Installing OpenSUSE 10.2 on a ThinkPad R61

Model

8919-6VG

General

To get the following things working, there are at least two ways: Using

1. the default kernel of OpenSUSE 10.2, or
2. the kernel of the day (KOTD), e.g., precompiled available at openSUSE BuildService or from the openSUSE factory or 10.3 alpha distribution; has to be >= 2.6.22

An x86_64 installation requires the latter option, since the Windows XP Intel WiFi driver does not work there.

Graphics: NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M

When using the default kernel there are two ways:

1. use the precompiled driver from the NVIDIA package repository [1], or
2. compile the latest driver on your own [2].

A kernel of the day implies the second way, since there are simply no precompiled drivers.

NOTE!

Brightness cannot be changed while X is displayed.

Sound: AD1984

In both cases, install a recent alsa version from the additional Packman YaST package repository. [3] [4]

When using the default kernel, the alsa mixer workaround script is needed to get at least the internal speakers working. Get it, e.g., from Installation of Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) Tribe on a ThinkPad R61.

With an updated kernel (>=2.6.22) and updated alsa (>=1.0.14) speakers, headphones and internal microphone work (Didn't test external mic).

The driver from Linux 2.6.23-rc3 can be modified to work with the SuSE default kernel. The driver in [5] (install kernel sources, unpack the archive, "make", "make install" as root, "rcalsasound restart" or reboot) works well with kernel 2.6.18.8-0.5-default (including headphones).

NOTE!

In contrast to alsa of the stock 10.2 kernel, speaker and headphone are now switches. Nonetheless, the PCM output channel still adjusts the volume of both.

WiFi: Intel 4965AGN

The easiest way getting this to work on a default kernel is to install ndiswrapper [6] and the NETw4x32.INF driver of the Windows XP Professional zip [7].

Updated kernels (>=2.6.22) include the new mac80211 WLAN stack and so are prepared for installing the native Linux Intel 4965AGN iwlwifi kernel module. Sometimes it works, sometimes not (iwlwifi 0.42), but driver is still in development and a stable version will hopefully be published soon.

UltraNav

TouchPad

The TouchPad is not a Synaptics but a ALPS. Furthermore, it is just recognized as a "PS/2 Generic Mouse" (hwinfo --mouse) by the kernel. Thus, the Synaptics TouchPad driver for X version distributed with openSUSE 10.2 (x11-input-synaptics-0.14.6-24) does not work. Consequently, there are no advandced features like scrolling available.

Trackpoint

The Trackpoint can be used to perform scrolling, similar to Windows. Just add the following options to the "InputDevice" section of the X.org configuration:

        Option          "Emulate3Buttons"       "true"
        Option          "EmulateWheel"          "On"
        Option          "EmulateWheelButton"    "2"

Power Management

Neither suspend to RAM (s2ram) nor suspend to disk (s2disk) work out of the box when running X. Since the machine is unknown to s2ram, it immediately resumes. s2disk fails to restore the display when running X, runlevel 3 or less works.

Following [8], s2ram -f -p -m and s2ram -f -p -s work within minimal environment and a normal environment without X. However, there will be a lot of ACPI errors in the log on resume.

s2ram -f -a 2 works from X, that is, the display is restored correctly on resume. The machine does not freeze immediately but after a few seconds. There are hundered of syslog lines complaining about hda not ready for command (DVD drive).

Integrated Fingerprint Reader

ThinkFinger does not work. This is because the fingerprint sensor is now made by TouchStrip (USB vendor ID 0x147e).