Control: found -1 6.12.113-1
I can confirm this on different hardware (Dell OptiPlex 3050 Micro,
Intel, xhci_hcd), so it does not look platform specific.
Adapter: 0cf3:9271 Qualcomm Atheros AR9271 "USB2.0 WLAN", bcdDevice 1.08
Firmware: ath9k_htc/htc_9271-1.4.0.fw from firmware-ath9k-htc (FW 1.4)
Working: linux-image-6.12.43+deb13-amd64 (6.12.43-1)
Broken: linux-image-6.12.113+deb13-amd64
On 6.12.113 the firmware loads exactly as on 6.12.43:
usb 1-5: ath9k_htc: Transferred FW: ath9k_htc/htc_9271-1.4.0.fw,
size: 51008
ath9k_htc 1-5:1.0: ath9k_htc: HTC initialized with 33 credits
ath9k_htc 1-5:1.0: ath9k_htc: FW Version: 1.4
ath9k_htc 1-5:1.0: FW RMW support: On
but bringing the interface up fails immediately with EMSGSIZE:
wpa_supplicant: Could not set interface wlan0 flags (UP): Message too
long
wpa_supplicant: nl80211: Could not set interface 'wlan0' UP
wpa_supplicant: WEXT: Could not set interface 'wlan0' UP
wpa_supplicant: wlan0: Failed to initialize driver interface
It is reproducible on every boot, including a cold boot with power
removed and without touching the adapter. Booting 6.12.43 on the same
system with the same configuration works.
#1151176 reports the same adapter failing on 7.2.11+deb14, so this may
be an upstream regression that was backported to 6.12.y.
Separately: after unplugging and replugging the adapter on 6.12.113,
the system hit an RCU stall and soft lockups in
ath9k_htc_tx_cleanup_timer and could not be powered off cleanly. This
matches the use-after-free reported on linux-wireless on 2026-08-28
("[BUG] ath9k_htc_tx_cleanup_timer -- ODEBUG free-active-timer and
use-after-free on USB unplug"). I only mention it for completeness.
Attached are kernel logs from a failed cold boot on 6.12.113 and from
a working boot on 6.12.43.
=== 6.12.113, cold boot (failing) ===
Oct 19 01:45:10 host kernel: Linux version 6.12.113+deb13-amd64
([email protected]) (x86_64-linux-gnu-gcc-14 (Debian
14.2.0-19) 14.2.0, GNU ld (GNU Binutils for Debian) 2.44) #1 SMP
PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Debian 6.12.113-1 (2026-10-15)
Oct 19 01:45:33 host kernel: usb 1-5: new high-speed USB device number 3
using xhci_hcd
Oct 19 01:45:33 host kernel: usb 1-5: New USB device found,
idVendor=0cf3, idProduct=9271, bcdDevice= 1.08
Oct 19 01:45:33 host kernel: usb 1-5: New USB device strings: Mfr=16,
Product=32, SerialNumber=48
Oct 19 01:45:33 host kernel: usb 1-5: Product: USB2.0 WLAN
Oct 19 01:45:33 host kernel: usb 1-5: Manufacturer: ATHEROS
Oct 19 01:45:33 host kernel: usb 1-5: SerialNumber: 12345
Oct 19 01:45:33 host kernel: usbcore: registered new interface driver
ath9k_htc
Oct 19 01:45:33 host kernel: usb 1-5: ath9k_htc: Transferred FW:
ath9k_htc/htc_9271-1.4.0.fw, size: 51008
Oct 19 01:45:34 host kernel: ath9k_htc 1-5:1.0: ath9k_htc: HTC
initialized with 33 credits
Oct 19 01:45:34 host kernel: ath9k_htc 1-5:1.0: ath9k_htc: FW Version: 1.4
Oct 19 01:45:34 host kernel: ath9k_htc 1-5:1.0: FW RMW support: On
Oct 19 01:45:12 host systemd[1]: Starting wpa_supplicant.service - WPA
supplicant...
Oct 19 01:45:12 host wpa_supplicant[696]: Successfully initialized
wpa_supplicant
Oct 19 01:45:12 host systemd[1]: Started wpa_supplicant.service - WPA
supplicant.
Oct 19 01:45:34 host systemd[1]: Started [email protected] - ifup for
wlan0.
