Drivers

This page holds a model independent Linux driver matrix for ThinkPads. At current state it only consists of drivers which are maintained outside the Linux kernel source tree (even though they might be included in actual kernels already). For more specific information regarding your particular ThinkPad see the individual Components of your Model. We also have an alphabetical listing of drivers.

Linux Driver Matrix for ThinkPads

Connectivity
Hardware function	relevant drivers
Bluetooth	thinkpad-acpi (enabling/disabling bluetooth) see Bluetooth Adapters
Ethernet	see Ethernet Controllers
IrDA	see IrDA
Modem	see Modem Devices
Wireless LAN	hostap (Intersil Prism2/2.5/3 Driver for Wifi) ipw2100 (Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 Driver for WiFi) ipw2200 (Intel PRO/Wireless 2200 Driver for Wifi) madwifi (Multiband Atheros Driver for WiFi) ath5k (Multiband Atheros Driver for WiFi) - replacement for madwifi ath9k (Multiband Atheros Driver for WiFi with 802.11n support) see Wireless Network Adapters
WWAN
Display
Hardware function	relevant drivers
Display brightness	thinkpad-acpi (ACPI based LCD brightness control) tpctl
Video drivers	fglrx (ATI driver for Radeon, FireGL and Mobility boards) savage (Driver for Savage chips found in some Thinkpads) R128 (Driver for Rage128 chips found in some Thinkpads) R300 (Driver for ATI boards with R300 chips like Radeon 9500 and the FireGL series) see Video Controllers
Video Output switching	thinkpad-acpi (ACPI based video switching for X series models)
Drives
Hardware function	relevant drivers
CD/DVD Speed control	tp_smapi (enables setting of CD/DVD speed on modern ThinkPads) eject (enables setting of CD/DVD speed on older ThinkPads)
UltraBay Hot-Swapping	thinkpad-acpi (triggers UltraBay eject event) lt_hotswap (enables hotswapping with full DMA support) Debian hotswap (utility to de- and reregister hotswappable IDE devices)
SD Card Slot	sdhci (driver for SD/MMC host controllers) tifm (driver for 3-in-one memory card reader)
Input
Hardware function	relevant drivers
Hotkeys and Special buttons	thinkpad-acpi (tracks key and button events via ACPI) tpb (tracks key and button events via /dev/nvram) see also How to get special keys to work
TrackPoint	trackpoint (TrackPoint Linux kernel driver)
Touchpad	Synaptics TouchPad driver (Touchpad driver for X.org)
TouchScreen	MicroTouch TouchBase Driver (Driver for the FlipTouch touchscreen)
Misc Features
Hardware function	relevant drivers
Beeps	thinkpad-acpi (enables software control of system beeps)
LEDs	thinkpad-acpi (enables software control of LEDs)
ThinkLight	thinkpad-acpi (enables ThinkLight software control)
PowerManagement
Hardware function	relevant drivers
ACPI	thinkpad-acpi (IBM ThinkPad Fn+Fx key driver) acpid (ACPI daemon catching triggered events)
APM	thinkpad & tpctl (ThinkPad configuration programs that are compatible with APM)
Battery management	tp_smapi (Extended battery information and control)
Battery status	tp_smapi (Extended battery information and control)
Fan Speed Control	thinkpad-acpi (low-level control of fan speed and reading thermal sensor values) Fan control scripts (userspace daemons for controlling fan speed)
RediSafe	Software Suspend 2 (provides a RediSafe alike functionality)
Suspend to RAM (Sleep)	thinkpad-acpi (triggers Fn-F4 key event)
Suspend to Disk (Hibernation)	thinkpad-acpi (triggers Fn-F12 key event) Software Suspend 2 (hibernation more featureful than the old swsusp offer in the stock kernel)
Security & Safety
Hardware function	relevant drivers
TCP/TCPA (Embedded Security Subsystem)	tpm (GPL driver for the TCPA chip in newer ThinkPads) tpmdd (another driver for the TCPA chip in newer ThinkPads)
Harddisk protection (APS)	HDAPS (provides acceleratometer values through sysfs) How to protect the harddisk through APS
Theft alarm	HDAPS with Script for theft alarm using HDAPS
Thermal Sensor Monitoring	thinkpad-acpi (reads thermal sensor values)
Additional Hardware
Hardware function	relevant drivers
Docking Stations	thinkpad-acpi (reports docking/undocking events via ACPI)
UltraPort Camera	IBM UltraCam II driver