K5 Can't get self-compiled ar6003 module to work

[NiMa]

Hello,
I am trying to get a custom kernel + initrd working for porting InkBox OS (https://inkbox.ddns.net) to the Kindle Touch.
So far, it boots, loads the initrd fine, I can get a console prompt, the FB driver apparently needs a better waveform (things printed on the display show up as distorted).
I am now to the point of loading the Wi-Fi module and driver and it just doesn't work.
This will give a better explanation:

~ # ls -shal /mnt/lib/firmware/ar6k/target/AR6003/hw2.1.1/bin/active_calibration
     0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 1000     1000          81 May  8  2022 /mnt/lib/firmware/ar6k/target/AR6003/hw2.1.1/bin/active_calibration -> /mnt/lib/firmware/ar6k/target/AR6003/hw2.1.1/bin/AR6103_CCK16dbm_QCA_08032011.bin
~ # modprobe ar6003
[   84.512033] Loading Atheros ar6003 driver
[   84.536344] SDIO: Enabling device mmc0:0001:1...
[   84.545603] SDIO: Enabled device mmc0:0001:1
[   84.575312] ar6k_wlan mmc0:0001:1: firmware: requesting /mnt/lib/firmware/ar6k/target/AR6003/hw2.1.1/bin/active_calibration
[   84.586745] kernel: I perf:wifi:wifi_driver_loaded=83.41 seconds:
[   84.592887] ar6003 Driver returning from ar6000_init_module
~ # [  144.580480] Failed to get /mnt/lib/firmware/ar6k/target/AR6003/hw2.1.1/bin/active_calibration
[  144.589022] ar6000_avail: ar6000_sysfs_bmi_get_config failed
[  146.594404]  Timeout waiting for recv message 
[  146.598857] Target debug interrupt
[  146.602274] ar6000_target_failure: target asserted 
[  146.607348] AR6K: Location of register dump data: 0x544078 
[  146.623225] AR6K: Register Dump: 
[  146.626544]  0 :  0x30000582 
[  146.629513]  1 :  0x000015B3 
[  146.632494]  2 :  0x008E17D9 
[  146.635463]  3 :  0x004F5B31 
[  146.638431]  4 :  0x008E17D9 
[  146.641409]  5 :  0x00060730 
[  146.644377]  6 :  0x00000000 
[  146.647345]  7 :  0x0000000C 
[  146.650323]  8 :  0x00540000 
[  146.653291]  9 :  0x00540600 
[  146.656259]  10 :  0x005431D4 
[  146.659314]  11 :  0x00000001 
[  146.662379]  12 :  0x00000009 
[  146.665435]  13 :  0xFFFFFFFF 
[  146.668490]  14 :  0x00917CB0 
[  146.671555]  15 :  0x00917CC6 
[  146.674611]  16 :  0x00917CA7 
[  146.677665]  17 :  0x008E1038 
[  146.680730]  18 :  0x00000000 
[  146.683785]  19 :  0x00000000 
[  146.686840]  20 :  0x408E17D9 
[  146.689895]  21 :  0x00544188 
[  146.692959]  22 :  0x00541010 
[  146.696015]  23 :  0x00540000 
[  146.699070]  24 :  0x808FC0F2 
[  146.702134]  25 :  0x005441E8 
[  146.705189]  26 :  0x00000005 
[  146.708244]  27 :  0xC08E17D9 
[  146.711309]  28 :  0x808FC465 
[  146.714364]  29 :  0x00544218 
[  146.717419]  30 :  0x00543560 
[  146.720483]  31 :  0x00541010 
[  146.723539]  32 :  0x80916B3C 
[  146.726593]  33 :  0x00544268 
[  146.729648]  34 :  0x00000006 
[  146.732712]  35 :  0x00003E00 
[  146.735767]  36 :  0x808E1053 
[  146.738822]  37 :  0x00544288 
[  146.741895]  38 :  0x00540000 
[  146.744950]  39 :  0x0051B1B8 
[  146.748005]  40 :  0x808E1119 
[  146.751069]  41 :  0x005442B8 
[  146.754125]  42 :  0x00000032 
[  146.757180]  43 :  0x0051D0C4 
[  146.760244]  44 :  0x808E163A 
[  146.763299]  45 :  0x005442D8 
[  146.766354]  46 :  0x00540000 
[  146.769409]  47 :  0x00540600 
[  146.772473]  48 :  0x808E16BD 
[  146.775528]  49 :  0x005442F8 
[  146.778583]  50 :  0x00540D14 
[  146.781647]  51 :  0x00000000 
[  146.784702]  52 :  0x408E0C24 
[  146.787757]  53 :  0x00544318 
[  146.790822]  54 :  0x00519291 
[  146.793877]  55 :  0x000017A8 
[  146.796932]  56 :  0x00000000 
[  146.799986]  57 :  0x00544338 
[  146.803050]  58 :  0x00559301 
[  146.806105]  59 :  0x00040020 
[  146.809248]  Target Not Available!!
[  146.812757] ar6000_avail: ar6000_init
[  146.816439] ar6003 driver: Completed loading the module ar6000_avail_ev

The firmware file is there and the symlink points to the right place, but apparently the driver doesn't want to load. The only thing I changed in the code was to change the location of the firmware from /opt/ar6k to /mnt/lib/firmware/ar6k. As you see, it's trying to load it from the correct location, but that doesn't work.
I don't get any wlan0 interface either.

