IFL 90 and linux

Hey everyone,

pretty new here but was reading lots of good things about the compal IFL 90 on this site, and am now considering buying one. The only problem is that i dont use windows.
So i was wondering how well this laptop is supported by the linux kernel, and if not how much of the hardware is supported by linux drivers?

Thanks Ryan

 

I do not know whether anybody has installed a Linux distribution yet but I plan to install Ubuntu when I get mine (this week, if the stars shine the right way). It is hard to know without having the machine what exactly will work right out of the box, what will work after some effort and what will not work for a while.

Here's what comes to mind off the top of my head. Note that I have not done any kind of proper research. (Maybe I should start researching this...) At this point, I expect everything to work right out of the box, except for the following:

Requiring some effort:

- 4965 wireless: the drivers exist must be installed manually because they are not part of the current release of Ubuntu.

Not working yet:
- I expect to be able to use the 8600GT in some 2D mode but last time I checked the 8600GT was not listed in the list of cards supported by the nVidia driver for Linux (this may have changed recently). So I expect 3D not to work for a while. nVidia is very good at supporting Linux so I do not expect this situation to remain like this for long.

I don't have a clue:
- memory card reader
- video camera
- robson
- fingerprint reader
- hardware virtualization (some BIOSes disable it)

Most items in this last list are very dependent on what exact chipset is used.

 

lemur, do you think you could start a post for IFL and linux ubuntu when you get your laptop? I also will be installing ubuntu(will use linux for the first time) and was looking for a post where we could have all the drivers needed, downloads etc.

 

Yep. I will post something. I've decided to start researching a bit and will post an interim report once I have a good set of data. I found that I was mistaken about the 8600GT: nVidia has support for it in the latest drivers. They just have not updated the list of supported hardware posted on their website.

 

Check this translated guide on installing ubuntu 7.04 on the ahtec xfl90 -> compal ifl90.
Edit: note google translates the "sudo" command as "I sweat". original link for anyone who is willing to help or finds it a bit confusing

 

Thanks, anyusr. That looks helpful.

Edit: The Google translation is awful. If someone who do speaks Spanish fluently wants to extract the relevant data out of there that would be nice. I could do it but my Spanish is **very** rusty.

 

that is some crappy translating from google, semi-understandable but crappy, lol. I speak/write spanish so I am ok,so if anyone needs me to translate something just ask.

BTW in that same thread, someone just yesterday says he got audio and video card working but not much else, that is bad news for the rest of us especially a noob like me, seems like I will have one weekend of driver searching to get ubuntu running on the ifl 90.


EDIT: is there anyway to shorten that link, lol, Ill translate that post and post it here, however I am a noob at linux and don understand any of the commands so I will just paste them here(shouldnt be a problem but just in case on is in spanish, lol).

 

edit your post to say link here (remove the hyphen in the http

edit... nvm... lets try that again

[ url=_________]click here for translation[/url]

replace the _____, and remove the space after the first bracket.

 

Installing Linux on the Compal IFL90

First you have to load the ALTERNATE Ubuntu 7.04 installation CD and install it, BUT, when it tells you to take the CD out DONT TAKE IT OUT.
URL for Ubuntu 7.04 Alternate: Alternate Ubuntu 7.04 (at this moment the link is down)

At this moment you have to press Control+Alt+F2,
It will tell you to press intro/enter to activate the console, press it.
write:

Code:

cd /target/etc/X11
nano xorg.conf

Look where it says:

Code:

Driver         "nv"

Change it to:

Code:

Driver         "vesa"

(to save and exit press control+X)
Now you can return to the installation pressing Control+Alt+F1
Continue and finish the installation if everything has worked linux will restart with GDM working.

Start the session ( If anyone wants to update to gutsy, do it NOW, or else it could cause a problem after installing the drivers) , and open the console.
Write this:

Code:

sudo apt-get install linux-headers-`uname -r` build-essential

Put your password and when its done do this:

Code:

wget http://us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/100.14.11/NVIDIA-Linux-x86-100.14.11-pkg1.run

Now change to a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+F1)
Log in...
Write:

Code:

sudo /etc/init.d/gdm stop
sudo sh 100.14.11/NVIDIA-Linux-x86-100.14.11-pkg1.run

Accept the contract, say NO when it ask you to look for the FTP of Nvidia , at the end, press YES when it asks if you want the program to update the configuration file.

