Linux on the Lifebook S-7020

Posted Wed 10 August 2005 by @andreas tagged #linux.

On this page you can find a short summary of my experiences with the installation of [Debian/GNU Linux] on the Fujitsu-Siemens Lifebook S-7020. This page can also be reached from TuxMobil.

Lifebook S-7020
Lifebook S-7020

Hardware

  • Pentium M 760 (2,0GHz)
  • 1024MB Ram
  • 80GB SATA-Festplatte
  • Grafik: Intel GMA900
  • Display: 1400x1050 Pixel SXGA+
  • IEEE1394- (Firewire) Connector (not tested yet)
  • USB 2.0
  • Network: Broadcom BCM5751 (Gigabit Ethernet)
  • WLAN: Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG
  • Bluetooth
  • Modem: Agere HDA Modem 56k
  • Sound: Intel HD Audio with Realtek ALC260 Chipset
  • PCMCIA-Slot
  • ExpressCard-Slot (not tested yet)
  • CD-/DVD-Writer NEC ND-6500A

Output from lspci:

0000:00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corp. Mobile Memory Controller Hub (rev 03)
0000:00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corp. Mobile Graphics Controller (rev 03)
0000:00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corp. Mobile Graphics Controller (rev 03)
0000:00:1b.0 0403: Intel Corp. 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) High Definition Audio Controller (rev 04)
0000:00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) PCI Express Port 1 (rev 04)
0000:00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) PCI Express Port 2 (rev 04)
0000:00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB UHCI #1 (rev 04)
0000:00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB UHCI #2 (rev 04)
0000:00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB UHCI #3 (rev 04)
0000:00:1d.3 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB UHCI #4 (rev 04)
0000:00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 04)
0000:00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82801 PCI Bridge (rev d4)
0000:00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corp. 82801FBM (ICH6M) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 04)
0000:00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corp. 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) IDE Controller (rev 04)
0000:00:1f.2 0106: Intel Corp. 82801FBM (ICH6M) SATA Controller (rev 04)
0000:00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corp. 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) SMBus Controller (rev 04)
0000:02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation: Unknown device 167d (rev 11)
0000:06:03.0 CardBus bridge: O2 Micro, Inc.: Unknown device 7134 (rev 20)
0000:06:05.0 Network controller: Intel Corp. PRO/Wireless 2200BG (rev 05)
0000:06:06.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Texas Instruments TSB43AB21 IEEE-1394a-2000 Controller (PHY/Link)`

Debian/GNU Linux Installation

When installing Debian/GNU Linux Unstable I could not use the current Debian stable installer because the kernel it uses (2.4.XX and 2.6.8) could not detect the SATA-Harddisk or the network chipset. After having mouch trouble with the installation I now know that there is also a testing-version of the installer that probably would have worked.

I have helped me with copying an harddisk image from the old to my new notebook. Before that I had built a recent kernel on the old notebook that has all things needed to run on the new one. After copying the image I booted with Knoppix and only had to invoke lilo to install the new kernel.

Transfer of the HD Image

To transfer the harddisk image from to the new notebook, I read out the old hasddisk with the dd command and sent its output with netcat to the new one:

dd if=/dev/hda2 | netcat 192.168.0.5 3124

One the lifebook I previously invoked netcat in server mode to receive the data:

netcat -p 3124 -l | dd of=/dev/sda2`

To be able to increase the size of the system partition, I created a primary system partition on the lifebook about twice as big as on the old notebook. Then after transfering the image, I booted Knopix and invoked resize2fs (the ext3 filesystem is also supported) to increase the filesystem size to fit exactly into the partition size. It worked without any problems and I have not lost any data :)

SATA-Controller and -Harddisk

Serial-ATA-Harddisks are handled as SCSI-Devices inside the Kernel. So you need to activate Device Drivers → SCSI Device Support → SCSI low-level drivers → Serial ATA Support. To be able to use the Intel 915 Controller AHCI-Support is needed, too. After booting this kernel, the harddisks can be accessed as /dev/sdX but not as normal ATA harddisks under /dev/hdX.

Network-Chipset

The driver for the Broadcom network chipset is called tg3 but it is removed from the kernel sources that come with debian because of licence problems. The official kernel from http://www.kernel.org contains it. You can find it under Device Drivers → Networking → 1000MBit. After loading the module tg3 it is no problem to configure the networking card with ifconfig or ifup / ifdown.

Wireless LAN

To be able to use the wireless lan card (Intel Pro/Wireless 2200 LAN) you need to get and compile the driver from http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/. It provides a kernel module ipw2200. You also need to get a firmware for this card that can also be downloaded at that website.

The encryption method WPA is working here without problems with kernel 2.6.12.5 and the software wpa_supplicant.

But Mogu (many thanks for your note!) reports, that WPA does not work with kernel 2.6.13 and the ipw2200-1.0.6 drivers. He has to use WPA with wpasupplicant and the wext drivers.

Update - 13.08.2006

The current kernel (2.6.17) already contains a driver for the centrino wlan chips. The driver from sourceforge.net is only needed, if you want to be able to use the monitor mode. See the german version of this post for more information.

