[Debian-eeepc-devel] installing on eeepc 1001HA

[John Vodden]

On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 08:06:23AM -0400, Ben Armstrong wrote:
> 
> Thanks for this info.  Would you mind putting it in our wiki?  It
> should go into http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEeePC/Models ... all you 
> need to do is register and you'll be able to add the page yourself.

Certainly. For the time being I'll put in the hardware spec 
but won't mention how to get it to work until I've sorted out the best
way to do it.

> Are you sure the rt2860 won't work here? See:
> 
> http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.kernel/893100
> 
> Just be sure you have firmware-ralink installed (from non-free).
> 
> > I now see that there are several
> > 2.6.32 related packages in the sid package list so I don't know if one
> > of those would have done.
> 
> I see.  Well, please test using the rt2860sta driver in the 2.6.32
> kernel and let us know.

I have installed a 2.6.32 image from sid (I added sid to my sources.list
and pinned it with a low priority.) I've never had so many kernel
images installed at once!

This image does not include an rt3090sta module, suggesting that the
patches you linked to above /may/ have been applied. However; the module
doesn't work as it doesn't appear to alias to the appropriate pci
device. I have included output from modinfo after the main text of this
email to compare the rt3090sta to the rt2860sta in the debian kernel.

I have trawled the debain kernel mailing list to try to find out which
patches have been applied. The most pertinent post I can find is this
http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.debian.devel.kernel.cvs/9615/match=rt3090
which adds a dependancy of rt3090 of "BROKEN". This suggests to me that
the reason the module is absent from this kernel is because it is not
compiled, rather than having been merged with 2860 and then removed.

> > Under
> > 2.6.32 I can't probe eeepc-laptop (module exists but reports no such
> > device, works with normal kernel.) There is discussion here
> > http://dev.iksaif.net/issues/13 that sounds similar but I haven't had time
> > to read that thoroughly enough to decide if it is relevant. Fortunately if
> > I turn wireless on under 2.6.26 the state persists between boots so I can
> > use the 2.6.32 driver.
> 
> Might be related, yes.  And there seems to be a simple workaround here
> you could try:
> 
> http://dev.iksaif.net/issues/13#note-39
> 
> But really, I do think you should try the stock Debian sid 2.6.32
> kernel first.

As it comes, this kernel won't probe eeepc-laptop. It works if I apply the 
workaround above to the kernel command line.


# 
# Comparison of modinfo results for rt3090sta and rt2860sta modules
#

First under my home compiled kernel (straight 2.6.32 release, no extra patches)
Notice that the module pci ID alias agrees with lspci.

# lspci -nn | grep 3090
02:00.0 Network controller [0280]: RaLink Device [1814:3090]

# modinfo rt3090sta
filename:       /lib/modules/2.6.32/kernel/drivers/staging/rt3090/rt3090sta.ko
version:        2.1.0.0
license:        GPL
description:    RT3090 Wireless Lan Linux Driver
author:         Jett Chen <jett_chen at ralinktech.com>
srcversion:     B604A3D317238CA9B81AC1A
alias:          pci:v00001462d0000891Asv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v00001814d00003092sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v00001814d00003091sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v00001814d00003090sv*sd*bc*sc*i* <-----------
depends:        
staging:        Y
vermagic:       2.6.32 mod_unload ATOM 
parm:           mac:rt28xx: wireless mac addr (charp)

Then under sid's 2.6.32-trunk. Notice that there is no matching alias for the
device. 

# modinfo rt2860sta
filename:       /lib/modules/2.6.32-trunk-686/kernel/drivers/staging/rt2860/rt2860sta.ko
firmware:       rt2860.bin
version:        1.8.1.1
license:        GPL
srcversion:     5B16806F107DA9D48FAA68B
alias:          pci:v00001432d00007768sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v00001432d00007748sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v00001432d00007738sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v00001432d00007727sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v00001432d00007758sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v00001432d00007728sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v00001432d00007708sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v00001A3Bd00001059sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v00001814d00000781sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v00001814d00000701sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v00001814d00000681sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v00001814d00000601sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
depends:        crc-ccitt
staging:        Y
vermagic:       2.6.32-trunk-686 SMP mod_unload modversions 686 
parm:           mac:rt28xx: wireless mac addr (charp)

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