Mandrake 9.2 installation
Booting the default kernel (kernel-2.4.22-10mdkBOOT) will hang just after checking the hard disk (problem also reported here): this issue can be solved pressing F1 at the boot screen and typing "linux noapic" at the boot prompt.
To use display at its best even within text consoles, parameter "vgahi" can be used.
I also pass "expert" as other parameter, so I can use the Italian keyboard during install process.
Parameters' order is important to use all of them: I use "vgahi expert linux noapic" and it works perfectly.
IMPORTANT: Rebooting after installation leaving APIC disabled freezes the notebook!!!
APIC can be enabled in the Summary -> Boot Loader section.
In the packages selection, I use to deselect all package groups and check "Individual package selection".
Then I check "With basic documentation (recommended!)" and "With X", toggle to "flat" packages view, leave "Show automatically selected packages" checked and check all the packages I want to use.
HINT: I don't select neither NVIDIA_GLX nor NVIDIA_kernel-2.4.22.10mdk, as version 1.0-4496 has a strange issue with this GeForce4 420 video card.
I will compile and install an newer and working version from NVIDIA site.
For further details, see here.
Additional steps
After packages installation, I follow these additional steps in the "Summary" screen:
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System
- Keyboard: Italian
- Country: Italy
- Timezone: Europe/Rome (auto-selected)
- Mouse:PS/2 Standard (auto-selected)
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Hardware
- Printer: I use to start the configuration, as it installs required packages, without adding any printer. (Answer "Yes" to "Do you really want to configure printing on this secure installation?")
- Sound card: Works (with ALSA) with the auto-selected snd-intel8x0 driver
- Graphical interface: Select "Flat Panel 1400x1050". Configuration detects "NVidia GEForce4 (generic)" card, but it doesn't work properly (see here). I will use compiled NVIDIA drivers, see here for details. after installing new kernel(s). I also use to boot in non-graphical mode and start X if needed.
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Network & Internet
- Network: Configuration correctly detects the network card, using sis900 module. After setting up the network, firewall configuration starts.
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Security
- Security level: Check "Use libsafe for servers"
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Boot
- Bootloader: Configure LILO enabling ACPI (IMPORTANT: Do NOT leave "Force no APIC" checked, or rebooting will hang) and adding "hdclun=0" to each kernel's append option (see here).
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Services
- Services: Start acpi, lm_sensors, acpid, alsa, apmd, cupsd at boot. I use to start all servers (sshd, httpd2, mysqld, netfs, samba, proftpd) only when I need them.
First boot
I reboot and kernel 2.4.22-10mdk loads without big problems (see dmesg).
The only annoying issues are a couple of "modprobe: insmod sr_mod failed" messages.
CD-RW
As reported here, it seems that the kernel sees... 7 DVD/CDRW drives!!!
This has no effect on the useability of the device, and can be solved simply appending an option "hdXlun=0" (where /dev/hdX is the CD-RW device) to the boot loader's parameters.
Updates
I configured urpmi to get all updates, contrib and new packages from a Mandrake mirror.
See Easy urpmi page for urpmi configuration or here for the steps I followed.
Type
[root@localhost root]# urpmi --auto-select
and your RPMs will be up to date.
NOTE: This will update package kernel-source to the latest version available (2.4.22-26mdk as of January 11, 2004), but won't install the new kernel package.
Kernel installation is very well documented here, and can simply be done typing
[root@localhost root]# urpmi kernel-2.4.22-26mdk
This will install kernel image, initial ramdisk and modules, adding an /etc/lilo.conf stanza for the new kernel and running LILO.
Here is the new dmesg after reboot.
XFree86
I downloaded the graphic driver from NVIDIA page.
The current version (as of Dec. 23, 2003) is 1.0-5328.
Compilation and installation is very simple, and the documentation provided is very detailed (I still have to take a look to optional XF86Config-4 parameters).
IMPORTANT: NVIDIA_GLX and NVIDIA_kernel-2.4.22.10mdk packages provide version 1.0-4496, but it doesn't work properly: changing to a text console or closing an X session started from a text login (as I use to do) results in a completely white display, that slowly turns black, but never displaying the shell again.
The system doesn't stop working, and you can even restart X (that's what I did to check some different configuration parameters).
An older version (1.0-4363, that can be downloaded from here) also works perfectly.
This is my XF86Config-4 configuration file.
Modem
I found a working driver from SmartLink, following this link you can access the latest driver's release.
After unpacking the file (I did it with slmodem-2.9.4.tar.gz) and typing
[root@localhost slmodem-2.9.4]# make && make install
the drivers (slmodem.o, slamrmo.o and slusb.o) will be compiled against the running kernel.
IMPORTANT: using these drivers will taint the kernel.
I use this script, copying it as /etc/init.d/modem and typing
[root@localhost root]# chkconfig --level 345 modem on
[root@localhost root]# ln -s /dev/ttySL0 /dev/modem
TODO list
I hope to check every parameter (hard disk and USB speed, ACPI parameters, ...) soon and post here a detailed list.
I still have to check if firewire work properly.
I would like to thank Sébastien, Nico and every other that helped me with mails and/or their web pages.
I hope you will find some of these information useful.
If you have any suggestion for helping me to get everything to work, please email me.
bibe at atworkonline dot it
