missing modules after 5.11.0-25-generic update

[MikeR]

After updating to kernel 5.11.0-25-generic wireless driver failed to recognize WiFi card.
Possible reasons/symptoms:
$ sudo update-initramfs -u -k all
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-5.11.0-25-generic
W: Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/i915/skl_guc_49.0.1.bin for module i915
W: Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/i915/bxt_guc_49.0.1.bin for module i915
W: Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/i915/kbl_guc_49.0.1.bin for module i915
W: Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/i915/glk_guc_49.0.1.bin for module i915
W: Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/i915/kbl_guc_49.0.1.bin for module i915
W: Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/i915/kbl_guc_49.0.1.bin for module i915
W: Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/i915/cml_guc_49.0.1.bin for module i915
W: Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/i915/icl_guc_49.0.1.bin for module i915
W: Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/i915/ehl_guc_49.0.1.bin for module i915
W: Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/i915/ehl_guc_49.0.1.bin for module i915
W: Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/i915/tgl_huc_7.5.0.bin for module i915
W: Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/i915/tgl_guc_49.0.1.bin for module i915
W: Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/i915/tgl_huc_7.5.0.bin for module i915
W: Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/i915/tgl_guc_49.0.1.bin for module i915
W: Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/i915/dg1_dmc_ver2_02.bin for module i915
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-5.8.0-63-generic

$ lsb_release -a
LSB Version: core-11.1.0ubuntu2-noarch:security-11.1.0ubuntu2-noarch
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: July2021
Release: 20.04
Codename: focal

Workaround: connected Ethernet. (Inconvenient)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Marco Scacchi (scamar)]

It seems in the kernel three those files are not missing:
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git/tree/i915
Maybe the linux-firmware package needs to be repacked as well?

[MikeR (mike-rechtman)]

found what seemed like the correctly named files, downloaded and placed them in /lib/firmware/i915/
Now update-initramfs runs with no errors, but when I plug in my USB rtl8188 wifi device
1. No WiFi connection
2. various (e.g. firefox, wavemon) do not start, terminal locks and the only recourse is a reboot.

So I've definitely done something wrong.
Any pointers would be gratefully accepted

[MikeR (mike-rechtman)]

Searching Google came across this:
https://askubuntu.com/questions/1306358/how-do-stop-ubuntu-20-04-from-upgrading-to-the-5-8-hwe-kernel
<quote>

This latest 5.8 update has caused a lot of issues for a lot of people. The most critical being breaking:

    Graphics Drivers
    Virtualbox no longer working. You can fix this by downloading straight from virtualbox.org but then that breaks Python.
    WIFI Stops working

</quote>
So perhaps not something I have done.
OTOH not something that should happen to a LTS version!!

[MikeR (mike-rechtman)]

It would appear that this bug report should refer to the kernel version, so I have opened a new bug report; #1939635
see https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-hwe-5.11/+bug/1939635, and check whether it affects you.

[Hesham Mohamed Khalil Youssif Ali (hesham-khalil123)]

it happened with me with with kubuntu 20.04.2.0 fresh install

the problem first appeared during installing the first upgrades after OS installlation during the installation of linux 5.11.0-25 it showed me the same message that is in bug description
such as

"update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-5.11.0-25-generic
Possible missing firmware /lib/firmware/i915/skl_guc_49.0.1.bin for module i915"

etc...

remember this happened after fresh install first update.

[MikeR (mike-rechtman)]

possible workaround:
open https://anduin.linuxfromscratch.org/sources/linux-firmware/i915/
and then either
1. select the missing files and download them to /lib/firmware/i915/
or
2. download the entire directory to a temporary location, and create a shell file from the list of missing files to copy only the missing files to /lib/firmware/i915
(thats what I did, as it seemed safer)

then try "$ sudo update-initramfs -u -k all" (without the quotes.)

NOT a clean solution, but it got rid of the error messages.
Else: wait for a supported solution

[Luca Ferroni (liuck)]

Bug affects also to me in upgrading to 5.11.0-27

~$ lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS
Release: 20.04
Codename: focal

The solution proposed by @MikeR works for me:

I have created a file t.txt with missing modules with the base LinuxFromScratch URL: https://anduin.linuxfromscratch.org/sources/linux-firmware/i915/

and then

~$ cd /lib/firmware/i915/
/lib/firmware/i915$ cat ~/tmp/t.txt | while read a; do sudo wget $a; done
/lib/firmware/i915$ sudo update-initramfs -u -k all
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-5.11.0-27-generic
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-5.11.0-25-generic
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-5.8.0-63-generic

Thank you all guys, maybe files should be integrated in `linux-firmware` package? Can any janitor confirm pls so me or someone of my FSUG can try to propose a patch for the package itself?

[FairMiles (fermilesi)]

Lost wifi and same errors reported while upgrading kernel from 5.8.x to 5.11.0-25 on two laptops Lenovo ThinkPad E430 (w/ Ubuntu 20.04 LTS)

[MikeR (mike-rechtman)]

@FairMiles:
after experimenting:
Missing files may be downloaded, see #7 and #8 above.
This solution DID NOT solve the WiFi failure.
This was solved by a third-party driver update, see
   https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-hwe-5.11/+bug/1939635

HTH

[FairMiles (fermilesi)]

@MikeR:
Thanks. I downloaded the missing bin files as you explained in #7 and get rid of the errors.
However, my wifi was NOT coming back under kernel 5.11.x (still worked fine when booting 5.8.x)

In my case (Broadcom BCM4313 802.11ac), I had to install a different (backported) version of the bcmwl-kernel-source package, see
      https://askubuntu.com/questions/1356061/bcm4352-802-11ac-wireless-network-adapter-not-working-on-kernel-5-11-and-ubuntu

[ndst (ndst)]

This has been broken for nearly 3 months. Is a fix planned?

[Jeremie (jerem.)]

Similar bugs are also reported here:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-firmware/+bug/1922350

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-firmware/+bug/1939986

It seems that the 5.11 kernel needs newer versions of i915 firmware than those currently available in linux-firmware package.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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