Installing Linux on Asus L2400B

After reading Datasheets for more than 3 weeks, i decided to get the Asus L2400B. As before i set up a page descriping the linux installation.
This page was created in the hope to be helpfull

The internal components differ from the popular L2400D at least in this aspects

CPU: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 Mobile CPU 1.60GHz
Chipset: Intel845-MP
Grafik: ATI Radeon Mobility M6

A good page for linux on the l2400d is maintained by Julien Lerouge

Summary

The basic Functions including touchpad buttons, suspend to disk and modem work.There are a couple of issues with advanced functionality of the graphic system esp. TV OUT. UPDATE: Thanks to Julien Lerouge the special (silver) buttons work now as well as setting the LEDs. just grab his driver Julien Lerouge and compile it outside the kerneltree as a module.

Basic Installation

The Installation of SuSE 8.0 was straight forward.

Dont bother to setup a hibernation partion (as i did) since the bios does not support apm. Make sure your swap partion is big enough to use software suspend instead. At least 1.6 times your ram size for eatmemory (faster shutdown) or 2 times for free memory (faster wakeup), see ACPI section.
For better access from windows i choose ext3fs for the linux partion.

APM

APM is not supported by the bios. I could sucessfully suspend (apm -s) and wake up using the standard SuSE kernel, but experienced system freezes after periods of inactivity that might or might not be related to apm.

ACPI

setting up ACPI under kernel 2.4.20

1. get a 2.4.20 vanilla kernel -- linux-2.4.20.tar.gz (www.kernel.org)
2.get acpi-20021212-2.4.20.diff.gz (acpi.sf.net)
3.get patch-acpi-acpi20021212-swsusp18.gz(swsusp.sf.net)
4. get suspend.sh (swsusp.sf.net)

your swap patition should be at least 30% larger than your physical memory.

1a. uncompress your kernel

First of all, untar linux-2.4.20.tar.gz into /usr/src/ with command "tar zxvf
linux-2.4.20.tar.gz -C /usr/src/". You'll get a directory "/usr/src/linux-2.4.20/"
setup a link: "ln -s linux-2.4.20 linux"

1b. patch acpi-20020918-2.4.19.diff.gz onto kernel

Put your patch acpi-20021212-2.4.20.diff.gz in /usr/src/.
gunzip it: "gunzip /usr/src/acpi-20021212-2.4.20.diff.gz"
You'll get "acpi-20021212-2.4.20.diff" in your /usr/src/ directory.
Enter the kernel directory: "cd /usr/src/linux-2.4.20"
patch the kernel: "patch -p1 < ../"acpi-20021212-2.4.20.diff

1c. patch patch-acpi-acpi20021212-swsusp18.gz onto kernel

put patch-acpi-acpi20021212-swsusp18.gz in /usr/src/
then unzip it: "cp patch-acpi-acpi20021212-swsusp18.gz /usr/src/ ;
gunzip /usr/src/patch-acpi-acpi20021212-swsusp18.gz"

Now patch it! "patch -p1 < ../patch-acpi-acpi20021212-swsusp18"

While you patching files into kernel, you shouldn't see any
reject or some interactive questions. If so, download vanilla kernel from
www.kernel.org and other patch files again.

1d. config kernel

run command "make menuconfig" or "make xconfig".

1e. recompile your kernel

have fun

X

The graphic card is reported (3Ddiag) as"ATI Technologies Inc Radeon Mobility M6 LW (1002@4c57)" runs out of the box with standard XFree 4.2.0. check http://dri.sourceforge.net/ for the latest accelerated driver. This drivers coruppt your abillity to suspend your machine.

