Package: debian-installer
Version: 20150422
Severity: normal

Dear Maintainer,

*** Reporter, please consider answering these questions, where appropriate ***

   * What led up to the situation?

Selecting auto install: hangs waiting for firmware, same hardware works fine if expert install used
   * What exactly did you do (or not do) that was effective (or
     ineffective)?
   * What was the outcome of this action?
   * What outcome did you expect instead?

System is zotac zbox id-6 - normally requires radeon, realtek, wifi firmware.

Andrew M.A. Cater <amacater@galactic.demon.co.uk> (2015-04-25):

We'll need to know more. Are you actually supplying firmwares? If so,
how? What are you doing for this firmware step when performing a
(manual?) expert install?

Also, what's the contents of syslog in the “hanging” case?

Mraw,
KiBi.

This is a Zotac zbox id-6 - dual core AMD, iwlwifi, realtek 8169, Radeon.

The installer reports that iwlwifi firmwre is needed and realtek firmare is also needed. In fact, the realtek
firmware is not needed - the wired interface works fine without it to install, so it's fine to skip installation
of non-free firmware when first prompted.

A standard install / expert install will allow you to complete the install properly. An automated install - whether
command line or graphical - locks up waiting for firmware. The syslog shows that it goes through about three cycles
and fails waiting for the non-free realtek firmware.

I haven't got syslog to hand - but I could reproduce this on the CLI automatated install and also on the graphical
automated install.

On first boot after install, systemd reports that firmware-iwlwifi is needed as is Radeon firmware for the R600.
Firmware-realtek, firmware-iwlwifi and firmware-linux-nonfree provide the firmware needed.

All the best,

AndyC

[...]

The Realtek 81xx-family chips all have firmware in non-volatile memory,
but Realtek provides firmware updates to fix bugs.  In some cases those
bugs are quite serious, for example it can't establish a link with some
switches.  The driver tries to load a firmware update for the chip if it
has been issued, but will continue without if the file is missing.  But
there's no way for the installer to know generically that certain
firmware is optional, and I don't think it should be completely quiet
when the chip will otherwise be running known buggy firmware.

Ben.