Fwupd 1.9.7 Adds Support For More Logitech, Synaptics & Western Digital Hardware

Richard Hughes of Red Hat has released Fwupd 1.9.7 as the newest version of this open-source software for applying firmware updates on Linux for system firmware to various peripherals and other components.

Fwupd 1.9.7 adds support for child device requirements expressed in metadata, support for more than one host BKC, support for parsing cabinet archives internally without relying on the external libgcab library, and using the close-ended mode for eMMC FFU to speed-up firmware updates. Plus there is a handful of different bugs fixed throughout the Fwupd software.

As with most Fwupd releases, Fwupd 1.9.7 further extends the range of supported devices. With Fwupd 1.9.7 the latest hardware to be supported includes:

- Logitech Rally System devices
- More PixartRF HPAC devices
- More Synaptics Prometheus fingerprint readers
- Some Western Digital eMMC devices
- VIA VL830 and VL832

Fwupd with the Linux Vendor Firmware Service (LVFS) has been a big improvement for getting more vendors supporting firmware updating under Linux rather than resorting to bootable options for some system firmware, resorting to Windows for obtaining peripheral firmware updates, or other less than ideal routes for obtaining firmware updates that Linux users had to resort to in the past.

Fwupd firmware updating on Ubuntu Linux with the Framework 13 AMD laptop.

Downloads and the full list of fixes found in Fwupd 1.9.7 can be found via GitHub.