iwlwifi: missing bz-b0-hr-b0 firmware ≥99; driver minimum bumped in 6.18 but no firmware released

iwlwifi: missing bz-b0-hr-b0 firmware ≥99; driver minimum bumped in 6.18 but no firmware released

[Maxim Schoening]

Hi,

The iwlwifi-bz-b0-hr-b0 firmware has not been updated past version 98 (core98-161, October 2025), but the 6.18 kernel's iwlwifi driver has raised ucode_api_min above 98 for this device class, resulting in complete Wi-Fi failure.

On 6.17.9, the driver falls back to 98 successfully:
iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-bz-b0-hr-b0-100.ucode failed with error -2
iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-bz-b0-hr-b0-99.ucode failed with error -2
iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: loaded firmware version 98.d661c37c.0 bz-b0-hr-b0-98.ucode op_mode iwlmvm

On 6.18.7, the fallback no longer works and Wi-Fi is completely broken.
Neither iwlwifi-bz-b0-hr-b0-99.ucode nor -100.ucode exist in mainline linux-firmware or the iwlwifi for-upstream branch.

Other Bz variants have been actively updated during this period: bz-b0-gf-a0: updated to 100 bz-b0-fm-c0: updated to c102 bz-b0-hr-b0: stuck at 98 since October 2025 The most recent for-upstream commit (9a9285ce, 2026-01-15, "iwlwifi: add Bz/Sc FW for core102-56 release") adds firmware for Bz/Fm and gl but not Bz/Hr.

This looks like a coordination gap: ucode_api_min was bumped without matching firmware being released for all affected sub-variants.

Affected hardware: [17.350374] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Detected Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6 AX203
Device: Xiaomi Redmi Book Pro 2025 PCI ID: 8086:7740
PCI path: 0000:00:14.3
Variant: bz-b0-hr-b0 (Blazer CNVi + Harrison Peak radio)
Working: 6.17.9-76061709-generic
Broken: 6.18.7-76061807-generic

This is the same device class previously affected by LP #2102029, which was resolved when bz-b0-hr-b0-96.ucode was added in the core93-123 release.

Could the Bz/Hr firmware be brought up to match the other Bz variants, or alternatively, could the ucode_api_min for bz-b0-hr-b0 be reverted to 98 until the firmware is available?

Thanks a lot!
Best,
Maxim