Installing Ubuntu 6.06 on a ThinkPad R60

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Overview

Ubuntu 6.06 (Dapper Drake) works very well with the R60, needing very little or no configuration at all to get things working.

The following text is based on an dualboot win/linux installation with the Ubuntu 6.06 CD, on a R60 with Core Duo T2400, 512MB, 15", SXGA+, ATI X1400 128MB, DVD±R. Other configurations should be very similar, as long as the newest version of Ubuntu is used.

Needs tweaking:

Untested:

  • Modem (probably works)
  • Card slots (probably depends on the card inserted only)

Everything else just works, atleast after the very simple process of getting the drivers (explained below). Everything pretty much means everything, but if anyone want a list: USB, FireWire, CD/DVD (also burner), UltraNav (mouse), dual cores, graphics card, sound card, network (cable and wifi), hibernation.


Before you start

Normally the machines come preinstalled with Windows XP. Also note that there is a somewhat hidden 5GB FAT32 partition that contains the recovery files used to reinstall Windows. If you only wants Linux, then all this can just be deleted. If you wants too keep Windows for dualboot, you have to decide if you also want to keep the recovery partition.

If you want to keep windows, it's wise to make recovery CDs. You can both make a backup-cd/dvd, and make disks that contain what's on the recovery partition (these disks can only be made once, and require 2 DVDs or 6 CDs). Start Windows, and run the ThinkVantage-programs for this.

Partition and boot

Now boot with the Ubuntu-CD, start the installer and follow the simple guide until you reach the partition-question. If you want to keep Windows, select the option to do it manually. Now you will see the two Lenovo-created partitions. Resize the big partition with Windows on to the size you want. Then make a new partition for Ubuntu and a small swap partition. Complete the installer, and reboot into Windows. Chkdsk will start to scan C:\. It will probably correct some stuff, but hopefully Windows will start nicely afterwards.

Ubuntu will install the GRUB bootloader. At startup this will give you the choice of Linux and Windows, unless you got rid of the latter. It will also display a line with "Windows NT/2000/XP" if you kept the service partition. This is some sort of Windows based environiment where you can restore stuff. Find a GRUB-howto and edit /boot/grub/menu.lst to hide it in the list, if you want to. You probably also want to edit /etc/fstab and remove the line that mounts the service partition.

System update

When Ubuntu is up and running, you should first run a complete system update. A note will pop up telling you to do so, or you can run Synaptic or $ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade. Since it downloads a new kernel and some ACPI-stuff, among other things, this might resolve problems before you even notice they exist. So do this first! :)

CPU/Kernel

The R60 has a Dual Core CPU, and the default kernel is only using one of the cores. Start Synaptic and find the most recent 686-kernel (either linux-image-2.6.xx-xx-686 or the linux-686-smp metapackage). Download and install it, then reboot. You will now get another choice on the bootmenu for the 686-kernel. Boot with that one, and make sure $ cat /proc/cpuinfo lists two processors. Make sure you get the linux-restricted-modules-2.6.xx-xx-686 package too, it's needed for some of the drivers below.

The CPU frequencies gets clocked up and down as needed automaticly (to save power and generate less heat when not in use). You can add an applet to the Gnome panel to monitor this (two applets really, one for each core).

Network

The gigabit network card and wifi card work out of the box.

Note: Wifi needs the package linux-restricted-modules-2.6.xx-xx-xxx to work. This package is installed by default.

Also note: There is a bug in the wifi-driver that might cause one or both of the cpu cores to work on 100% for no reason.

This bug seems to only happen when the hardware wireless switch is in the "off" position when booting. The switch can be used without problems after booting. As long as the swtich looks as below upon boot, all should be fine.

Wireless-switch.png

Graphics

The R60 can either come with some onboard Intel graphics, or a X-series ATI-card. Atleast for the latter, you need to install drivers. ATI delivers proprietary binary-only drivers called fglrx, that you can install with apt/Synaptic. See this guide for that, or just try: 

sudo apt-get install xorg-driver-fglrx fglrx-control
sudo depmod -a
sudo aticonfig --initial
sudo aticonfig --overlay-type=Xv

Then reboot, and run $ fglrxinfo to see that everything is fine. You can also try running $ glxgears to see if 3d-acceleration works as it should. When the drivers are in place, you can also select a higher resolution if you have a model with that. You can do that with the System->Settings->Resolution GUI.

Hibernation

In Gnome this seems to work without any config. Both the choice in the shutdown dialog, and Fn+F12 makes the machine hibernate properly. 'Sleep'-mode can be enabled in power settings.

In KDE this does not work by default. (Look at kpowersave, for instance.)

Sound

Sound worked fine out of the box, also from multiple sources at once. The three volume keys work fine in Gnome, see fix for KDE below. Fn+Arrows for Play/Stop etc, does not work yet.

Bluetooth

After installing KDE with friends, a program called Bluetooth OBEX Client showed up on the main menu. Transfering an image to a Nokia phone with this program worked perfectly, so at least some parts of Bluetooth works.

USB/FireWire

Works out of the box.

UltraNav (mouses)

They both work fine, except horizontal scolling on the touchpad does not work. A fix for that will be posted if/when it's found. Also the middle mouse button works as a middle mouse button usually does in Linux, instead of being used to scroll like it does in Windows. Also look at How to configure the TrackPoint.

Fingerprint reader

Untested so far. Look at How to enable the fingerprint reader.

Keys

Several of the keys do something special in combination with the Fn-key. Some work automagicly, some don't. To fix/change, look at How to get special keys to work.

Following keys should work regardless of desktop environment:

  • Fn+Home Monitor brightness up
  • Fn+End Monitor brightness down
  • Fn+PgUp Turn keyboard light on/off (ThinkLight)
  • Fn+F5 Toggle on/off wireless/bluetooth

Gnome

Here's a list of what works and what doesn't in Gnome.

Does something by default:

  • Volume keys (up/down/mute)
  • Fn+F2 Lock computer
  • Fn+F3 Shows battery info
  • Fn+F12 Hibernates the machine
  • Fn+Home

Needs to be enabled:

  • Fn+F4 Sleep-button. Must be enabled in Power Settings.

Doesn't do anything:

  • Fn+F7 Supposed to switch between monitors (might do something if it's actually connected to another monitor)
  • Fn+F8 Starts UltraNav-config in Windows
  • Fn+F9 Used before undocking from a dockingstation in Windows
  • Fn+Spacebar Zooms the screen in Windows
  • ThinkVantage
  • Media keys (Fn + Arrow-keys)
  • Windows key
  • The other Windows key

KDE

In KDE, nothing works by default. To get some of it to work, you need to set up nvram:

  • $ sudo addgroup nvram
  • $ sudo adduser [your username(s)] nvram
  • Add 'nvram' to /etc/modules on a new line.
  • Add/change the last section of /etc/udev/rules.d/40-permission.rules and add 'KERNEL=="nvram", GROUP="nvram", MODE="0660".
  • Reboot.
  • Open KDE System Settings -> Laptops and power -> IBM Thinkpad Laptop.
  • (If it still complains about nvram, do some googling and fix it.)
  • Tick the box to run KMilo.
  • Change the programs for the buttons if you want to.
  • Log out and in again.

The volume keys, thinkpad-key and Fn+Spacebar should now do something. You should also get a dialog when using the brightness keys and the thinklight.

Other tips

Add this to ~/.Xresources for much nicer fonts in KDE: 

Xft.dpi:96

External Sources

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