Linux on the ASUS N10 N10J

I use gentoo on my n10j and i have wierd troubles with touchpad. After restart i have maybe 50% chance that synaptics driver will be detected.
After boot ill easily try
"cat /var/log/dmesg |grep Synap" and if it i ok ill get
"Synaptics Touchpad, model: 1, fw: 6.2, id: 0x1a0b1, caps: 0xa04711/0x200000
input: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad as /devices/platform/i8042/serio4/input/input7".
But in 50% i dont have any answer and must try restart again.

If anyone can help, i would appreciate it. Thank you. (sorry for my english)

 

Hi, are you using the custom kernel from the howto guide (on page 1)? Or are you using a stock kernel?

Edit: Found this bug (submitted by a Gentoo user): http://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=13093

Edit 2: as a temporary workaround try adding i8042.noloop=1 as a boot argument (at the GRUB boot screen), it seems to have worked for some people.

If you aren't on the custom kernel from the howto guide, try building that and see if the problem persists:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=315810#kernel

 

Updated howto for 2.6.31 and NVIDIA 190.32.

Edit: Updated howto for Debian 5.0.3.

 

Thanks so much for all your hard work. If I wanted to have a mostly fully functional N10j (NVIDIA mode only) on Arch Linux, do you know if it would be possible? Magnification and whatnot isn't a big deal to me. Will I need to use your scripts with those kernals as well? It has been a little while since I've thought about putting Arch on my N10j.

 

It should be possible, I think there have been a few Arch users in either this thread or on n10user.com. You can use my kernel patches but the process will be different for building the kernel. You should be able to use a general guide for Arch like this:
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Kernel_Compilation_From_Source

And then just use my kernel config and wget the patched files. If there's anything I can help with let me know. If you have success and write your steps down I can add it into the guide if you'd like

 

Thanks! I'm a significant noob, so it may take me a little while to get it all correct. I've built my first Arch install (a desktop NAS), but I still have a ways to go. I'll see what I can do, and report back!

 

Er sorry this is probably what you want:
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Kernel_Compilation_with_ABS

I found that here:
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Kernel_Compilation

The link in my previous post was the generic way (I didn't quite read thru it all the way)

Good luck!

 

Hi again after long time.
Yesterday I did a fresh install of Ubuntu.
Intel now works for me great!
Even sound works without fixes.
But the Fn keys still make double touch.
I think I followed the manual properly, thx for it again.
Any ideas?
Now I am heading for fingerprint by your manual, I will let u know.

Edit:WOW I have been trying the fingerprint, there is an error,it makes a line
-e auth sufficient libpam_fingerprint.so debug
The -e must be deleted.
But...
Then it worked until I tried gdm login.
It logged me in but with screen upside down
For example the menu is where it should be but inside the menu it is upside down including the letters.
I was amazed by the new font first time I saw it
After restart it says no server defined in conf file and XDMCP disabled and no X.
Again any ideas?

PS. Why fingerprint for root? I used to use one for everything andit worked.

 

Hi

Check out this section in the guide I think that should take care of what you're describing:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=315810#hotkeys

As I mentioned in the howto I haven't tested it with anything but Debian Sid, so I can't say if Ubuntu will work at all with those instructions. Check out the installation PDF on the fingerprint GUI site, since all I did was translate that into commands that modify the config files as needed.

The upside-down thing I've seen once before due to compiz, try disabling desktop effects under appearance preferences. As I said I can't say what works and doesn't on Ubuntu since I only targeted Debian Sid with those directions.

The answer for root is also the same -- on Debian I wanted a root fingerprint, on Ubuntu sudo tends to replace direct root access so it would not be required in most cases.

I'd appreciate any feedback from Ubuntu users regarding the fingerprint reader instructions -- to this point I've only heard that there are problems, so I tried to make it extra clear that the directions are only for Debian Sid. So I appreciate you letting me know that the -e has to be removed.

Hope this clears things up

 

Hi!
Thank you very much for your help in tuning the n10 laptops.

Unfortunately I have a problem remaining after the reinstallation of kernel done in accordance with your instructions: wifi doesn't work.

I'm using N10E laptop, Debian 5.0.2 (haven't yet updated to 5.0.3), kernel 2.26.30.5, KDE 3.5.10 and the August version of your manual.

