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Debian install

Objective of this guide: get Debian sarge installed on laptop while preserving factory functionality (this means no screwing around with windows or service partition nor render the “Access IBM” button unusable).

This guide assumes that you have already resized your C:\ partition and left some free space for Debian to install; note that an x86 architecture allows max 4 primary partitions (on the same harddisk?). Also make sure you have a Knoppix CD/DVD handy since we are going to need it. Since my notebook has a German keyboard layout this file will be written accordingly.

Disclaimer: please note that this guide has been put together from whatever information was available on the net regarding Linux and Thinkpad R50e (most of it found on linux-laptop.net – greets you brave fellows) and was written while installing Debian on the laptop (on a second computer, of course). Therefore it should be highly fault free and accurate. However if something were to go wrong in your particular case the rule of open-source applies: use at your own risk, you have been warned :evil_grin:

Installing first stage …

Insert the bootable media and at the command prompt issue following command (the = sign is at the left of the backspace button on keyboards with German layout): linux26 vga=791

language = English

region = Other  Europe  Romania

keyboard layout = German

Partitioning

WRONG: do not use the suggested automated partitioning scheme because this sets boot loader on the MBR and screws up “Access IBM” button

RIGHT: Manually edit partition table  select FREE SPACE and press enter  Create a new partition  0.5 GB (swap)  logical  Beginning (of available space)  select Use as and press enter  swap area  Done setting up the partition  select FREE SPACE and press enter  Create a new partition  rest of space or just hit enter (this will be out / aka root partition)  primary  check that bootable flag is off (if not change it)  Done setting up the partition  Finish partitioning and write changes to disk  Write changes to disk (hda aka IDE1 master): Yes

My partition table looks like this

Bootloader setup

When asked if you want to install GRUB on the MBR say: NO (the Access IBM thing, remember?)

When asked where to install GRUB write down your root partition (in my case /dev/hda4)

Now Debian will reboot and since we altered the partition table windows greets us with a nice BSOD; DON’T PANIC, take a deep breath and hope for the best (you may want to open the window / light a cigar, etc)

Remove Debian install media (if still in drive) and boot Knoppix instead; at the boot prompt add (since we’re working on a notebook): knoppix lang=de fb1024x768

After being dropped in the GUI fire up a shell and get root: sudo su

Now pay attention to modify following commands according to your configuration;

mount another writable partition (FAT 32, USB memory stick, etc; in my case I’m using the 1.1 gig FAT32 partition, as shown in the table above): mount –t auto /dev/hda5 /mnt/hda5

issue following command: dd if=/dev/hda4 of=/mnt/hda5/bootsec.lin bs=512 count=1

If the above operation is successful (you don’t get any error messages or a blank file) reboot: reboot

Boot Windows in safe mode and copy bootsec.lin in the root of the bootable windows partition (c:\ bootsec.lin) and modify the boot loader configuration table. You can do this by issuing following commands: right click My Computer  properties  advanced  startup and recovery  settings  edit  append following line at the end of the file: C:\bootsec.lin=”Debian GNU/Linux”  save the file  reboot

Configuring various things

Hardware clock set to GMT?  No (if shown time/date is OK)

Set root password

Create new user + password for new user

http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/i386/ch07s02.html.en

http://www.debianforum.de/wiki/?page=Super-VGA+f%FCr+den+X-Server

Add following line to /etc/fstab

/dev/sda1 /mnt/usb auto noauto,owner 0 0

Then issue a: mkdir /mnt/usb

To get the work done more productively download and install following packages:

mc, x-window-system, bzip2, xfce, kernel-package,

Installing & configuring X

apt-get install x-window-system

For configuration do following:

• Das Treibermodul i810 auswählen.

• Identifier leer lassen.

• PCI IDentifier leer lassen.

• RAM-Größe leer lassen.

• Die nächsten 3 Felder mit 1) xfree86 2) pc101/102 3) de füllen.

• Die nächsten beiden Felder leer lassen.

• /dev/psaux auswählen. Für USB Mäuse wähle /dev/input/mice.

• ImPS2 auswählen. (für eine Radmaus, PS2 für eine "einfache" Maus)

• Feld für Monitornamen leer lassen.

• LCD ja/nein wahrheitsgemäß beantworten.

• "Medium" auswählen.

