Configuring Pikachu

Summary: Configuring a Toshiba Portégé 320CT laptop with Linux and XFree86.

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Configuration
   1. Hardware
   2. Software
3. Hardware Setup
   1. BIOS Settings
4. Linux Setup
   1. Install Linux
   2. Configure Linux and X
   3. Configure NFS and Automount
   4. Create User Accounts
   5. Configure Dialup
   6. Configure Mail
   7. Configure Desktops
5. Applications
   1. Acrobat
   2. Amaya
   3. Demoroniser
   4. Netscape
   5. Pysol
   6. Realplayer
   7. Star Office
   8. Toshiba Linux Utilities

1. References and Resources

Introduction

I (Ted Ruegsegger) prepared this document as:

• A log of what I did to construct and configure the machine

• A record of the machine's hardware and software configuration, which I'll endeavor to keep up-to-date as I make changes

• A reference to guide me and others in building similarly-configured PCs

Configuration

Hardware

Software

Hardware Setup

It's probably a good idea to install the flash BIOS upgrade and any others, obtained from the Toshiba website (see References).

BIOS Settings

To access the BIOS, hit Esc right after boot, before the Toshiba logo shows (if you miss, hit Ctrl-Alt-Del immediately and try again). Use PgUp/PgDn to switch between the two pages.

Set (and note) the parameters for the various devices, in particular, the sound card.

On page 2, under PC CARD, set Controller Mode=PCIC Compatible, or the PCMCIA ethernet card won't work.

Linux Setup

Install Linux

Boot the Linux install media and carry out the installation procedure. Some notes:

1. Installation diskette images are on the CDROM in the images directory; write the images thus:
   # dd <bootnet.img >/dev/fd0
   # dd <pcmcia.img >/dev/fd0
2. Since Pikachu has no CDROM drive, use the NFS installation (bootnet.img) to access the CD via Snuggles. In case of repeated installations, don't forget to make a kickstart configuration file, copy it to the installation boot diskette as /ks.cfg and specify linux ks=floppy at the LILO prompt.
3. Specify PCMCIA support for the installation. This requires the PCMCIA support diskette in addition to the boot diskette.
4. Set up the disk partitions using fdisk or Disk Druid, specifying 2000MB for the root partition, 127MB for swap, and the rest for /home:

   Disk /dev/hda: 128 heads, 63 sectors, 993 cylinders Units = cylinders of 8064 * 512 bytes
   Device	Cyls	Start	End	MB	Type	Mount Point
   /dev/hda1	508	1	508	2000	83 Linux native	/
   /dev/hda2	485	509	993	1910	5 Extended
   /dev/hda5	33	509	541	130	82 Linux swap
   /dev/hda6	452	542	993	1780	83 Linux native	/home
   Total	993	1	993	3910

5. Install everything but stuff we know we won't use. Some things to exclude are:

   emacs, jed,joe, xemacs
   mail clients except pine (for pico)
   newsreaders
   sgml tools
   isdn4k-utils
   plain text and sgml how-to's
   gnome users guide
   installation guide
   unneeded fonts (Korean, Cyrillic, Central European and Japanese)
   foreign-language spell checkers

6. Network configuration:

   Fully-qualified domain name	pikachu.home
   IP address	192.168.0.100
   Subnet mask	255.255.255.0
   Gateway	192.168.0.250
   DNS servers	131.131.131.131 131.131.10.20 131.131.20.20

7. Specify services to start at boot:

   On	Off
   apmd atd autofs crond gpm httpd inet keytable linuxconf lpd named netfs network pcmcia portmap random sound syslog	amd anacron arpwatch bootparamd dhcpd gated mars-nwe mcserv nfs nscd postfix postgresql routed rstatd rusersd rwalld rwhod sendmail smb snmpd squid xfs xntpd ypbind yppasswdd ypserv

8. Make a boot diskette.
9. Install LILO to the master boot record.
10. Boot Linux.

Configure Linux and X

1. Use sndconfig to set up sound--this is best done immediately or, at least in older versions, it will fail. Note that the built-in speaker may be very faint, even with the volume cranked up. After installation, adjust the sound card settings using a mixer tool. For the setup, it's best to plug in external speakers.

