Intel BE201 driver broken on linux

[saurabh-rawat]

Hi,

I have an Asus NUC 15 pro with Intel 225H and the wifi card is BE201.

For any linux kernel above 6.12, the driver for BE201 is severely broken.

For small transfers (scp) it causes skbuff structs (skbuff_head_cache and some skbuff_*node*) to spike to 19-21 gb causing the system to stall, OOM to kick in, swap to thrash before coming down after the transfer starts (not when it completes, it's back to normal as soon as the transfer starts).

It is broken on both Ubuntu 26.04 and Fedora 44.

I am not sure how this is not a huge problem for anyone else using these cards.

Do I just have a broken wifi hardware?

If that's the case, why is 6.12 fine?

Tried reporting here:

https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=221092

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2459104

Any support from Intel is appreciated.

[JedG_Intel]

Hello saurabh-rawat,

Thank you for posting on Intel Community Forum.

I understand you're encountering significant memory allocation problems with skbuff structures that cause system instability during file transfers. This is certainly concerning, and I appreciate you taking the time to file detailed bug reports with both kernel.org and Red Hat.

To further troubleshoot the issue, kindly follow the outlined steps below.

1. Install the latest stable Kernel 6.19 from The Linux Kernel Archives

2. Install the latest firmware iwlwifi-sc-a0-fm-c0-c101 from Firmware git tree

You may also find this article helpful: Linux* Support for Intel® Wireless Adapters

If the issue persists, kindly share the additional information below for further investigation.

1. Is this the original adapter that came pre-installed in your system, or have you changed/installed a new adapter recently?

2. Do you remember if this issue happened after a new OS update or Wireless driver update?

If you continue experiencing issues after implementing the stable kernel and firmware updates, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Best regards

Jed G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[saurabh-rawat]

1. Not a new card, came with the system.

2. 

Works

Almalinux 10.1:

6.12.0-124.52.3.el10_1.x86_64

[    4.311311] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: enabling device (0000 -> 0002)
[    4.313013] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Detected crf-id 0x2001910, cnv-id 0x80930 wfpm id 0x80005b20
[    4.313017] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: PCI dev 7740/00e4, rev=0x461, rfid=0x20112200
[    4.313019] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Detected Intel(R) Wi-Fi 7 BE201 320MHz
[    4.344611] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: TLV_FW_FSEQ_VERSION: FSEQ Version: 0.0.4.196
[    4.344816] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: loaded firmware version 98.d661c37c.0 bz-b0-fm-c0-98.ucode op_mode iwlmld
[    4.836377] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Detected RF FM, rfid=0x20112200
[    4.840863] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: loaded PNVM version 752be616
[    4.948500] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: base HW address: 38:18:68:67:78:89
[    5.026310] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Registered PHC clock: iwlwifi-PTP, with index: 1
[    5.030357] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3 wlo1: renamed from wlan0

Bluefin LTS HWE:

6.17.12-200.fc42.x86_64

[    7.106023] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: enabling device (0000 -> 0002)
[    7.108170] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Detected crf-id 0x2001910, cnv-id 0x80930 wfpm id 0x80005b20
[    7.108177] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: PCI dev 7740/00e4, rev=0x461, rfid=0x20112200
[    7.108179] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Detected Intel(R) Wi-Fi 7 BE201 320MHz
[    7.174148] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-bz-b0-fm-c0-102.ucode failed with error -2
[    7.293959] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: loaded firmware version 101.6ef20b19.0 bz-b0-fm-c0-101.ucode op_mode iwlmld
[    7.845683] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Detected RF FM, rfid=0x20112200
[    7.951940] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: base HW address: 38:18:68:67:78:89
[    8.021351] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3 wlo1: renamed from wlan0

Doesn't Work

Fedora rawhide:

7.1.0-0.rc1.260501g26fd6bff2c050.13.fc45.x86_64

[   19.133850] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: enabling device (0000 -> 0002)
[   19.136051] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Detected crf-id 0x2001910, cnv-id 0x80930 wfpm id 0x80005b20
[   19.136060] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: PCI dev 7740/00e4, rev=0x461, rfid=0x20112200
[   19.136062] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Detected Intel(R) Wi-Fi 7 BE201 320MHz
[   19.596097] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: loaded firmware version 102.07fca168.0 bz-b0-fm-c0-c102.ucode op_mode iwlmld
[   21.334817] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Detected RF FM, rfid=0x20112200
[   21.438807] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: base HW address: 38:18:68:67:78:89
[   21.512723] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3 wlo1: renamed from wlan0

Fedora 44:

6.19.10-300.fc44.x86_64

[   18.285732] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: enabling device (0000 -> 0002)
[   18.288031] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Detected crf-id 0x2001910, cnv-id 0x80930 wfpm id 0x80005b20
[   18.288040] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: PCI dev 7740/00e4, rev=0x461, rfid=0x20112200
[   18.288042] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Detected Intel(R) Wi-Fi 7 BE201 320MHz
[   18.836490] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: loaded firmware version 101.6e695a70.0 bz-b0-fm-c0-c101.ucode op_mode iwlmld
[   22.470498] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Detected RF FM, rfid=0x20112200
[   22.574049] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: base HW address: 38:18:68:67:78:89
[   22.650424] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3 wlo1: renamed from wlan0

I only have one linux system, which I need to use. So I can't do arbitrary experiments on it.