"lspci | grep Wireless" says

02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR242x 802.11abg Wireless PCI Express Adapter (rev 01)

"iwconfig" says:

wlan0 IEEE 802.11bg ESSID:""
Mode:Managed Frequency:2.412 GHz Access Point: Not-Associated
Tx-Power=0 dBm
Retry min limit:7 RTS thr ff Fragment thr ff
Encryption key ff
Power Management ff
Link Quality:0 Signal level:0 Noise level:0
Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:0 Missed beacon:0

On the other hand, 'kdefiwimanager' sees no wifi device enabled, and pressing Fn+F2 has no effect. Wifi led indicator is switched off.

Actually, wifi led switches on somwhere in the middle of the boot time (simultaneously with the bluetooth led), but it switches off back at the end of booting. Bluetooth remains working (I'm using an external usb adapter for bluetooth).

Then, I've noticed the following thing. Assume that wifi works in a Windows session. I reboot to Debian, do nothing, and reboot back again to Windows --- and I see that wifi is switched off, so I need to press Fn+F2 in order to get it working. Such a behavior does not depend on wifimanager (I've checked that by purging it out).

So the situation is somewhere clear: I need a method for switching wifi card in a way like Fn+F2 does it in Windows. Or, maybe, I should to edit some scripts in order to prevent wifi switching off during the boot time.

Being a novice in Linux, I don't know how to solve it.
I would be very grateful to you for your assistance.

 

Sorry, I meant the kernel 2.6.30.5 - my typo!

 

That's one problem right there, the older versions of the files are not available, so that is why I say to only use the patched versions of the files that are currently on the howto:

Since my secondary mirror is now out of sync it is only there for an absolute last resort in case the other two hosts go down.

In terms of your actual problem, you must have a eastern european model or similar because it has the 802.11g card instead of 802.11n. Thus you are using ath5k instead of ath9k. You can try reloading the module and then restarting network manager and nm-applet:

Code:

sudo modprobe -r ath5k
sudo modprobe ath5k
sudo /etc/init.d/network-manager restart
pkill nm-applet
nm-applet &

You can also manually associate with your AP and then use dhclient to access it, for example:

Code:

sudo iwconfig wlan0 apy any essid any
dhclient eth0

This will only work for unencrypted networks, there are more options to iwconfig for secured networks and other things. See the info page:

Code:

info iwconfig

If you can associate with iwconfig and get an IP with dhclient, it might be a problem with network manager -- check your logs.

As for the LEDs, pay no attention to them whatsoever. They do not correlate to the actual hardware status of the interface and can get out of sync.

Make sure the wireless switch is set to on. Also try switching the wireless switch from on to off and back on again.

Hope this helps.

 

Hi
So to the fingerprint
I forgot to mention there is also libqtgui4 needed.
And /etc/gdm/gdm.conf is also spammed with the "-e".
But after correcting and /etc/init.d/gdm start i can only see:
No servers were defined in configuration file and XDMPC was disabled.

Edit: So /etc/gdm/gdm.conf is wrong. After restoring the backed up it works,
I can even log myself in the gdm by fingerprint.

Edit2: Now the FP all works except screensaver.
After I lock screen and touch keyboard I can see the the password input and FP input but only for a second.
After that it blicks and only password input remains.
Even if I try to put my finger there during the second it does not work.

Edit3: Now I try to add CPU Frequency Scaling Monitor to the panel but it says unsupported.
I have the newest kernel here should i recheck something?
And with the mute key you were right current Ubuntu has only acpi-support 0.121 I will let it be and hope they include a new version.
And the resume script is now deprecated?

 

For frequency scaling see these two posts and hopefully that'll help:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5243463&postcount=587
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5243425&postcount=585

The resume script is depreciated -- I no longer need it on Sid to get my wireless and LEDs working after resume. So I leave it there for people running older software that may still need it.

In terms of the fingerprint stuff, I can't really support Ubuntu since I don't have an installation, please see the installation PDF on the fingerprint GUI site. Thanks for letting me know about the errors, I will try and make a note of it in the guide when I have some time to revise it. If you find a solution please let me know and I will include it in the guide

For the mute button you should be able to rename those two files, if that didn't work for you please let me know.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=315810#hotkeys

 

I was very tired when I got to your post... it's all very clear now.

This is actually the problem with your wireless -- the patched files from 2.6.30.x don't work with 2.6.31.x -- please compile 2.6.31 and it should work.

 

I'm sorry for the unclear expressions. Actually I used synchronous versions of the kernel and the patches (August ones).

It works. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !!

 

It's actually so: I'm living in Russia.
Thank you again.

