Linux on Laptop NEC Versa VXi

Preface

This is a survey about Linux related hardware features of the Versa VXi.

Febvre Valéry <vfebvre@easter-eggs.com>

Installation

Distribution:

On my Versa VXi, I have installed the Debian Woody Linux distribution. I have choosen it for severals reasons:

It's a none commercial distribution, so without delays.

It's very stable.

It has a very good packages system.

Kernel version:

The Kernel version is 2.4.2.

XFree86 version:

The version of XFree86 is 4.0.2, but it's a Gatos version. Gatos is a derived version of XFree86 for ATI cards. It's an effort to create standard drivers for all currently unsupported features of ATI video cards, specifically TV features.
Here is my /etc/X11/XF86Config-4

Section "ServerLayout"
	Identifier     "Layout"
	Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
	InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
	InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

Section "Files"
	RgbPath      "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"
	ModulePath   "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules"
	FontPath     "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/"
	FontPath     "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Speedo/"
	FontPath     "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Type1/"
	FontPath     "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/CID/"
	FontPath     "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/"
	FontPath     "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/"
EndSection

Section "Module"
	Load  "GLcore"
	Load  "dbe"
	Load  "dri"
	Load  "render"
	Load  "extmod"
	Load  "glx"
	Load  "pex5"
	Load  "record"
	Load  "xie"
	Load  "type1"
	Load  "speedo"
	Load  "freetype"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier  "Keyboard0"
	Driver      "keyboard"
	Option		"CoreKeyboard"
	Option		"XkbRules"	"xfree86"
	Option		"XkbModel"	"pc101"
	Option		"XkbLayout"	"fr"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier  "Mouse0"
	Driver      "mouse"
	Option      "Protocol" "ps/2"
	Option      "Device" "/dev/mouse"
	Option	"Emulate3buttons"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier   "Monitor0"
	VendorName   "Monitor Vendor"
	ModelName    "Monitor Model"
EndSection

Section "Device"
        Option     "mmio_cache"
	Option	    "DPMS"
	Identifier  "Card0"
	Driver      "ati"
	VendorName  "ATI"
	BoardName   "Mach64 LR"
	ChipSet     "ati"
	ChipId      0x4c52
	ChipRev     0x64
	BusID       "PCI:0:5:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier "Screen0"
	Device     "Card0"
	Monitor    "Monitor0"
	DefaultDepth 16
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth     16
		Modes	  "1024x768"
        EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "DRI"
	Mode 0666
EndSection

General Hardware Data

General system information:

Linux muguet 2.4.2 #7 4 April 2001 i686 Pentium III

processor	: 0
vendor_id	: GenuineIntel
cpu family	: 6
model		: 8
model name	: Pentium III (Coppermine)
stepping	: 3
cpu MHz		: 747.421
cache size	: 256 KB
fdiv_bug	: no
hlt_bug		: no
f00f_bug	: no
coma_bug	: no
fpu		: yes
fpu_exception	: yes
cpuid level	: 2
wp		: yes
flags		: fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 mmx fxsr sse
bogomips	: 1490.94

Filesystem           1k-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/hda1              3937036   1094192   2642840  30% /
/dev/hda2              1968540    830600   1037936  45% /home
/dev/hda3              3937252   2486740   1250504  67% /mnt/hda3
/dev/hda6              1628612        20   1545860   1% /mnt/hda6


Disk /dev/hda: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 1467 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes

   Device Boot    Start       End    Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hda1   *         1       498   4000153+  83  Linux
/dev/hda2           499       747   2000092+  83  Linux
/dev/hda3           748      1245   4000185   83  Linux
/dev/hda4          1246      1467   1783215    5  Extended
/dev/hda5          1246      1261    128488+  82  Linux swap
/dev/hda6          1262      1467   1654663+  83  Linux

Hard Disk:


/dev/hda:

 Model=HITACHI_DK23AA-12, FwRev=00XDA0A2, SerialNo=ZAH8HV
 Config={ HardSect NotMFM HdSw>15uSec Fixed DTR>10Mbs }
 RawCHS=16383/16/63, TrkSize=36477, SectSize=579, ECCbytes=4
 BuffType=DualPortCache, BuffSize=512kB, MaxMultSect=16, MultSect=off
 CurCHS=16383/16/63, CurSects=16514064, LBA=yes, LBAsects=23579136
 IORDY=yes, tPIO={min:400,w/IORDY:120}, tDMA={min:120,rec:120}
 PIO modes: pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4 
 DMA modes: sdma0 sdma1 sdma2 mdma0 mdma1 mdma2 udma0 udma1 *udma2 udma3 udma4

Memory:

My Versa VXi was sold with 64 Mb (2x32 Mb). Few time after boot, I was already in swap, so I have replaced a 32 Mb SODIMM with a 128 Mb.