Loaded modules:

~ # lsmod
ar6003 347272 0 - Live 0xbf09e000
mxc_epdc_fb 42216 0 - Live 0xbf08e000
eink_fb_waveform 557508 1 mxc_epdc_fb, Live 0xbf000000

I joined the complete boot log in case someone wants to have a look at it.
The complete source for the driver is here: https://github.com/Kobo-InkBox/kerne...ireless/ar6003

In case why you're wondering why the version shows up as 2.6.35 while it's supposed to be 2.6.31... let's quote myself from a related commit in my InkBox kernel repo:

The kernel sources were taken from Amazon's website at https://kindle.s3.amazonaws.com/Kindle_src_5.3.7.3_2715280002.tar.gz . When compiled and executed, it will display '2.6.35' as its version number, but it is in fact a 2.6.31 kernel. The reason for this hackery is that the glibc chroots in InkBox OS don't support 2.6.31 kernels, but do support 2.6.35.x ones. Changing the version number in the kernel Makefile seemed to do the job fine, and I haven't seen any problems in using glibc binaries and libraries, they all run fine with this new 'patch'.

I kinda feel guilty, but anyways...

Thanks and I hope someone has an answer... Luck + Wi-Fi drivers isn't a thing for me...

[cearp]

Originally Posted by NiMa

Hello,
I am trying to get a custom kernel + initrd working for porting InkBox OS (https://inkbox.ddns.net) to the Kindle Touch.

I cannot be of assistance here but let me say thank you very much for your time and work!
I have seen your thread about InkBox and it looks incredible. I don't have a Kobo device but if I did I would not hesitate to give it a go.
If it could be ported to the (recent) Kindle devices... that would be amazing.
Good luck.

[katadelos]

I vaguely remember running into a issue like this when attempting to bring up the WLAN interface using Alpine/Buildroot images on KT2/PW3; IIRC it was because the firmware loading relies upon hotplug/udev and non-Amazon images lack the script used to handle this (usr/libexec/firmware.sh on KT2)?

The actual mechanism used is covered in the kernel docs under the section "Firmware kobject uevent fallback mechanism".

I think the same mechanism is used to load the waveform, come to think of it...

[NiMa]

Ok, thanks for the insight ! Will try it out soon.
Probably the best way ever to make a kernel non-portable... kudos Amazon...

Actually I solved the waveform issue, it needed files from [p3]/waveforms or something like that IIRC. Both *.wbf and *.wrf files need to be in the same directory. Name doesn't matter, only the extension does.

I am also currently in the mess of trying to backport a newer FUSE driver so that fuse-overlayfs can half-work like it does on 2.6.35.3 (Kobos), for now it just says it lacks a feature unsupported by the kernel. -- yay --

[NiMa]

Originally Posted by katadelos

I vaguely remember running into a issue like this when attempting to bring up the WLAN interface using Alpine/Buildroot images on KT2/PW3; IIRC it was because the firmware loading relies upon hotplug/udev and non-Amazon images lack the script used to handle this (usr/libexec/firmware.sh on KT2)?

The actual mechanism used is covered in the kernel docs under the section "Firmware kobject uevent fallback mechanism".

I think the same mechanism is used to load the waveform, come to think of it...

You're right, there is a /usr/libexec/firmware.sh script on the stock KT's root filesystem:

#!/bin/sh -e

FIRMWARE_DIRS="/lib/firmware/updates/$(uname -r) /lib/firmware/updates \
               /lib/firmware/$(uname -r) /lib/firmware"

err() {
	echo "$@" >&2
	logger -t "${0##*/}[$$]" "$@" 2>/dev/null || true
}

if [ ! -e /sys$DEVPATH/loading ]; then
	err "udev firmware loader misses sysfs directory"
	exit 1
fi

for DIR in $FIRMWARE_DIRS; do
	[ -e "$DIR/$FIRMWARE" ] || continue
	echo 1 > /sys$DEVPATH/loading
	cat "$DIR/$FIRMWARE" > /sys$DEVPATH/data
	echo 0 > /sys$DEVPATH/loading
	exit 0
done

echo -1 > /sys$DEVPATH/loading
err "Cannot find  firmware file '$FIRMWARE'"
mkdir -p /dev/.udev/firmware-missing
file=$(echo "$FIRMWARE" | sed 's:/:\\x2f:g')
ln -s -f "$DEVPATH" /dev/.udev/firmware-missing/$file
exit 1

What's DEVPATH? Also, there isn't anything in sysfs with loading:

kindle:~# find /sys | grep loading
kindle:~#

How to actually make it work?


Though, I did make some general progress...

[NiMa]

Does anyone have any idea about this? I'm feeling a bit lost here...