 

Ok so mute and cpufreg work.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5243269&postcount=579
should be mentioned in the manual at least for ubuntu.
THX for that!
For the FP there are many mistakes with the -e now I found one in /etc/modules
/etc/gdm/gdm.conf should not be changed the way as it is breaks the whole X and with the normal one it works at least for me in ubuntu.
Also there should be mentioned there is no need for root fingerprint in ubuntu.
After that only screensaver problem remains which i will try to solve as soon possible

 

OK -- the instructions in the howto now are explicitly for Debian, not Ubuntu. As I've already explained I needed a root fingerprint for Debian, and gdm.conf does need those changes on Sid. I don't have an Ubuntu installation to test with so your comments are all I have to go on

I said I would try and make some notes for Ubuntu so thanks for more details. I'll have an update soon for 2.6.31.1 so maybe I can squeeze that stuff in too. Thanks for keeping me updated on it.

 

I solved the FP
The problem is sudo fingerprintGUI
Then root owns the files and the screensaver can not read them.
After I changed the owner to my user it started working.
And I thank you for not slowing down and keeping us happy

 

SWEET!

+rep

I'll try and assemble your comments into a section in the howto. If I mess something up please don't hesitate to tell me... I'm in the middle of editing my MBP 5,5 howto so maybe by the end of the night I will have the N10 howto updated.

Thanks again for the info

Edit: Updated howto for 2.6.31.1 and NVIDIA 190.36. Didn't get to the fingerprint stuff for Ubuntu this time, I'll get to it sometime soon.

 

just an update to disable the video detection script and to uninstall the nvidia driver before upgrading to 9.10 or it will fail and the tty will start flashing and you wont be able to type, you'll have to disable the video card reboot and work with the intel drivers(where you can disable the nvidia detect script)

 

Thanks for that, I'll add it to the next revision of the guide. Nice to see you posting again

 

Hi, just doing a new install of this and ran into a small problem.. talked to a few people and it seems that the libc might be the wrong version??

anyways ill paste here what ive got..

Code:

IHEX2FW firmware/keyspan_pda/xircom_pgs.fw
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-2.6.31.1'
/usr/bin/make -j2   ARCH=i386 \
			     -C Documentation/lguest
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-2.6.31.1/Documentation/lguest'
cc -m32 -Wall -Wmissing-declarations -Wmissing-prototypes -O3 -I../../include -I../../arch/x86/include -U_FORTIFY_SOURCE    lguest.c   -o lguest
lguest.c:21:25: error: sys/eventfd.h: No such file or directory
lguest.c: In function ‘create_thread’:
lguest.c:1021: warning: implicit declaration of function ‘eventfd’
make[1]: *** [lguest] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-2.6.31.1/Documentation/lguest'
make: *** [debian/stamp/build/kernel] Error 2

and than found this in response...

http://cakebox.homeunix.net/wordpress/?p=100


So the question i am wondering here.. is lguest that important on the netbook?

 

Unless you use lguest, I wouldn't worry too much about it...

That looks like an OK workaround, I also found it mentioned here:
http://www.coresec.de/2009/09/debian-upgrade-kernel-2-6-31/

Let me know if you encounter any problems, and I can add this to the next revision of the howto.

 

Now I realized the CPU scaling is always Ondemand after boot. Would not it be preferable to have Performance with AC plugged in and Powersave without? I am just wondering, what do you think?

Edit: I found 2 links which might be interesting for everyone may be to the manual.
http://embraceubuntu.com/2006/03/24/disable-synaptics-touchpad/
http://embraceubuntu.com/2006/09/20/disable-touchpad-temporarily-when-typing/
It works I am only stuck with binding it to for example XF86Launch1.
I did it as written in manual here with no success.
I also tried to switch on HorizEdgeScroll.
How do I know it was successful?

Edit2: Another 3 things.
Fn+F2 controles bluetooth and wifi also, I remember it used to control only bluetooth, did this get changed?
And I have disabled bluetooth on startup but after resume it switches on.
Should I switch it off in the resume script?
And the way the resume script is done (echo -e ) puts the -e on the beginning of the file, same as in the FP section.

 

There is documentation...

Code:

less /usr/share/doc/cpufrequtils/README.Debian

Horizontal scrolling should work with horizedgescroll, just find something that you need to scroll horizontally in and move your finger across the bottom part of the touchpad.

Yes Fn+F2 changed with 2.6.31, I mentioned this previously.

You can switch bluetooth off in a script or as a startup command in GNOME or KDE.

The resume script is depreciated.... I will be deleting it soon.

