WiFi issues

[mikeeq]

Hello everyone,

As many of us have problems with running WiFi under Linux on new Macs, I want to make a list of already compatible models/wifi chips here and track all issues in one thread. Sorry for closing other ones.

Compatible models:

• Macbook Pro 15,2 i5
  • BCM4364/3 (P-maui-X3_M-HRPN_V-u__m-7.5.txt)

How correct Broadcom fw load should look like in dmesg:

➜ dmesg | grep brcmfmac
[   13.351387] usbcore: registered new interface driver brcmfmac
[   13.351570] brcmfmac 0000:01:00.0: enabling device (0000 -> 0002)
[   13.454664] brcmfmac: brcmf_fw_alloc_request: using brcm/brcmfmac4364-pcie for chip BCM4364/3
[   14.545924] brcmfmac: brcmf_fw_alloc_request: using brcm/brcmfmac4364-pcie for chip BCM4364/3
[   14.578324] brcmfmac: brcmf_c_preinit_dcmds: Firmware: BCM4364/3 wl0: Mar 28 2019 19:17:52 version 9.137.9.0.32.6.34 FWID 01-36f56c94
[   14.658688] brcmfmac 0000:01:00.0 wlp1s0: renamed from wlan0

modprobe -r brcmfmac; modprobe brcmfmac rambase_addr=0x160000

#/etc/default/grub
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="rhgb quiet efi=noruntime pcie_ports=compat modprobe.blacklist=thunderbolt systemd.unified_cgroup_hierarchy=0 brcmfmac.rambase_addr=0x160000"

Please post here all WiFi related issues.

Related issues in other projects:

• MacBookPro 15,1/2? Dunedan/mbp-2016-linux#71
• MacBook Pro 15+: Wifi Support Dunedan/mbp-2016-linux#112

Historic issues:

• wifi firmware load error #1
• wifi on MacBook Pro 15.4 (13" 2019) #2
• Macbook Air Wifi mbp-fedora#8

[zhewang95]

Imcompatible models:

• Macbook Pro 15,2 i5
  • BCM4364/3 (P-maui-X2_M-HRPN_V-u__m-7.5.txt)

Wrong Broadcom fw load message:

[    7.140063] usbcore: registered new interface driver brcmfmac  
[    7.140311] brcmfmac 0000:01:00.0: enabling device (0000 -> 0002)  
[    7.245941] brcmfmac: brcmf_fw_alloc_request: using brcm/brcmfmac4364-pcie for chip BCM4364/3  
[    9.624439] brcmfmac 0000:01:00.0: brcmf_pcie_download_fw_nvram: FW failed to initialize  

[mikeeq]

@zhewang95 Your revision of WiFi chip probably uses different rambase address (Dunedan/mbp-2016-linux#112 (comment)) than my one. Are you able to recompile the kernel by yourself and check if removing that line fixes the issue for you?

https://github.com/mikeeq/mbp-fedora-kernel/blob/v5.4-f31/patches/wifi.patch#L21

Also you can check if it will be printed in dmesg after adding brcmfmac.debug=2097150 to kernel arguments, like here:

[    4.170427] brcmfmac: brcmf_chip_get_raminfo RAM: base=0x160000 size=1310720 (0x140000) sr=0 (0x0)

[zhewang95]

@mikeeq OK I will have a try

[ktb92677]

Imcompatible models:

MacbookAir 8,2 i5
BCM4355/12 (P-hawaii-X0_M-YSBC_V-u__m-4.3.txt)
Wrong Broadcom fw load message:

[    7.140063] usbcore: registered new interface driver brcmfmac  
[    7.140311] brcmfmac 0000:02:00.0: enabling device (0000 -> 0002)  
[    7.245941] brcmfmac: brcmf_fw_alloc_request: using brcm/brcmfmac4355-pcie for chip BCM4355/12  
[    7.778035] bluetooth hci0: Direct firmware load for brcm/BCM.hcd failed with error -2  
[    7.778037] Bluetooth: hci0: BCM: Patch brcm/BCM.hcd not found  
[    9.624439] brcmfmac 0000:02:00.0: brcmf_pcie_download_fw_nvram: FW failed to initialize

