dmesg output: Missing free firmware (non-Free firmware loading is disable)
I've curiosity of what's going on with that message. dmesg output:
[ +0,000186] 0000:02:00.0: Missing Free firmware (non-Free firmware loading is disabled)
[ +0,004993] r8169 0000:02:00.0: Direct firmware load failed with error -2
[ +0,000007] r8169 0000:02:00.0 enp2s0: unable to load firmware patch /*(DEBLOBBED)*/ (-22)
[ +0,143676] r8169 0000:02:00.0 enp2s0: link down
Someone could explains what does it mean?
Thanks :)
The Realtek 8169 chipset of your Ethernet card would run a proprietary firmware (a "blob") that the kernel would send to it, if that kernel was not made to protect your freedoms. Fortunately, you run Linux-libre, which does protect your freedoms.
Some Linux (kernel) drivers, like those for Realtek Ethernet interfaces, try to load non-free firmware. Trisquel uses scripts from Linux-libre to disable non-free firmware loading in its Linux packages. So that message is just Trisquel's Linux notifying you that the Realtek Ethernet driver would have tried to load non-free firmware but didn't.
Realtek Ethernet interfaces usually still work without such firmware.