eeePC 1000

[MikeLockmoore]

roberts:  As I mentioned in another thread, I got an ASUS eeePC 1000 today.  The built-in version of XANDROS is nearly useless for the intended purpose, so I need to put something else on it.  I'd like to try to set up TC with my embedded systems cross-development tools and networking tools.  But first I just need to get my PPR and TCE repositories working correctly.

OK, after learning how to boot into XANDROS "Single-User Mode" so I could mount the /dev/sda1 SSD partition that holds the "real" copy of /boot/grub/menu.lst, I was able t get an entry set up to boot TCE 1.4.2.  It contains:

    root (hd1, 0)
    kernel /tinycore/bzImage tce=/dev/hdd1
    initrd /tinycore/tinycore.gz

When I boot into the XANDROS Single-User Mode (using the XANDROSBOOTDEBUG=y param), I can mount the solid-state storage devices /dev/sda1 (the boot partician), /dev/sda2 (most system stuff under root, like /etc and /usr...), /dev/sda3 (I think a recovery partition), and /dev/sdb1 (on the second SSD "disk", holding the XANDROS /home, with the default user files in /home/user.

However, when I boot into TC 1.4.2, I don't see devices /dev/sda... or /dev/sdb..., but rather /dev/hdc... (hdc1 to hdc3) and /dev/hdd1.  That's fine, but I don't know what to put into the tce= parameter.  /dev/hdd1 does not work.  If I install locally from .tce files and reboot, the extensions disapear.  My /opt/.tce_dir contains:

     /mnt/hdc/dev/hdd1

which does not seem like it would work.  I tried a few other versions of tce=... in my menu.list kernel line, but I don't seem to be getting it right.  Can you manke any suggestions?

I do have my backup repository working on /dev/hdd1.  The 'mydata.tgz' file is stored there and I have been able to create a file in my /home/tc folder, reboot, and see it intact.  So the Backup/Restore seems to be working OK.

Also, I don't have any network devices available.  The output of lspci includes:

01:00.0 Network controller: RaLink RT2860
04:00.0 Ethernet controller: Attansic Technology Corp., L1e Gigabit Ethernet Adapter (rev b0)

Is this the same as the eeePC 900?  It seems like the kernel is trying to load some different network drivers, but not succeeding.  If you know something that should work, I'd appreciate hearing about it.  I need ethernet at a minimum for embedded systems work I intend to do with this eeePC, and Wifi later on would be very nice.  

I will also try to compile and host the cross-compiling tools on TC so I can do some embedded development work directly on the eeePC (normally I've been doing that on a hefty Fedora laptop).
--
Mike

edited subject title by roberts

[^thehatsrule^]

However, when I boot into TC 1.4.2, I don't see devices /dev/sda... or /dev/sdb..., but rather /dev/hdc... (hdc1 to hdc3) and /dev/hdd1.

That means they're being seen as IDE in TC

That's fine, but I don't know what to put into the tce= parameter.  /dev/hdd1 does not work.  If I install locally from .tce files and reboot, the extensions disapear.  My /opt/.tce_dir contains:

     /mnt/hdc/dev/hdd1

which does not seem like it would work.  I tried a few other versions of tce=... in my menu.list kernel line, but I don't seem to be getting it right.  Can you manke any suggestions?

Only the name is required i.e. hdd1 - see the instructions for more info.  (see F2/F3 on boot CD or "core concepts" page..)

Also, I don't have any network devices available.  The output of lspci includes:

01:00.0 Network controller: RaLink RT2860
04:00.0 Ethernet controller: Attansic Technology Corp., L1e Gigabit Ethernet Adapter (rev b0)

Is this the same as the eeePC 900?  It seems like the kernel is trying to load some different network drivers, but not succeeding.  If you know something that should work, I'd appreciate hearing about it.  I need ethernet at a minimum for embedded systems work I intend to do with this eeePC, and Wifi later on would be very nice. 

