Difference between revisions of "Collection:Device drivers and firmware"

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Firmware is a class of software, which runs directly on the hardware while device drivers help make different devices work with a given operating system.
 
Firmware is a class of software, which runs directly on the hardware while device drivers help make different devices work with a given operating system.
  
This collection lists software that isn't already shipped as part of [[Linux-Libre]]. In other words, things that users might have to specifically go and download separately from what they already have.
+
This collection lists notable device drivers and firmware that isn't already shipped as part of [[Linux-libre]]. In other words, things that users might have to specifically go and download separately from what they already have.
 +
 
 +
== What to do with free software that interacts with nonfree software ? ==
 +
 
 +
Sometimes free drivers (like a printer driver) or hardware specific software (like free software that can talk to specific printers to remove ink cartridge limitations) interact with hardware that run nonfree firmwares or operating systems (like printers). It is OK to list such software as long as the nonfree software it interact with is out of the bonds of the operating system and that the free software that interact with it doesn't ship nonfree software.
 +
 
 +
For instance if we take Libreboot or any of the [https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html free GNU/Linux distributions] or [https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-non-gnu-distros.html other free distribution(s)], they all interact in some way with hardware that run nonfree firmwares as most mass storage devices (hard disks, SSDs, microSD cards, SD cards, USB mass storage keys, etc) run a nonfree firmware. And while most storage devices have standard interfaces, Linux-libre and Libreboot also interact with software that do not implement standards like the firmware that runs on the embedded controller and that handles the keyboard, suspend-to-ram, voltage ramps, etc.
 +
 
 +
In all theses case the distributions, Libreboot or Linux-libre are not involved at all in the distribution of that nonfree software and that software doesn't run in Libreboot, Linux-libre or the distributions as it typically runs in separate chips. In some cases (like with keyboards) it's really hard to know if the hardware is running some nonfree software or if it doesn't run software at all. And in most cases given enough efforts the nonfree software could also be replaced with free software (for instance by having people reverse engineer the nonfree software and write documentation, and other people implement a free software equivalent based on the hardware documentation).
  
 
==Device drivers==
 
==Device drivers==
  
 
==Firmware==
 
==Firmware==
* [[Libreboot]]
+
* Computers
 +
* Misc
 +
** [[Firmware-linux-free]]
 +
*** AV7110 DVB card firmware (av7110/bootcode.bin)
 +
*** Atheros AR9170 free firmware for use with carl9170 (carl9170-1.fw)
 +
*** 3Com Megahertz 3CCFEM556 CIS fix (cis/3CCFEM556.cis)
 +
*** 3Com Megahertz 3CXEM556 CIS fix (cis/3CXEM556.cis)
 +
*** Advantech COMpad-32/85 CIS fix (cis/COMpad2.cis)
 +
*** Advantech COMpad-32/85B-4 CIS fix (cis/COMpad4.cis)
 +
*** NSC DP83903 PCMCIA Ethernet card CIS fix (cis/DP83903.cis)
 +
*** Allied Telesis LA-PCM CIS fix (cis/LA-PCM.cis)
 +
*** MultiTech PCMCIA 56K DataFax CIS fix (cis/MT5634ZLX.cis)
 +
*** NDC PCMCIA Ethernet card CIS fix (cis/NE2K.cis)
 +
*** EN2218-LAN/MODEM CIS fix (cis/PCMLM28.cis)
 +
*** PreMax PE-200 CIS fix (cis/PE-200.cis)
 +
*** LanPro EP-4000A CIS fix (cis/PE520.cis)
 +
*** RS-COM 2P CIS fix (cis/RS-COM-2P.cis)
 +
*** Sierra Aircard 555 CIS fix (cis/SW_555_SER.cis)
 +
*** Sierra Wireless AC710/AC750 CIS fix (cis/SW_7xx_SER.cis)
 +
*** Sierra Wireless AC850/AC860 CIS fix (cis/SW_8xx_SER.cis)
 +
*** Tamarack PCMCIA Ethernet card CIS fix (cis/tamarack.cis)
 +
*** Atari Falcon DSP56001 firmware (dsp56k/bootstrap.bin)
 +
*** Intel C600 SAS/SATA controller default parameters, version 1.3 (isci/isci_firmware.bin)
 +
*** Keyspan USA-19 firmware (keyspan_pda/keyspan_pda.fw)
 +
*** Xircom PGSDB9/Entrega PortGear firmware (keyspan_pda/xircom_pgs.fw)
 +
*** USB-DUX firmware (usbdux_firmware.bin)
 +
*** USB-DUXfast firmware (usbduxfast_firmware.bin)
 +
*** USB-DUXsigma firmware (usbduxsigma_firmware.bin)
 +
** [[Linux-libre-firmware]]
 +
*** a56
 +
*** aica
 +
*** as31
 +
*** ath9k_htc
 +
*** atusb
 +
*** av7110
 +
*** b43-tools
 +
*** carl9170fw
 +
*** cis-tools
 +
*** cis
 +
*** dsp56k
 +
*** ihex2fw
 +
*** isci
 +
*** keyspan_pda
 +
*** openfwwf
 +
*** usbdux
 +
** ROM chip
 +
*** [[Libreboot]]
 +
* Network equipment
 +
** Wifi
 +
*** USB wifi
 +
**** [[firmware-ath9k-htc]]: ath9k_htc is a kernel driver. "Open firmware for this driver is also available in the firmware-ath9k-htc package starting from Buster. " - https://wiki.debian.org/ath9k_htc
 +
* Smartphones
 +
*** Modem
 +
** [[Pinephone Modem SDK]]
 +
 
