Slackware 12.1 problems on Thinkpad T21

WideEyedSleeper · 05-16-2008, 03:12 PM

Right... so here's the story. A friend got pissed off at WinXP and asked me to setup linux on his Thinkpad T21.
I'd like to think I know my way around Slack decently, but this is the first laptop I've worked on with linux.

I've got the following problems:
--when logging out of any desktop and *trying* to get back to kdm, the screen goes black and the system goes unresponsive (only taking out the battery at this point does anything).

--ethernet card(e100) isn't working. I've heard that it might be because of ACPI.

I've been to Thinkwiki and Linux-laptop as well as a healthy ammout of googlin'. Nothing seems to be any specific help [not written 'for dummies']

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Category:T21 has general specs. Specifics: 20gb hdd, 128mb ram, 256mb swap, red nub mouse thingy.

Any solutions, hunches, or gut-feelings will be greatly appreciated.

brodo · 05-16-2008, 04:37 PM

First - instead of pulling out the battery try to push the main power button for appr. 5..7 seconds.
This should switch off your T21 as it happens to my T23 when there is a serious lack of response.

Assuming that you have one of the latest Slack installed please check the content of /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist for this entry:

blacklist eepro100

For my T23 it is a must so set yours the same way. It should be uncommented (without # at the beginning of the line).
After rebooting your T21 invoke this at the terminal:

lsmod | grep 100

And you should get something like this in return:

e100 35724 0

which means that proper module for ethernet card is loaded.

According to problem with leaving graphical managers like KDE/Xorg please post here your /etc/X11/xorg.conf content. I had a similar problem some time ago and a newer Savage video driver fixed it.

Also disabling 3D rendering in xorg.conf may temporarily fix the problem. Commenting (#) these entries:

#Load "dri"
#Load "glx"

should do the easy (but not elegant) trick.

Peacedog · 05-16-2008, 04:40 PM

Hi WideEyedSleeper, There is a thread here that may help with the kdm problem. For the nic problem please post the following output.

Code:

/sbin/lspci -v
/sbin/lsmod
/sbin/ifconfig -a

What kernel are you using?
Good luck. ;-)

WideEyedSleeper · 05-16-2008, 05:13 PM

Brodo:
eepro100 is blacklisted, commented out 3d rendering as you suggested.

Peacedog:
I'm using the default huge.smp kernel, you know, cause it's the default I assume it's safe.

as for the commands you suggested:
lspci -v:

Code:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 440BX/ZX/DX - 82443BX/ZX/DX Host bridge (rev 03)
        Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 64
        Memory at f8000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=64M]
        Capabilities: [a0] AGP version 1.0
        Kernel driver in use: agpgart-intel
        Kernel modules: intel-agp

00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 440BX/ZX/DX - 82443BX/ZX/DX AGP bridge (rev 03) (prog-if 00 [Normal decode])
        Flags: bus master, 66MHz, medium devsel, latency 128
        Bus: primary=00, secondary=01, subordinate=01, sec-latency=64
        Memory behind bridge: f0000000-f7ffffff
        Prefetchable memory behind bridge: 20000000-200fffff
        Kernel modules: shpchp

00:02.0 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCI1450 (rev 03)
        Subsystem: IBM ThinkPad A21m/T20/T22
        Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 168, IRQ 11
        Memory at 50000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4K]
        Bus: primary=00, secondary=02, subordinate=05, sec-latency=176
        Memory window 0: 10000000-13fff000 (prefetchable)
        Memory window 1: 14000000-17fff000
        I/O window 0: 00001400-000014ff
        I/O window 1: 00001c00-00001cff
        16-bit legacy interface ports at 0001
        Kernel driver in use: yenta_cardbus
        Kernel modules: yenta_socket

00:02.1 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCI1450 (rev 03)
        Subsystem: IBM ThinkPad A21m/T20/T22
        Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 168, IRQ 11
        Memory at 50100000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4K]
        Bus: primary=00, secondary=06, subordinate=09, sec-latency=176
        Memory window 0: 18000000-1bfff000 (prefetchable)
        Memory window 1: 1c000000-1ffff000
        I/O window 0: 00002000-000020ff
        I/O window 1: 00002400-000024ff
        16-bit legacy interface ports at 0001
        Kernel driver in use: yenta_cardbus
        Kernel modules: yenta_socket

