came of this? Did something upstream or in LEDE/OpenWrt
resolve what files should be loaded from where?

-M

On Sat, Nov 4, 2017 at 11:38 AM, Ben Greear <greearb at candelatech.com> wrote:
>
>
> On 11/04/2017 08:14 AM, Christian Lamparter wrote:
>>
>> On Friday, November 3, 2017 8:15:00 PM CET Ben Greear wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> On 11/03/2017 05:58 PM, Christian Lamparter wrote:
>>>>
>>>> On Friday, November 3, 2017 5:05:39 PM CET greearb at candelatech.com
>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> From: Ben Greear <greearb at candelatech.com>
>>>>>
>>>>> This will allow us to select the CT IPQ4019 firmware instead if
>>>>> desired.
>>>>>
>>>>> Signed-off-by: Ben Greear <greearb at candelatech.com>
>>>>> ---
>>>>>  package/firmware/ipq-wifi/Makefile | 2 +-
>>>>>  1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
>>>>>
>>>>> diff --git a/package/firmware/ipq-wifi/Makefile
>>>>> b/package/firmware/ipq-wifi/Makefile
>>>>> index aec8bf2..31d0fbf 100644
>>>>> --- a/package/firmware/ipq-wifi/Makefile
>>>>> +++ b/package/firmware/ipq-wifi/Makefile
>>>>> @@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ define Package/ipq-wifi-default
>>>>>    SUBMENU:=ath10k IPQ4019 Boarddata
>>>>>    SECTION:=firmware
>>>>>    CATEGORY:=Firmware
>>>>> -  DEPENDS:=@TARGET_ipq806x +ath10k-firmware-qca4019
>>>>> +  DEPENDS:=@TARGET_ipq806x
>>>>
>>>> Hm, this would break the WIFI in the default configuration for the
>>>> FritzBox 4040 image. Currently it only has a dependency on the
>>>> ipq-wifi-fritz4040. (So it will end up without a firmware-5.bin)
>>>>
>>>> Please also note that the ipq-wifi boards need to overwrite the
>>>> board-2.bin provided by the ath10k-firmware-qca4019(-ct) packages.
>>>> So switching (or up-/downgrading) these wifi-firmwares will always
>>>> require the (manual) reinstallation of the ipq-wifi board
>>>> (if available).
>>>
>>>
>>> Maybe have the custom board.data file named slightly differently
>>> and then have an early fixup script to copy it into the proper place
>>> on first boot?  And, we could hack the driver to look for a custom
>>> board-2.bin first and just install both board-x.bin images.
>>
>> Depends, can you convince the ath10k upstream to do that?
>
>
> Upstream is unlikely to accept such a patch, but I can at least
> patch my driver, and we can patch lede's 'upstream' driver too if
> we need to.
>
> We can also have a ath10k-pre-startup.sh that copies a custom board
> file into place when starting LEDE, with no driver modifications needed
> at all.  I think several targets do something like this already by grabbing
> the board file
> from a flash location on the AP, for instance.
>
>>>
>>> And, can we have the IPQ boards select the stock 4019 firmware by default
>>> but still allow it to be de-selected so CT firmware can be selected?
>>>
>>> Or if not, then I can call my firmware something different, and have my
>>> driver look for it before the firmware-5.bin.
>>
>>
>> I think there's a another way to do this. But it will require to break
>> with
>> the existing convention of adding the board-2.bin that comes with the
>> firmware repository to the ath10k-firmware-qca4019 file.
>>
>> This way, the custom board-2.bin will stay in place when you switch/update
>> the firmware-5.bin.
>
>
> That seems fine to me.  Then targets could select a custom board file or
> a stock board file, independent of the firmware and driver.
>
>>
>> (The board-2.bin for the reference boards can simply be packaged just like
>> one of the ipq-wifi board firmwares). And furhtermore, you could provide a
>> "easy to use/install" custom ipq-wifi.ipk for the board-2.bin you
>> currently
>> host on your webside.
>
>
> The only board-2.bin that I (might?) have on my web site is one modified for
> some newer 9984 NICs from Compex.  The 'ath10k-ct' firmware target just uses
> the
> default board-2.bin file from upstream.
>
> I guess someone could host/build ath10k-ct firmware ipks, but I think that
> might
> be more useful for some more standard LEDE build-farm to host since the goal
> is to
> have all of this in LEDE anyway.
>
> Thanks,
> Ben
>
> --
> Ben Greear <greearb at candelatech.com>
> Candela Technologies Inc  http://www.candelatech.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Lede-dev mailing list
> Lede-dev at lists.infradead.org
> http://lists.infradead.org/mailman/listinfo/lede-dev