Slackware Linux 10 on the Toshiba Satellite M35x - S111



Version 0.5
Copyright © 2005 by Zack Smith
All rights reserved.

0. Summary

Most features work perfectly. At this point, sound is not working on my system and power management requires a Toshiba closed-source driver, which, because it is closed-source, I'd rather not use under Linux.

1. Installation

The best way to install Slackware Linux 10 is to use the first Slackware 10 CDROM.

  1. Download the first Slackware 10.1 ISO file from linuxiso.org.
  2. Burn that to a CDROM.
  3. If you want to retain Windows, download the ntfsresize utility (see this page) to reduce the size of your NTFS partition. Caveat: I have seen this utility confuse Windows into thinking that a partly-empty partition is completely full or even more than 100% full (!!), so I suggest that you do the following to get around the problem: Add a gig of junk files, e.g. copy some CAB files; reboot to the ntfsresize floppy or CD and reduce the NT partition to the bare minimum; then reboot to Windows and delete the junk files. It's tedious, I know, but ntfsresize is not a perfect utility. If you know someone who has Partition Magic, use that instead. Note, before running ntfsresize, you should run the Windows disk defragmenter.
  4. Once the NT partition is shrunken down or deleted, boot your PC using the Slackware CDROM, which may require changing the BIOS boot order (F12 key) if your system doesn't already boot CDs.
  5. Log in as root (no password is initially required).
  6. Type fdisk /dev/hda and create your main Linux partition, set the boot flag on that partition, create any other partitions you may want such as Linux swap and FAT32 (type b), and write the new partition table. Then reboot. Commands are as follows: 
     
p = print list of partitions
n = create new partition
t = change partition type
w = write new partition table
a = set boot partition
x = edit
  7. Boot again from the CD, and this time after logging in as root, run "setup", which is Slackware's self-explanatory installation program.

My own Linux partition of about 4 gigs. I also created a Linux Swap partition of 500 megs. I did a nearly full install, excluding KDE and Gnome which I never use, but including the libraries for each other them just in case.

For good measure, be sure to get the latest kernel sources and install that in /usr/src. For newbies, here is how you do that:

  1. ftp to ftp.kernel.org, logging in as "ftp"
  2. cd into /pub/linux/kernel/v2.6
  3. type "dir l*bz2"
  4. type "bin"
  5. type "lcd /usr/src"
  6. type get linux-2.6.#.tar.bz2, where # is the latest version
  7. when done, type bye
  8. cd into /usr/src
  9. type tar jxfv linux-2.6.*.tar.bz2

Before abandoning Windows

If you plan on using Linux exclusively, be sure that before you do, you copy all of the Windows TrueType fonts to a disk for use with Linux. They're in c:\windows\fonts. Firefox looks much better when using Windows fonts.

2. System Profile

My M35X has the following hardware: 
 
Celeron M
Speed 1500 MHz
Cache 512 kB
Bogomips ~3000
Memory: 768 megs (upgraded for US$50 on sale)
Hard drive: 40 gigs
Optical: upgraded to DVD writer SD-R6472.

3. Drivers

3.1. Video

The M35X-S111 has an Intel Corp. 82852/855GM Integrated Graphics Device.
3.1.1. X Windows
Works fine. Use xorgconfig to select the i810 driver.
3.1.2. Framebuffer
I use the framebuffer in VESA mode, because the Intel fb driver wasn't working for me.

I boot in 1024x768 32 bits per pixel, which is LILO vga mode 792.

My FBUI in-kernel windowing system works wonderfully.

3.2. Sound

It works. The audio chip is an Intel Corp. 82801DB (ICH4) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 03). In the 2.6 kernel there are two drivers for this chip and unfortunately the second one doesn't work.

