Document support in the installer for loading missing firmware

2 files changed, 35 insertions, 33 deletions

diff --git a/en/hardware/hardware-supported.xml b/en/hardware/hardware-supported.xml
index 027c6bb79..1853dfc33 100644
--- a/en/hardware/hardware-supported.xml
+++ b/en/hardware/hardware-supported.xml
@@ -401,3 +401,34 @@ system.
 &supported-peripherals.xml;
 
  </sect1>
+
+ <sect1 arch="not-s390" id="hardware-firmware">
+ <title>Devices Requiring Firmware</title>
+<para>
+
+Besides the availability of a device driver, some hardware also requires
+so-called <firstterm>firmware</firstterm> or <firstterm>microcode</firstterm>
+to be loaded into the device before it can become operational. This is most
+common for network interface cards (especially wireless NICs), but for example
+some USB devices and even some hard disk controllers also require firmware.
+
+</para><para>
+
+In most cases firmware is non-free according to the criteria used by the
+&debian; project and thus cannot be included in the main distribution
+or in the installation system. If the device driver itself is included in
+the distribution and if &debian; legally can distribute the firmware,
+it will often be available as a separate package from the non-free section
+of the archive.
+
+</para><para>
+
+However, this does not mean that such hardware cannot be used during an
+installation. Starting with &debian; 5.0, &d-i; supports loading
+firmware files or packages containing firmware from a removable medium,
+such as a floppy disk or USB stick.
+See <xref linkend="loading-firmware"/> for detailed information on how to
+load firmware files or packages during the installation.
+
+</para>
+ </sect1>
diff --git a/en/hardware/network-cards.xml b/en/hardware/network-cards.xml
index 5e9b1d741..de0968c6a 100644
--- a/en/hardware/network-cards.xml
+++ b/en/hardware/network-cards.xml
@@ -88,43 +88,14 @@ ISDN is supported, but not during the installation.
 
 </para>
 
-  <sect3 arch="not-s390" id="nics-firmware">
-  <title>Drivers Requiring Firmware</title>
-<para>
-
-The installation system currently does not support retrieving firmware.
-This means that any network cards that use a driver that requires firmware
-to be loaded, is not supported by default.
-
-</para><para>
-
-If there is no other NIC you can use during the installation, it is still
-possible to install &debian; using a full CD-ROM or DVD image. Select the
-option to not configure a network and install using only the packages
-available from the CD/DVD. You can then install the driver and firmware you
-need after the installation is completed (after the reboot) and configure
-your network manually. Note that the firmware may be packaged separately
-from the driver and may not be available in the <quote>main</quote> section
-of the &debian; archive.
-
-</para><para>
-
-If the driver itself <emphasis>is</emphasis> supported, you may also be
-able to use the NIC during installation by copying the firmware from some
-medium to <filename>/usr/lib/hotplug/firmware</filename>. Don't forget to
-also copy the firmware to that location for the installed system before
-the reboot at the end of the installation.
-
-</para>
-  </sect3>
-
   <sect3 condition="supports-wireless" id="nics-wireless">
   <title>Wireless Network Cards</title>
 <para>
 
-Wireless NICs are in general supported as well, with one big proviso.
-A lot of wireless adapters require drivers that are either non-free or have
-not been accepted into the official Linux kernel. These NICs can generally
+Wireless networking is in general supported as well and a growing number of
+wireless adapters is supported by the official Linux kernel, although many
+of them do require firmware to be loaded.
+Wireless NICs that are not supported by the official Linux kernel can generally
 be made to work under &debian;, but are not supported during the installation.
 
 </para><para>