   

   At some point, probably by the benevolent meddling of Linuxconf, the sound devices will be owned by an individual user (probably the first to use the sounds) and be accessible only by that user and the audio group. Be sure to add anyone who needs sound to the audio group (or else make those files read-writable by everyone).

2. Create, edit, or verify the following configuration files. Save copies under /home/config (reference copies are in the config subdirectory relative to this document).

Configure NFS and Automount

Set up automount maps (be sure the server's /etc/exports file includes Pikachu for the appropriate shares):

Create User Accounts

Create user accounts with UIDs and GIDs matching those on the file server, so we can all access our "normal" directories.

Also, create a local guest account (uid 60000, gid 60000) with an easy, welcoming password.

Configure Dialup

This section is from a different machine, and is probably incorrect. Update when Pikachu has a working modem. Also, try kwvdial.

1. Note that the PCMCIA modem is automatically enabled at (and /dev/modem is linked to) /dev/ttyS1.
2. For each account that will need it, set up kppp by starting it and clicking the Setup button:

   Accounts tab

   Create a new account:

   Dial tab

   Assign a connection name and specify the ISP's dialup number.

   DNS tab

   Specify the ISP's DNS server addresses.

   Gateway tab

   Check Assign the Default Route to this Gateway.

   Device tab

   Set Modem Device to /dev/modem.

   Set Connection Speed to 115200.

   Modem tab

   Set the volume.

   Click Modem Commands:

   Set Volume/high to M1L3.

   Click Terminal:

   Set ATW2 and save it with AT&W (this reports connect speed).

   PPP tab

   Check the following options:

   PPP: Dock into Panel on Connect

   Automatic Redial on Disconnect

   Show Clock on Caption

   Disconnect on X-server Shutdown

   Minimize Window on Connect

   with appropriate settings for the available ISPs.

3. Install eznet (optional if kppp is working satisfactorily, but has the advantage that it need be set up only once):
   • Install the software and configure it according to the documentation.
   • Install xeznet.
   • Make tailored /etc/resolv.conf files for each ISP and a dial script that installs the appropriate one for any particular ISP. Make the dial script chmod 754 with group pppusers.
   • Add selected users to the pppusers group.
   • chmod g+rw /dev/ttyS* (they start out as crw-------)
   • Add selected users to the tty group.

Configure Mail

For each account that will need it, set up kmail by starting it and specifying the ISP's mail and news servers.

Configure Desktops

Run appfinder to add non-KDE applications to the menu.

Some handy settings for the KDE desktop:

K/settings/windows/properties:

check Vertical maximization only by default

uncheck Display content in moving windows

uncheck Display content in resizing windows

Focus policy:

select Focus follows mouse

check Click Raise

Configure the Panel:

hide the Taskbar

check Auto Hide Panel (small delay, fast speed)

Applications

1. Acrobat
2. Amaya
3. Demoroniser
4. Netscape
5. Pysol
6. Realplayer
7. Star Office
8. Toshiba Linux Utilities

Acrobat

Get the tgz file from Adobe at http://www.adobe.com or as an RPM from rpmfind.net (see References).

Amaya

Get the Amaya web browser/editor from the World Wide Web Consortium at http://www.w3c.org or, more conveniently, as an RPM from ftp://rpmfind.net/pub/amaya/. Check rpmfind.net (see References) for newer versions.

Demoroniser

Netscape

Pysol

1. Update the tkinter package (tk-python bindings) to 1.5.2 or better.
2. Get the latest Pysol from http://wildsau.idv.uni-linz.ac.at/mfx/pysol.html.
3. Untar the Pysol package.
4. Replace the Makefile with the updated Makefile that points to the correct icon directory.
5. As root, run make, then make install.
6. Use the Pysol.kdelnk file on the desktop, the menu, or the panel.

