[Debian-eeepc-devel] Super Hybrid Engine on eeepc 901c with kernel 2.6.31-6

[Shawn Lamson]

On Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:21:39 +0000
Darren Salt <linux at youmustbejoking.demon.co.uk> wrote:

[see below]

> I demand that Shawn Lamson may or may not have top-posted...
> 
> > Thanks Darren - if I use your config on the 2.6.31.9 source do I also need
> > to apply that rt2860 patch (yes, thats the driver that's used)?
> 
> No; the firmware loading is specific to the Debian kernel (DFSG-freeness
> issues).
> 
> > The reason I moved to the 2.6.31-r6 and up was that the reports were that
> > this was fixed in those versions (again, it seems to be a problem once
> > again in 2.6.32, though)...
> 
> A different bug was fixed.
> 
> [snip]
> > Thanks for the input, let me know about that patch and config, and i'll
> > report back.
> 
> Which compiler version are you using? I ask mainly because there are
> presently reasons to avoid 4.4 if certain kernel debugging options are
> enabled.
> 
> [snip; you don't top-post, I don't remove context]

well... pretty much the same results, unfortunately, with the 2.6.31 .config
you provided Darren - though I must say it's a sweet piece of work.  I had
a few ups and downs with it, haven't ironed them out yet - at one point it
just wouldn't boot at all (after a crash? after i removed something else?)...
but i am keeping my stock 2.6.31-6 kernel for backup... 

Would you entertain a couple of questions?  I noticed that 
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_INITRD is not set
and at first I thought maybe the kernel was small enough not to use
initramfs, but i am not certain what's going on there... I wound up
enabling this because i do generate initrd/initramfs images ... is
this covered somewhere else in the config options or is it ubiquitous
now and assumed that initrd/initramfs is going to be used?  Or perhaps
since I use the #fakeroot make-kpkg --initrd kernel_image command it's
covered that way somehow?

Also, aside from the situation where it wouldn't boot that kernel, the
only other 2 issues i had were
a) elantech touchpad mouse wouldn't accpet two-finger clicking (emulate 3rd 
mouse button) ... I tried several compiles, enabling the 
# CONFIG_MOUSE_PS2_SYNAPTICS is not set
and
# CONFIG_MOUSE_SYNAPTICS_I2C is not set
but this didn't resolve it, I read up on it a bit, and i could try fixing it
using some HAL setting or synclient ... 

b)
with AC plugged in, and SpeedStep enabled in BIOS, no luck, and if I boot up
on battery and then plug in the AC while *not* in suspend-to-ram then likewise
the system freezes - but with the config-2.6.31-eee you gave, this also happens
with the HyperThreading Technology enabled in BIOS (and SpeedStep off) ... so
it was actually technically a little worse in that regard. 



I'm going to play around with a few more .config tweaks, maybe using the 2.6.32
kernel source*, but if you can advise on the Elantech "two finger tap" issue that
would probably make your .config and the 2.6.31-6 stock kernel equally functional
and since yours is more elegant I'd settle on it. (yours takes under 20 minutes to
compile - the ones i come up with take several hours, or else result in something not
bootable!)

Thanks again,

Shawn

* last time I tried 2.6.32 it was a no-go on suspend-to-ram -> resume but maybe 
things have changed in a week or so... i do use the rt2860 driver and i keep 
seeing "back and forth"  on it in the various changelogs and bug reports...

Merry Christmas!


P.S. bonus round ... i compile the kernel on my desktop PC, then scp
the .deb to the netbook and dpkg -i it there... here is what i get:

netbook:~# dpkg -i /home/slamson/linux-image-2.6.31.9-eee901_2.6.31.9-eee901-10.00.Custom_i386.deb
Selecting previously deselected package linux-image-2.6.31.9-eee901.
(Reading database ... 45563 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking linux-image-2.6.31.9-eee901 (from .../linux-image-2.6.31.9-eee901_2.6.31.9-eee901-10.00.Custom_i386.deb) ...
Examining /etc/kernel/preinst.d/
Done.
Setting up linux-image-2.6.31.9-eee901 (2.6.31.9-eee901-10.00.Custom) ...

 Hmm. There is a symbolic link /lib/modules/2.6.31.9-eee901/build
 However, I can not read it: No such file or directory
 Therefore, I am deleting /lib/modules/2.6.31.9-eee901/build

 Hmm. The package shipped with a symbolic link /lib/modules/2.6.31.9-eee901/source
 However, I can not read the target: No such file or directory
 Therefore, I am deleting /lib/modules/2.6.31.9-eee901/source

Running depmod.
Examining /etc/kernel/postinst.d.
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/initramfs-tools 2.6.31.9-eee901 /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31.9-eee901
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/pm-utils 2.6.31.9-eee901 /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31.9-eee901
Running postinst hook script update-grub.
Generating grub.cfg ...
Found background image: moreblue-orbit-grub.png
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31.9-eee901
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.31.6
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-2.6.31.6
done

what's the deal with the /lib/modules directory?, and why do you think initramfs-tools fails? (see the
"Found linux image" statements, missing initrd.img-2.6.31.9-eee901 ... but if i run update-initramfs
-c -k 2.6.31.9-eee901 it works fine (in fact i got the commands by tracking down the initramfs-tools
file!

Shawn





-- 
Shawn Lamson
shawn.lamson at gmail.com