Up to now i could not get TV OUT to work under linux

SOUND

The Soundchip is reported to be

Cirrus Logic CS4299 rev 4

Capabilities : -headphone out-
DAC resolution : 20-bit
ADC resolution : 18-bit
3D enhancement : Crystal Semi 3D Stereo Enhancement

Current setup
Mic gain : +0dB [+0dB]
POP path : pre 3D
Sim. stereo : off
3D enhancement : off
Loudness : off
Mono output : MIX
Mic select : Mic1
ADC/DAC loopback : off
Extended ID : codec=0 rev=0 AMAP DSA=0 VRA
Extended status : VRA
PCM front DAC : 48000Hz
PCM ADC : 48000Hz
SPDIF Control : Consumer PCM Category=0x22 Generation=1 Rate=48kHz#

i could not find a cs4229 chip mentioned on the alsa site. I am using the intel8x0 driver.
There were clicking sounds when the module is loaded that was provided by SuSE's alsa rpm (alsa 0.5).
compiling the latest version (0.9.0rc7) resolved this issue.

You can use alsa-driver-0.9.0rc7/utils/alsaconf to set up your soundcard.

Use alsamixer to set the various levels

Note: there is a hardware volume control wheel at the cdrom drive.

MOUSE

Touchpad works out of the box using the /dev/mouse interface. Make sure to grap the synaptics driver by Stefan Gmeiner to get the scroll buttons and some other nifty touchpad features.

The external Mouse (Usb) works out of the box providing MOUSEDEV is compiled. With CONFIG_INPUT_MOUSEDEV=m you get the device at /dev/input/mice, with CONFIG_INPUT_MOUSEDEV=y in /dev/input/mouse0. If you want both simultaneously check the XFree86-Second-Mouse Mini-Howto.

Alternativly you can use gpm as repeater. The Advantage is you can use the mouse in the console mode also.
Start gpm preferably via init as gpm -t ps2 -m /dev/psaux -2 -M -t ps2 -m /dev/input/mouse0 -3 -R

Then define the mouse device in the XF86Config as gpmdata

Section "InputDevice"
Driver "mouse"
Identifier "Mouse[1]"
Option "Device" "/dev/gpmdata"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "on"
Option "Name" "AutoDetected"
Option "Protocol" "MouseSystems"
Option "Vendor" "AutoDetected"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

NETWORK

eth0: 8139too Fast Ethernet driver 0.9.25
eth0: RealTek RTL8139 Fast Ethernet at 0xe080b000, 00:e0:18:7f:cf:77, IRQ 10
eth0: Identified 8139 chip type 'RTL-8139B'

the realtek 8139 driver works out of the box

USB

USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801CA/CAM USB (Hub (rev 02)
So far i had this devices successfully connected

Usb Mouse
Wacom graphire tablet
Nikon 995

MODEM

Modem is a Intel Corp. 82801CA/CAM AC'97 Modem.
That is a Winmodem, luckily it is supported now.

get pctel-0.9.6 and ./configure --with-hal=i8xx

kernel: AC97 modem device found: devnum = 8000FE00, devid = 8086/2486
kernel: iobase_0=0xe200, iobase_1=0xe300,irq=10
kernel: PCTel driver version 0.9.5 [5.05c-4.27.215 (09-14-2001)] (MR) (2002-01-31) with MANY_PORTS SHARE_IRQ SERIAL _PCI AUDIO_ROUTING[INTEL] enabled.
kernel: PCTel driver built on [Linux 2.4.19 i686 unknown "2.4.19 <132115>"] with gcc-2.95.3.
kernel: ttyS15 at 0xe200 (irq = 10) is a PCTel
seems to work, have to find a analog phoneline now and test.
UPDATE: modem works fine.

CPU

#: less /proc/cpuinfo

processor : 0
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 15
model : 2
model name : Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 Mobile CPU 1.60GHz
stepping : 4
cpu MHz : 1600.086
cache size : 512 KB
fdiv_bug : no
hlt_bug : no
f00f_bug : no
coma_bug : no
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 2
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat p
se36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm
bogomips : 3191.60

todo: speedstepping

HD

is a IBM 30GB IC25N030ATCS04-0

hdparm -c 3 -p 4/dev/hda
no problems.

CD

is a 8/4/24 DVD/CDRW MATSHITA Model: UJDA720

no problems.

FD

Floppy drive(s): fd0 is 1.44M
FDC 0 is a National Semiconductor PC87306
no problems

Open Issues

TV OUT
speedstep

Have fun tom