If you feel there is an error in this document, or you want to help improve it, send me an email: park at cc.gatech.edu.
Please read the Abstract, Disclaimer, and Configuration information
in the below Debian portion before proceeding.
For the curious, I am not running Debian anymore and Gentoo is my
primary operating system (finally, a decent ports-based linux
distribution). It is recommended that you begin the installation process
about an hour or two before you want to retire for the night. You'll
see why later... :)
A lot of how I learned to install Gentoo (as well as the notes
below) came directly from the Gentoo Linux 1.2 Installation
Instructions documentation. You should read the portage primer before
proceeding as well. A correction to their portage user guide: instead
of using emerge umerge package to clean up old
packages, you should use the clean option.
[ Installation Instructions
| Portage User Guide ]
Disk /dev/hda: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 3890 cylinders Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System /dev/hda1 1 13 104391 83 Linux /dev/hda2 * 14 1033 8193150 7 HPFS/NTFS /dev/hda3 1034 1164 1052257+ 82 Linux swap /dev/hda4 1165 3890 21896595 5 Extended /dev/hda5 1165 2184 8193118+ 83 Linux /dev/hda6 2185 3890 13703413+ 83 Linux
nano -w should be used as your text
editor temporarily until you can emerge your favorite editor.boot: prompt.modprobe eepro100insmod pcmcia_core insmod i82365 insmod dsRemove the
0x800-0x8ff line via
nano -w /etc/pcmcia/config.opts. Insert your
PCMCIA cards and then run cardmgr -f.dhcpcd eth0 or whatever
ethernet interface you need. For static setups:
/sbin/ifconfig eth0 192.168.1.101 netmask 255.255.255.0 /sbin/route add -net default gw 192.168.1.1 netmask 0.0.0.0 metric 1Be sure to use your own correct IP address! Now modify
resolv.conf:
domain mydomain.com nameserver 10.0.0.1 nameserver 10.0.0.2Again, make sure your domain and nameserver lines match your configuration.
fdisk. See above for an example partition table.
I'm using ext3 for my linux partitions; you can use SGI's XFS or
ReiserFS if you wish. Make the /dev/hda1 be the
/boot partition.mkswap /dev/hda3 mke2fs -j /dev/hda1 mke2fs -j /dev/hda5 mke2fs -j /dev/hda6 tune2fs -i 0 -c 0 /dev/hda1 tune2fs -i 0 -c 0 /dev/hda5 tune2fs -i 0 -c 0 /dev/hda6 swapon /dev/hda3Now we make mountpoints and mount the partitions:
mkdir /mnt/gentoo mount /dev/hda5 /mnt/gentoo mkdir /mnt/gentoo/boot mount /dev/hda1 /mnt/gentoo/boot
mount /dev/cdroms/cdrom0 /mnt/cdrom -o ro -t iso9660
cd /mnt/gentoo tar -xvjpf /mnt/cdrom/stage3-i686.tar.tbz2 mount -o bind /proc /mnt/gentoo/proc cp /etc/resolv.conf /mnt/gentoo/etc/resolv.conf chroot /mnt/gentoo /bin/bash env-update source /etc/profile emerge rsyncThe last line downloads the Portage tree (~10MB), it's not necessary but recommended.
/usr/share/zoneinfo:
ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/EST5EDT /etc/localtimeThe above sets Eastern Standard Time. Use your appropriate timezone.
emerge sys-kernel/gentoo-sources cd /usr/src/linux make menuconfigMake sure
Dell Laptop Support, APM,
devfs, ext3, eepro100 are
selected. Take time to look through the options and select the correct
ones, alternatively you can use my custom kernel config (Debian users,
do not use this config file!)make dep && make clean bzImage modules modules_install cp /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/kernel-2.4.19-gentoo-r7
emerge app-admin/metalog rc-update add metalog default emerge sys-apps/vcron
/etc/fstab file to correctly match
your partition table (also add the user option to
your cdrom line so non-root users can mount cd's).passwd./etc/hostname:
mymachine.mydomain.com
/etc/hosts:
127.0.0.1 localhost 192.168.1.101 mymachine.mydomain.com mymachine
/etc/conf.d/net should be modified similar to how you
configured it for Pre-Stage1 Installation, then run:
rc-update add net.eth0 default
grub
at the prompt and then enter in the grub commands:
root (hd0,0) setup (hd0) quitNow create a grub menu list via
/boot/grub/menu.lst:
default 0 timeout 10 splashimage=(hd0,0)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz title=gentoo linux 1.2 (kernel-2.4.19-gentoo-r7) root (hd0,0) kernel /boot/kernel-2.4.19-gentoo-r7 root=/dev/hda5 hdb=ide-scsiIf you are dual-booting to Windows, add:
title=windows root (hd0,1) chainloader +1
exit cd / unmount /mnt/gentoo/boot unmount /mnt/gentoo/proc unmount /mnt/gentoo reboot
update-modules as soon as your system boots back
up.adduser -m username.
