Laptops:IBM Thinkpad T42
From Linux 101, The beginner's guide to all things Linux.
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
The purpose of this topic is to outline the dual boot installation of Linux on an IBM Thinkpad T42. This is not meant to be a complete guide, just notes on some things. If you are running Fedora Core 3 please see the Fedora Thinkpad T42 page for much more Fedora-specific information. There is now also a page on Slackware:IBM Thinkpad T42
[edit] Installation
For IBM Thinkpad T42 information, see Slackware:IBM Thinkpad T42.
For general information, see Fedora:Installation, Debian:Installation, Slackware:Installation, Gentoo:Installation.
[edit] Hardware Setup
[edit] Wireless
The T42's Centrino chipset inludes an Intel Pro 2200BG wireless card which implements the 802.11b and 802.11g standards. To learn more about the card and how to use it, see Laptops:IPW2200. Consult your distribution's documentation to see find out how to graphically set up network interfaces, or see the Networking page for information on how to set it up by hand. Also check out the Wireless page for more information on that.
[edit] Graphics Card
The T42 has an ATI Radeon 7500 or 9000 Mobility with 32MB or 64MB of dedicated video RAM. These cards are supported by the DRI project. The Direct Rendering Infrastructure is part of X11 and drivers for DRI are included in the kernel. Many distributions probably ship with this compiled into your kernel already as a module named radeon. If this is the case, you probably told it which card you used when you installed your distribution, and it set up X11 to load the proper one when it starts. If this is the case, you should have no trouble using hardware acceleration with 3D applications.
If you're not sure if you have the driver run /sbin/lsmod and look for a module named radeon. If you don't see one there, try:
- #
modprobe radeon
If it works without error messages, it is already compiled and you don't have to worry about recompiling your kernel; however you will need to set up X11 to use your card. If, on the other hand, modprobe gives you an error saying it cant find the module, you may be able to install the module as a package (using some method provided by your distribution), or you can look into configuring and installing your own kernel.
[edit] Power Management
See Power Management to see how to suspend and hibernate your laptop and reduce CPU usage.
The hotkey combination Fn+F4 will also suspend to memory. You may have to hold the keys down for 1-2 seconds. Holding down the power button for 1-2 seconds will bring the system back.
[edit] Touchpad
The options in /usr/share/doc/synaptics-0.13.5/INSTALL need to be added to /etc/X11/xorg.conf. You can then use the synclient utility to explore option changes like tapping and scrolling.
[edit] Modem
The modem in the T42 is based on the Conexant chip set and requires an HSF driver. A free 14.4K driver is available from Linuxant and a full speed version is available for $14.95. Some distributions detect and associate the ALSA AC'97 modem driver, snd-intel8x0m, with the modem, but this driver does not support the Conexant chip set.
To check to see if your distribution added this incorrect driver, try
- #
lsmod
If you see a line with snd-intel8x0m, you will need to remove this driver before continuing. First edit the file /etc/modprobe.conf and add the line
install snd-intel8x0m /bin/true
Then, remove the problem module
- #
rmmod snd-intel8x0m
Now, download and install the appropriate package from Linuxant matching the distribution and kernel you are currently running. Configure the modem with your distribution's network configuration tool, using the following information:
Modem device: /dev/modem Baud rate: 14400
This page was adapted from a document written by Bill Moss.
