Newer kernels with KMS hangs at boot looking 4 firmware, howto fix?

[agd5f]

Also, FWIW, all firmware is being moved out of the kernel and into the Linux firmware tree:
http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kerne....git;a=summary

[Viper_Scull]

See "Troubleshooting Extra Firmware" section on:
http://wiki.x.org/wiki/radeonBuildHowTo

It seems CONFIG_EXTRA_FIRMWARE_DIR has to be just /lib/firmware and the firmware should be radeon/R600_rlc.bin, otherwise it doest work. Thanks for the page.

It's working now.

Also, FWIW, all firmware is being moved out of the kernel and into the Linux firmware tree:

I know, but i need to use the kernel without initrd so i need to build the firmware into the kernel so i'm able to boot.

[Amrod]

I use Slackware as distro and to avoid the same problem I have to boot with vga=normal in lilo.conf.

[agd5f]

I use Slackware as distro and to avoid the same problem I have to boot with vga=normal in lilo.conf.

Booting with a vga= line disables kms in most cases. So you avoid the problem by not loading it.

[aceman]

He can put radeon.modeset=1 on the kernel commandline and then load the radeon module a bit later in the boot process (when all needed filesystems are mounted so the firmware will be found). KMS will then work, I have used it this way.

[DeepDayze]

/lib/firmware *should* be available after the root filesystem is mounted as long as /lib is not on another device.
If you use an initrd then shouldn't the necessary f/w should then be included within it so that its loaded as soon as you boot rather than waiting for filesystems to be mounted?

[aceman]

For some reason it does not work.
I have just now migrated from the setup I described in my earlier comment. I now compiled the radeon module into the kernel and it really couldn't find the firmware. I had to compile it into the kernel image as already described by other posters (I just came to the same solution as they did). I don't know why. /lib/firmware is on the root device.

[agd5f]

For some reason it does not work.
I have just now migrated from the setup I described in my earlier comment. I now compiled the radeon module into the kernel and it really couldn't find the firmware. I had to compile it into the kernel image as already described by other posters (I just came to the same solution as they did). I don't know why. /lib/firmware is on the root device.

The firmware has to be in the initrd if you are using one since that is used before the filesystems are mounted and in most cases radeon is loaded early so you can have a console on boot. If you compile the driver into the kernel, you have to compile the firmware into the kernel as well.

[curaga]

Given the recent delayed driver init work, would it be possible to delay the firmware request until the root fs is mounted?

[DeepDayze]

Given the recent delayed driver init work, would it be possible to delay the firmware request until the root fs is mounted?

To me that would make sense if you aren't using an initrd and deferring the request till later in the boot would be a good idea if the firmware could not be found in the image.