Ubuntu
ubuntu-meta package

Broadcom wifi driver (bcmwl-kernel-source) is not active in a live session till after you run the installer and enable restricted addons

Bug #1796544 reported by Daniel van Vugt
8
This bug affects 1 person
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
ubuntu-meta (Ubuntu)
New
Medium
Unassigned

Bug Description

On a Macbook Air, the Broadcom wifi driver (bcmwl-kernel-source) is not active (installed) in a live session till you run the installer (AND choose restricted addons).

This gives the user the impression that the live session doesn't support wifi. Although the system knows it's there:

$ ubuntu-drivers list
bcmwl-kernel-source

See original description
Tags: regression
Revision history for this message
Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt) wrote :

WORKAROUND:

1. Connect to ethernet via a USB adapter.

2. sudo apt install bcmwl-kernel-source

Revision history for this message
Jean-Baptiste Lallement (jibel) wrote :

This file is in /pool/restricted/b/bcmwl/bcmwl-kernel-source_6.30.223.271+bdcom-0ubuntu4_amd64.deb

Is it not installed when you select "Restricted Add-ons"?
What is the output of "ubuntu-drivers list" on this machine?

Changed in ubuntu-meta (Ubuntu):
status: New → Incomplete
Revision history for this message
Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt) wrote :

"Restricted Add-ons" can't install because there is no internet access to get them. There is no internet access because of this bug. :)

In previous Ubuntu releases I think we included critical drivers like bcmwl-kernel-source on the ISO...?

Changed in ubuntu-meta (Ubuntu):
status: Incomplete → New
Revision history for this message
Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt) wrote :

In the cosmic live session:

$ ubuntu-drivers list
bcmwl-kernel-source

And yes you're right - the driver is in the ISO, but under /cdrom/pool...

For some reason I thought any restricted drivers available in the ISO would be active before the installer started. So choosing "Restricted Add-ons" while I had no wifi would be pointless. But it's not. I think this behaviour has changed compared to older releases.

So this bug is invalid in the original form. I will reword it into something that's a real bug. Thanks :)

summary: - [regression] Cosmic ISO contains no working wifi driver for Macbook Air
+ Macbook Air wifi driver (bcmwl-kernel-source) is not active in a live
+ session till you run the installer
description: updated
Changed in ubuntu-meta (Ubuntu):
importance: Medium → Low
Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)
summary: - Macbook Air wifi driver (bcmwl-kernel-source) is not active in a live
+ Broadcom wifi driver (bcmwl-kernel-source) is not active in a live
session till you run the installer
description: updated
summary: Broadcom wifi driver (bcmwl-kernel-source) is not active in a live
- session till you run the installer
+ session till after you run the installer and enable restricted addons
Changed in ubuntu-meta (Ubuntu):
importance: Low → Medium
description: updated
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