Open the configuration file:

Code:

sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Go to the device section and make sure it says this (if in the last section of the driver instalation you pressed no, you will have to write it in):

Code:

Driver         "nvidia"

Go down to the Screen section, you have to change the DefaultDepth from "16" to "24"

Go Down where it says:

Code:

Modes      "800x600"

You have to change it in all the subsections to this ( what resolution you chose is your choice, just make sure your screen can handle it)

Code:

Modes      "1280x800" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"

Now save with Control+X and restart

Now you should have whatever resolution you put.

Audio drivers:
Download these 3 files:
http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa/ftp/driver/alsa-driver-1.0.14.tar.bz2
http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa/ftp/lib/alsa-lib-1.0.14a.tar.bz2
http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa/ftp/utils/alsa-utils-1.0.14.tar.bz2

Open the console and put in:

Code:

sudo apt-get install build-essential ncurses-dev gettext
cd /usr/src
sudo mkdir alsa
sudo cp -a ~/Desktop/alsa* /usr/src/alsa
cd alsa
sudo tar xjf alsa-driver-1.0.14.tar.bz2
sudo tar xjf alsa-lib-1.0.14a.tar.bz2
sudo tar xjf alsa-utils-1.0.14.tar.bz2

Go to https://bugtrack.alsa-project.org/alsa-bug/view.php?id=3104 , log in as guest.
Go down and download the file: realtek12.tar.gz

Extract and copy the 2 files (patch_realtek.c and hda_codec.c) into /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver-1.0.14/pci/hda/

Code:

cd /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver-1.0.14/
sudo ./configure
sudo make
sudo make install
cd ../alsa-lib-1.0.14a/
sudo ./configure
sudo make
sudo make install
cd ../alsa-utils-1.0.14/
sudo ./configure
sudo make
sudo make install

edit the file as root: /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base
and add this line

Code:

options snd-hda-intel model=toshiba

Now you have 2 things left:

1. Restart
2. Put in:

Code:

sudo /etc/init.d/alsasound stop
sudo modprobe -r snd-hda-intel
sudo modprobe snd-hda-intel

You should have sound!

If the sound is to low or you cant hear anything try turning the volume up , or taking mute off as it might be on.

This tutorial was translated from spanish from this thread: http://foro.noticias3d.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=1788629
The original post mentioned he gathered the information from the following sites.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HdaIntelSoundHowto
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=489603&page=2

This solves only 2 of the driver problems, still unkown(to me):
Wifi?
Webcam?
Bluetooth?
Fingerprint reader?

 

Thanks, El Profe!

To answer the questions that arose in translation...

There are two flavors of Ubuntu installation CDs: the regular one and the alternate one. The alternate CD allows for more control over the installation process but is not as user friendly.

GDM is the Gnome Display Manager. That's what gives you a login prompt when you have Gnome installed as you desktop environment. (KDE probably has its own tool for that although GDM is able to launch Gnome and KDE sessions.)

For those of you who are going to use Linux for the first time. Here are a few bits of information that may help sorting things out. Linux is really only the kernel of the OS. The rest of the OS is provided by the GNU project and by other projects like Xorg. Graphic capabilities are provided by X Window (which originated about a year before MS Windows; so the name is not a rip off). But X Window only provides minimal graphic capabilities. To be really usable, X Window needs a desktop environment which provides a consistent look-and-feel, windows decorations, etc. Gnome and KDE are two of the most popular desktop environments that are available.

Ubuntu by default uses Gnome. You can install KUbuntu instead of you want KDE. There's also XUbuntu which uses a different desktop environment.

I use Gnome for historical reasons. When I made my choice, KDE was dependent on libraries that had a license to which I objected.

 

thanks, ill edit out my questions, so I guess all ilf90 user will have to install with the laternate cd?

 

It is not totally clear to me that the alternate CD is absolutely required. I could see that it would be required if the normal CD cannot deal with the graphic card at all. However, even very advanced cards have compatibility modes with older standards (like VESA) that X Window can take advantage of.

*I* for sure will have to use the alternate CD because I want to use Logical Volume Management and that's only available with the alternate CD.

