Contents


Introduction

This document describes experiences with running Linux on a Toshiba Satellite Pro A200 Model PSAE4E-046017EN (??)

This page was started the day the first machine arrived, and is developing.

When is is working sufficiently, it will be given to its user, so I'll no longer have access to the machine.

This report will be listed at TuxMobil - Linux on laptops, notebooks, PDAs and mobile phones under Toshiba at some point

I OKed getting it due to immv's page but that's a somewhat different model (e.g. graphics. WiFi).

The manual seems to cover a wide range of models, and is poor at pointing out when things are options.

Note that different models have different graphics cards, wirless cards, etc.


Overall Description

lspci gives
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile PM965/GM965/GL960 Memory Controller Hub (rev 0c)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 0c)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 0c)
00:1a.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Contoller #4 (rev 03)
00:1a.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Controller #5 (rev 03)
00:1a.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #2 (rev 03)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) HD Audio Controller (rev 03)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) PCI Express Port 1 (rev 03)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) PCI Express Port 2 (rev 03)
00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) PCI Express Port 3 (rev 03)
00:1c.3 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) PCI Express Port 4 (rev 03)
00:1c.4 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) PCI Express Port 5 (rev 03)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 03)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 03)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 03)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #1 (rev 03)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev f3)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801HEM (ICH8M) LPC Interface Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801HBM/HEM (ICH8M/ICH8M-E) IDE Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.2 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 82801HBM/HEM (ICH8M/ICH8M-E) SATA AHCI Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) SMBus Controller (rev 03)
04:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8101E PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller (rev 01)
05:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications, Inc. AR5006EG 802.11 b/g Wireless PCI Express Adapter (rev 01) # may be 5007EG
0c:04.0 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCIxx12 Cardbus Controller
0c:04.1 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Texas Instruments PCIxx12 OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller
0c:04.2 Mass storage controller: Texas Instruments 5-in-1 Multimedia Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO/xD)
0c:04.3 SD Host controller: Texas Instruments PCIxx12 SDA Standard Compliant SD Host Controller

Initial system Load

Pre-load - Windows not booted

I didn't allow Windows to boot, but used F12 to select booting off DVD. It came with a small first partition, with the rest of the disc split into two. I ZAPped the third partition, leaving the rest ASIS.

Fedora 8 DVD Load

The load was straightforward.

Fedora 9alpha DVD Load

The load was straightforward (used "vnc=1 vncpassword=secret" as was DHCP registered).

   
Device Tuning

Graphics - intel driver OK, external and Dual Head

The system selected the intel driver which just worked.

If X starts with a monitor connected to the VGA socket, using the intel driver, it will run the two displays in clone mode, at the size of the larger. With a virtual screen size the sum of the two sizes (e.g. with an external 1280x1024 display, "Virtual 1280 2080" set in the "Display" SubSection of the "Screen" Section of xorg.conf), by default the window will be the size of the larger display, but xrandr can tune the settings for things like Dual Head use, e.g. "xrandr -output VGA -below LVDS" puts the external below the internal.  

Network - WiFi - Atheros AR5006EG not supported native

Note the swaich at the front left of the case!

The std madwifi driver does not work. fedorasal reports that it works under ndiswrapper. fedoraforum suggests that it might be a 5007EG and that madwifi with patches might be better than ath5k hardware4linux suggests ath_pci. madwifi suggests "modprobe wlan_scan_sta,modprobe wlan_wep,modprobe ath_pci".



Piete Brooks 2008-02-20