Debian GNU/Linux installation on a

Toshiba A80 Laptop

Manuel Romero Velázquez aka Manolo Romero aka Yolngu Boy
Domovision
Manuel “DOT” Romero “AT” domovision “DOT” com
Alcalá del Río, Sevilla, Andalucía, Spain

October 10th 2005
Version 2.0

The Xorg era

Changes

Xorg

Update to kernel 2.6.12

NIC driver

Introduction

This paper explains some steps to do a full installation of Debian GNU/Linux on a Toshiba notebook.

This paper will explain how to install and configure each device of the notebook. You can use all this information, or a part; it depends on your hardware.

Product Specifications

The laptop was bought at Differware, Spain.

Processor

Processor: Pentium M 730 1.6 Ghz

Logic: Intel Mobil chipset

LCD

LCD: TFT XGA 15'

Graphics

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce Go 6200 (Nvidia driver, Debian packages)

Sound

Sound card: RealTek AC'97

Modem

Toshiba

LAN

LAN: Marvell Yukon 88E8036 aka SysKonnect chip. Fast Ethernet 10/100 PCI-E (sk98lin beta driver)

WiFi: Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG (Intel module, Debian module package)

PCMCIA y Flash

Flash Card 6 on 1

PCMCIA: Texas Instruments PCIxx21 (Problems with 2.6)

USB

Firewire

Operating System

OS: Included Redmond XP. I scream Debian GNU/Linux

lspci output

manolo@lucero:~$ lspci

0000:00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corp. Mobile Memory Controller Hub (rev 03)

0000:00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. Mobile Memory Controller Hub PCI Express Port (rev 03)

0000:00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) PCI Express Port 1 (rev 03)

0000:00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB UHCI #1 (rev 03)

0000:00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB UHCI #2 (rev 03)

0000:00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB UHCI #3 (rev 03)

0000:00:1d.3 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB UHCI #4 (rev 03)

0000:00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 03)

0000:00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82801 PCI Bridge (rev d3)

0000:00:1e.2 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corp. 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 03)

0000:00:1e.3 Modem: Intel Corp. 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) AC'97 Modem Controller (rev 03)

0000:00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corp. 82801FBM (ICH6M) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 03)

0000:00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corp. 82801FBM (ICH6M) SATA Controller (rev 03)

0000:00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corp. 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) SMBus Controller (rev 03)

0000:01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation: Unknown device 0167 (rev a1)

0000:02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Marvell Technology Group Ltd.: Unknown device 4351 (rev 10)

0000:06:02.0 Network controller: Intel Corp. PRO/Wireless 2200BG (rev 05)

0000:06:04.0 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments: Unknown device 8031

0000:06:04.2 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Texas Instruments: Unknown device 8032

0000:06:04.3 Unknown mass storage controller: Texas Instruments: Unknown device 8033

0000:06:04.4 0805: Texas Instruments: Unknown device 8034

lspci -n output

manolo@lucero:~$ lspci -n

0000:00:00.0 0600: 8086:2590 (rev 03)

0000:00:01.0 0604: 8086:2591 (rev 03)

0000:00:1c.0 0604: 8086:2660 (rev 03)

0000:00:1d.0 0c03: 8086:2658 (rev 03)

0000:00:1d.1 0c03: 8086:2659 (rev 03)

0000:00:1d.2 0c03: 8086:265a (rev 03)

0000:00:1d.3 0c03: 8086:265b (rev 03)

0000:00:1d.7 0c03: 8086:265c (rev 03)

0000:00:1e.0 0604: 8086:2448 (rev d3)

0000:00:1e.2 0401: 8086:266e (rev 03)

0000:00:1e.3 0703: 8086:266d (rev 03)

0000:00:1f.0 0601: 8086:2641 (rev 03)

0000:00:1f.2 0101: 8086:2653 (rev 03)

0000:00:1f.3 0c05: 8086:266a (rev 03)

0000:01:00.0 0300: 10de:0167 (rev a1)

0000:02:00.0 0200: 11ab:4351 (rev 10)

0000:06:02.0 0280: 8086:4220 (rev 05)

0000:06:04.0 0607: 104c:8031

0000:06:04.2 0c00: 104c:8032

0000:06:04.3 0180: 104c:8033

0000:06:04.4 0805: 104c:8034

Installation

The first try was with:

Debian Sarge Net_install rc3

Guadalinex 2004

Knoppix 3.6

In all cases the system hang up after initrd load. In Guadalinex 2004 I used options like noacpi, noudev, but there was not difference.