Bluetooth

The bluetooth-hardware is internally attached to the USB bus. To access it, you need to enabled the bluetooth support under Device Drivers → Networking → Bluetooth Subsystem and the HCI USB Driver under Bluetoth Device Drivers. To connect to a bluetooth device you also need to install the bluez-utils. This package contains the program hciconfig to check, if the bluetooth subsystem is usable.

PCMCIA- / PC-Card-Slot

The PCMCIA-chip is supported by the yenta-driver. When booting the kernel it reports that it has found a PCMCIA-Cardbus bridge. I have not yet tested if a pc card or expresscard really works.

IEEE1394-Connector

The ieee1394 (firewire) chipset is recognized by the kernel modules ohci1394 and ieee1394. I have no firewire device, so I have not yet tested it.

USB

You need to load the kernel modules uhci-hcd and ehci-hcd to use the usb. I tested both usb 1.1 and usb 2.0 devices and they work without any problems.

Power Saving / Speedstep

After loading the kernel module centrino-speedstep the daemon cpufreqd can be used to control the processor clock frequency between 800 MHz and 2 GHZ in a few steps.

I adapted the standard configuration of cpufreqd so that the processor runs with 800 MHz as long as the load is below 10%. If the notebook runs on battery the processor stays at 800 MHz, if not it is switched to 2 GHz if the load is above 10%. With this configuration the processor cooling fan does not run as long as you do not work with the notebook.

You can check the frequency the cpu is running at with the command

cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/cpuinfo_cur_freq

The other files in this directory tell you, what minimum and maximum frequency your cpu can reach.

Update 13.11.2006: Hibernate-Modus

To be able to use the hibernate mode, you have to activate the Serial ATA Driver for Intel ICH chipsets. If you use the generic AHCI -driver, the harddisk hangs after a resume.

Additionally you have to install the hibernate package, that controls the deactivation and activation of the device drivers. It is necessary to enable the option Runi915resolution yes in the file /etc/hibernate/common.conf so that the full monitor resolution is restored after a resume.

Configuration of the X-Server

The GMA900 chipset is supported by the x-server from x.org. (Debian-package xserver-xorg). You need to enter i810 for the driver in the configuration file xorg.conf.

The x-server has a problem with querying the supported resolutions of the chipset and works only up to 1280x1024 dots. So the tool 855resolution is needed to tune the supported resolution table of the chipset. This tool has to be run as an init script. You can also call it by hand as

855resolution 3c 1400 1050

to test the function.

When you have installed the tool as a debian package, you only have to enter the right values in the file /etc/default/855resolution.

The xorg.conf file should then look similar to mine:

Update - 13.09.2005

There is a x-server that supports the GMA900 without use of the 855resolution tool. You can get it at http://www.fairlite.demon.co.uk/intel.html. Replace the driver i810_drv.o in /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/ shipped with the X.org x-server with the downloaded file.

Then you need to modify the device section in your xorg.conf file, so that it looks like this one (the ForceBios option is the important one):

Section "Device" 
  Identifier "Intel MGA900" 
  Driver "i810" 
  Option "ForceBIOS" "1024x768=1400x1050" 
EndSection

Update - 12.11.2005: Xinerama

Andreas Bichler reports that Xinerama, an extension for the X-server to expand the desktop over multiple displays can be used. On the Lifebook the desktop then is expanded over the internal LC-Display and an externally connected display. Here is an example for a suitable configuration file for the x.org x-server:.

Update - 13.08.2006: 855resolution

Jens Frederik Dalsgaard Nielsen reports, that the 855resolution tool has been replaced by the 915resolution tool. If you try to install the 855resoltion package in Debian, you will get the 915resolution package installed automatically.

Sound

To use the sound card, you need the kernel modulesnd-hda-inteland a functional installation of ALSA . Sound output only works with the internal loudspeakers. Their volume is controlled by the headphone mixer. The external plug for a headphone does not work at the moment. I think that might be related to the "plug re-tasking" feature of the sound chip (see Realtek-Website - The linux drivers you can get there seem to be an older version of the ALSA sources and also do not enable the headphone output).

Update - 13.09.2005

There has been submitted a patch to the alsa project that fixes the sound driver so that the headphone output and line in will work. It should appear in one of the next alsa releases.

Modem

Now I have managed to get the internal modem chip to work. The drivers for the hd-audio chipset contain a driver for the modem hardware. To be able to use the driver, you need to install the package sl-modem-daemon. It is started, when the system is booted and creates a device file /dev/ttySL0 for the modem, so that it can be accessed like a normal external modem.

To let the daemon know which hardware to access, its configuration file /etc/defaults/sl-modem-daemon has to be changed:

```text SLMODEMD_DEVICE="hw:Intel,6" ````

Problematic Hardware

The following hardware components do not seem to be supported at the moment:

  • The buttons above the keyboard (labeled 1 to 4 and enter) do not work. They do not raise acpi events, except the power button which works perfectly with acpid.
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