 

Once I get my system, I'll give it a shot with the 'normal' cd... worth a shot, if it saves me from downloading another OS (I've got a live-cd version burnt already)

... unless my cd is out of date, then I'll just do what I know works

 

Ok guys. I've thought about how to best record my findings and decided I would create a page on my blog for that purpose. I'm still in the middle of converting it from a text-based format to web-based so it certainly looks funky right now.

I'm also still researching the chipsets and integrating information from the Spanish link so the content is also in flux.

 

A little research and downloading of drivers and I found out the "TouchChip Fingerprint Reader" is by Upek Inc. which shows some linux support found with a basic google search. This seems to be a developers api and therefore needs to be integrated with some boimetrics security program. These older guides thanks google debian vairant, gentoo show the installation process for the TouchChip reader . Based on assumptions the reader hardware has not changed in a while, the windows driver still lists it as a TouchChip Fingerprint Reader, these should help a lot. Not necessairly for the Ifl90 though. According to xotic pc the audio chipset might be a Realtek ALC268 however Realtek lists the ALC268 as a HDA 2+2 channel rather than a 7.1+2. Ubuntu forums list a method for a patch install for the ALC268 which should be integrated into gutsy most likely. If your feeling technicaly inclined this seems a slight bit different from the aforementioned method but are merely offered as an alternative. On a side note for those modem users the Motorola SM56 is supported direct from motorola at least for RPM based distros. This is an older modem circa 2006 so I would expect a support anyways.

Edit: The fingerprint reader is more likely a "TouchStrip Fingerprint Sensor" also curtesy of Upek Inc. There is also a thinkpad linux installation guide for this closed source binary, open source software. Both Leveno and Compal use a Upek fingerprint scanner so I cannot exclude this information.

 

Thanks, anyusr. I'll integrate that to my page.

 

After Googling further I think the evidence is in favor of the ALC268 being the audio chipset on the IFL90. Unless further contrary evidence disproves that, I'll assume the ALC268 for now.

Edit: here's a document at Bizcom that should help:

http://www.bizcom-us.com/support/IFL9091/Drivers/Intel/Vista32_64/FL9xVista3264DriversonJun28th.pdf

 

where the audio drivers from the spanish post for this chipset?

Also me being a newbie would you reccomend I install with the alternate cd, seeing as how I have the instructions here?

 

As far as the audio drivers go the guide gives links to the latest drivers from alsa. The guide shows where to add (patch_realtek.c and hda_codec.c) for the bugpatch. It finally walks you through compiling and inserting the mod into the kernel. I know if you get the desktop version of ubuntu (on a default install, the options might be there I installed so long ago can't remember correct me if Im wrong) you do not have many development tools, I had to download GCC, automake and a fair number of other tools to get a development environment for compiling a custom kernel. At this point I can only assume that the alternate vesion has a development environment included in the install. This is based on the fact that the guide does not include any instructions for getting andy extra files, kernel source, GCC, automake etc.

I would therefore go with the alternate version of ubuntu seeing as how its protrayed as only about 50 lines of console work to have a working system . In anycase apt get or synaptic is a beginners best friend for debian systems who knows gutsy may have a more recent driver in its apt source database with the alsa patch built in. I know somewhere there is a nice guide for setting your apt database to point to gutsy for fiesty -> gutsy updates. I might try it when I get my laptop and see if the tribe 2 ( or whatever it is then rc1,rc2 full release october ) gutsy kernel supports the sound card.

Im also going to try the gutsy pre-releases on the machine see how that goes.
Heres hoping we all get our laptops soon. BIG KUDOS to lemur and his fantastic research when its near done someone has got to digg his page.

 

Actually, installing build-essentials takes care of a lot of what is needed to build ALSA.

By the way, a word of caution... A lot of solutions available on the web (including the ALSA fix of our Spanish friends) are less than ideal. They are the computing equivalent of duct taping auto parts together. Duct tape is useful in a pinch but not a long term solution. I want to avoid suggesting solutions that are likely to cause more problems down the road. The ALSA fix for instance takes the original ALSA sources and installs them straight onto an Ubuntu system. This causes some disadvantages:

1. The Ubuntu team patches the source of the software they package for Ubuntu. If you get the sources straight from the ALSA people, you lose the Ubuntu patches. (I'm looking at the patches Ubuntu applies to those sources and see 5 patches.)

2. If you install the sources from the ALSA project without making .deb packages you have system software living outside the package management system. It just complicates package management down the road.