The problem is that the ide driver gets busy the address of ide0 and ide1. It's a common bug to other modern hardware also in Dell laptops.

The second try was:

Debian Sarge Net_Boot rc3 (expert26, kernel 2.6)

The system hang up in pcmcia activation, (/etc/init.d/pcmcia start)

Debian Sarge Net_Boot rc3 (expert26, kernel 2.6 apci=off)

It boots, but the ide bug makes uninstallable the system, because ide0 is busy, there is any disc to install the distribution.

Debian Sarge Net_Boot rc3 (expert, kernel 2.4)

With 2.4 kernel there was no problem with pcmcia.

After boot I needed a lan link to get installer components.

I couldn't use lan NIC, because there is no driver yet, and the driver for Intel PRO/Wireless is out the box, is a installer component.

I used a Orinoco wifi card to get the installation components.

The big problem with 2.4 is that we can't use DMA.

Update kernel to 2.6 BE CAREFULL READ ALL STEPS

You need to modify the kernel and all ok but NIC.

How to process

THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR THIS PROCESS.

DO IT ONLY UNDER YOUR RESPONSABILITY.

1.- Take a DHCP, Bootpc, ... system to boot from net, using al least Debian Net_Boot rc3.

2.- Insert a NIC like a Orinoco or other card with support in installation kernel. (You need it only until you install de Intel Pro Wireless driver).

3.- Boot the laptop, press F12 and select to boot from LAN.

4.- Enter in 2.4 way, not 2.6, with expert parameter at boot prompt.

5.-Install the distribution

Use the standard process to install Debian using the new Debian Installer (d-i)

6.- Boot the new system

Kernel stage

7.- Install kernel-source-2.6.12

Make sym link /usr/src/linux -> /usr/src/linux-source-2.6.12

8.- Make 8a or 8b point

8a.- Go into kernel dir

Change in file '/usr/src/kernel-source-2.6.12/include/linux/libata.h'

this

#undef ATA_ENABLE_ATAPI /*define to enable ATAPI support*/

#undef ATA_ENABLE_PATA /*define to enable ATAPI support in ..*/

change to

#define ATA_ENABLE_ATAPI

#define ATA_ENABLE_PATA

Go into kernel dir

cd /usr/src/linux-source-2.6.12

and compile and make a package

make-kpkg –revision 01 –initrd kernel_image

install the generated package

dpkg -i /usr/src/kernel-image-2.6.12_01_i386.deb

8b.- Install my own binary kernel package kernel-image-2.6.12_02_i386.deb

9.- Very Important. Change grub menu, you need to have something like this:

title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.11

root (hd0,0)

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.11 root=/dev/sda1 ro acpi=off

initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.11

savedefault

boot

title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.11 (recovery mode)

root (hd0,0)

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.11 root=/dev/sda1 ro acpi=off single

initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.11

savedefault

boot

Pay attention to:

root devide: now is sda, because we use sata driver

acpi=off: buggy acpi

10.- Very Important. Change /etc/fstab:

Use sda, sdb instead of hda, hdb for hard disks

For CD/DVD use /dev/sr0

11.- Install drivers using module-assistant:

ieee80211

ipw2200 (intel pro/wireless card)

nvidia-kernel

sl-modem

and others.

12.- Install packages:

nvidia-glx

nvidia-kernel-common

nvidia-settings

nvtv

xfree86-driver-synaptics

tpconfig

13.- Configure Xfree to use nvidia driver

My xorg.conf

14.- Download NIC driver

http://www.syskonnect.de/syskonnect/support/driver/htm/sk9elin.htm

Unpack

Follow the instructions.

Last comment

Someday I will test other devices and put here their results; modem, NIC.

Acknowledgement

Thanks Winnetou, my partner in IMLUG and expert on kernel hacking.

Thanks all the people that support The Free Software Community and help to do a better world.