Fedora 43: /boot Size Increased for NVIDIA & Bloat

Fedora 43 Boosts Boot Partition Size to Accommodate Growing Firmware Demands

A critical, last-minute change has been implemented in the upcoming Fedora 43 release: the default size of the boot partition will be doubled from 1GB to 2GB. This adjustment is a direct response to the rapidly increasing size of firmware files essential for supporting modern hardware under the Linux operating system,particularly those related to graphics processing units.

The decision,described as an “emergency” change proposal,was finalized today after developers recognized the limitations of the existing 1GB partition. According to sources familiar with the development process, the current allocation hasn’t been updated in nearly a decade, while firmware requirements have surged.

Did you know? – The boot partition is a small,dedicated space on your hard drive that contains the files needed to start your operating system. Insufficient space can prevent your computer from booting.

The rising Tide of Firmware

The primary driver behind this change is the escalating size of GPU firmware, especially those associated with NVIDIA graphics cards. The open-source Nouveau driver and the forthcoming Nova driver both rely on ample firmware files to function correctly. This summer, NVIDIA GPU firmware files have ballooned to around 100MB, with the compressed NVIDIA GA102 GSP firmware alone nearing 49MB.

“The increasing size of these files is directly impacting the available space in the boot partition,” one analyst noted. “For Fedora Workstation and other desktop environments aiming for robust open-source NVIDIA support, this was becoming a critical bottleneck.”

The issue isn’t limited to NVIDIA hardware. Firmware requirements are also growing for ARM64 systems, including those powering the latest Snapdragon X Elite laptops and other emerging devices. As new hardware is continually enabled under Linux,the demand for firmware continues to rise.

Pro tip: – Regularly updating your system ensures you have the latest firmware, which can improve hardware compatibility and performance. Though,it also contributes to the growing size of firmware files.

A Proactive Solution for Future-Proofing

The move to a 2GB boot partition is intended to provide sufficient headroom for Fedora Linux upgrades over the next five years.Developers hope this will prevent future issues related to insufficient space for essential firmware and the initramfs, a critical component of the boot process.

A senior official stated, “This change is a proactive measure to ensure a smooth user experience and prevent potential compatibility issues as hardware and firmware continue to evolve.”

Further details regarding this late-stage change are available on the official Fedora Wiki page. The adjustment underscores the ongoing challenges of managing firmware in a rapidly evolving hardware landscape and highlights fedora’s commitment to supporting a wide range of devices with open-source drivers.

Why: The Fedora development team increased the boot partition size from 1GB to 2GB to accommodate the rapidly growing size of firmware files needed to support modern hardware, particularly GPUs. The existing 1GB partition hadn’t been updated in a decade and was becoming a bottleneck.

Who: The change was implemented by the Fedora development team, with input from analysts and a senior official who emphasized the proactive nature of the decision. the change impacts Fedora 43 users, especially those with NVIDIA GPUs or ARM64 systems.

What: The core change is doubling the default boot partition size in Fedora 43. This addresses a critical issue where insufficient space in the boot partition was hindering support for newer hardware and open-source drivers.

How did it end?: The “emergency” change proposal was finalized and implemented in Fedora 43. The team hopes this will provide sufficient space for the next five years of upgrades and prevent future compatibility issues. Further details are available on the Fedora Wiki.