linux-image-3.8.0-* packages contails a lot of duplicated firmware files in /lib/firmware/3.8.0-*/

[Mantas Kriaučiūnas]

I've found, that my system contains lots of duplicated files in /lib/firmware/ and /lib/firmware/3.8.0-*/ subfolders:

/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/asihpi/dsp5000.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/asihpi/dsp6200.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/asihpi/dsp6205.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/asihpi/dsp6400.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/asihpi/dsp6600.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/asihpi/dsp8700.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/asihpi/dsp8900.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/3com/typhoon.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/acenic/tg1.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/acenic/tg2.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/adaptec/starfire_rx.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/adaptec/starfire_tx.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/advansys/3550.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/advansys/38C0800.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/advansys/38C1600.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/advansys/mcode.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/ath6k/AR6003/hw2.0/athwlan.bin.z77
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/ath6k/AR6003/hw2.0/bdata.SD31.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/ath6k/AR6003/hw2.0/data.patch.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/ath6k/AR6003/hw2.0/otp.bin.z77
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/ath6k/AR6003/hw2.1.1/athwlan.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/ath6k/AR6003/hw2.1.1/bdata.SD31.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/ath6k/AR6003/hw2.1.1/data.patch.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/ath6k/AR6003/hw2.1.1/fw-2.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/ath6k/AR6003/hw2.1.1/otp.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/bnx2/bnx2-mips-06-6.2.3.fw
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/bnx2/bnx2-mips-09-6.2.1b.fw
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/bnx2/bnx2-rv2p-09-6.0.17.fw
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/bnx2/bnx2-rv2p-09ax-6.0.17.fw:
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/e100/d101m_ucode.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/e100/d101s_ucode.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/e100/d102e_ucode.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/qlogic/1040.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/qlogic/12160.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/qlogic/1280.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/rtlwifi/rtl8192cfwU.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/rtlwifi/rtl8192cfwU_B.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/rtlwifi/rtl8192defw.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/rtlwifi/rtl8192sefw.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/tigon/tg3.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/tigon/tg3_tso.bin
/usr/lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/tigon/tg3_tso5.bin

Bug is in linux-image-3.8.0-* packages - they contains a lot of duplicated firmware files in /lib/firmware/3.8.0-*/ , because the same files also exists in linux-firmware package. You can easily find identical files with fdupes tool.
Several megabytes in user systems and lots of megabytes in package mirrors are wasted because identical firmware files are included into linux-image-3.8.0-* packages and linux-firmware package.

Btw, I've noticed several big firmware files with identical names, but different content, like /lib/firmware/3.8.0-33-generic/phanfw.bin and /lib/firmware/phanfw.bin - maybe these firmware files could be updated in linux-firmware package and then removed from linux-image-3.8.0-* packages?
Should I report separate bug about updating these firmware files against linux-firmware package?

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.