2w ago

Ubuntu 26.04 splits firmware package to reduce update sizes

www.omgubuntu.co.uk

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS will split its 600MB linux-firmware package into 17 vendor-specific packages to reduce bandwidth and download sizes of firmware updates.

Distro developers began discussing ways to reduce the size of firmware updates last year. Now, in Ubuntu 26.04, it’s introducing meta-packaging to spread Linux firmware across 17 smaller packages in the resolute archives. This resolves a bug filed in 2022.
The sub-packages are:
linux-firmware-mellanox-spectrum
linux-firmware-intel-wireless
linux-firmware-intel-graphics
linux-firmware-amd-graphics
linux-firmware-nvidia-graphics
linux-firmware-intel-misc
linux-firmware-broadcom-wireless
linux-firmware-netronome
linux-firmware-misc
linux-firmware-qlogic
linux-firmware-marvell-wireless
linux-firmware-mediatek
linux-firmware-marvell-prestera
linux-firmware-realtek
linux-firmware-qualcomm-wireless
linux-firmware-qualcomm-graphics
linux-firmware-qualcomm-misc