Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, known as Resolute Raccoon, is set to revamp how hardware support updates are managed by dividing the existing single linux-firmware package into 17 vendor-specific sub-packages. This initiative is aimed at minimizing the download size of routine firmware updates for users. Historically, the linux-firmware package has surpassed 500MB in size and consumes about 1GB of disk space when installed.
Currently, if even a minor security update, such as a 100KB change for specific network cards like Netronome or Mellanox, is issued, all users must download the entire 600MB plus firmware update. This bulk update process unnecessarily wastes bandwidth and places a strain on Canonical’s infrastructure, especially since firmware security updates land in the -security repository, which is not mirrored for hygiene reasons.
Canonical engineer Juerg Haefliger highlighted that discussions on reducing firmware updates began last year. With the introduction of meta-packaging in Ubuntu 26.04, the Linux firmware will now be distributed across 17 smaller packages, which will be aimed at alleviating the issues associated with large updates.
The list of new sub-packages includes:
- linux-firmware-mellanox-spectrum
- linux-firmware-intel-wireless
- linux-firmware-intel-graphics
- linux-firmware-amd-graphics
- linux-firmware-nvidia-graphics
- linux-firmware-intel-misc
- linux-firmware-broadcom-wireless
- linux-firmware-netronome
- linux-firmware-misc
- linux-firmware-qlogic
- linux-firmware-marvell-wireless
- linux-firmware-mediatek
- linux-firmware-marvell-prestera
- linux-firmware-realtek
- linux-firmware-qualcomm-wireless
- linux-firmware-qualcomm-graphics
- linux-firmware-qualcomm-misc
Most of these packages will be pre-installed to ensure compatibility with various hardware. The key change is that when updates are available, only impacted packages will require downloading. For instance, if a typo is corrected in the Intel Wireless drivers, only that specific package will need to be updated, reducing overall download sizes and easing bandwidth concerns.
This modification is currently being tested in the development builds of Ubuntu 26.04, and is expected to be implemented by its official launch in April 2026.