Add the user into all the groups via usermod -G
wheel,audio,cdrom,video,cdrw,users username.emerge dev-lang/tcl dev-lang/tk
i8kutils
package. Untar the source, then:
make mv i8kmon i8kbuttons i8kctl /usr/bin ln -s /usr/bin/i8kfan /usr/bin/i8kctl
/etc/i8kmon and /etc/init.d/i8kutils
files and place them in the correct location. If you wish to get
your Dell Buttons working, see the appropriate Debian section below
(you will also need to emerge the aumix package). Then run:
rc-update add i8kutils default /etc/init.d/i8kutils[ Massimo Dal Zotto's Webpage (i8kutils) | /etc/i8kmon | /etc/init.d/i8kutils ]
rc-update add portmap default
/etc/security/console.perms, find the root.cdwriter line,
modify to:
<console> 0660 <burner> 0660 root.cdrw
/etc/modules.autoload file to contain
the following lines (sound will be later):
ide-scsi ieee1394 ohci1394 sbp2Of course, if you didn't compile the firewire module or SCSI emulation module then the above isn't necessary.
/etc/._cfg000* files and
clean old packages!hdparm and apmd to your init
scripts once everything finishes compiling:
rc-update add hdparm default rc-update add apmd default[ /etc/init.d/hdparm ]
/usr/local/src and run
make in each of the directories, however, it's
suggested that you do the APM "hack" now. Read the Advanced Power
Management information in the Debian section below. Remember to create
the kernel driver first, then the GLX module.apm_i8000 script, you must
modify the resume ifconfig and route
lines to properly reflect your IP address settings./etc/rc.conf to load kdm on startup, find
the DISPLAYMANAGER line:
DISPLAYMANAGER=kdmNow, update the startup script:
rc-update add xdm default
usbdevfs add to your /etc/fstab:
none /proc/bus/usb usbdevfs defaults 0 0
/etc/modules.d/alsa file,
find the IMPORTANT: section and modify:
## ALSA portion alias snd-card-0 snd-maestro3 ## OSS/Free portion alias sound-slot-0 snd-card-0Add the following lines to
/etc/modules.autoload:
snd-maestro3 snd-pcm-oss
update-modules. Verify that the
/etc/devfsd.conf file has the correct ALSA/OSS
settings. Now it's time to set up the soundcard:
modprobe snd-maestro3 modprobe snd-pcm-oss /etc/init.d/alsasound start amixer set Master 80% unmute amixer set PCM 90% unmute rc-update add alsasound default
/etc/modules.autoload
then we are almost to a point where we can use our firewire device
(mine is a CD burner).rescan-scsi-bus.sh script and copy it
into /usr/local/sbin./dev/dvd link:
ln -s /dev/scsi/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/cd /dev/dvd
I primarily wrote this page because there was no resource
on the web that showed a step by step method of installing
Debian GNU/Linux and Windows 2000/XP Pro on a Dell Inspiron 8000.
This guide should also work if you have the 8100 series.
Hopefully, this guide can help those having installation/setup problems.
This guide assumes that you have a general understanding of the Debian
Install Process. This guide is particularly tailored to those who have
an ethernet, broadband, or LAN connection (but there is a section
under Miscellaneous dealing with the 56k modem). Let me also state here
that Dell's so-called award winning customer service sucks. This
Dell Inspiron Notebook (sic) is the first and last Dell I will ever
purchase.
DISCLAIMER: I cannot guarantee that my guide will work on your
particular system. This is just a reference guide created from my personal
experience installing Debian GNU/Linux. If your computer
blows up, starts smoking, offers you pot, or stabs you in the chest, I am
not responsible (for any damages that may arise while trying
to install/use Debian GNU/Linux on your computer).
There are many other fine distros that you can
try if you cannot get Debian to work: Slackware, SuSE, Mandrake, RedHat,
etc.
