Difference between revisions of "Installing Slackware 12.1 on a ThinkPad T30"

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Installation of Slackware 12.1 on a ThinkPad T30 (2366-81U).
+
Installation of Slackware 12.0 on a ThinkPad T30 (2366-81U).
  
 
==== Features ====
 
==== Features ====
Line 20: Line 20:
  
 
* Onboard display (1024x768)
 
* Onboard display (1024x768)
−
* Trackpad & TrackPoint (except center button)
+
* TrackPoint (except center button)
−
* External PS/2 keyboard
+
** TrackPad may work, but I can't stand them so I disabled in the BIOS.
−
* External USB mouse including scroll wheel
+
* NTFS volume mounting
  
 
=== What needs to be fixed post-install ===
 
=== What needs to be fixed post-install ===
  
−
* Problems with network
+
* Wireless
−
* Dual-Head Mode
 
−
* NTFS volume mounting
 
−
* Automounting of inserted CF cards
 
−
* Fast access to terminals
 
−
* Additional screen savers
 
−
* Better wireless support
 
 
* Suspend, Sleep, and other FN+ keys
 
* Suspend, Sleep, and other FN+ keys
 +
* Sensors/Fan recognition
  
 
=== Not tested ===
 
=== Not tested ===
Line 39: Line 34:
 
* Modem
 
* Modem
 
* DVD / CD-R
 
* DVD / CD-R
−
* Controlling the fan and system LEDs
 
 
* What else?
 
* What else?
 +
* 10/100 Ethernet (I use this for wireless only)
 +
* Docking Station (I have one, but I'm not currently using it and haven't checked yet)
  
 
== Details ==
 
== Details ==
 +
=== Install with Windows ===
 +
A good friend of mine provided me with a 60GB drive that had the original IBM Restore partition still available. He even shrunk it down to half for me so that I could dual-boot without having to resize using [http://gparted.sourceforge.net/livecd.php GParted] or something similar.
 +
 +
Once I'd completed the setup of Windows (for the wife), I began the install of [http://www.slackware.com Slackware 12.0] on the second partition.
 +
 +
I performed a standard install, selecting all packages, and allowing the setup to configure lilo for me. Slackware found the windows partition and asked for a mount point for fstab, as well as recognizing it in lilo and adding a boot entry for it.
 +
 +
Once the installation was completed, a simple reboot brought up the lilo boot menu, and I chose my new Slackware installation.
 +
 
=== Getting the system booted ===
 
=== Getting the system booted ===
  
 
=== System Updates ===
 
=== System Updates ===
 +
I downloaded the latest kernel from [http://www.kernel.org kernel.org] and installed it. Performed a custom compile of the kernel to remove unwanted/unnecessary features, and to add in those that were missing. As a matter of personal preference, I also compiled everything directly instead of using them as modules, the only exception being the ndiswrapper module.
 +
 +
Here's my [http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/User:Slackware42/kernel_config_t30_2366-81U.txt_2.6.24.5_configuration_for_T30_%282366-81U%29 2.6.24.5 configuration for T30 (2366-81U)]
  
 
== What needs to be fixed post-install ==
 
== What needs to be fixed post-install ==
−
=== Problems with network ===
+
=== Wireless ===
 +
Under Windows I downloaded ndiswrapper and saved the source file somewhere I'd remember. I then rebooted into linux and copied the file over and compiled it.
  
−
=== Dual-Head Mode ===
+
After compiling it I ran:
  
−
{{Todo|Performance, especially on 3d screen savers, seems quite a bit slower than under FC3. This implies that some form(s) of HW acceleration are not properly enabled.  Need to figure out how to do that.}}
+
:{{cmdroot|ndiswrapper -i Mrv8000c.inf}} (the driver for the Airlink+ card)
  
−
=== NTFS volume mounting ===
+
and then:
  
−
{{Todo|Which installation method is preferred?}}
+
:{{cmdroot|ndiswrapper -m}}
−
{{Todo|The NTFS module defaults to read-only for safest operation.  Try enabling full read-write mode.}}
 
  
−
===Better wireless support===
+
which installed it as a module into /etc/modprobe.d/ndiswrapper
−
{{cmduser|system-config-network}}.
+
 
−
{{Todo|I'd like to investigate the use of more advanced wireless tools with this system}}
+
I then modified /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1.conf by uncommenting:
 +
 
 +
IFNAME[4]="wlan0"
 +
USE_DHCP[4]="yes"
 +
 
 +
There are some other settings for wireless encryption, but I think that's beyond the scope of this how-to.
  
