Slackware Linux on the IBM Thinkpad 380ED

Introduction

This document describes how to install Slackware Linux on a Thinkpad 380ED. The 380ED is really a very nice machine. Pairing it with Slackware Linux 8.0 demonstrates how well-engineered IBM's older laptops are. You might think that the Pentium 166 MMX would underperform, but with this distro, it doesn't. I have certainly seen much-higher MHz computers do much worse.

I have used the 380ED+Slackware for software development in C and Java, MP3 playback, CD ripping, simple word processing, CAD work, and web browsing. It can also play back MPEG1 video.

My 380ED

The particular system I own is IBM model number 2635-6AU, which is a model sold in the USA. The following is some useful data on this system obtained from /proc/cpuinfo, lspci, etc.

Processor	Intel Pentium 166 MHz with MMX
Level 1 Cache	16 kB
Level 2 Cache	256kB L2
RAM	16MB + expansion up to 80MB total max
RAM type	64-bit EDO SO-DIMM
Hard Drive type	type= 3.0 GB, 13 ms
Hard Drive transfer speed	untested (max)
CD-ROM	internal, 8-20X
Screen	12.1 inch color, 65536 colors, active TFT, 100:1 contrast
Video Processor	NeoMagic MagicGraph128ZV (NM2093), on PCI 2.1 bus
Video RAM	1.125 MB embedded
Video Resolution (LCD)	800x600 16-bit color
Video Resolution (CRT)	1024x768 256 color (max)
Ports	Serial, Parallel, PCMCIA (2), PS/2, video, infrared
Mouse	Trackpoint (eraserhead)
PCMCIA Slots	2 (two type II or one type III)
PCMCIA CardBus compatibility?	No.
PCMCIA Controller	CL-PD6729 (PCMCIA spec 2.1 compatible)
Sound Hardware	Sound Blaster Pro ^TM
Battery Type	Lithium Ion (non-intelligent)
Weight (PC)	7.0 pounds (3.2 kg) with battery
Weight (AC adaptor)	?
Thickness	2.4 inches (62 mm)
AC Adaptor Output	? V, ? A, 35 watts max
Modem	None

Why this distro?

I always use Slackware, because I have also found it to be reliably put together and rationally organized. Slackware is slightly different than other distros in that the emphasis is still as much on the command line as it is on the fancy bloated GUI systems like Gnome and KDE.

This computer is fast enough to run Slackware 8.0 quite well.

Slackware 8.0

This version of Slackware occupies perhaps 300-500 megs of space and includes all the latest. The 380ED's built-in CD-ROM drive means you can install in the easiest way possible from CD. I myself however installed by copying the needed files into the Windoze partitition.

Installation

If your hard drive has just 1 partition to start with, and you desire to retain Windows or DOS, then run FIPS to break it into two partitions. FIPS is a part of the Slackware distribution, and is available here.
Create the root and boot disks using the MSDOS program RAWRITE.EXE, which comes with Slackware and is usually in the install directory.
Boot from the boot disk and load the root disk when asked and log in to Linux (no password is needed).
Use "fdisk /dev/hda" to create the second Linux partition, or if you have booted from CDROM, you can use the entire hard drive for Linux.
Reboot, use the boot/root disks, log in, and run "setup" which will walk you through formatting, installing Linux, and configuring.

Kernels

I have compiled and used kernels 2.4.14 and 2.4.18 just fine.

X-Windows

XFree86 4.1

This is the server that comes with Slackware 8.0. When I tried running the server, it started up without an requiring XF86Config file and has since had no problems at all.

Gnome / KDE

I consider these to be bloated lameware and I don't use them. However I do use the occassion app that is compiled to use their libraries, and performance on this system isn't great using such software but it isn't terrible. If possible, stick to what is included with Slackware 8.0.

Framebuffer

I never tried the 2.6 kernel on the 380ED, but if you are interested in using it, download kernel 2.6.9 along with FBUI, which is my in-kernel windowing system. This machine should run it fairly quickly.

Audio

I haven't been able to use a sound driver compiled into the kernel, because the kernel was either too large on several occassions or on a few others it just didn't work.

However I've gotten it to work as a module. The key was, enable sound when compiling the kernel, then do the following in whichever /etc/rc.d file you prefer. To make modules, select them via 'make menuconfig' and then run 'make modules' and 'make modules_install'.

modprobe sound
insmod uart401 
insmod sb io=0x220 dma=1 irq=5

This permits /dev/{audio,dsp} to work. If you cat a .au file to audio it plays, and MP3 files sound great running the commandline program mpg123 (Slackware package ap1/mp3.tgz). Note, I set the sb parameters in DOS using the ps.exe program.

PCMCIA

The PCMCIA port works fine with my 3COM 574 Xjack NIC. However I have not found a way to access my Flash memory card (a CompactFlash in an adaptor); I gather that the PCMCIA-CS package doesn't support PCMCIA IDE yet. I haven't tried any other type of card. Update: kernel 2.6 provides that functionality.

Windows

Should you need to run Win 95/98 for some reason (wireless?), you can download the final drivers for the 380ED from here.

Documentation

Product information is here.
The online users guide is here.
The repair manual is here. It covers several laptops so it's 8 megs.
A comparison of 380 models is here.

Spare Parts

At this point, I have only purchased RAM.

RAM: as usual Crucial has good prices. I got 64M for $31 (in the USA). They also have a great review at www.resellerratings.com.
Batteries: Don't expect to get a Li-Ion for cheap. Nickel-Metal Hydride is the only affordable option. Here are three companies, one is a bit expensive, one a bit less expensive, and another that is reasonable.