That's why I'm not just cutting and pasting solutions from other people. I'd rather come up with a nice way to package things so that people who are less technically inclined to not have to worry about technicalities too much. I also want to avoid future mysterious breakage.

The downside of this is that it will take longer to have a nice procedure because I need to test much more all the steps and because I will have to read more documentation and perform more tasks to package things nicely.

Yes, it seems that the alternate CD will be required. I have further evidence that the normal CD will just refuse to install because of the nVidia graphic card. This just means that the alternate CD is required. Not as nice but not terrible.

I checked: that patch is not present in the gutsy sources. From what I gather it is not yet officially in the ALSA sources either.

When they get closer to a release, I'll install Gutsy on a separate partition and try it out.

Thanks.

 

They cover this chipset plus other Realtek chipsets.

I think it will be hard to avoid the alternate CD. Note that the alternate installation does not just dump you to the command prompt. You do not get the nice graphical GUI of the normal CD but you are still guided through the installation by a text based installer. It's just that the alternate installation opens up more options that most people don't need.

 

Thanks guys, from what iv read here the laptop seems brillian, but my dad is in america and seller wont ship to an adress with a different billing address, so i guess its back to finding something he could buy in best buy or circuit city or somewhere .

Thanks

Ryan

 

Ryan, sorry to read that.

Ok, here's a status update on the Ubuntu front. I'm supposed to get my machine today so I'll soon be able to ascertain what chipsets are used exactly and I'll be able to start testing the installation procedure. The process will be slow because I want to "do it by the numbers" so as to get a full picture of the current state of support in Feisty before I start messing around with packages. For one things I want to fill out that form:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LaptopTestingTeam/CompalIFL90

And I want to do it properly (for Feisty anyway) so that the Ubuntu developers and people looking for a laptop can have a clue of what works and does not work in Feisty on a Compal IFL90. Then I'll start testing the procedure to upgrade the kernel and packages to try to get a maximum of hardware working in Feisty.

 

Alright guys. I'm right in the middle of testing my install process and already I'm having roadblocks. Setting up the wireless was a major pain in the ass but hopefully I'm going to be the only one who's going to have to go through that. It seems to be working fine now. Let's hope it stays that way.

 

thanks for the update and the wiki page... I just hope I can get the ifl on time now, lol

 

Yar welcome. I should be able to post updated instructions tomorrow.

By the way, a good deal of the items that do not work on a "stock" Feisty installation can be made to work by following the procedure I'm working on.

I've been using the wireless for a while now and been doing some major downloading. No problem so far.

Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase.

 

Ok, my page is as updated as it is going to be for now. I'm going to add more later.

I must warn people that the installation process is not for the faint of heart. Installing Ubuntu on well supported hardware is usually a trivial process but this hardware is so recent that a lot has to be done to get things going. I've used Linux since the early 90s so nothing in the procedure is foreign to me but newcomers to Linux should at least thoroughly read the Ubuntu documentation before starting and might want to think about how much effort they want to put into getting Ubuntu running on their Compal. Waiting for Ubuntu 7.10 (aka Gutsy Gibbon, which will be released in October) would not be a bad idea.

I'm going to be too busy from tomorrow until the end of the week to be able to answer questions or PMs. Just so you know.

 

If I do get my laptop in time I will have 4 days to kill before school starts so I might attempt to install it.
BTW nice explanation on how to set it up(and thanks for the mention,lol) ill put the link to your site in that spanish thread as I am sure more people would be interested in that information.

 

Lemur, did you install the 32 bit or the 64 bit Ubuntu?

 

Do the media buttons and touchpad vertical scroll feature work with Linux?

 

Vertical scroll works.

Of the 5 "heat sensitive" buttons on the right of the power button, web, email and mute work out of the box. Wow video and wow audio do not work for me right now but I have not investigated. I am optimistic that getting them to work is trivial.

 

What exactly is wow video/audio? I keep reading about them, but no explanation. Is wow some kind of proprietary media player?

 

As far as I know, they are just two handy buttons to start a video player and audio player of your choice. I do not think they do anything else.

 

I saw in other post somebody mentioned that

WOW Audio is for selecting - Rock, Jazz and so on EQ settings
and
WOW Video is for changing color - Theater, Office etc

Most of new TV's got the same thing, like presets for audio and video instead of manual adjustment.