A couple of notes... Here is what I named each file (MacOSX -> Fedora)

C-4355__s-C1/hawaii.trx -> /lib/firmware/brcm/brcmfmac4355-pcie.bin
C-4355__s-C1/hawaii-X0.clmb -> /lib/firmware/brcm/brcmfmac4355-pcie.clm_blob
C-4355__s-C1/P-hawaii-X0_M-YSBC_V-u__m-4.3.txt -> "/lib/firmware/brcm/brcmfmac4355-pcie.Apple Inc.-MacBookAir8,2.txt"

I have used the latest ISO listed here: https://github.com/mikeeq/mbp-fedora

Per these comments: Dunedan/mbp-2016-linux#112 (comment) and Dunedan/mbp-2016-linux#112 (comment) People have been successful in loading wifi on the MacBookAir8,2 and the BCM4355 driver. The particular kernel patch they are referencing was this: ppaulweber/linux-mba@80f9698. Unfortunately I am not quite skilled enough to recompile the linux kernel myself and apply this patch to see if it works. But I looked through the patches posted on this repository and saw that the wifi kernel patches seem pretty similar.

The only conclusion I can reach is that I am doing something wrong but I cannot for the life of me figure out what I am doing wrong. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[mikeeq]

@ktb92677 Please check brcmf_chip_get_raminfo size in dmesg after adding brcmfmac.debug=2097150 to kernel args (in grub).

[ktb92677]

@mikeeq Hey, I am having trouble getting the CRTL+SHIFT+F10 trick to work on my mac... any other way to edit kernel args?

EDIT: okay I got to the screen with CTRL_SHIFT+F10. I edited the kernel parameters but now I can't hit CTRL+X to save it!

FURTHER EDIT: Doesn't hitting F10 boot with the modifications made in the grub interface? If so I hit F10 after making the modification and when it booted there was no reference to brcmf_chip_get_raminfo inside of dmesg.... I assume F10 means "disregard the changes and boot"

LAST EDIT (I promise... read from here): Okay so you hit CTRL+SHIFT+F10 to get grub to take the kernel parameter. Got it. I can confirm via dmesg that the kernel parameter "brcmfmac.debug=2097150" was taken. However there is still no reference to "brcmf_chip_get_raminfo" inside of dmesg... what do I do from here?

[geovie]

@mikeeq Thanks a lot for this project 👍

Incompatible model:

• Macbook Pro 15,2 i5
  • BCM4364/3 (P-maui-X3_M-HRPN_V-m__m-7.7.txt)

dmesg | grep brcmfmac:

[    5.500453] usbcore: registered new interface driver brcmfmac
[    5.500664] brcmfmac 0000:01:00.0: enabling device (0000 -> 0002)
[    5.607914] brcmfmac: brcmf_fw_alloc_request: using brcm/brcmfmac4364-pcie for chip BCM4364/3
[    7.987068] brcmfmac 0000:01:00.0: brcmf_pcie_download_fw_nvram: FW failed to initialize

I also tried adding brcmfmac.debug=2097150 as kernel argument, but there was no change in the dmesg output...

BTW: modprobe -r brcmfmac; modprobe brcmfmac debug=2097150 should also work without the need to edit kernel arguments...

[ktb92677]

Thanks @geovie on the suggestion. I tried adding "debug=2097150" after modprobe like you suggested with no changes for me as well.

[Xinkai]

Same FW failed to initialize problem here with a 4364 on a 15,3. I have tried every possible baseaddr in that file: 0x160000, 0x180000, 0x198000, 0x200000. None of them works.

[mikeeq]

We need to find a solution to load brcmfmac module with debug parameter to find out baseaddr for most wifi chips revisions, so I can make several versions of kernel so everyone will be able to download kernel with his wifi.patch backed into the kernel.

[geovie]

@mikeeq Is modprobe -r brcmfmac; modprobe brcmfmac debug=2097150working for you?

[mikeeq]

I tried it on my current setup (when FW is loading correctly) and I don't have any additional logs in dmesg, i don't have time to test it further at the moment.