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IDProjectCategoryView StatusLast Update
0001240channel: elrepo/el9--elrepo--request-for-enhancement--public2022-06-25 14:23
Reporterrobbie Assigned Topperry  
PrioritynoneSeverityfeatureReproducibilityN/A
Status resolvedResolutionwon't fix 
Summary0001240: Possible to see kmod-rtl8723du?
DescriptionI have successfully built, modprobe'd, and used rtl8723du from [1] on EL9 without modification. Is it possible to see this packaged and made available?

Thanks,
Robbie

[1] https://github.com/lwfinger/rtl8723du/tree/v5.13.4
TagsNo tags attached.

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pperry

2022-06-25 07:47

administrator   ~0008451

I am very reluctant to take on supporting these out-of-tree Realtek drivers from past experience. The code is heavily dependent upon KERNEL_VERSION conditionals, and while the code may build cleanly now against a RHEL point zero release, the code will inevitably break as Red Hat start aggressively backporting the wireless stack in future releases (we can already see from Stream that wireless in RHEL9.1 will be based on kernel-5.18).

I am not prepared to spend the amount of time required to maintain this code over the next 10 year life cycle for RHEL9. It's simply not worth the huge investment of my time when you can buy a $20 adapter that is natively supported.

My advice to people with this hardware would be to (a) ditch it and buy something natively supported, or (b) petition Realtek to contribute and maintain their code in the mainline Linux kernel (this is not new code).

So really sorry, but it's a Nack from me.

robbie

2022-06-25 13:21

reporter   ~0008453

Thanks for the consideration, and completely understood; I was wondering as to why this was packaged by no major distribution, not even as a PPA or AUR package.

Unfortunate that the WiFi situation on Linux continues to be stuck in the past with regards to hardware support, but until we see manufacturer support from companies like Realtek, support for these chips remains basically a passion project for a knowledgeable few.

My quest for the "perfect sub-$100 Linux laptop" continues.

pperry

2022-06-25 14:23

administrator   ~0008454

Thanks for your understanding. I would say the state of wireless on Linux is actually pretty good with many supported devices - just that this isn't one of them. When the Intel WiFi device in my laptop died, I simply bought a cheap £10 USB adapter that was natively supported and it works fine on every RHEL release from 7 through to 9.

You can certainly carry on using that driver as long as it builds, and drop Larry a note on github when it fails to see if he will fix it.

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
2022-06-25 02:20 robbie New Issue
2022-06-25 07:47 pperry Note Added: 0008451
2022-06-25 07:49 pperry Assigned To => pperry
2022-06-25 07:49 pperry Status new => acknowledged
2022-06-25 13:21 robbie Note Added: 0008453
2022-06-25 14:23 pperry Note Added: 0008454
2022-06-25 14:23 pperry Status acknowledged => resolved
2022-06-25 14:23 pperry Resolution open => won't fix