QCA6174 stops working on newer kernels after second group rekeying
Affects | Status | Importance | Assigned to | Milestone | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
linux-firmware (Ubuntu) |
Fix Released
|
Undecided
|
Unassigned | ||
Xenial |
Fix Released
|
Medium
|
Seth Forshee | ||
Artful |
Fix Released
|
Medium
|
Seth Forshee |
Bug Description
After upgrading to the 4.13 kernel on Ubuntu 16.04.3, I've noticed my WiFi would stop working after every 20 minutes or so. The problem initially seems related to some DNS services crashing because of what happend in browsers and other software that usually rely on DNS but I've noticed I couldn't ping my router and other local devices for which I knew the IP addresses. The connection is still presented as being connected, but it just doesn't work.
After googling a lot, I came across this question on askubuntu.com
https:/
Which led me to this bug report on Debian's bug tracker:
https:/
Which led me to this bug in upstream:
http://
I've tested the proposed fixes myself and I can confirm they work.
What causes the WiFi to stop working is a bug related to the group rekeying routines.
It seems it only happens in >4.12 kernels, hence why I've only had problems after 4.13 was pushed as the current rolling HWE kernel for 16.04.3.
kvalo made the fix available in version WLAN.RM.
Updating the firmware-6.bin (and board-2.bin, optionally) to any version equal or later than that fixes the issue completely.
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SRU Justification:
[Impact]
Qualcomm Atheros QCA6174 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter, available in numerous laptops, including ones that ship with Ubuntu 16.04 pre-installed, silently stops working after the second group rekeying, which is usually few minutes after the user has connected to a WiFi network. The connection status remains unchanged but there's no connectivity at all. This effectively disconnects the user without notifying it of what's occurred.
Additionally, this happens for the only HWE kernel that's been patched against the recent Meltdown vulnerability, leaving the user without the option of using a recent kernel and a secure kernel at the same time.
[Test Case]
After applying the required firmwares, check if the connectivity is unaffected after the second group rekeying, which can be checked with
$ cat /var/log/syslog | grep wpa_.*rekeying
[How to fix it]
Update the firmware-6.bin file to version WLAN.RM.
[Regression Potential]
The new firmware overwrites the old one, but since it's been in upstream since October 2017, it should be good.
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Description: Ubuntu 16.04.3 LTS
Release: 16.04
linux-firmware:
Instalado: 1.157.14
Candidato: 1.157.14
Tabela de versão:
*** 1.157.14 500
500 http://
500 http://
500 http://
500 http://
100 /var/lib/
1.157 500
500 http://
500 http://
Changed in linux-firmware (Ubuntu Artful): | |
assignee: | nobody → Seth Forshee (sforshee) |
importance: | Undecided → Medium |
status: | Confirmed → Fix Committed |
tags: | added: verification-done-xenial |
tags: | added: verification-needed-artful |
tags: |
added: verification-done-artful removed: verification-needed-artful |
Reading https:/ /git.kernel. org/pub/ scm/linux/ kernel/ git/firmware/ linux-firmware. git/commit/ ath10k/ QCA6174/ hw3.0/firmware- 6.bin?id= 96a7402d4172f47 86ee93dd9f7cb3f 76e1a8025e it seems the fix for this particular issue was made available in version WLAN.RM. 4.4.1-00051- QCARMSWP- 1. Updating board-2.bin and firmware-6.bin as in what's available in the upstream for firmware-linux right now should fix the issue.