 

That's so cool! This laptop keeps getting better and better, even after I've ordered it. Are the presets customizable?

 

Oh, also... does the fingerprint reader work with Ubuntu?

 

Mongoose, all that I know about getting Ubuntu running on a Sager NP2090/Compal IFL90 is recorded here. AFAIK, the fingerprint scanner does not currently work on Ubuntu or any other Linux distribution.

 

Crap. Sleep and hibernation don't work? What happens when you close the lid, then?

Thanks for the link. I wasn't really intending to use the memory card and fingerprint readers, but I'm still disappointed that they won't even work.

 

What happens when you close the lid is configurable. On my machine, it just locks the screen right now. If you just stopped at the "at a glance" section, it may look very grim but if you read further down you can find a place where I say that the problem is with the nVidia driver and that nVidia knows about it and will fix it for the next release of the driver.

 

I read that. I also noticed the documentation on fingerprint readers. I'm going to try to say hopeful that this stuff will eventually be supported.

 

i've posted on numerous occasions, at least as regards the EL80 finger printer, that it is already working, just needs to be incorporated somehow into some applications, such as pam or kwallet.

as regards the fl90, I don't know, perhaphs however it is the same hardware so that would mean it works flawless. It seems pretty useless to me anyway to be honest - there is pretty much only once that I enter the password on my linux machine, that is upon x starting to open up kwallet which contains all my secrets.

ssh works with keys. no bother whatsoever. it would be cool if the finger printer would work for bios passwords - os-independent.

 

What's the chipset of the fingerprint scanner on the EL80?

In the IFL90 it is a Upek TCS4BA.

 

Bus 003 Device 004: ID 08ff:2580 AuthenTec, Inc.

according to lsusb.

I think upek is supported by the thinkfinger or so, which also uses upek if i'm not mistaken - so even better, if it is, since thinkfinger is incorporated into pam and friends.

 

Upek is the brand but they make multiple chipsets. Different chipsets need different support.

 

Well, yes, ofcourse, but if the changes between the chips' revisions are minor enough, often the driver changes necessary to obtain the same functionality off of the new chip are pretty minor as well. unless what you mean is they produce totally different chips - paste your 'lsusb -v' please.

edit:

I've been to a shop today and seen an IFL90 (man what a cool machine! the matte definetly ROCKS) and ran some tests, namely lsusb as well.

It seems the good news regarding the fingerprinter from the FL90 are that the new R61 thinkpads also have the same device.

Read here:

http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.drivers.thinkfinger/416

and here:

http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.drivers.thinkfinger/364

It seems there is already reports regarding it so I guess it's only a matter of time before the thinkfinger picks it up Which is quite good since it is already incorporated into pam and friends, unlike the software for EL80 which is just a standalone graphics printer interface.

The camera is already supported - or at least this page claims it is, I have not tested it personally.

Check it out here:

http://linux-uvc.berlios.de/#devices

Stay tuned for more.

 

This is why I love open source. Thanks for the info imachine.

 

That confirms what I said. There's no support for it right now.

Precisely what I expect.

I know. I give instructions for getting it to work right here.

 

well I haven't read that page, but thanks for giving info about this outside these forums as well as here - it's probably good for people who aren't an often visitor over here perhaphs linking or so on your blog to these forums wouldn't hurt, if the forum owners don't mind ofcourse.

cheers.

 

I have Ubuntu up and running on my NP2090 and I have to say I'm not impressed at all with its performance. Overall, even with Nvidia's brand-new 100.14.19 driver, anything graphic-intensive in the least is sluggish. Compiz Fusion's animations are choppy (if they render at all) and switching/loading tabs in Firefox takes upwards of 5 seconds. It's like I'm using a 5-year-old computer!

I'm using Windows XP right now (dual boot), and everything functions instantaneously: tabs, games, you name it.

Do you guys notice any of this?

 

Hi!
I have several questions about compal FL90+ with new screen (15,4 WXGA+ (1440 x 900)). What vertical and horizontal sync range (officials?) should I use in xorg.conf? What is the keyboard:

Code:

1  Generic 101-key PC
2  Generic 102-key (Intl) PC
3  Generic 104-key PC
4  Generic 105-key (Intl) PC

and what are those (Intl)?