Ubuntu 24.04 splits firmware packages for faster updates

Firmware updates on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS have got smaller, as Canonical has backported the split Linux firmware packages it introduced in 26.04.

To make the change in noble, the linux-firmware package is now a meta-package that pulls in all of the individual firmware packages. Functionally, nothing changes; all installs get the full whack.

The binary blobs the distro uses are now split across 18 vendor-specific sub-packages:

Some non-default firmware was already available to install as a sub-package, e.g., linux-firmware-xilinx-vcu, so those don’t change (but aren’t looped into the new metapackage).

The linux-firmware package was a bundle of mostly closed-source binary blobs from hardware vendors, that things like network cards, CPUs and DSPs often rely on to function (or work optimally) on Linux.

All of the same firmware is still available, but as the meta-package now pulls in each package separately, updates to linux-firmware no longer require downloading the full stack each time a small security patch or bug fix in one set is made.

If, say, a tiny change is made to an Intel wireless blob, only the linux-firmware-intel-wireless package needs to be updated.

And since vendor firmware packages don’t depend on each other, you can now remove any that aren’t needed – don’t be too hasty in expunging things, as you might upgrade a PC component or plug in a device that needs something.

If you find space gets tight, or you want to keep your system’s security tight, you can uninstall the firmware you don’t need. For example, Netronome is mainly of benefit in enterprises and data centres, so sudo apt remove linux-firmware-netronome gets rid of it.

Canonical’s engineers began to look at ways to improve how it distributes Linux firmware in 2025, to both reduce the overall download size (and frequency) for users and lessen the load on its own update infrastructure in turn.

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS switches to Linux firmware sub-packages. Now, those using the previous LTS – which is supported with security updates until 2034 with Ubuntu Pro – get to benefit too.