I hope with the above details, you are able to reproduce and debug.

[JedG_Intel]

Hi saurabh-rawat,

Thank you for sharing all of this information. I will investigate the issue further and get back to you as soon as I have an update or if any additional information is needed.

In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to let me know.

Best regards

Jed G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JedG_Intel]

Hi saurabh-rawat,,

I'm getting back in touch to give you an update following our investigation. 

Regarding the issue that you raised, we've reviewed the information and here's the explanation of the Wi-Fi firmware behavior on different Linux distributions:

It was reported that the Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE201 device functions on AlmaLinux 10.1 with kernel version 6.12.0 and Fedora 44 with kernel 6.19.10, but fails on Fedora Rawhide with kernel 7.1.0-0.rc1. The logs indicate successful device detection and firmware loading on AlmaLinux and Fedora 44, but show firmware load failure on Fedora Rawhide for a specific firmware file.

Possible reasons for this behavior:

Firmware Compatibility and Versions:

• The Wi-Fi driver (iwlwifi) loads different firmware versions based on the kernel and distribution
• Firmware files follow naming conventions like iwlwifi-bz-b0-fm-c0-98.ucode, 101.ucode, 102.ucode, etc.

Firmware Load Failure:

• The AlmaLinux log contains the line: "Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-bz-b0-fm-c0-102.ucode failed with error -2"
• This indicates the firmware file 102.ucode was not found, causing the driver to fall back to older firmware 101.ucode
• This fallback mechanism works successfully on AlmaLinux

Why It Works on AlmaLinux but Not on Rawhide and Fedora 44:

• Failure to load expected firmware or incompatibility between the latest driver and firmware can prevent device functionality
• Intel wireless firmware and drivers have dependencies on specific Linux kernel versions
• Only certain versions of wireless firmware and drivers are guaranteed to work with particular kernel versions
• We support driver usage only in the kernel version for which the driver was originally designed

With this in mind, could you please update the kernel to the latest stable version (7.0.3) and the firmware to iwlwifi‑sc‑a0‑fm‑c0‑c101? Based on the current logs, it appears that you are using a different kernel and firmware version than what is currently available. This update may help address the issue.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Best regards,

Jed G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[saurabh-rawat]

Hi,

The reply is really inconsistent and lacks any substantial information. I feel like I could have received a better response asking any AI myself.

All it would take for intel to confirm this bug would be to use this card in any latest mainstream distribution. I don't know what repeating the same thing again and again will achieve.

I totally understand if intel doesn't want to provide linux support but then it should be made clear and that way both sides save a lot of time.

[JedG_Intel]

Hi saurabh-rawat,

I understand your disappointment with what appeared to be generic troubleshooting steps, and I acknowledge your thorough technical understanding of this issue affecting the Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE201 driver. Rest assured that my responses are not AI generated, and I am here to guide you through the troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue.

Regarding our recommendation for specific kernel and firmware versions, my suggestion to test specific kernel and firmware combinations was based on validated compatibility matrices. Looking at your logs, I noticed you're using firmware bz-b0-fm-c0-c102.ucode on the problematic kernel 7.1.0. The c102 firmware you're encountering is not validated, which could explain the memory allocation issues.

Following validated recommendations from our end, I'd like you to test Kernel 6.19 [Stable] with firmware iwlwifi-sc-a0-fm-c0-c101. Since your logs show Fedora 44 with kernel 6.19.10 was working, this will help us establish a stable baseline before investigating the kernel 7.x compatibility issues.

I would appreciate it if you could please confirm whether you have tried the specific combination of Kernel 6.19 [Stable] with firmware iwlwifi-sc-a0-fm-c0-c101. This validated pairing will help our team to isolate whether this is a kernel 7.x specific issue or a broader firmware validation problem.

If you need further assistance, please let me know so I can assist you accordingly.

Best regards,

Jed G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[saurabh-rawat]

Ok, I see the confusion now.

What I am saying is that Fedora 44 doesn't work.

What works: almalinux 10 (6.12), bluefin lts hwe (6.17)

What doesn't work: Fedora 44, Ubuntu 26.04, Fedora rawhide

So 6.19 is not working as well.

From the logs, it looks like all the distros are picking up bz-b0-fm-c0-* but you are suggesting sc-a0-fm-c0-*.

So is that where the problem lies, all the distros picking up the wrong firmware?

If not, then I can confirm 6.19 and 101 don't work, neither does 7.0.

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello saurabh-rawat,

Thank you for the detailed breakdown and clarification.

Your observation about the firmware selection is particularly valuable - the fact that the non-working distros are picking up bz-b0-fm-c0-* instead of the suggested sc-a0-fm-c0-* firmware could indeed be the root cause of the issue.

We'll investigate this firmware selection discrepancy further and check why certain distros are defaulting to different firmware variants. I'll also look into the compatibility issues with kernel versions 6.19, 101, and 7.0 that you've confirmed.

I'll provide you with an update once we have more information on this firmware selection behavior and potential solutions.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[saurabh-rawat]

Just to confirm, even in the cases where it worked:

What works: almalinux 10 (6.12), bluefin lts hwe (6.17)

it was  bz-b0-fm-c0-*

[JedG_Intel]

Hi saurabh-rawat,

Thank you for clarifying the situation. I’ve sent you an email to continue providing support. Please check your inbox at your earliest convenience.

Best regards,

Jed G.

Intel Customer Support Technician