Baslinux mailing list

[sindi keesan <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>]

On Tue, 20 Feb 2007, Simon Atkinson wrote:

> Hi there

> I'm new to using BasicLinux (BL3) -- what a fantastic distro guys! I 
> really like it -- it's not only extremely usable but also a great way to 
> get a better understanding of Linux.

 Nice to meet you.

> After using larger distros that take care of much of the set-up 
> procedures and configuration I decided that it was about time to learn 
> more about the internal workings of Linux. As a project I wanted to get 
> Linux up an running on my Toshiba Libretto 100CT notebook -- not bad 
> specs: 64 MB RAM, 2 GB hard disk two PCMCIA slots etc. I installed BL3 
> on a partition running openDOS 7.01, suppressed all the relevant 
> start-up files (autoexec.bat config.sys etc) and booted up the system. 
> It seems to work fine though I can't get X to work. I suspect that the 
> current X server doesn't like the Neomagic graphics chip (I changer the 
> server at some stage)!

Since I have a Neomagic chip NM-2160 (same as in your Libretto) in my 
Gateway laptop I looked up the info for it:

see http://linuxmafia.com/faq/Hardware/neomagic.html

The accelerated Redhat binary is no longer there.  Redhat had some 
exclusive agreement with Neomagic.

For a non-accelerated Xfree86 modified SVGA server
http://www.mnsinc.com/js/Neomagic.html
but I cannot get through to that site right now.

Sept 1998 Neomagic released the driver source code.

Does Xvesa not work with it?  Even if you have startx pointed at something 
else now you can type Xvesa to test it.  8-bit color is not properly 
supported and will look terrible.

The chip is said to support vesa framebuffer.   You can try my 
framebuffer kernel for 2.2.16 or 2.4.31 as a test. 
http://keesan.freeshell.org/2.2.16/zimage.fsm
http://keesan.freeshell.org/2.4.31/bzimagla.431

You would specify vga=   some mode number with loadlin to use vesafb.
785 for 640x480, 788 for 800x600 true-color
There are tables for other color depths.
I don't think 8-bit color works well here either.

Slackware 4.0 xsvga.tgz ought to work.  See Steven's no-xvesa.tgz at the 
add-ons page.

BL3.40 (Slackware 4.0 X) has xfree86-3.3.3.1
Someone else with a neomagic chip reports that it was not supported by 
3.3.2 (SW 3.6) but works with 3.3.3.1 (SW 4.0)

They link to a configuration file for "Neomagic" in a Sony Vaio (same 
chipset) which supports up to 32 bit color at 640, and 24-bit at 800x600 
http://qclab.korea.ac.kr/~choims/Linux/Vaio-PCG505FX/XF86Config

> However my problem is that I can't get the PCMCIA slots to work properly 
> after running /etc/pcmcia/start. I'm trying to access a 1 GB IBM 
> microdrive, but get a range of error messages. First off -- so that 
> someone could possibly help me -- I need to get the error listing in a 
> message on this forum, but I can't find any diagnostic log files under 
> /var or anywhere else. If there are any, where are they stored? Or how 
> can I generate a log file of PCMCIA error messages when running 
> /etc/pcmcia/start?

Can't help with error listing but maybe with configuration.  Lots of info 
online.  Someone else had trouble with this card.
Can you use gpm to copy from the screen to a file?

See the PCMCIA-HOWTO at various locations online. Configuring unrecognized 
cards.  Use cardmgr (or cardctl ident but BL does not have that) to 
determine the card version information and manfid (manufacturer's ID 
number).

Then add to /etc/pcmcia/config:

device "ide-cs"
  class "ide" module "ide-cs"
(this is probably already there)

card "IBM Portable Drive Bay"
 manfid 0xNNNN, 0xNNNN
 bind "ide-cs"

Substitute your actual numbers for the NNNN
Or instead of manfid you can substitute the line
 version "PCMCIA", "IDE CARD", "F1"
if that is what cardmgr says you have.

See a list of supported cards at http://pcmcia-cs.sourceforge.net

There is a PCMCIA Card Configuration Database (online and provided in 
pcmcia Slackware packages - a larger version of the BL3 config file) where 
I found the above version information for IBM under ATA/IDE but not a 
manfid.

> I look forward to hearing from someone.
>
> @B
>
> Simon

keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org
SDF Public Access UNIX System - http://sdf.lonestar.org