Linux Installation

As of 2014-02-17 the following problems exist with the W540 under opensuse 13.1 64bit Linux:

What is not working:

• monitors connected to the Ultra Doc.
• NVidia K1100M with Nvidia binary drivers. (opensource are functional)
• Bumblebee with external monitors
• Audio port on Ultradoc (works on side of laptop)

Details: I am unable to use nvidia K1100M with NVIDIA drivers. There is no option in the bios to select only the NVidia chip to run the video. Currently the opensource driver performance is poor and does not support power management. I was able to install the bumblebee code, but with it in place the external monitor ports on the doc or the side of the laptop (VGA/Thunderbolt) longer work.

Using the opensource driver, there are many display issues, but basic things (youtube, MATE, gnome, KDE) all work without issue. It is able to drive two external monitors and the internal display using the two side ports. The thunderbolt connector works correctly, including audio though the thunderbolt port via an HDMI adapter to a TV.

I have re-installed about 6 times and am still unable to find a combination that allows me to correctly using the closed source drivers. Either as dedicated only NVidia, or using bumblebee. For the moment I am plugging monitors and headphones into the side of the laptop while docked. I am also using VGA connector for one digital monitor and a thunderbolt to HDMI adapter for the other.

The ultradoc does drive the monitors w/o issue in Windows 7, though the thunderbolt connector does not work with Audio.

Resources

• Lenovo Japan : W540 product specification sheet
• ThinkPad-Wiki : W540