Installing Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) on a ThinkPad X40

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Executive summary

Ubuntu Linux 7.04 (and probably any modern distro) "just works" perfectly out of the box on this machine, with opensource drivers only. No manual configuration was required. But there's still room for fine tuning (ie. to improve energy efficiency and battery life).

The machine

This an "all Intel" machine: differing from most other Thinkpad models because even the network, wireless and graphic controllers uses Intel chipsets. Note that some X40 models use atheros for wifi, or tg3 for ethernet (but not mine). That's why I choosed this one (beside the 1.2 Kg ultraportable form factor).

  • IBM Thinkpad X40 (model 2371Y29), Centrino platform
  • 1 Go DDR SDRAM (333MHz PC2700)
  • CPU: Intel Pentium M (Dothan) 738 at 1.4 GHz -32KB L1 - 2Mo cache L2 - 90 nm - LV (low voltage) - 400MHz FSB (4 x 100) - MMX - SSE - SSE2 - no NX/XD bit, no hyperthreading, no 64bits - socket 479 - (Enhanced) EIST SpeedStep - CPUID : 6D6 (cpu family: 6 / model: 13 / stepping: 6)
  • Southbridge chipset ICH4-M (Intel 82801DBM) : PCI, USB, IDE
  • Intel gigabit ethernet controller (linux kernel module: e1000) 82541GI MT mobile (support PXE boot :)
  • Wifi controller: Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Mini-PCI Adapter
  • Northbridge / Graphic chipset : Intel Extreme Graphics 2 : Intel 855GME
  • 12" screen, @1024x768 nominal resolution
  • Hard Drive : 1.8" - 40 Go - 4200 RPM - Hitachi DK13FA-40B
  • ATA controler : Intel 82801DBM Ultra ATA storage controller 24CA
  • Audio controller: AD1981B AC'97 (linux kernel module: i810_audio)
  • Weigth / size: 1.24 Kg / 26.8 cm x 23.7 cm x 2.4 cm
  • UltraBase X4 with broken DVDROM
  • Batteries :
    • default small one: 4 cells, Li-Ion, 1900mAh (about 27.4W) ~ 3h00
    • new one : 8 cells, Li-Ion, 4400 mAh (about 63W), 0.4 kg, ref (FRU) : IBM-92P1083 ~5h30
  • BIOS version : 1UETD3WW (2.08 ), built on 2006-12-21, released on 2007/01/31
  • IBM ThinkPad Embedded Controller version : 1UHTA6WW (1.56)
  • FW model : TP-1U

Installation

The X40 doesn't have builtin CDROM or floppy drive. I own an IBM Ultrabase dock station, but the DVDrom is dead. So I opted to install through PXE (network boot) for the first time ; I just applied instructions from this web page this was incredibly simple and worked flawlessly.

Small Ubuntu 7.04 glitches

Even if everything was supported, there was some small things where Ubuntu (or Gnome, or Linux kernel) could have done better:

  • Suspend-to-ram works out-of-the-box, no special tricks are needed. But sometimes, not always, for an unknown reason, the Gnome "logout" screen hides the s2ram option. Whatever, we still can suspend thanks to the thinkpad's special keys (or just with an "echo mem > /sys/power/state").

Not tried yet

  • TCPA (but who need this, on Linux ?)
  • HDAPS (Hard Drive protection mechanism, but this should work out of the box, we have a kernel module for that)
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