 

hey

i have two questions.


the first is with resume-internet issues.. when i resume (form hibernate or suspend), about every third or fourth time my computer does not want to connect to the internet (and so have to restart the computer to get it working again)... i use a wired network (though, when it does not want to connect after resume, i have managed to connect via a wireless singnal from someone else)... to fix this, should i just follow your instructions in the 'startup, resume, etc. issues' section? (also, i'm not sure i completely understand that section... am i supposed to first remove the 'startup script' (the first box of code in that section) then ignore the start up script box of code (the second box of code in that section), and move onto the resume script (third box of code)?... i'm using the 2.6.31 kernel)


the second question i have, is that when i go to the log file viewer, i now get a message at the top that says:

/var/log/btmp
you don't have enough permissions to read the file

..not sure what this means, or if it is bad... any idea?


thanks

 

Yes this is the very purpose of the resume script. The startup script was an earlier thing, if you don't have it installed, ignore that part. It is not needed anymore.

Just start with the part that says 'Now the resume script (unlike the startup script, this is still needed):' but remove the -e from echo -e, since it's not needed (I'll edit this out next revision). If you run into difficulty, here is the script:

Code:

#!/bin/bash

case $1 in
	hibernate)
		modprobe -r asus_laptop
		modprobe -r ath9k
	;;
	suspend)
		modprobe -r asus_laptop
		modprobe -r ath9k
	;;
	thaw)
		modprobe ath9k
		modprobe asus_laptop
	;;
	resume)
		modprobe ath9k
		modprobe asus_laptop
	;;
*) ;; esac

Have you tried running it as root? This has nothing to do with the howto guide or the N10 so I'm not sure how it's relevant to this thread... but try this:

Code:

gksudo gnome-system-log

 

thanks for that.

.. though, i forgot to remove the '-e' (yeah, i'm an idiot).. should i remove the resume script (if so how) and then do it again without the '-e'? (or can i just type in the resume script code again straight away without the '-e'?)..or just leave it as is?

..also, i had things set up so that on start up both the lightsensor and bluetooth are disabled.. this was done by (by your instructions earlier):

Make a startup script:
Code:
gksudo gedit /etc/init.d/lightsensor
Paste this in and save it:
Code:
#!/bin/bash
echo 0 > /sys/devices/platform/asus_laptop/ls_switch
[and then ditto for bluetooth]

Make it executable:
Code:
sudo chmod +x /etc/init.d/lightsensor
Now finally add it as a startup script:
Code:
sudo update-rc.d lightsensor start 98 2 .


but i see now, after typing in the resume script, that after resuming from hibernate the lightsensor and bluetooth are enabled again (though if i shut down, and startup again, they are again disabled)... is there some way to leave them disabled after resuming from hibernate?


thanks again for your help.

 

You could edit the resume script as root and remove the -e from the beginning:

Code:

gksudo gedit /etc/pm/sleep.d/resume.sh

Or you can just delete all the text and replace it with the code below.

For the light sensor and bluetooth, you can just add those lines to the script:

Code:

#!/bin/bash

case $1 in
	hibernate)
		modprobe -r asus_laptop
		modprobe -r ath9k
	;;
	suspend)
		modprobe -r asus_laptop
		modprobe -r ath9k
	;;
	thaw)
		modprobe ath9k
		modprobe asus_laptop
	;;
	resume)
		modprobe ath9k
		modprobe asus_laptop
		sudo sh -c "echo 0 > /sys/devices/platform/asus_laptop/ls_switch"
		sudo sh -c "echo 0 > /sys/devices/platform/asus_laptop/bluetooth"
	;;
*) ;; esac

 

i added the commands (and saved), but the lightsensor and bluetooth still come on when i resume from 'hibernate'.

things are fine when i resume from 'suspend'

 

Just add the two lines to the thaw section. Your script should now look like this:

Code:

#!/bin/bash

case $1 in
	hibernate)
		modprobe -r asus_laptop
		modprobe -r ath9k
	;;
	suspend)
		modprobe -r asus_laptop
		modprobe -r ath9k
	;;
	thaw)
		modprobe ath9k
		modprobe asus_laptop
		sudo sh -c "echo 0 > /sys/devices/platform/asus_laptop/ls_switch"
		sudo sh -c "echo 0 > /sys/devices/platform/asus_laptop/bluetooth"
	;;
	resume)
		modprobe ath9k
		modprobe asus_laptop
		sudo sh -c "echo 0 > /sys/devices/platform/asus_laptop/ls_switch"
		sudo sh -c "echo 0 > /sys/devices/platform/asus_laptop/bluetooth"
	;;
*) ;; esac

 

Ok thanks I did not know about that one, I will try to get through it.