00:03.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82557/8/9/0/1 Ethernet Pro 100 (rev 09)
        Subsystem: Intel Corporation EtherExpress PRO/100+ MiniPCI
        Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 66, IRQ 11
        Memory at e8120000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4K]
        I/O ports at 1800 [size=64]
        Memory at e8100000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=128K]
        [virtual] Expansion ROM at 20100000 [disabled] [size=1M]
        Capabilities: [dc] Power Management version 2
        Kernel driver in use: e100
        Kernel modules: e100, eepro100

00:03.1 Serial controller: Xircom Mini-PCI V.90 56k Modem (prog-if 02 [16550])
        Subsystem: Intel Corporation Unknown device 2408
        Flags: medium devsel, IRQ 11
        I/O ports at 1840 [size=8]
        Memory at e8121000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4K]
        Capabilities: [dc] Power Management version 2
        Kernel driver in use: serial

00:05.0 Multimedia audio controller: Cirrus Logic CS 4614/22/24/30 [CrystalClear SoundFusion Audio Accelerator] (rev 01)
        Subsystem: IBM ThinkPad A20m
        Flags: bus master, slow devsel, latency 64, IRQ 11
        Memory at e8122000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4K]
        Memory at e8000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=1M]
        Capabilities: [40] Power Management version 2
        Kernel driver in use: Sound Fusion CS46xx
        Kernel modules: snd-cs46xx

00:07.0 Bridge: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 ISA (rev 02)
        Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0

00:07.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 IDE (rev 01) (prog-if 80 [Master])
        Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 64
        [virtual] Memory at 000001f0 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [disabled] [size=8]
        [virtual] Memory at 000003f0 (type 3, non-prefetchable) [disabled] [size=1]
        [virtual] Memory at 00000170 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [disabled] [size=8]
        [virtual] Memory at 00000370 (type 3, non-prefetchable) [disabled] [size=1]
        I/O ports at 1850 [size=16]
        Kernel driver in use: PIIX_IDE

00:07.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 USB (rev 01) (prog-if 00 [UHCI])
        Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 64, IRQ 11
        I/O ports at 1860 [size=32]
        Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd
        Kernel modules: uhci-hcd

00:07.3 Bridge: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 ACPI (rev 03)
        Flags: medium devsel, IRQ 9
        Kernel modules: i2c-piix4

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: S3 Inc. 86C270-294 Savage/IX-MV (rev 11) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
        Subsystem: IBM Thinkpad T20/T22
        Flags: bus master, 66MHz, medium devsel, latency 64, IRQ 11
        Memory at f0000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=128M]
        [virtual] Expansion ROM at 20000000 [disabled] [size=64K]
        Capabilities: [dc] Power Management version 1
        Capabilities: [80] AGP version 1.0
        Kernel modules: savagefb

lsmod:

Code:

Module                  Size  Used by
snd_seq_dummy           6660  0
snd_seq_oss            32896  0
snd_seq_midi_event     10112  1 snd_seq_oss
snd_seq                50256  5 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi_event
snd_pcm_oss            40352  0
snd_mixer_oss          17920  1 snd_pcm_oss
ipv6                  234724  10
lp                     13348  0
fuse                   45588  1
pcmcia                 35884  0
battery                14340  0
ac                      8068  0
video                  19472  0
output                  6656  1 video
button                 10000  0
thermal                16540  0
processor              32680  1 thermal
snd_cs46xx             81736  1
gameport               14472  2 snd_cs46xx
snd_rawmidi            22560  1 snd_cs46xx
snd_seq_device         10380  4 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq,snd_rawmidi
snd_ac97_codec         98724  1 snd_cs46xx
ac97_bus                5760  1 snd_ac97_codec
irtty_sir               8960  0
snd_pcm                72068  3 snd_pcm_oss,snd_cs46xx,snd_ac97_codec
sir_dev                14596  1 irtty_sir
snd_timer              22532  2 snd_seq,snd_pcm
snd                    47716  12 snd_seq_oss,snd_seq,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_cs46xx,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq_device,snd_ac97_codec,snd_pcm,snd_timer
psmouse                40336  0
nsc_ircc               19344  0
i2c_piix4              11020  0
soundcore               9824  1 snd
rtc_cmos               11040  0
yenta_socket           26636  2
snd_page_alloc         11528  2 snd_cs46xx,snd_pcm
rtc_core               18696  1 rtc_cmos
intel_agp              25236  1
rsrc_nonstatic         14592  1 yenta_socket
irda                  114360  2 sir_dev,nsc_ircc
pcmcia_core            35988  3 pcmcia,yenta_socket,rsrc_nonstatic
serio_raw               9092  0
evdev                  12672  5
e100                   35724  0
rtc_lib                 6528  1 rtc_core
shpchp                 32788  0
agpgart                30664  1 intel_agp
mii                     8448  1 e100
crc_ccitt               5760  1 irda
parport_pc             27556  1
parport                34632  2 lp,parport_pc

and ifconfig -a:

Code:

eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:03:47:20:1e:b5
          BROADCAST MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:7 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:8 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
          RX bytes:420 (420.0 B)  TX bytes:4720 (4.6 KiB)

irda0     Link encap:IrLAP  HWaddr 00:00:00:00
          NOARP  MTU:2048  Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:8
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 B)  TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:16436  Metric:1
          RX packets:98 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:98 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
          RX bytes:8260 (8.0 KiB)  TX bytes:8260 (8.0 KiB)

Thanks for both your help so far in this.

randomsel · 05-16-2008, 05:42 PM

So your NIC is working, you just need to configure it with netconfig.

What about kdm, is it working yet?

Peacedog · 05-16-2008, 05:45 PM

The e100 module is loaded, have you tried running

Code:

netconfig

or bringing up the interface manually? If you need to use the eepro100 module, then you'll need to edit /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist change eepro100 to e100.
Good luck. ;-)

T3slider · 05-16-2008, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WideEyedSleeper

I'm using the default huge.smp kernel, you know, cause it's the default I assume it's safe.

This seems to be the standard thought process for everyone new to Slackware, despite it being mentioned in the official documentation included with your install CD/DVD which you are EXPECTED to read BEFORE installing (and it's been the same since Slackware 12.0, but if you're a newbie you wouldn't be expected to know that). All of the text files in the root directory of CD1 (or the DVD) contain useful information that you should read, especially CHANGES_AND_HINTS.TXT and UPGRADE.TXT (even if you are not upgrading).

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHANGES_AND_HINTS.TXT

Use one of the provided generic kernels for daily use. Do not report
bugs until/unless you have reproduced them using one of the stock
generic kernels. You will need to create an initrd in order to boot
the generic kernels - see /boot/README.initrd for instructions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHANGES_AND_HINTS.TXT

As stated earlier, it is recommended that you use one of the generic kernels
rather than the huge kernels; the huge kernels are primarily intended as
"installer" and "emergency" kernels in case you forget to make an initrd.
For most systems, you should use the generic SMP kernel if it will run,
even if your system is not SMP-capable. Some newer hardware needs the
local APIC enabled in the SMP kernel, and theoretically there should not be
a performance penalty with using the SMP-capable kernel on a uniprocessor
machine, as the SMP kernel tests for this and makes necessary adjustments.
Furthermore, the kernel sources shipped with Slackware are configured for
SMP usage, so you won't have to modify those to build external modules
(such as NVidia or ATI proprietary drivers) if you use the SMP kernel.

If you decide to use one of the non-SMP kernels, you will need to follow the
instructions in /extra/linux-2.6.24.5-nosmp-sdk/README.TXT to modify your
kernel sources for non-SMP usage. Note that this only applies if you are
using the Slackware-provided non-SMP kernel - if you build a custom kernel,
the symlinks at /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/{build,source} will point to the
correct kernel source so long as you don't (re)move it.

If you decide to use one of the huge kernels anyway, you will encounter
errors like this:
kobject_add failed for uhci_hcd with -EEXIST, don't try to register
These occur because the respective drivers are compiled statically into the
huge kernels but udev tries to load them anyway. These errors should be safe
to ignore, but if you really don't want them to appear, you can blacklist the
modules that try to load in /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist. However, make sure you
remove them from the blacklist if you ever decide to use the (recommended)
generic kernels.

