usbduxsigma_firmware.bin: old version causes driver crash

[Bernd Porr]

SRU Justification

Impact: The usbduxsigma firmware is out of date and causes the driver to fail. This is fixed by updating the firmware from upstream linux-firmware.

Test Case: Using the driver with the old firmware fails. Using it with the new firmware does not.

Regression potential: The firmware is only used by the one driver so there is no potential for regression anywhere else, and the driver already isn't working with the old firmware.

---

The firmware of the usbduxsigma (alongside with the usbduxsigma.c) was updated in 2015 during a major rewrite but its binary was still the old one which causes the kernel driver to fail.

I've submitted a patch to the kernel people (see below).

However, as a quick fix could you also apply the patch to the package directly to have this fixed now and then we can wait until it trickles down from the kernel.

I'm the maintainer of both the firmware and the drivers.

This affects both 32 and 64 bit distros.

Best,
/Bernd Porr (www.linux-usb-daq.co.uk)

Description: Ubuntu 16.04.1 LTS
Release: 16.04

linux-firmware:
  Installed: 1.157.2
  Candidate: 1.157.2
  Version table:
 *** 1.157.2 500
        500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main amd64 Packages
        500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main i386 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     1.157 500
        500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
        500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main i386 Packages

Expect to happen: plug in a duxduxsigma device, start comedirecord and see the signals plotted
Happens instead: plug in a duxduxsigma device, start comedirecord and GARBLED DATA shows up / crash
Fix: install this patch (new version of the firmware binary)

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: linux-firmware 1.157.2 [modified: lib/firmware/usbduxsigma_firmware.bin]
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-31.50-generic 4.4.13
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-31-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.1
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Sun Jul 24 10:04:19 2016
Dependencies:

InstallationDate: Installed on 2013-12-09 (957 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 14.04 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Alpha amd64 (20131209)
PackageArchitecture: all
SourcePackage: linux-firmware
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to xenial on 2016-07-23 (0 days ago)

[Bernd Porr (berndporr-6-deactivatedaccount)]

The patch has just been applied to the kernel.org git.

[Bernd Porr (berndporr)]

http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git/log/usbduxsigma_firmware.bin

[Bernd Porr (berndporr)]

The linux firmware has been updated and the usbduxsigma firmware as well. However it's still the _old_ firmware.

See the diff between the kernel git and what ubuntu has:
bp1@bp1-Precision-WorkStation-T5400:/tmp/linux-firmware$ diff usbduxsigma_firmware.bin /lib/firmware/usbduxsigma_firmware.bin
Binary files usbduxsigma_firmware.bin and /lib/firmware/usbduxsigma_firmware.bin differ

[Bernd Porr (berndporr)]

This has been reported in July and the firmware still hasn't been updated. I'm using the board in teaching at my university and now we have to manually copy the new firmware version. It's been available upstream for ages but it's still not in the ubuntu firmware package. It's very disappointing.

[Bernd Porr (berndporr)]

bump

[Bernd Porr (berndporr)]

A new firmware package has arrived and the usbduxsigma file has certainly been updated.

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 999 Apr 25 2016 usbduxfast_firmware.bin
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1770 Apr 25 2016 usbdux_firmware.bin
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 8192 Nov 30 21:03 usbduxsigma_firmware.bin

So I've just cloned:
git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git
and compared it to the firmware version in the just installed ubuntu xenial linux-firmware package:

bp1@bp1-Precision-WorkStation-T5400:/lib/firmware$ diff ./usbduxsigma_firmware.bin /tmp/linux-firmware/usbduxsigma_firmware.bin
Binary files ./usbduxsigma_firmware.bin and /tmp/linux-firmware/usbduxsigma_firmware.bin differ
bp1@bp1-Precision-WorkStation-T5400:/lib/firmware$

Even that the timestamp has changed to Nov 30th it's still not the version in linux-firmware.git!

Frustrating.

[Bernd Porr (berndporr)]

bump.

[Seth Forshee (sforshee)]

@Bernd: Sorry for not attending to this sooner; I'm not sure why I didn't notice this before in my bug mail. I'll get this fixed soon.

[Bernd Porr (berndporr)]

Thanks for taking care of it! :)

[Seth Forshee (sforshee)]

Please test the package below and confirm that it fixes the issue. Thanks!

http://people.canonical.com/~sforshee/lp1605974/linux-firmware_1.157.7+lp1605974v201701061200_all.deb

[Bernd Porr (berndporr)]

Works perfectly. Thanks for sorting it out. :)

bp1@bp1-Precision-WorkStation-T5400:~$ diff /tmp/usbduxsigma_firmware.bin /lib/firmware/usbduxsigma_firmware.bin
bp1@bp1-Precision-WorkStation-T5400:~$

[Łukasz Zemczak (sil2100)]

Could this bug description get updated to follow the https://wiki.ubuntu.com/StableReleaseUpdates#SRU_Bug_Template guideline? Thank you!

[Łukasz Zemczak (sil2100)]

Hello Bernd, or anyone else affected,

Accepted linux-firmware into xenial-proposed. The package will build now and be available at https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-firmware/1.157.8 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation on how to enable and use -proposed.Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug, mentioning the version of the package you tested, and change the tag from verification-needed to verification-done. If it does not fix the bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to verification-failed. In either case, details of your testing will help us make a better decision.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance!

[Bernd Porr (berndporr)]

Tested:
linux-firmware_1.157.8_all.deb
from xenial proposed and it works!
Bug fixed!

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package linux-firmware - 1.157.8

---------------
linux-firmware (1.157.8) xenial; urgency=medium

  * usbduxsigma_firmware.bin: old version causes driver crash (LP: #1605974)
    - usbdux: usbduxsigma: created matching binary of the firmware

linux-firmware (1.157.7) xenial; urgency=medium

  * Intel 8260 doesn't work with linux kernel 4.8 when using ucode version 22
    (LP: #1647826)
    - UBUNTU: SAUCE: Remove iwlwifi-8000C-22.ucode

 -- Seth Forshee <email address hidden> Fri, 06 Jan 2017 16:28:55 -0600

[Adam Conrad (adconrad)]

The verification of the Stable Release Update for linux-firmware has completed successfully and the package has now been released to -updates. Subsequently, the Ubuntu Stable Release Updates Team is being unsubscribed and will not receive messages about this bug report. In the event that you encounter a regression using the package from -updates please report a new bug using ubuntu-bug and tag the bug report regression-update so we can easily find any regressions.