  1. We need to exclude the second driver from being used. So firstly we do this: 
     
echo snd-intel8x0m >> /etc/hotplug/blacklist
  2. You should have of course put the kenrel source code into in /usr/src/, so cd to the source directory and type the usual "make menuconfig" and select the first driver. You can either compile it into kernel 2.6 or use it as a module (called snd-intel8x0).
  3. Be sure to use alsamixer to un-mute all of the sound sources (using the m key).
  4. Run alsaconf to set up the sound system.

3.3. ACPI

The version of ACPI that comes with kernel 2.6.9 doesn't work. You can compile a limited version that almost works, in that it gives a battery rating without crashing, but that rating is invalid. Compiling in all of the submodules results in a crash of the ACPI subsystem during boot-up.

Toshiba apparently provides its own ACPI driver, download here and information here, although I haven't tried it.

3.4. USB

The USB controller is an Intel Corp. 82801DB. The provided 2.4.26 kernel works fine with USB flash.

3.5. FireWire

The FireWire controller is a VIA Technologies, Inc. IEEE 1394 Host Controller (rev 80).

I have not tested it.

3.6. Printing via lp0

This laptop does not have a parallel port.

3.7. External USB Floppy

My Dell USB floppy works fine.

3.8. PCMCIA

The CardBus bridge is an ENE Technology Inc CB1410 Cardbus Controller (rev 01). It seems to work fine.

3.9 Ethernet

The built-in 10/100 NIC is a Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ (rev 10). It works out of the box with the provided kernel, or if you want to compile the driver into the kernel, the Realtek 8139 has its own driver in 2.6.9+.

As part of running 'setup' you will be asked to configure your network. What setup does is run netconfig, which you can run anytime.

3.10. Internal DVD writer

I upgraded my M35X laptop with the widely available Toshiba SD-R6472 dual-layer DVD writer. Installation is very simple and I recommend upgrading to this drive. No special driver is required per se but you should install the dvd writing tools that are included with Slackware.

4. Performance

4.1. Video

4.1.1. X Windows
2D graphics is very fast.
4.1.2. Framebuffer
My FBUI in-kernel GUI is very small and fast. Use the VESA driver in 16- and 32-bits per pixel modes.

The Intelfb driver in kernel 2.6.9, which is what I've tried, does not seem to work.

I haven't tried any non-FBUI framebuffer programs.

4.1.3. Movies
GXine appears to work.

4.2. Hard drive

I am using the standard 40GB hard drive, which is a Toshiba HTS424040M9AT00. This drive is easily removable and any thin, modern laptop drive will probably work in this computer.

You should add -h to the poweroff command in /etc/rc.d/rc.6 to ensure a quiet hard drive powerdown. 

 
From hdparm -T:

/dev/hda:
 Timing buffer-cache reads:   1840 MB in  2.00 seconds = 920.00 MB/sec

(insanely great)

hdparm -t:

/dev/hda:
 Timing buffered disk reads:   72 MB in  3.00 seconds =  24.00 MB/sec

(very respectable)
It's always good to have these in your /etc/rc.d/rc.0 : 
 
/usr/sbin/hdparm -f /dev/hda     [flush the hard drive cache]
/usr/sbin/hdparm -S 1 /dev/hda   [get it to spin down ASAP]

4.3. Processor

The BYTE drystone 2 test which is at http://www.anime.net/~goemon/benchmarks.html, is always interesting if nothing else. I get an index of 123.4.

4.4. Memory Bandwidth

To ascertain memory performance, I wrote a utility called "bandwidth". You can see the results of testing this laptop here.

4.5. Internal DVD writer

Reading performance is good. I have not used it under Linux to write DVDs but under Windows is work as well as any DVD writer.

5. Manual

The main Toshiba webpage for the M35X-S111 is here
The manual is here.

6. Mailing List

Toshiba maintains a mailing list for Linux users. However I just want to say that I have never encountered a corporate-run forum or mailing list that wasn't censored or where that censorship occurred in reasonable ways. Link.

eXTReMe Tracker

Links