 +
==See also==
 +
* [[Collection:GNU/Linux]]
 +
* [[Collection:Home automation]]
  
 
[[Category:Collection]]
 
[[Category:Collection]]

Revision as of 11:01, 12 October 2021

Firmware is a class of software, which runs directly on the hardware while device drivers help make different devices work with a given operating system.

This collection lists notable device drivers and firmware that isn't already shipped as part of Linux-libre. In other words, things that users might have to specifically go and download separately from what they already have.

What to do with free software that interacts with nonfree software ?

Sometimes free drivers (like a printer driver) or hardware specific software (like free software that can talk to specific printers to remove ink cartridge limitations) interact with hardware that run nonfree firmwares or operating systems (like printers). It is OK to list such software as long as the nonfree software it interact with is out of the bonds of the operating system and that the free software that interact with it doesn't ship nonfree software.

For instance if we take Libreboot or any of the free GNU/Linux distributions or other free distribution(s), they all interact in some way with hardware that run nonfree firmwares as most mass storage devices (hard disks, SSDs, microSD cards, SD cards, USB mass storage keys, etc) run a nonfree firmware. And while most storage devices have standard interfaces, Linux-libre and Libreboot also interact with software that do not implement standards like the firmware that runs on the embedded controller and that handles the keyboard, suspend-to-ram, voltage ramps, etc.

In all theses case the distributions, Libreboot or Linux-libre are not involved at all in the distribution of that nonfree software and that software doesn't run in Libreboot, Linux-libre or the distributions as it typically runs in separate chips. In some cases (like with keyboards) it's really hard to know if the hardware is running some nonfree software or if it doesn't run software at all. And in most cases given enough efforts the nonfree software could also be replaced with free software (for instance by having people reverse engineer the nonfree software and write documentation, and other people implement a free software equivalent based on the hardware documentation).

Device drivers

Firmware

  • Computers
  • Misc
    • Firmware-linux-free
      • AV7110 DVB card firmware (av7110/bootcode.bin)
      • Atheros AR9170 free firmware for use with carl9170 (carl9170-1.fw)
      • 3Com Megahertz 3CCFEM556 CIS fix (cis/3CCFEM556.cis)
      • 3Com Megahertz 3CXEM556 CIS fix (cis/3CXEM556.cis)
      • Advantech COMpad-32/85 CIS fix (cis/COMpad2.cis)
      • Advantech COMpad-32/85B-4 CIS fix (cis/COMpad4.cis)
      • NSC DP83903 PCMCIA Ethernet card CIS fix (cis/DP83903.cis)
      • Allied Telesis LA-PCM CIS fix (cis/LA-PCM.cis)
      • MultiTech PCMCIA 56K DataFax CIS fix (cis/MT5634ZLX.cis)
      • NDC PCMCIA Ethernet card CIS fix (cis/NE2K.cis)
      • EN2218-LAN/MODEM CIS fix (cis/PCMLM28.cis)
      • PreMax PE-200 CIS fix (cis/PE-200.cis)
      • LanPro EP-4000A CIS fix (cis/PE520.cis)
      • RS-COM 2P CIS fix (cis/RS-COM-2P.cis)
      • Sierra Aircard 555 CIS fix (cis/SW_555_SER.cis)
      • Sierra Wireless AC710/AC750 CIS fix (cis/SW_7xx_SER.cis)
      • Sierra Wireless AC850/AC860 CIS fix (cis/SW_8xx_SER.cis)
      • Tamarack PCMCIA Ethernet card CIS fix (cis/tamarack.cis)
      • Atari Falcon DSP56001 firmware (dsp56k/bootstrap.bin)
      • Intel C600 SAS/SATA controller default parameters, version 1.3 (isci/isci_firmware.bin)
      • Keyspan USA-19 firmware (keyspan_pda/keyspan_pda.fw)
      • Xircom PGSDB9/Entrega PortGear firmware (keyspan_pda/xircom_pgs.fw)
      • USB-DUX firmware (usbdux_firmware.bin)
      • USB-DUXfast firmware (usbduxfast_firmware.bin)
      • USB-DUXsigma firmware (usbduxsigma_firmware.bin)
    • Linux-libre-firmware
      • a56
      • aica
      • as31
      • ath9k_htc
      • atusb
      • av7110
      • b43-tools
      • carl9170fw
      • cis-tools
      • cis
      • dsp56k
      • ihex2fw
      • isci
      • keyspan_pda
      • openfwwf
      • usbdux
    • ROM chip
  • Network equipment
  • Smartphones

See also



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