Oct 19 01:45:34 host wpa_supplicant[754]: Successfully initialized
wpa_supplicant
Oct 19 01:45:34 host wpa_supplicant[754]: Could not set interface wlan0
flags (UP): Message too long
Oct 19 01:45:34 host wpa_supplicant[754]: nl80211: Could not set
interface 'wlan0' UP
Oct 19 01:45:34 host wpa_supplicant[754]: nl80211: deinit ifname=wlan0
disabled_11b_rates=0
Oct 19 01:45:34 host wpa_supplicant[754]: Could not set interface wlan0
flags (UP): Message too long
Oct 19 01:45:34 host wpa_supplicant[754]: WEXT: Could not set interface
'wlan0' UP
Oct 19 01:45:34 host wpa_supplicant[754]: wlan0: Failed to initialize
driver interface
Oct 19 01:45:34 host wpa_supplicant[754]: wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-DSCP-POLICY
clear_all
Oct 19 01:45:34 host ifup[750]: wpa_supplicant: /usr/sbin/wpa_supplicant
daemon failed to start
Oct 19 01:45:34 host ifup[749]: run-parts:
/etc/network/if-pre-up.d/wpasupplicant exited with return code 1
Oct 19 01:45:34 host ifup[746]: ifup: failed to bring up wlan0
Oct 19 01:45:34 host systemd[1]: [email protected]: Main process
exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE
Oct 19 01:45:34 host systemd[1]: [email protected]: Failed with result
'exit-code'.
=== 6.12.43 (working) ===
Oct 19 01:51:57 host kernel: Linux version 6.12.43+deb13-amd64
([email protected]) (x86_64-linux-gnu-gcc-14 (Debian
14.2.0-19) 14.2.0, GNU ld (GNU Binutils for Debian) 2.44) #1 SMP
PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Debian 6.12.43-1 (2025-08-27)
Oct 19 01:51:57 host kernel: usb 1-5: new high-speed USB device number 3
using xhci_hcd
Oct 19 01:51:57 host kernel: usb 1-5: New USB device found,
idVendor=0cf3, idProduct=9271, bcdDevice= 1.08
Oct 19 01:51:57 host kernel: usb 1-5: New USB device strings: Mfr=16,
Product=32, SerialNumber=48
Oct 19 01:51:57 host kernel: usb 1-5: Product: USB2.0 WLAN
Oct 19 01:51:57 host kernel: usb 1-5: Manufacturer: ATHEROS
Oct 19 01:51:57 host kernel: usb 1-5: SerialNumber: 12345
Oct 19 01:51:58 host kernel: usb 1-5: ath9k_htc: Firmware
ath9k_htc/htc_9271-1.4.0.fw requested
Oct 19 01:51:58 host kernel: usbcore: registered new interface driver
ath9k_htc
Oct 19 01:51:58 host kernel: usb 1-5: ath9k_htc: Transferred FW:
ath9k_htc/htc_9271-1.4.0.fw, size: 51008
Oct 19 01:51:59 host kernel: ath9k_htc 1-5:1.0: ath9k_htc: HTC
initialized with 33 credits
Oct 19 01:51:59 host kernel: ath9k_htc 1-5:1.0: ath9k_htc: FW Version: 1.4
Oct 19 01:51:59 host kernel: ath9k_htc 1-5:1.0: FW RMW support: On
Oct 19 01:51:59 host systemd[1]: Starting wpa_supplicant.service - WPA
supplicant...
Oct 19 01:51:59 host systemd[1]: Started wpa_supplicant.service - WPA
supplicant.
Oct 19 01:51:59 host wpa_supplicant[691]: Successfully initialized
wpa_supplicant
Oct 19 01:51:59 host wpa_supplicant[743]: Successfully initialized
wpa_supplicant
Oct 19 01:52:01 host wpa_supplicant[745]: wlan0: SME: Trying to
authenticate with xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx (SSID='xxxx' freq=2412 MHz)
Oct 19 01:52:01 host wpa_supplicant[745]: wlan0: Trying to associate
with xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx (SSID='xxxx' freq=2412 MHz)
Oct 19 01:52:01 host wpa_supplicant[745]: wlan0: Associated with
xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
Oct 19 01:52:01 host wpa_supplicant[745]: wlan0:
CTRL-EVENT-SUBNET-STATUS-UPDATE status=0
Oct 19 01:52:01 host wpa_supplicant[745]: wlan0: WPA: Key negotiation
completed with xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx [PTK=CCMP GTK=CCMP]
Oct 19 01:52:01 host wpa_supplicant[745]: wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-CONNECTED -
Connection to xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx completed [id=0 id_str=]
I am happy to test patches or intermediate kernels from
snapshot.debian.org to help narrow down the commit.