It almost certainly isn't the cause of this specific problem (since both e100 and eepro100 are compiled as modules in both the huge-smp and generic-smp kernels). As others said, the fact that `lsmod` outputs the e100 module means that it is loaded, and the fact that `ifconfig -a` outputs an eth0 stanza means that your specific card is recognized. It is all just a matter of configuration now, and as others have stated, `netconfig` should do the trick. However, I would still recommend switching to the generic-smp kernel (which requires an initial ramdisk [initrd] -- for instructions on how to create one, read /boot/README.initrd. Alien Bob's script can usually output a correct mkinitrd command as well, available here: http://www.slackware.com/~alien/tool...d_generator.sh)

As for your KDM troubles, did disabling DRI "fix" the issue? If not (or if you want to try to get DRI working), you should run `xorgconfig` and select one of the few Savage drivers listed there. There are a few Savage drivers you can try -- one listed near the beginning of the list (if I recall correctly) and some Savage S3 drivers way down the list (in the "S" section, oddly enough). Using a different driver may fix the problem. I've heard the DRI and Savage cards don't mix very well, so I can't predict how successful an attempt at enabling DRI would be.

WideEyedSleeper · 05-17-2008, 02:11 AM

the logout issue is fixed.

I've been using slackware as a desktop for about 4 years now (mandrake for 2 years before that), this is my first time getting into linux on a laptop. The huge kernels have never been an issue before; I figure if it works, why mess with things. What is the advantage to using the generic-smp?

My netconfing couldn't be simpler. Just put in the same thing I did post-installation, host/domain name, everything else is automatic from DHCP. I've read that the ethernet problem may be because of using acpi and that using apm would fix that. I sure don't know how to switch the two up.

ludist · 05-17-2008, 03:36 PM

I upgraded from 12 to 12.1 (thinkpad t21) without problem but I don't remember if I use my own kernel.

The screen is blanking because the driver has problem with Default depth. Change it. (vi /etc/X11/xorg.conf)

Also

Code:

echo modprobe ibm_acpi >> /etc/rc.d/rc.modules

uncomment

Code:

/sbin/modrobe speedstep-smi

And configure you cpu Mhz if you like.
I do:

Code:

echo 550000 > /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_setspeed

Because it works so well with Slackware

my xorg.conf

Code:

Section "Module"
    SubSection  "extmod"
    EndSubSection
    Load        "type1"
    Load        "freetype"
    Load       "dri"
EndSection

Section "Files"
    FontPath   "/usr/share/fonts/TTF"
    FontPath   "/usr/share/fonts/OTF"
    FontPath   "/usr/share/fonts/Type1"
    FontPath   "/usr/share/fonts/misc"
    FontPath   "/usr/share/fonts/75dpi/:unscaled"
    FontPath   "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc/"
    FontPath   "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/:unscaled"
    FontPath   "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/:unscaled"
    FontPath   "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Speedo/"
    FontPath   "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Type1/"
    FontPath   "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/TTF/"
    FontPath   "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/OTF/"
    FontPath   "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/cyrillic/"
    FontPath   "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/"
    FontPath   "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    Identifier  "Keyboard1"
    Driver      "kbd"
    Option "AutoRepeat" "500 30"
    Option "XkbRules"   "xorg"
    Option "XkbModel"   "pc105"
    Option "XkbLayout"  "us,el" <--- greek support :D
    Option "XkbOptions" "grp:alt_shift_toggle,grp_led:scroll,eurosign:e"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    Identifier  "Mouse1"
    Driver      "mouse"
    Option "Device"      "/dev/input/mice"
    Option "CorePointer"
    Option "Buttons"     "7"
    Option "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
    Option "ZAxisMapping"   "4 5"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier  "ThinkPad_t2x"
    HorizSync   31.5 - 57.0
    VertRefresh 50-60
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier  "Savage_on_ThinkPad_T2x"
    Driver      "savage"
    Option      "VBERestore"    "true"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier  "Screen 1"
    Device      "Savage_on_ThinkPad_T2x"
    Monitor     "ThinkPad_t2x"
    DefaultDepth 24
    Subsection "Display"
        Depth       8
        Modes       "1024x768" "640x400" "640x480" "800x600"
        ViewPort    0 0
    EndSubsection
    Subsection "Display"
        Depth       16
        Modes       "1024x768" "640x400" "640x480" "800x600"
        ViewPort    0 0
    EndSubsection
    Subsection "Display"
        Depth       24
        Modes       "1024x768" "640x400" "640x480" "800x600"
        ViewPort    0 0
    EndSubsection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier  "Simple Layout"
    Screen "Screen 1"
    InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer"
    InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

Section "DRI"
   Mode 0666
EndSection

I have config with xinerama if you are interested, but it's buggy (some artifacts an lockups on X-server.