My Dell Inspiron 8000 Configuration:
Debian GNU/Linux x.x "Sid" - fsn.hu's i386
Binary-1 with a datestamp of November 20, 2001).Name Flags Partition Type FileSystem Type Size (MB) --------------------------------------------------------------- hda1 Primary OS/2 Hidden C: Drive 559.32 hda2 Boot Primary Win95 FAT32 (LBA) 8496.72 hda3 Primary Linux ext2 2500.49 hda5 Logical Linux swap 518.20 hda6 Logical Win95 FAT32 19921.63Partitioning is completely subjective. Paritition your disk to fit your needs. If you plan on using suspend-to-disk, read the first bullet of the next section.
eepro100 module under net. This is for the
Actiontec Network card.linux single and follow the instructions in the first step
below./etc/pcmcia/config.opts,
edit out port 0x800-0x8ff. The include port line should
look like:
include port 0x100-0x4ff, port 0xc00-0xcff
testing
instead of unstable in the deb lines. Your
three deb lines for http sources should look something like this:
deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian unstable main contrib non-free deb http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US unstable/non-US main contrib non-free deb http://security.debian.org stable/updates main contrib non-free
apt-get updateYou can also do an
apt-get upgrade if you want to upgrade your
packages.apt-get install kernel-package bzip2 libncurses5-dev apt-get install kernel-source-2.4.17
/usr/src and unpack the kernel-source:
tar jxvpf kernel-source-2.4.17.tar.bz2 cd kernel-source-2.4.17 make menuconfig
Dell Laptop Support,
APM and ext3 support. Alternatively, you
can use my kernel configuration file.EXTRAVERSION flag in the top-level
Makefile to something meaningful. This is to save the
hassle of removing the modules directory if you plan on recompiling the
same kernel over again. Alternatively you can set the
--revision flag when making the kernel_image.make-kpkg clean make-kpkg kernel_image
/usr/src. Run dpkg -i on the kernel
.deb in /usr/src./etc/lilo.conf file has all the proper
options set. If you plan on using a parallel printer or an ATAPI CD-Writer,
you should set lilo boot parameters. append="hdb=ide-scsi"
makes /dev/hdb an emulated SCSI device. To add a windows entry into
lilo:
other=/dev/hda2
label=windows
optional
Make sure your /dev/hdaX is pointing to the correct windows partition.
IMPORTANT: Run the following command: lilo -v.tune2fs -j /dev/hdaX tune2fs -i 0 -c 0 /dev/hdaXUpdate your
/etc/fstab entries. Change the filesystem
type from ext2 to ext3. Also, if you are
using SCSI emulation, you should update your /etc/fstab
file and symlink /dev/cdrom to /dev/sr0./etc/modules, since we will be using the
driver compiled into the kernel. You can manually do this or use the
modconf tool.apt-get install i8kutilsThese utilties can control fans and fan speed as well as give you access to the Dell buttons. See the documentation that comes with this package for more information and the Dell Keys section at the bottom of this guide.
/proc. To do this, edit your /etc/fstab
file to include an entry:
none /proc/bus/usb usbdevfs defaults 0 0
mkdir /dev/input mknod /dev/input/mice c 13 63You must modify your XF86Config-4 file to take advantage of the USB mouse. Alternatively you can use my XF86Config-4 file.
adduser username audio adduser username cdrom adduser username diskIf you do not wish to add a user to the disk group, you can chown the cdrom device to cdrom instead.
apt-get install aumix xmms-cdread vorbis-tools libmikmod2Note: If you are using Gnome/KDE, you probably don't need to get any of the above packages.
CONFIG_NET_RADIO. My config-2.4.17 file already has this
option turned on.apt-get install wireless-tools
/etc/pcmcia/config file to take
advantage of the new module (orinoco_cs) that replaces the old
one (wvlan_cs). Modify the Lucent WaveLAN/IEEE entry to match the new
driver. Search for the lines:
card "Lucent Technologies WaveLAN/IEEE Adapter"
version "Lucent Technologies", "WaveLAN/IEEE"
bind "wvlan_cs"
Modify the last bind statement to:
bind "orinoco_cs"
/etc/pcmcia/network.opts must be configured properly
for the wireless card to work (set BOOTP/STATIC/DHCP options, etc).
