New custom kernel 2.6.29.1 - please test

Hi all

I have been playing with various versions of ubuntu based installations on my AAO for a few weeks now. My most successful installation prior to my new build was based on xubuntu 8.10, with sickboy's 2.6.28 kernel and madwifi drivers. However, in the last few days I have been playing with jaunty-UNR-beta and liked it so much that I decided to install that in preference to my xubuntu installation.

However, as documented on the site there are still one or two problems with that build (largely around the fact that pciehp is not built as a module). So, I decided to bite the bullet and build my own kernel based on the 2.6.29.1 tree from kernel.org. You can read about my reasons here http://baldric.net/2009/04/12/acer-aspi ... xperience/

The actual kernel images are here http://aibohphobia.org/aao/

Feel free to test the images - and please let me have any feedback to aao[at]baldric.net. In particular I will be delighted if anyone can get the sony memorystick modules to work,,,,,,,,,

 

Baldric -- I am on the early model A110L. Your kernel works fine;
the camera works well.

NOT TESTED:
Wired ether
Microphone, sound recording.
Suspend, Hibernate

TESTED WORKS:
Sound
Camera
Wireless
Left SD card reader

DID NOT WORK
Right hand SD slot. Will retest later with card in slot at bootup.

OVERALL IMPRESSION:
Snappy;, the computer feels zippier and faster to boot than the stock 28.11 kernel,
but I did not clock it.

Good job. I also want to try Sarvatt's 29-atom kernel a bit later today.

-- argee

 

Does it have acerdhf and suspend/resume???

 

argee

Good to hear that it works on a 110

Please ensure that you have made the following changes:

- add "pciehp" (without the quotes) to the end of /etc/modules to get the module to load.

- create a new file in /etc/modprobe.d (I called mine acer-aspire) to include the line options "pciehp pciehp_force=1" (again without the quotes).

I documented this in my blog, but I have now updated the README on the download site to include the same advice.

Cheers

 

jango

suspend/resume work fine for me- and wireless restarts after suspend. Let me know how you get on.

Cheers

 

What about acerhdf module??? i need to now if the fan control module is working...

 

I followed your instructions on /etc/modules and /etc/modprobe.d/acer-aspire, and it did not work.

What DID work was to not have the acer-aspire file, and use
"pciehp pciehp_force=1" (no quotes)
on the /etc/modules file.

In the Debian list they say that there is some danger in using this statement, because there
could be a race conditon allowing the sd card to be plugged or uplugged with the socket
powered up. Or so I think I read. They have found a fix for it. Do you need the URL??

--argee

 

jango

No - I have not included any fan control. I have not experienced any of the "noisy fan" problems documented elsewhere so I never even considered it.

 

Interesting. I guess this may be BIOS related (views anyone?). My AAO has v0.3114 I
have so far refrained from changing that on the grounds that if it ain't broke....

The only reference I have seen to problems here is when passing the options as arguments
to the kernel at boot time (i.e. with pciehp built in rather than as loadable module). So, yes, I'd
welcome a pointer.

 

yeah, there were pretty big changes to pci power management in the newer bios' and using an older one needs the pciehp_force option.. there's some more info here http://wiki.debian.org/DebianAcerOne

the pciehp module isn't even needed or loaded anymore and both slots work fine. I use acpihp instead. My bios version is gateway v3103 (aka acer 3309 without the brightness table crap that removes the lowest levels).

a few notes-
conf files in /etc/modprobe.d/ have to end in .conf now
"pciehp pciehp_force=1" in /etc/modules should just be making it load pciehp and ignoring the option

I believe you meant options pciehp pciehp_force=1 in /etc/modprobe.d/acer-aspire.conf because pciehp pciehp_force=1 isn't a valid syntax.

 

Yes, thanks, I had seen that. I thought from argee's comment that there were other references though.

Yep, you are right - typos.

Incidentally, I have just tried your kernel, which looks very interesting but I couldn't get a display working (and, yes, I have nomodeset at the boot line). I'll play some more though. Maybe it's time I bit the bullet and upgraded my BIOS.

Cheers - and thanks for the feedback