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Bash command to ascertain firmware in use? Answered

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2024 10:45 pm
by mikeslr

I think I've asked this before, but can't find any answer. It occurred to me again when I realized that gyrog has published a 432 Mb fdrv, so one likely to contain even the firmware needed by even the most obscure hardware. But now having that, how do you get rid of the many Mbs of firmware you don't need? It should be easy:
Mount the SFS and copy just those files and folders you do need into a folder: dir2sfs that folder. User the new SFS rather than the old.

So what's the bash command(s) to determine what firmware is being used by a functioning system?


Re: Bash command to ascertain firmware in use?

Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2024 1:03 am
by mikewalsh

@mikeslr :-

Heh. It's not that straight-forward, Mike.....unfortunately. AFAIK, there is no one, single bash command that will automatically tell you everything you want to know. Firmware is used all across your system/mobo, etc., and you have to use a selection of different commands to pull in the info you need from a number of different locations.

This may give you some pointers:-

https://eclypsium.com/blog/linux-comman ... -firmware/

Probably the best way to obtain specific information about any part of your system on a current basis is Inxi. Normally, you can install this from most distro's repos, and is terminal-based, but I built a self-contained portable version of this that runs from a tray icon in the notification area. See here:-

viewtopic.php?t=10783

Entirely up to you, of course. It's basically just a bunch of scripts, so is quite small.....and is worth keeping around. I use it quite frequently.

Hope it may help.

T'other Mike. ;)


Re: Bash command to ascertain firmware in use?

Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2024 12:08 pm
by rockedge

@mikeslr I am looking through the forums for a script @fredx181 wrote for FirstRib/KLV that would shrink the firmware directory according to the needs of the machine it is run on before squashing it. Might be something useful in it for your application.


Re: Bash command to ascertain firmware in use?

Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2024 2:00 pm
by Trapster

Re: Bash command to ascertain firmware in use?

Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2024 5:06 pm
by mikeslr

Thanks MikeWalsh and Trapster for the links. Having read the threads, especially amigo's post, as Mike wrote "It's not that straight-forward, Mike.....unfortunately". :( I was hoping for something simple. When all is said, done and resolved I suspect that the solution will still be 'above my pay grade'.

Fortunately, being able to remove 'unneeded' would be just a perk with the storage space and RAM available on my current computers.