linux-firmware is missing ctefx-sbz.bin for snd_hda_codec_ca0132

[roothorick]

I'm not 100% sure what this firmware blob is actually used for, as the card is mostly functional without it and I'm not confident the broken bits aren't due to an incomplete driver, but it requests it for CA0132-based PCIe addin cards (Sound Blaster Recon3D, Z series, X AE-5).

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 18.04
Package: linux-firmware 1.173.3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.18.0-15.16~18.04.1-generic 4.18.20
Uname: Linux 4.18.0-15-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia_modeset nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.5
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Wed Feb 13 22:49:48 2019
Dependencies:

InstallationDate: Installed on 2018-09-12 (155 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 18.04.1 LTS "Bionic Beaver" - Release amd64 (20180725)
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm-256color
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: linux-firmware
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[roothorick (8-roothorick-gmail-com)]

I just noticed that the source code also calls for a "ctefx-r3di.bin" that's needed for a "Recon3Di" (apparently a Dell proprietary variant?) and the -sbz file was renamed "ctefx-desktop.bin" in 4.20.

[Seth Forshee (sforshee)]

The missing firmware has not yet been added to upstream linux-firmware. Getting it added there is the best option, and makes it easy to pull into Ubuntu. Otherwise we need some copy of these files with an open source compatible license that will allow us to distribute the files.

Do you know of any place where these files are distributed?

[roothorick (8-roothorick-gmail-com)]

A recent driver contributor has made the blobs available here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/SoundBlasterOfficial/comments/9mm5ad/sound_blaster_r3dr3dizzxrae5_linux_driver/

No idea on the licensing situation.

[Seth Forshee (sforshee)]

That thread states the firmware was taken from the Windows driver, which isn't surprising. No license information is given, and it would be pretty unusual for a Windows driver to be licensed in a way that would allow us to distribute firmware files taken from it.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for linux-firmware (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]