Monitor:

14.1 TFT XGA display (1024x768 LCD panel capable) with perfect contrast.

Survey PCI Devices

Output from lspci:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 82440MX I/O Controller (rev 01)
00:00.1 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation 82440MX AC'97 Audio Controller
00:03.0 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCI1420
00:03.1 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCI1420
00:05.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc 3D Rage P/M Mobility (rev 64)
00:06.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82557 [Ethernet Pro 100] (rev 08)
00:07.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82440MX PCI to ISA Bridge (rev 01)
00:07.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82440MX EIDE Controller
00:07.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82440MX USB Universal Host Controller
00:07.3 Bridge: Intel Corporation 82440MX Power Management Controller

Pcmcia

Output of probe:

PCI bridge probe: TI 1420 found, 2 sockets.

Network card

It's an internal combo card. The network card works fine with eepro100 kernel driver (EtherExpressPro/100).

Graphic-Chip

Output of SuperProbe:


SuperProbe Version 2.23 (2000 November 28)
	(c) Copyright 1993,1994 by David Wexelblat <dwex@xfree86.org>
	(c) Copyright 1994-1998 by The XFree86 Project, Inc

	This work is derived from the 'vgadoc2.zip' and
	'vgadoc3.zip' documentation packages produced by Finn
	Thoegersen, and released with all appropriate permissions
	having been obtained.  Additional information obtained from
	'Programmer's Guide to the EGA and VGA, 2nd ed', by Richard
	Ferraro, and from manufacturer's data books

First video: Super-VGA
	Chipset: ATI Rage Mobility (Port Probed)
	Memory:  4096 Kbytes
	RAMDAC:  ATI Mach64 integrated 15/16/24/32-bit DAC w/clock
		 (with 8-bit wide lookup tables)
		 (programmable for 6/8-bit wide lookup tables)
	Attached graphics coprocessor:
		Chipset: ATI Mach64
		Memory:  4096 Kbytes

Sound

The sound card of my Versa VXi is on Intel ICH Card. The Multimedia audio controller is an Intel Corporation 82440MX AC'97 (I obtained this information with command 'lspci' ). I use the Intel ICH audio driver provide in the kernel 2.4.2 (I haven't compiled it as a module because it's doesn't work !!!). It's developped by Alan Cox.
Here is an extract of the file i810_audio.c:
 *      The chipset provides three DMA channels that talk to an AC97
 *      CODEC (AC97 is a digital/analog mixer standard). At its simplest
 *      you get 48Khz audio with basic volume and mixer controls. At the
 *      best you get rate adaption in the codec. We set the card up so
 *      that we never take completion interrupts but instead keep the card
 *      chasing its tail around a ring buffer. This is needed for mmap
 *      mode audio and happens to work rather well for non-mmap modes too.
 *
 *      The board has one output channel for PCM audio (supported) and
 *      a stereo line in and mono microphone input. Again these are normally
 *      locked to 48Khz only. Right now recording is not finished.
 *
 *      There is no midi support, no synth support. Use timidity. To get
 *      esd working you need to use esd -r 48000 as it won't probe 48KHz
 *      by default. mpg123 can't handle 48Khz only audio so use xmms.

    
Another solution is to use the Alsa drivers. I do not have tested them but I think that it works too.

Floppydrive

Floppy drive(s): fd0 is 1.44M

USB Ports

I don't have any hardware to exercise these, yet. Apparently USB support is being revamped/improved in the 2.4.x kernel, so I think that a lot of peripherals should work (keyboard, mouse, etc...).

Survey RS232

Output from setserial:

/dev/ttyS0, Line 0, UART: 16550A, Port: 0x03f8, IRQ: 4
	Baud_base: 115200, close_delay: 50, divisor: 0
	closing_wait: 3000
	Flags: spd_normal skip_test

/dev/ttyS1, Line 1, UART: unknown, Port: 0x02f8, IRQ: 3
	Baud_base: 115200, close_delay: 50, divisor: 0
	closing_wait: 3000
	Flags: spd_normal skip_test

/dev/ttyS2, Line 2, UART: unknown, Port: 0x03e8, IRQ: 4
	Baud_base: 115200, close_delay: 50, divisor: 0
	closing_wait: 3000
	Flags: spd_normal skip_test

/dev/ttyS3, Line 3, UART: unknown, Port: 0x02e8, IRQ: 3
	Baud_base: 115200, close_delay: 50, divisor: 0
	closing_wait: 3000
	Flags: spd_normal

Disclaimer

This document has nothing to do with NEC, they don't even know it exists. There is no guarantee that the information on this page is accurate, please don't hold me responsible if your experience is different from the information here.

Document Licence

The author owns this document.
The document is freely distribuable under licence terms of GNU Free Documentation License (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html).
All comments, suggestions or help is very welcome and encouraged.
Please send whatever comment you want to the author.

Good Things to Do

Advanced Power Management : there are lots of other useful tips in the mini-HOWTO for maximizing battery life.

Credits

Linux on Laptops by Kenneth E. Harker <kharker@cs.utexas.edu>
MobiliX
Lanoche (MobiliX - Softwares) : this report has been originaly generated by it.
Nec Versa laptops support page.
The members of the linux-laptop@mobilix.org mailing list
The members of the linux-laptop@vger.rutgers.edu mailing list
Others whose names I forgot to record.

Date : {I_DATE}

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