# [SOLVED] Network chip needs firmware patch only with PXE

## sidamos

HI!

I have 2 identical mainboards.

First PC is booting from disk, network driver compiled as module.

Second PC is booting via PXE from network, driver compiled into kernel.

Only in the 2nd case, the kernel complained during booting, that it wants to load a firmware patch for the network chip and waited 60s for a network connection to load it. So I installed sys-kernel/linux-firmware and added the needed firmware patch to the kernel config.

But why is the firmware patch only needed for the 2nd PC? I don't even have sys-kernel/linux-firmware installed on the 1st PC.

It's an onboard RTL8111/8168B, driver is r8169, kernel 3.2.

Thanks!

ThomasLast edited by sidamos on Sat May 05, 2012 11:13 pm; edited 1 time in total

----------

## py-ro

This Nics will work even without Firmware normaly, but not with full features. Also it could be 2 different Revisions.

----------

## Hu

Are you sure that the first PC does not check for that firmware patch?  Since you built the driver as a module, it will search for the patch much later in boot.  At the time of the search, userspace will be functional and can quickly reject the request, allowing it to complete almost instantly.

----------

## sidamos

You are absolutely right! Found this in /var/log/messages on the 1st PC:

May  6 00:20:54 linux kernel: r8169 0000:05:00.0: eth0: unable to load firmware patch rtl_nic/rtl8168e-3.fw (-2)

Thanks a lot!

----------

## jody

Hi

I have a newly installed gentoo on a samsung laptop.

In my dmesg if find 

```
raven linux # dmesg | grep 8169

r8169 Gigabit Ethernet driver 2.3LK-NAPI loaded

r8169 0000:03:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 19 (level, low) -> IRQ 19

r8169 0000:03:00.0: setting latency timer to 64

r8169 0000:03:00.0: irq 45 for MSI/MSI-X

r8169 0000:03:00.0: eth0: RTL8168evl/8111evl at 0xffffc9000498e000, e8:03:9a:99:b2:2e, XID 0c900800 IRQ 45

r8169 0000:03:00.0: eth0: jumbo features [frames: 9200 bytes, tx checksumming: ko]

r8169 0000:03:00.0: eth0: unable to load firmware patch rtl_nic/rtl8168e-3.fw (-2)

r8169 0000:03:00.0: eth0: link down

r8169 0000:03:00.0: eth0: link down

r8169 0000:03:00.0: eth0: link up

```

and in /var/log/message i have

```
Jun  8 18:52:56 raven kernel: r8169 0000:03:00.0: eth0: RTL8168evl/8111evl at 0xffffc9000498e000, e8:03:9a:99:b2:2e, XID 0c900800 IRQ 45

Jun  8 18:52:56 raven kernel: r8169 0000:03:00.0: eth0: unable to load firmware patch rtl_nic/rtl8168e-3.fw (-2)

```

My eth0 seems to be working correctly, so i don't know what to make of these "unable to load firmware" messages.

Can anybody enlighten me?

Thank You

  Jody

----------

