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Gentoo Linux on a Toshiba Sattelite A65

Gentoo Linux on a Toshiba Sattelite A65

Preface

Please note that this guide only covers topics specific to the Sattelite A65. Your main source of information during the install process should be the Gentoo install guide.

Table of Contents



What works and what doesn't work.

This is a guide for getting Gentoo Linux up and running on a Toshiba Sattelite A65. First, a list of things that I can't get to work:
And here's what I have gotten to work: The modem is something that I haven't bothered to try, as I have a broadband connection.

Configuring the Kernel

There are of course many options specific to this particular laptop. Be sure to enable everything I discuss here.
A few notes:
make menuconfig 
 Power management options (ACPI, APM)  --->
        [*] Power Management support
                ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) Support  --->
                        [*] ACPI Support
                                <*>   AC Adapter
                                <*>   Battery
                                <*>   Button
                                <*>   Fan
                                <*>   Processor
                                <*>     Thermal Zone
Device Drivers  --->
        ATA/ATAPI/MFM/RLL support  --->
                <*>         ATI IXP chipset IDE support
        Networking support  --->
                Ethernet (10 or 100Mbit)  --->
                        <*>   RealTek RTL-8139 PCI Fast Ethernet Adapter support
                Wireless LAN (non-hamradio)  --->
                        [*] Wireless LAN drivers (non-hamradio) & Wireless Extensions
        Input device support  --->
                <*> Event interface
        Character devices  --->
                <*> /dev/agpgart (AGP Support)
                        <*>   ATI chipset support
                [*] Direct Rendering Manager (XFree86 4.1.0 and higher DRI support)
                        <*>   ATI Radeon
        Graphics support  --->
                [*] Support for frame buffer devices
                        [*]   VESA VGA graphics support
                        <*>   ATI Radeon display support
                Console display driver support  --->
                        [*]   Video mode selection support
                                <*> Framebuffer Console support
                                        [*]   Select compiled-in fonts
                                                [*]     VGA 8x16 font
        Sound  --->
                <*> Sound card support
                Advanced Linux Sound Architecture  --->
                        PCI devices  --->
                                <*> ATI IXP 150/200/250/300
                                <*> ATI IXP 150/200/250 Modem
        USB support  --->
                <*>   OHCI HCD support // Enable this.
                < >   UHCI HCD (most Intel and VIA) support  // Do not enable this. ATI is not VIA or Intel


Wireless

Issue the following commands as root:
ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="~x86" emerge madwifi-driver
emerge wireless-tools
cp /etc/init.d/net.eth0 /etc/init.d/net.ath0
modprobe ath_hal
modprobe ath_pci
modprobe wlan
echo "ath_hal" >> /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6
echo "ath_pci" >> /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6
echo "wlan" >> /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6

This will install the wireless drivers (Madwifi-Drivers) and then load the kernel modules that it provides. Then they are added to the list of modules that are automatically loaded at boot using the "echo" command. The wireless-tools package gives you a program called "iwconfig." which is used to configure the card.

Here's an example for an access point on channel 6 that is not encrypted.
iwconfig ath0 essid any
iwconfig ath0 key off
iwconfig ath0 channel 6
/etc/init.d/net.ath0 start


Configuring Xorg

For Convenience I've pasted my xorg.conf here so you don't have to write one yourself. Trust me, you don't want to. Getting things like the Dual-Head setup and the touchpad mouse working was not that fun and took quite a bit of research. Copy and paste to save your sanity.

A few notes:
/etc/X11/xorg.conf 
Section "Module"
        Load        "dbe"       # Double buffer extension
        SubSection  "extmod"
                Option    "omit xfree86-dga"   # don't initialise the DGA extension
        EndSubSection
        Load    "type1"
        Load    "freetype"
        Load    "synaptics"
        Load    "glx"
        Load    "dri"
EndSection

Section "Files"
        RgbPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"
        FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/misc/"
        FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/TTF/"
        FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/Speedo/"
        FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/Type1/"
        FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/CID/"
        FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/75dpi/"
        FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/100dpi/"
        FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/local/"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier "Keyboard1"
        Driver "kbd"
        Option "AutoRepeat" "500 30"
        Option "XkbModel" "pc101"
        Option "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier "Mouse2"
        Driver "mouse"
        Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
        Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
        Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier "Mouse1"
        Driver "synaptics"
        Option "Device" "/dev/input/mouse0"
        Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
        Option "LeftEdge" "1900"
        Option "RightEdge" "5400"
        Option "TopEdge" "1900"
        Option "BottomEdge" "4000"
        Option "FingerLow" "25"
        Option "FingerHigh" "30"
        Option "MaxTapTime" "220"
        Option "MaxTapMove" "220"
        Option "VertScrollDelta" "100"
        Option "MinSpeed" "0.02"
        Option "MaxSpeed" "0.28"
        Option "AccelFactor" "0.0010"
        Option "SHMConfig" "on"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
        Identifier  "Monitor0"
        #VertRefresh 50-100 
        #HorizSync 30-50
        Option "DPMS" "enable"
EndSection

#Dual Screen
Section "Device"
        Identifier "Card0"
        Driver "radeon"
        Option "RenderAccel" "true"
        Option "AGPFastWrite" "true"
        Option "MonitorLayout" "LVDS, TMDS"
        Option "CRT2Position" "LeftOf"
        Option "CRT2HSync" "40-83"
        Option "CRT2VRefresh" "50-75"
        Option "MergedFB" "true"
        Option "MetaModes" "1024x768-1024x768"
        BusID "PCI:01:05:0"
        BoardName "ATI Radeon D7"
EndSection

#Laptop
Section "Device"
        Identifier "Card1"
        Driver "radeon"
        Option "RenderAccel" "true"
        Option "AGPFastWrite" "true"
        Option "PageFlip" "true"
        BusID "PCI:01:05:0"
        BoardName "ATI Radeon D7"
EndSection

#Dual Screen
Section "Screen"
        Identifier  "Screen0"
        Device      "Card0"
        Monitor     "Monitor0"
        DefaultDepth 24
        Subsection "Display"
                Depth 24
                Modes "1024x768" 
                Virtual 2048 768
                Viewport 0 0
        EndSubsection
EndSection

#Laptop
Section "Screen"
        Identifier  "Screen1"
        Device      "Card1"
        Monitor     "Monitor0"
        DefaultDepth 24
        Subsection "Display"
                Depth 24
                Modes "1024x768" 
        EndSubsection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
        Identifier  "Laptop"
        Screen "Screen1"  
        Option "OffTime" "10"
        InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer"
        InputDevice "Mouse2" "SendCoreEvents"
        InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
        Identifier  "Dual"
        Screen "Screen0"  
        Option "OffTime" "10"
        InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer"
        InputDevice "Mouse2" "SendCoreEvents"
        InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

Section "dri"
        Mode 0666
EndSection

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