 
===Suspend, Sleep, and other FN+ keys===
 
===Suspend, Sleep, and other FN+ keys===
−
I tried the following keys.  None of them really worked.
+
* {{key|Fn}}{{key|F4}}
−
* {{key|Fn}}{{key|F3}} Darkened the built-in LCD, but didn't really suspend the system.
+
* {{key|Fn}}{{key|F12}}
−
* {{key|Fn}}{{key|F4}} Darkened the built-in LCD, but didn't really suspend the system.
 
−
In both cases, the system was clearly still running because you could move the mouse into the external monitor, click and drag icons, etc.
 
−
The screen was reactivated by typing any key (e.g. Shift or Enter).
 
−
* {{key|Fn}}{{key|F7}} The OSD showed various combinations of LCD & CRT on/off states, but there was no actual change to the display configuration.
 
−
* {{key|Fn}}{{key|F12}} No response.
 
 
* {{key|Fn}}{{key|Home}} / {{key|Fn}}{{key|End}} Correct adjustment of brightness.
 
* {{key|Fn}}{{key|Home}} / {{key|Fn}}{{key|End}} Correct adjustment of brightness.
 
* {{key|Fn}}{{key|PgUp}} Correct activation of ThinkLight.
 
* {{key|Fn}}{{key|PgUp}} Correct activation of ThinkLight.
 +
 +
=== Sensors/Fan ===
 +
This model comes with several temperature sensors which I was able to compile support for into the kernel. Once restarted, [http://www.gkrellm.net/ GKrellM] was able to see the sensors, as well as the fan speed.
 +
 +
=== xorg.conf ===
 +
The default xorg.conf worked fine, but it was using the vesa driver which would not allow mplayer to play full-screen. changing:
 +
 +
<tt>Driver    "vesa"</tt> to <tt>Driver    "radeon" </tt> worked great.
  
 
=External Sources=
 
=External Sources=
−
[[Category:Fedora]] [[Category:T30]]
+
[[Category:Slackware]] [[Category:T30]]

Latest revision as of 08:19, 24 April 2009

Installation of Slackware 12.0 on a ThinkPad T30 (2366-81U).

Features

In addition to the above, I have installed

Summary

What works out of the box

  • Onboard display (1024x768)
  • TrackPoint (except center button)
    • TrackPad may work, but I can't stand them so I disabled in the BIOS.
  • NTFS volume mounting

What needs to be fixed post-install

  • Wireless
  • Suspend, Sleep, and other FN+ keys
  • Sensors/Fan recognition

Not tested

  • Modem
  • DVD / CD-R
  • What else?
  • 10/100 Ethernet (I use this for wireless only)
  • Docking Station (I have one, but I'm not currently using it and haven't checked yet)

Details

Install with Windows

A good friend of mine provided me with a 60GB drive that had the original IBM Restore partition still available. He even shrunk it down to half for me so that I could dual-boot without having to resize using GParted or something similar.

Once I'd completed the setup of Windows (for the wife), I began the install of Slackware 12.0 on the second partition.

I performed a standard install, selecting all packages, and allowing the setup to configure lilo for me. Slackware found the windows partition and asked for a mount point for fstab, as well as recognizing it in lilo and adding a boot entry for it.

Once the installation was completed, a simple reboot brought up the lilo boot menu, and I chose my new Slackware installation.

Getting the system booted

System Updates

I downloaded the latest kernel from kernel.org and installed it. Performed a custom compile of the kernel to remove unwanted/unnecessary features, and to add in those that were missing. As a matter of personal preference, I also compiled everything directly instead of using them as modules, the only exception being the ndiswrapper module.

Here's my 2.6.24.5 configuration for T30 (2366-81U)

What needs to be fixed post-install

Wireless

Under Windows I downloaded ndiswrapper and saved the source file somewhere I'd remember. I then rebooted into linux and copied the file over and compiled it.

After compiling it I ran:

# ndiswrapper -i Mrv8000c.inf (the driver for the Airlink+ card)

and then:

# ndiswrapper -m

which installed it as a module into /etc/modprobe.d/ndiswrapper

I then modified /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1.conf by uncommenting:

IFNAME[4]="wlan0" USE_DHCP[4]="yes"

There are some other settings for wireless encryption, but I think that's beyond the scope of this how-to.

Suspend, Sleep, and other FN+ keys

  • FnF4
  • FnF12
  • FnHome / FnEnd Correct adjustment of brightness.
  • FnPgUp Correct activation of ThinkLight.

Sensors/Fan

This model comes with several temperature sensors which I was able to compile support for into the kernel. Once restarted, GKrellM was able to see the sensors, as well as the fan speed.

xorg.conf

The default xorg.conf worked fine, but it was using the vesa driver which would not allow mplayer to play full-screen. changing:

Driver "vesa" to Driver "radeon" worked great.

External Sources

Retrieved from "https://www.thinkwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Installing_Slackware_12.1_on_a_ThinkPad_T30&oldid=42917"