First of all, Update your BIOS with the following A20p BIOS Update. Check the ReadMe first.
The ThinkPad came with Windows98SE installed, and though I tend towards the extreme side of Linux zealotry I decided to leave the beast installed for the time being so I could watch DVD's and use the Hibernation. For all partitioning issues i decided to use PartitionMagic 5.0x from DOS. So I shrank the windows partition down:
SuSE 6.4
SuSE 7.0
RedHat 6.2
RedHat 7.0
Caldera eDesktop
2.4
Mandrake 7.2
Mandrake 8.0
Other distributions should install just as easily. If you're having trouble at this stage you should read the Linux-Installation-HOWTO.
FrameBuffer Support solution (XFree86 3.3.6)
To running X (very slow) i had to enable Framebuffer support. Use kernel
option "vga=834" (1400x1050). Installing the XSERVER "XF86_FBDev" and generate
an configuration with xf86config and replace the XF86Config file by this
XF86Config.
(Don't forget to link X to XF86_FBDev!)
A21p: vga=884 (1600x1200x16) and vga=885 (1600x1200x24). For A21p Informations check this site.
Accelerated r128 FB solution (XFree86 4.0.1)
It's working, and realy fast. uuhhh! Here is the XF86Config
file, to get 1400x1050x16 with vga=834 in lilo.conf! Or 1400x1050x24 with
vga=835 in lilo.conf! Use Binary-Distribution
of official XFree86 4.0.1 release.
Alain has compiled a r128_drv.o with better support from CVS. Just try it. After install XFree86 4.0.1, copy the module to /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/ . (Do not enable DRI!)
Accelerated r128 FB solution (XFree86 4.0.2)
XFree86 4.0.2 works well too. There is no need to replace r128_drv.o.
Use the following XF86Config file.
The system will automatically guess the modelines when you switch resolutions
with Ctrl +/-
Ctrl +/- will only work on the keypad, i.e. you need the Num-Lock.
which is Shift-ScrLk on the ThinkPad. The default installation of XWindows
does not recognise this key. So you need to edit your Xmodmap or kbd. For
/etc/X11/xinit/.Xmodmap, insert the line "keycode 77 = Num_Lock"
and restart the XWindows.
Crystal SoundFusion cs46xx used by the A20p is now supported in Kernel 2.4. But ALSA sounds better and has more nifty features.
More hints you find here
from Alan Shutko.
I have a Xircom Portgear 4-Port USB HUB running. Connected to it is
a Logitech USB Optical Wheel Mouse and a SMC 2202 USB Ethernet network
gear. Both works great.
If you notice closely at the Linux system messages, it seems that the
A20p has not one but TWO USB ports. Well, there is nothing wrong with the
detection, the other USB port is the Ultraport located at the top ot the
A20p screen. It is a specialised proprietary port made by IBM but using
the USB protocol. Search for Ultraport at the IBM sites.
I'm using the following kernel config.
1) compile irda and serial support as modules
2) add the following entries to /etc/modules.conf
[ actually I modified files in /etc/modutils and then
ran
update-modules, but the end result is
an updated /etc/modules.conf ]
--- cut ---
alias tty-ldisc-11 irtty
alias char-major-161 ircomm-tty
alias char-major-60 ircomm_tty
alias irda0 nsc-ircc
options irda0 dongle_id=0x09 irq=3 io=0x02f8 dma=3
options serial io=0x03f8 irq=4
--- cut---
The exact io/irq/dma options will depend on your bios settings, of
course.
I found I had to do this in order to prevent the serial module from
grabbing the irda resources, or fighting with the irda driver.
Howto's and so on seemed to indicate that I should then have to run
irmanager/irattach to do things, but I seemed not to need to do that:
# ifconfig irda0 up
# pilot-xfer -s ~/.ppilot
seemed to be sufficient to sync my pilot to my pilot directory.
[at some point irlan, irtty, irport, ircomm-tty and ircomm got autoloaded
by the kernel module loader, but I didn't have to do anything
manually]