• 640 * 480 @ 60 auswählen.

• Bei den Videomodes nur 640*480 auswählen.

• 16 Bit Farbtiefe auswählen.

• Bei den Modulen dem Vorschlag folgen, außer xtt. Bitte abwählen.

• Default Files und DRI dazuschreiben lassen.

apt-get install xfce

Installing WLAN (ipw2200)

To install wlan we first need to reconfigure the kernel; please read the README / INSTALL files provided with the wifi driver for optimal kernel configuration.

We are going to configure the kernel via ‘make menuconfig’. Check following dependencies before attempting to configure the kernel:

When all dependencies are met, download the latest STABLE kernel tarball in the /usr/src directory. After that unpack it (tar xfj kernel-2.6.14.5.tar.bz2) ‘cd’ into it, ‘make mrproper’, and finally ‘make menuconfig’.

Note regarding the configuration process: this is the actual hurdle when compiling a new kernel. I’d advise you know at least your computer GOOD before starting (lspci, lsusb), otherwise you’d end up wasting time (since the kernel won’t do its job properly) not to mention screw up your precious hardware. To save some time try to begin by commenting out (selecting no) those sections of the kernel you won’t use for sure (e.g.: RAID & LVM, Old CD-ROM support, etc.). Don’t forget to compile as modules anything you will most likely attach externally to your laptop and/or at least those things that you are most likely going to use. For most of you who have previous experience with computers and know a little linux I’d say you take at least a day off and try to read most of those options available. At the very end I can only point you to a German site, which in my experience has the most up to date kernel configuration howto:

http://de.gentoo-wiki.com/Kernel_manuell_kompilieren

http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-x86.xml?part=1&chap=7

Since I do not know many things about installation of a new kernel image I can point out a couple of tools to get the job done as quickly and painlessly as possible.

First there is the tool make-kpkg which builds and installs for you the newly configured kernel. So you don’t need to worry any more about the installation process but rather the configuration process. Here are a couple of commands that you should be aware of when using this tool:

http://www.us.debian.org/doc/FAQ/ch-kernel.en.html#s-customkernel

However if you missed the first one you should uninstall it and build another. For this you uninstall the misconfigured kernel with:

http://www.us.debian.org/doc/FAQ/ch-kernel.en.html#s-removeoldkernel

If you have trouble in finding the name of your kernel image look in /var/lib/dpkg/available.

Before attempting to try again the things stated in section ‘customkernel’ do a: make-kpkg clean (in the same directory there you applied section ‘customkernel’). Then do a: make mrproper

If this still doesn’t work for you you’ll have to delete the kernel sources and unpack them again from the original tarball.

make-kpkg -rev Custom.N kernel_image

dpkg --install /usr/src/kernel-image-VVV_Custom.N.deb

dpkg --purge --force-remove-essential kernel-image-NNN

make-kpkg clean

When the kernel job is done and you’ve successfully booted it, it’s high time to install the wifi specific stuff

(tools, drivers, cryptographic libraries, etc). I’ve wasted quite some time to get this process right and it finally

worked for me after I did the things in following order (notice the purple numbers):

0 worst case scenario: leave kernel with default configuration (will work just fine); DO NOT CREATE SYMLINK (linux) POINTING OUT TO ACTUAL KERNEL SOURCES.

To test whether custom kernel configuration is good try mounting a USB-memory stick; if it gets mounted you’re lucky. If not, reconfigure your kernel once more.

tar xfz wireless_tools.27.tar.gz

cd wireless_tools.27

4 make

5 make install

6 follow instructions regarding adding to path

tar xfz ieee80211-1.1.6.tgz

cd ieee80211-1.1.6

1 chmod +755 remove-old

2 ./remove-old  y  y

3 make

7 make IEEE80211_INC=/lib/modules/`uname -r`/build/include install

tar xfz ipw2200-1.0.8.tgz

cd ipw2200-1.0.8

8 edit /etc/fstab according to installation instructions

9 make

10 make install

mkdir -p /lib/firmware

cp ipw2200-fw-2.4.gz /lib/firmware

cd /lib/firmware

11 tar xfz ipw2200-fw-2.4.gz

12 reboot

13 modprobe ipw2200 associate=1 (you might want to do a ‘modprobe ieee80211’ beforehand)

14 iwconfig  if you see some network you’re done; congratulations