The /etc/pcmcia/wireless.opts file must also be set
to your wireless network configuration for the card to work!make. Remember to create
the kernel driver first, then the GLX module./dev/agpgart:
adduser username videoYou may also have to modify your XF86Config-4 Device section to take advantage of /dev/agpgart. Add a line:
Option "NvAGP"
"3" to the file. The above may adversely affect Advanced
Power Management and the ability to suspend/resume successfully (see
the APM section below).alias char-major-195 NVdriver options NVDriver NVreg_Mobile=1into
/etc/modules.conf or into
/etc/modutils/aliases.nv.c source file. First, search for the word
"avoiding", you should come across a block of code like this:
#else
case PM_RESUME:
case PM_SUSPEND:
// printk("NVRM: avoiding suspend request, don't want to shutdown!!\n");
return 1;
#endif
default:
// printk("NVRM: received unknown PM event: 0x%x\n", rqst);
return 1;
}
return 0;
}
#endif
Change both return 1 statements to return
0 statements. It should now look like this:
#else
case PM_RESUME:
case PM_SUSPEND:
// printk("NVRM: avoiding suspend request, don't want to shutdown!!\n");
return 0;
#endif
default:
// printk("NVRM: received unknown PM event: 0x%x\n", rqst);
return 0;
}
return 0;
}
#endif
Save the file and run make.Option "NvAGP" "0"My XF86Config-4 file already has this set. (I hope you didn't compile the AGP module into the kernel!)
/var. Issue these commands:
mkdir state chmod 777 state
gcc -Wall -O2 -o pci-saveconfig pci-saveconfig.c chmod 755 pci-saveconfig mv pci-saveconfig /sbin
mv apm_i8000 /etc/apm/event.d
NETDEV WATCHDOG: eth0: transmit timed out eth0: Transmit timed out: status 0000 0000 at 668/696 command 00030000.before network connectivity is restored.
Fn+Esc Activates suspend-to-memory Fn+A Activates suspend-to-disk Fn+D Turn off LCD Fn+H Spin down hard disk
apt-get install hdparm
/etc/init.d entry called hdparm.
Inside /etc/init.d/hdparm should contain:
#!/bin/sh echo "Optimizing Hard Disk performance... " hdparm -m16 -c3 -u1 -d1 /dev/hda
chmod 755 /etc/init.d/hdparm ln -s /etc/init.d/hdparm /etc/rcS.d/S01hdparmThis will drastically improve I/O throughput of your hard drive and speed up the boot process.
/etc/X11/xkb/keycodes/xfree86 and fix the I01/I03
mappings:
<I01> = 129; <I02> = 130; <I03> = 131; <I04> = 132;
/etc/X11/xkb/symbols/us (or the appropriate
country keymap) and add lines to the pc104 section like these:
key <I01> { [F13] };
key <I02> { [F14] };
key <I03> { [F15] };
key <I04> { [F16] };
apt-get xmms-osd-plugin and
xosd-bin)i8kutils package, you can map the volume up/down to
aumix. Grab the tarball above (volume-control-keys). Apt-get the
aforementioned xosd packages./etc/init.d entry called i8kutils.
Inside /etc/init.d/i8kutils should contain:
#!/bin/sh echo -n "Loading i8kutils and settings... " i8kmon -d & i8kbuttons -u "aumix -v +1" -d "aumix -v -1" -m "aumix -v 0" & echo "done."
chmod 755 /etc/init.d/i8kutils ln -s /etc/init.d/i8kutils /etc/rc2.d/S90i8kutilsMake sure the you replace
rc2.d with the appropriate runlevel
directory your notebook is set on! Alternatively, you can link i8kutils
into each rcX.d (except for rcS.d)./etc. You
can change some of the temperature settings, but don't set them too high
or your cpu will be toast; consult the manpages on i8kmon for more
info before you modify this file!/usr/local/sbin and create a file called
i8kvol:
#!/bin/sh killall i8kbuttons i8kbuttons -u /usr/local/bin/volume-up -d /usr/local/bin/volume-down &Issue a
chmod 750 to make it executable. The first time
you load X, run this script. You can now change the volume with the
volume being displayed on the screen when you change it.apt-get upgradeto update old files on your system.
wmaker wmakerconf wterm emacs20 acroread navigator mozilla-psm gimp cupsys xscreensaver wmaker-data wmCalClock wmmon wmwave wmapm wmWeather wmnd wget vim-perl vim-rt vim-scripts exuberant-ctags a2ps sysutilsA partial listing of stuff I remove:
twm ppp pppconfig nfs-kernel-server gdm lpr
update-alternatives tool (must be root):
update-alternatives --config editor update-alternatives --config vi
lynx -source http://go-gnome.com | sh.
I believe you can also apt-get Gnome. You can get the Ximian debs by
adding the redcarpet/ximian apt-get sources to the sources.list. You
can also download KDE .debs and I think you can apt-get these packages
as well.
Many thanks to the people who have emailed me notes, corrections,
suggestions, comments, and thanks! I appreciate all the nice emails!
If you feel there is an error in this document, or you want to help improve
it, send me an email: park at cc.gatech.edu.