The wifi has an available extension.  I think the wired one can use atl1e.  Afaik someone manually compiled it before for TC 1.x.  It should be included in the base for 2.x though.

[MikeLockmoore]

^thehatsrule^: Thanks.  I was over-complicating the boot parameter.    It works now.  I had to reset my backup repository... for reasons I don't understand, it came to be set to hdd, but I've reset it to hdd1 and the backup/restore works now too.   

I see the RT2860 compile script .tce, but I don't see the acl1e driver in any of the normal .tce repository entries.  I checked your net-2.6.26.tcem, but don't see any obvious compatible driver modules.  I can try to build one from source, if I can find it.

Thanks a lot!
--
Mike L.

[^thehatsrule^]

To be specific, someone compiled one manually before but was not packaged as an extension.

The driver was marked experimental in the upstream kernel driver (for TC 1.x) and thus was not included in the net extension.

[roberts]

Mike, I no longer have the 900a. Dell Mini 9 larger keys made be dissatisfied with the tiny keys on 900a. I only ever use wireless, first with ndiswrapper and then later with madwifi extension. I also tested and used wpa_supplicant.

[MikeLockmoore]

I tried to compile the atl1e Ethernet driver module from source, but the source tarball was targeted to kernel 2.6.25 and the make process was looking specifically for things in that kernel's source tree, so it did not succeed with the TC 1.4.2 kernel 2.6.26 headers.  I may be able to build it without make (or my own simplified makefile) with some effort, but first I am going to try to load a copy of the binary atl1e.ko module from the default Xandros installation (kernel 2.6.21).  The kernel version is different enough that this might not work, but I figure it's worth a try.  I'll report back.
--
Mike L.

[MikeLockmoore]

The atl1e.ko file borrowed from Xandros does not load.    The kernel version is too different, I think.

I loaded the Linux headers .tce (I though I had done that before... maybe it was before I got TCEs to "stick") and was subsequently able to compile the atl1 driver, but it produced a module named atl1.ko instead of atl1e.ko.  I can insmod the module file, but I don't get any standard shell output or any new messages in dmesg, and I don't have any new network devices showing up... so either I'm forgetting some other step or I need to build this in a different way.
--
Mike L.

[MikeLockmoore]

Posting this from my work eeePC 1000, running TC 2.4rc4!  I am even using WiFi at home!  I had to build the ralink rt2680 kernel module and set up init scripts so it will find the expected file in /etc/Wireless/RT2860STA/.  The 2.4 version seems to work pretty well with flwm on this eeePC. 
--
ML

[vkcbo]

Hi Mike,
           Is there any possibility of you making a tcz extension containing ethernet (atl1) and wifi (ralink rt2680) modules? This would allow internet access for the ASUS 1000, 1000H and 901.  There maybe other netbooks that could use it too, MSI Wind? Acer Aspire One?
                                                                                regards,
                                                                                            Rod

[curaga]

Atl1, atl1e are in the base in TC 2.x. The info above about them considered TC 1.x.

[MikeLockmoore]

vkcbo: I might be able to try to package it, but packaging is not really my forte.  I'm a coder! 

I'm not using the automatic method of loading this kernal module.  I use 'ismod' in a startup script, along with iwconfig and ifconfig.  That way, I did not need to alter as much of the base filesytem and add a bunch of things to the backup filelist.  But maybe that is not a good strategy if a .tcz is to be made for others to use.

Within the next day or two, I'll try to post my startup scripts. Then maybe the packaging experts tell us whether this is a good strategy to base the .tcz on or suggest another strategy.  Then either I or one of them could make a .tcz for the repository.
--
Mike

[MikeLockmoore]

Quick update.  I'm working with the Core Team to package the rt2860sta driver.  I hope to verify a basic .tczm package tomorrow, then I'll post some configuration guidelines and example start script.
--
Mike

[MikeLockmoore]

Another udpate:  I've tested the pre-release .tczm for the built-in ra2860sta WiFi chipset and it works!  With this .tczm, the driver file is automatically uncompressed and loaded into the kernal space.  The .tczm also places a hardware config file (RT2860STA.dat) in the correct place the /etc file tree so the driver can find it and start.  So with this .tczm, I no longer need a script to do 'ismod' and restore the .data file.

