Linux on Toshiba Satellite 2515CDS
for comments or questions, email to Louis Fung: louisfung@email.msn.com
Last Update: 01/26/99
Disclaimer:
This document is without any guarantee. Author will not bear
any responsibility if there are any damage or data loss after any
reader uses the following information. Use this at your own risk.
I am using Red Hat Linux 5.2 (kernel 2.0.36) that is the most recent one when I wrote this document.
This document will show you the how to setup Linux specific on the 2515CDS. For more information on how to install Linux, please look at How-To documents at http://metalab.unc.edu/LDP/HOWTO/HOWTO-INDEX-3.html#ss3.1
Satellite
2515CDS Specifications
Partition Information
Toshiba Recovery CD Tricks
X-Windows Configurations
Sound Configurations
APM Configurations
Satellite 2515CDS Specifications
Here are the details of Satellite 2515CDS:
Intel Pentium mobile processor
266Mhz MMX
32KB L1 Cache (built-in CPU), 512KB L2 Cache
32MB EDO DRAM (60ns, 64Mbit, 3.3V) expandable to 160MB
1.44MB Floppy Drive
IBM 4.0GB 2.5" 9.5mm UDMA Hard Drive
Teac 24X ATAPI CD-ROM multi-read compatible
C&T (Chips & Technologies) 69000 with 2MB video EDO DRAM
(50ns)
12.1" Color Bright Dual Scan Panel, 800x600 resolution
Yamaha OPL3-SA3 Sound System with stereo built-in speakers
Toshiba Accupoint PS/2 mouse
84/86-key Keyboard
3Com Noteworthy 56k V.90 PCMCIA modem
2 Type-II or 1 Type-III PCMCIA slot
1 USB port, 1 PS/2 keyboard/mouse port, 1 25-pin ECP parallel
port, 1 9-pin serial port,
1 infrared port, 1 15-pin external monitor out port, Microphone,
Headphone & Line-in Jacks
Extra: 3Com Etherlink 589D 10-BaseT PCMCIA LANCard.
It is not a top-of-the-line laptop, but good enough for me. I bought it in Nov, 98 for $1300. I like it everything built-in, don't have to swap around. And it can do everything I need.
Toshiba came with Windows 98 pre-installed in one FAT32 partition on a 4.0GB Hard Drive. So, I repartition the hard drive using Partition Magic (3rd Party Commercial Utilities), resize the partition from 4.0GB to 2.5GB, and leave 1.5GB left free.
During the installation of Linux (Red Hat Linux 5.2), if choose of "Workstation", it will automatic create the partition on the free space of the drive. If choose of "server", it will ERASE ALL the partitions! CAUTION! all the data will lost! If choose of "custom", you can still create the Linux partitions by yourself. Since I am still a beginner in Linux, I still need Windows from time to time. Anyway, LILO is installed on Master Boot Record (MBR) at /dev/hda1 (first partition on first ide hard drive), dual boot Linux and Windows.
Partition
Type
OS
/dev/hda1
vfat
Windows
/dev/hda2
extended
/dev/hda5
Linux
Linux
/boot
/dev/hda6
swap
Linux Swap
/dev/hda7
Linux
Linux
/
There are some complain about Toshiba Recovery CD, it will use the whole HD as FAT32 partition if you want to reinstall Windows 98. and Toshiba came without Extra Windows 98 CD, make most of us having trouble when we want to reinstall Windows 98 on a smaller partition. I find out a method to do.
Go to the page Toshiba Recovery CD Tricks
Toshiba 2515CDS built-in a very new video controller chip, Chips & Technologies 69000, HiQVideo family that support 2MB Video RAM, 16.7M color @ 800x600 resolution.
Red Hat Linux 5.2 comes with XFree86 3.3.2, but it doesn't support C&T 69000. During the installation, Xconfigurator will ask you to pick your video card or chipset, please choose "C&T 65555", it will install the SVGA Server.
Luckily, the new XFree86 3.3.3 does support C&T 69000, you don't have to upgrade the entire XFree86, what I did was just upgrading the SVGA Server file to 3.3.3.
SVGA Server 3.3.3 download:
rpm format: XFree86-SVGA-3.3.3-1.i386.rpm
tgz format: XSVGA.tgz
XFree86 3.3.3 download:
rpm format: ftp://updates.redhat.com/5.2/i386/
tgz format: ftp://ftp.xfree86.org/pub/XFree86/3.3.3/
to install rpm: rpm -Uvh <package name>.rpm
Run Xconfigurator, pick the card "C&T 65555", (if you upgraded the entire XFree86 to 3.3.3, pick "C&T 69000"), when the choice of monitor screen came up, pick "Custom", and pick "Extended Super VGA 800x600 @ 60hz", and "50-90" on vertical sync range; pick "2 meg" on video memory. After that, you should pick the "16bit at 800x600" resolution.
startx you should see the nice X-Windows is up.
In order to make it 24bpp (24bit/True Color) mode at 640x480 or 800x600, we need to manually change the configuration on the /etc/X11/XF86Config file, under Screen section, The Colour SVGA server section, change "Depth 16" to "Depth 24".
Notes: if you pick 640x480 resolution, it will have "letter-box" type graphics, fonts are ugly. To solve "letter-box", edit the /etc/X11/XF86Config file, under Graphics device section, delete the "#" on 'Option "no_stretch"', and add 'Option "lcd_center".
I can't make it to run at 32bpp (32bit/True Color) mode at any resolution, as I said, I am not an expert. If anyone can, please let me know.
Toshiba 2515CDS has a built-in Yamaha OPL3-SA3 sound chip. Red Hat Linux 5.2 (kernel 2.0.36) supports it. The settings have to be matched with your BIOS settings.
My BIOS settings are as
following:
WSS 530h, SB 220h, Synthesizer 388h, IRQ 5, WSS Play DMA 1, WSS
Rec DMA 0, Control 370h, MIDI 330h.
run sndconfig, pick "OPL3-SA2/3/x sound chip"
I/O Port: 0x530
IRQ: 5
DMA 1: 1
DMA 2: 0
MPU I/O: 0x330
To enable APM support it not easy. I spend couple days to do some research. In order to make the kernel support APM, we have to recompile the kernel.
Please consult the Kernel-HowTo for more information
here how I recompile the kernel and make it works:
1. login as root
2. cd /usr/src/linux-2.0.36
3. make menuconfig
3a. go down to "Character
Devices"
3b. enable "Advanced Power
Management BIOS support"
3c. [ ] Ignore USER SUSPEND
[*] Enable
PM at boot time
[*] Make
CPU Idle calls when idle
[*] Enable
console blanking using APM
[*] Power off
on shutdown
[*] Ignore
multiple suspend
3d. save configurations
4. make dep
5. make zImage
6. copy /lib/modules/2.0.36-0.7 to /lib/modules/2.0.36
7. linuxconf -> Config -> boot mode -> Lilo
-> a kernel you have compiled
7a. change "How it boots" to
"selectable setup"; "label' field add
"linux2" (or whatever you want); "root
partition" is your root partition, (for my case /dev/hda7).
8. reboot and at LILO: type in "linux2".
NOTE: according to Kernel-HOWTO document, step 6 suppose to be "make modules", and then "make modules_install", but PCMCIA doesn't work after the new kernel boot, therefore, I did a trick on modules, it still works for me.
for comments or questions, email to Louis Fung: louisfung@email.msn.com
Home, KDE 1.0 installation, Chinese-XCIN configuration, StarOffice 5.0 installation.