[Bug 2031600] [NEW] Pull current Raspberry Pi firmware from upstream for Minotaur

[Mike Silva]

Public bug reported:

The Raspberry Pi Project releases 3 types of firmware for their devices:
Default (Factory Default)
Stable (Beta plus significant testing)
Beta

These contain firmware for the CPU, GPU, USB controller, etc.

Mantic Minotaur currently has the Raspberry Pi firmware package for all
of these that dates to the Pi project's release on Jan 11, 2023. The
current release from upstream at the Raspberry Pi project is dated
August 11, 2023. This includes the start of some fairly large changes to
their Beta firmware release packaging. (Flagging that for your
consideration.) The latest release to contain changes to both Stable and
Default is dated May 18, 2023.

The fix contained in the May 18, 2023 release is:
- Fix intermittent hang when initialising secure-boot during a reboot loop.

Given the nature of the Pi hardware and its firmware, it is often quite
helpful for users to be able to check if a Stable or Beta fix helps them
with an issue. Both to increase system stability, and also to allow them
to contribute to further testing to move firmware releases along. Ubuntu
uses the standard Pi project rpi-eeprom-updater to allow users to change
between whichever release grade of firmware [Default, Stable, Beta] they
wish. This is the way users are supposed to update firmware.

As such, it would be helpful to Ubuntu users if Ubuntu could keep the
linux-firmware-raspi and rpi-eeprom  packages in sync with a current
pull of upstream at each major release of a new Ubuntu version (e.g.
Lunar -> Minotaur)...or some more frequent schedule than the purely ad
hoc way it's been to date.

Then, a user may try moving between both the Pi Project's current
Default, Stable, and Beta firmware releases, or, roll back to a previous
Ubuntu package release of linux-firmware-raspi to keep there systems
stable.

Ubuntu is not a rolling release. But 1) I'm asking that at least major
Ubuntu releases be kept in sync with upstream firmware and 2) these are
proprietary blobs, so they should be kept at least as up to date as the
frequency of pulls from upstream that Ubuntu does for analogous
proprietary blobs in linux-firmware. Rather, than languishing at an old
versions for years or months.

The following are presently installed on my system. They are the latest
available as of this evening in the Minotaur beta cycle:

uname -a       
Linux Vancouver 6.2.0-1009-raspi #11-Ubuntu SMP PREEMPT Mon Jul 17 10:19:57 UTC 2023 aarch64 aarch64 aarch64 GNU/Linux

lsb_release -rd                                                 
No LSB modules are available.
Description:	Ubuntu Mantic Minotaur (development branch)
Release:	23.10

rpi-eeprom/mantic,now 16.0-1ubuntu1 arm64 [installed,automatic]
  Raspberry Pi 4 boot EEPROM updater

linux-firmware-raspi/mantic,now 9-0ubuntu1 arm64 [installed]
  Raspberry Pi 2/3/4 GPU firmware and bootloaders

** Affects: linux-firmware-raspi (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

** Summary changed:

- Pull current firmware from upstream for Minotaur
+ Pull current Raspberry Pi firmware from upstream for Minotaur

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2031600

Title:
  Pull current Raspberry Pi firmware from upstream for Minotaur

Status in linux-firmware-raspi package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  The Raspberry Pi Project releases 3 types of firmware for their devices:
  Default (Factory Default)
  Stable (Beta plus significant testing)
  Beta

  These contain firmware for the CPU, GPU, USB controller, etc.

  Mantic Minotaur currently has the Raspberry Pi firmware package for
  all of these that dates to the Pi project's release on Jan 11, 2023.
  The current release from upstream at the Raspberry Pi project is dated
  August 11, 2023. This includes the start of some fairly large changes
  to their Beta firmware release packaging. (Flagging that for your
  consideration.) The latest release to contain changes to both Stable
  and Default is dated May 18, 2023.

  The fix contained in the May 18, 2023 release is:
  - Fix intermittent hang when initialising secure-boot during a reboot loop.

  Given the nature of the Pi hardware and its firmware, it is often
  quite helpful for users to be able to check if a Stable or Beta fix
  helps them with an issue. Both to increase system stability, and also
  to allow them to contribute to further testing to move firmware
  releases along. Ubuntu uses the standard Pi project rpi-eeprom-updater
  to allow users to change between whichever release grade of firmware
  [Default, Stable, Beta] they wish. This is the way users are supposed
  to update firmware.

  As such, it would be helpful to Ubuntu users if Ubuntu could keep the
  linux-firmware-raspi and rpi-eeprom  packages in sync with a current
  pull of upstream at each major release of a new Ubuntu version (e.g.
  Lunar -> Minotaur)...or some more frequent schedule than the purely ad
  hoc way it's been to date.

  Then, a user may try moving between both the Pi Project's current
  Default, Stable, and Beta firmware releases, or, roll back to a
  previous Ubuntu package release of linux-firmware-raspi to keep there
  systems stable.

  Ubuntu is not a rolling release. But 1) I'm asking that at least major
  Ubuntu releases be kept in sync with upstream firmware and 2) these
  are proprietary blobs, so they should be kept at least as up to date
  as the frequency of pulls from upstream that Ubuntu does for analogous
  proprietary blobs in linux-firmware. Rather, than languishing at an
  old versions for years or months.

  The following are presently installed on my system. They are the
  latest available as of this evening in the Minotaur beta cycle:

  uname -a       
  Linux Vancouver 6.2.0-1009-raspi #11-Ubuntu SMP PREEMPT Mon Jul 17 10:19:57 UTC 2023 aarch64 aarch64 aarch64 GNU/Linux

  lsb_release -rd                                                 
  No LSB modules are available.
  Description:	Ubuntu Mantic Minotaur (development branch)
  Release:	23.10

  rpi-eeprom/mantic,now 16.0-1ubuntu1 arm64 [installed,automatic]
    Raspberry Pi 4 boot EEPROM updater

  linux-firmware-raspi/mantic,now 9-0ubuntu1 arm64 [installed]
    Raspberry Pi 2/3/4 GPU firmware and bootloaders

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