[Bug 2126066] [NEW] Upgrade to questing daily breaks wifi firmware blob

[Dave Jones]

Public bug reported:

The wifi firmware blobs in linux-firmware-raspi have a complex state:
several duplicate files in linux-firmware and thus the package places a
ton of dpkg-diversions to ensure the -raspi variants take precedence.
Furthermore, the firmware for the 43455 (used on the 3+, 4, and 5
boards) is *also* subject to an update-alternatives link. This works in
the produced images (both plucky and questing have the correct link in
place) but on upgrade from plucky to questing (from 12-0ubuntu1 to
13-0ubuntu1), which also involves correction of the aliased paths (/lib
-> /usr/lib) used by both the diversions *and* the alternatives
configuration, the installation breaks.

Specifically, the result is that although the diversion of
/usr/lib/firmware/cypress/cyfmac43455-sdio.bin.zst remains in place in
the dpkg configuration, the alternatives link is deleted, and the linux-
firmware file winds up in its place (without the .distrib suffix which
should be there if the diversion was still working). Unfortunately at
this point, update-alternatives with --force is required to fix things,
but if this is done naively it destroys the copy of the firmware blob
from linux-firmware (instead of moving it to .distrib as should happen).

The d/rules file needs to grow some more logic to handle this complex
upgrade correctly.

** Affects: linux-firmware-raspi (Ubuntu)
     Importance: High
     Assignee: Dave Jones (waveform)
         Status: Triaged

** Changed in: linux-firmware-raspi (Ubuntu)
       Status: New => Triaged

** Changed in: linux-firmware-raspi (Ubuntu)
   Importance: Undecided => High

** Changed in: linux-firmware-raspi (Ubuntu)
     Assignee: (unassigned) => Dave Jones (waveform)

** Changed in: linux-firmware-raspi (Ubuntu)
    Milestone: None => ubuntu-25.10

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2126066

Title:
  Upgrade to questing daily breaks wifi firmware blob

Status in linux-firmware-raspi package in Ubuntu:
  Triaged

Bug description:
  The wifi firmware blobs in linux-firmware-raspi have a complex state:
  several duplicate files in linux-firmware and thus the package places
  a ton of dpkg-diversions to ensure the -raspi variants take
  precedence. Furthermore, the firmware for the 43455 (used on the 3+,
  4, and 5 boards) is *also* subject to an update-alternatives link.
  This works in the produced images (both plucky and questing have the
  correct link in place) but on upgrade from plucky to questing (from
  12-0ubuntu1 to 13-0ubuntu1), which also involves correction of the
  aliased paths (/lib -> /usr/lib) used by both the diversions *and* the
  alternatives configuration, the installation breaks.

  Specifically, the result is that although the diversion of
  /usr/lib/firmware/cypress/cyfmac43455-sdio.bin.zst remains in place in
  the dpkg configuration, the alternatives link is deleted, and the
  linux-firmware file winds up in its place (without the .distrib suffix
  which should be there if the diversion was still working).
  Unfortunately at this point, update-alternatives with --force is
  required to fix things, but if this is done naively it destroys the
  copy of the firmware blob from linux-firmware (instead of moving it to
  .distrib as should happen).

  The d/rules file needs to grow some more logic to handle this complex
  upgrade correctly.

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