So, as soon as I get to my desktop, I can then run a script like this below to associate with the Wireless Access Point (WAP... the WiFi router):

Code: [Select]

#!/bin/sh
# commands to associate with wireless access point
sudo /sbin/ifconfig ra0 up
sudo /usr/local/sbin/iwconfig ra0 essid "{{{YOUR ESSID HERE}}}" key restricted "{{{YOUR KEY HERE}}}"
sleep 2
sudo /sbin/udhcpc -i ra0
sleep 7
# Fix up incorrect (SLOW!) resolv.conf content with a copy of resolv.conf with a real DNS IP!
sudo cp -f /home/tc/drivers/etc_resolv.conf /etc/resolv.conf


If you want to always associate with one WAP, you could put these commands into your /opt/bootlocal script (in which case you wont need to use sudo with those commands.  Or you could keep the commands above in a script in your home folder and call it from /opt/bootlocal.  If you associate with different WAPs at different times, you can set up multiple scripts to run as needed.  Or maybe there is a nice tool to help you find and associate with different wireless LANs that works well in TC?

Note: You many need to alter the way the security key info is formatted to work with your WAP.  If it is unsecured, the iwconfig line can have 'key none' (with no quotes).  iwconfig is part of the wireless_toos.tcz extension.

If you want to use a fixed IP address, use something like the following instead of the udhcpc line:

Code: [Select]

sudo /sbin/ifconfig ra0 192.168.1.124


[bigpcman]

Another udpate:  I've tested the pre-release .tczm for the built-in ra2860sta WiFi chipset and it works!  With this .tczm, the driver file is automatically uncompressed and loaded into the kernal space.  The .tczm also places a hardware config file (RT2860STA.dat) in the correct place the /etc file tree so the driver can find it and start.  So with this .tczm, I no longer need a script to do 'ismod' and restore the .data file.

So, as soon as I get to my desktop, I can then run a script like this below to associate with the Wireless Access Point (WAP... the WiFi router):

Code: [Select]

#!/bin/sh
# commands to associate with wireless access point
sudo /sbin/ifconfig ra0 up
sudo /usr/local/sbin/iwconfig ra0 essid "{{{YOUR ESSID HERE}}}" key restricted "{{{YOUR KEY HERE}}}"
sleep 2
sudo /sbin/udhcpc -i ra0
sleep 7
# Fix up incorrect (SLOW!) resolv.conf content with a copy of resolv.conf with a real DNS IP!
sudo cp -f /home/tc/drivers/etc_resolv.conf /etc/resolv.conf


If you want to always associate with one WAP, you could put these commands into your /opt/bootlocal script (in which case you wont need to use sudo with those commands.  Or you could keep the commands above in a script in your home folder and call it from /opt/bootlocal.  If you associate with different WAPs at different times, you can set up multiple scripts to run as needed.  Or maybe there is a nice tool to help you find and associate with different wireless LANs that works well in TC?

Note: You many need to alter the way the security key info is formatted to work with your WAP.  If it is unsecured, the iwconfig line can have 'key none' (with no quotes).  iwconfig is part of the wireless_toos.tcz extension.

If you want to use a fixed IP address, use something like the following instead of the udhcpc line:

Code: [Select]

sudo /sbin/ifconfig ra0 192.168.1.124


What would it take to modify this for the eeepc 900a which uses the Atheros AR5007EG?

[MikeLockmoore]

I have also verified the rt2860.tczm with a WEP-secured WiFi access point (my home network), and it worked well in a short test.
--
Mike L.