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

[Darren Salt]

I demand that Shawn Lamson may or may not have written...

> 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?)...

Which is a bit odd. It worked fine here, as did 2.6.32...

> 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...

Everything which I need at startup is built in.

> 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?

It's not assumed at all; some of us choose not to use them.

[snip]
> 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

Not needed. CONFIG_MOUSE_PS2_ELANTECH=y.

> and
> # CONFIG_MOUSE_SYNAPTICS_I2C is not set

Again, not needed.

> 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 ...

Well... X/evdev default to not enabling tapping...

> 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.

Hmm. Again, works fine here...

> 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.

http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEeePC/HowTo/ElantechTouchpad has enough
information.

> (yours takes under 20 minutes to compile - the ones i come up with take
> several hours, or else result in something not bootable!)

Mine has no support for hardware which cannot be present, and support for
only that extra hardware which I'm likely to plug in.

> * 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...

One thing which you should try: in /etc/default/eeepc-acpi-scripts, set
PWR_CLOCK_AC=1. This *shouldn't* make any difference, but it may well end up
making things work normally again.

Trying
  # echo 0 >/sys/devices/platform/eeepc/cpufv
on a "known-good" OS is probably also worth doing.

(I'm still thinking "bad hardware".)

> Merry Christmas!

Humbug! ;-)

> 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
[snip]
> 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?

Buy one, get one free? Guaranteed free of symlink farms, or your money back?

> 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!

I don't see any failure there.

-- 
| Darren Salt            | linux at youmustbejoking | nr. Ashington, | Doon
| using Debian GNU/Linux | or ds    ,demon,co,uk    | Northumberland | Army
| + http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEeePC/

You will be singled out for promotion in your work.