I have the horizedgescroll=1 and it does not work, do I have to have MaxTapTime and TapButton1 also set?
Or where else could be the problem.

I looked at all posts since page 45 and I did not find it, but the point is:
Is there a way to change it?
To make Fn+f2 control only wifi (better) or only bluetooth (worse)
I want to have bluetooth 90% time switched off so it is useless for me to control them both with one button.

I still need the resume script at least for the leds most likely because of old acpi-support in ubuntu, please dont remove it yet.

 

It's actually a very short document. This is what I was referencing in it:

Code:

This package provides the ability to set a chosen governor (different from
the one configured at kernel compile time) at boot time by setting the governor
name in /etc/default/cpufrequtils.

That's all you need. MaxTapTime and TapButton1 are only for tap to click. If it doesn't work make sure you have the synaptics module loaded and that vertical scrolling works. The area is about the same distance from the edge of the pad that the vertical scroll is, but there is no guiding line so maybe you're just not touching the right part of the pad.

I think it may have been in my notes from a kernel upgrade, but you can change it in the asus-laptop.c file and then recompiling the asus_laptop module.

Yeh see above, I'm still supporting it but it's a pain, since I have absolutely no need for it and I can't really test it. It'll stay on as an appendix when I do delete it from the main section of the guide.

 

2.6.31.2 released today

 

Yeah I'll get to updating the guide sometime soon...

In the meantime my 2.6.31 config can be used for 31.2 without issue if you grab the source from kernel.org.

Cheers

 

I'm actually trying to get the fingerprint reader to work under ubuntu 9.10, I tried you debian sid configuration and it's best not to because it locks you out(lucky I didn't reboot )

I've been looking at fprint and ThinkFinger but both say that the device is undetected

 

Sorry I thought I made it clear not to use those commands for Ubuntu.

Instead, please just follow the directions from their website:
http://www.n-view.net/Appliance/fingerprint/documents.php

 

Yeah it was clear but I only downloaded the packages to see if it would work on Ubuntu 9.10(since they merged sid) and it doesn't

If I find a way i'll post a guide here

 

Oh. I see what you were doing there

Anyways can you (or anyone else?) confirm that the webcam is right-side-up with the stock kernel on 9.10 Karmic, and that sound and wifi also work out of the box? I'm relatively sure HDMI audio will still need the patch. For my next revision of the guide I should probably mention if fewer patches are needed.

Also my kernel config for 2.6.31.2 is up at http://allurgroceries.com/n10/config-2.6.31.2 but I haven't updated the guide yet. The patches are the same.

 

I know the wireless,sound works out of the box with 9.10, I'll check the other things with the stock kernel

webcam is still upside down...

 

Thanks.. I guess all the patches will still apply to Karmic in that case.

 

Well I can confirm that any kernel update that karmic does f***s up the nvidia settings BAD and you can't recover from it.. I'm going to reinstall and purge all generic images after I compile mine

 

Im getting weird errors in my startup with the 2.6.31.2 kernel :

this is an interpretation from what I can remember because ubuntu lacks a bootlogd...

 

Is that in ur dmesg? I don't get anything like that, is your /etc/fstab messed up? Can you boot?

I've gotten problems with update-grub where it will use sda4 instead of sda3 (after which I have to manually edit menu.lst in order for it to boot). Your problem sounds different though...

 

Naw it's in the bootup messages(not in dmesg) i didn't check the fstab because it was between fixing linux that boots or go out drinking...hmmmm.......

got rid of the pci error by removing the usb cdrom drive(didn't unmount it) from fstab

 

while configuring alsa-utils I got:

Work arround:

 

im trying to get an lcd to work on the vga port.

ive plugged it in, rebooted, and it doesnt even show up.

this is using the nvidia setup.

Im assuming this is all xorg.conf file stuff, i ran xandr and it just shows my laptop screen...

has anyone setup extended desktop on a vga lcd? can you post your settings?

Thanks!!

 

Yes it should be easy, run nvidia-settings as root:

Code:

gksudo nvidia-settings

Then go to X Server Display Configuration and click Detect Displays. Then select the rightmost display which should be your external, and click configure. Choose twinview or separate screen depending on how you want it set up. If you went for TwinView just click apply. If you went for separate screen, click 'Save to X Configuration File' and then close the window and log out and back in. The external screen should show up after you log in.