Realplayer

Star Office

1. Download Star Office (now free to anyone, for any purpose) from http://www.sun.com/staroffice/ as a tar file (I keep installation packages in individual directories under /home/pkg).
2. Untar the file (it will create a subdirectory so51inst):
   tar xvf so51a_lnx_01.tar
3. Note that complete instructions are in a PDF file in so51inst/documentation/setup.pdf but KDE's built-in PDF reader has some trouble with it--it's a good idea to install Adobe's acrobat reader anyway, but these steps should suffice for typical installations.
4. As root (to avoid fiddling with DISPLAY settings, it's simplest to log out and log in to KDE as root):
   # cd so51inst/office51
   # ./setup /net
   (The /net parameter is very important; it sets up a multiuser installation. We could, in fact, install it on a central server but, in this case, we're going to install it on the local box. The important thing is that more than one user can use it. And yes, the parameter uses a slash, not a dash.)
5. Specify custom installation.
6. When it asks for an installation directory, specify /usr/local/staroffice51a.
7. Let it finish, delete the so51inst installation subdirectory, and log out.

For each user:

1. Log in as that user.
2. Either:
   1. Open a terminal and:
      cd /usr/local/staroffice51a/bin
      ./setup
      (No /net this time.)
   2. Use the file manager kfm to navigate to the /usr/local/staroffice51a/bin directory and click setup. Note that it takes a while before it displays anything.
3. Select the smaller installation (the default) which will install just the individual user's config files.
4. Use the default directory (a subdirectory of the user's home), or change it.
5. Log out and log back in to update the KDE menu.
6. Star Office will be under "Personal" in the K-menu.

Toshiba Linux Utilities

Jonathan Buzzard's tools (see References). At time of writing, stable release was 1.1 and developmental release was 990830. Fan turns fan on and off, but always reports it as off. Developmental release has some buggy Makefiles (tries to install nonexistent manpages; installs executables in /usr/local instead of /usr/local/bin). Tuxtime crashes a lot, but does detect low battery: When I configured Pikachu, the battery was defective, and the alarms kept popping up every few seconds. They were exactly correct, but I couldn't find a way to shut them off!

All the same, these promise to be very useful when Buzzard finishes them.

References and Resources

Linux-Mandrake Installation & Use Guide

On CDROM in doc/mandrake/en/mdkuserguide/index.html
After installation, in /usr/doc/mandrake/en/mdkuserguide/index.html
On web at http://www.linuxmandrake.com/en/fdoc.php3 (Installation and User guides are separate)

Linux Mandrake web site

http://www.linuxmandrake.com/

Toshiba Portégé 320CT Series documentation

http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Toshiba.woa/wa/ssDownload?series=59
The detailed specs and support bulletins are useful. The User's Guide at the bottom of the download list has some value, but it runs only under Windows. However, the individual pages can be saved as Postscript, if needed.

RPM Index by Name at rpmfind.net

Lots of software can be had, in convenient RPM format, at http://www.rpmfind.net/linux/RPM/ByName.html

Toshiba Linux Utilities

Jonathan Buzzard's "small series of programs to control the more Toshiba specific aspects of their laptops. In particular they allow many of the settings controlled by either Toshiba's MaxTime or Power Saver utilities to be changed under Linux. The code is licensed under the GNU Public licence (GPL)." Utilities available so far (not all of them "stable" releases yet) at http://www.buzzard.org.uk/toshiba/ include:

• TuxTime: Linux replacement for MaxTime, to control the power saving options of the laptop.
• Fan: manages the operation of the cooling fan.
• Passwords: manages the user and supervisor passwords in the EEPROM.
• Hotkey: graphic popups for Fn key actions
• Display Switch: Supplies this missing function for Librettos

His Technical Documentation is useful, too, at http://www.buzzard.org.uk/toshiba/docs.html

Toshiba's Linux support for Toshiba PC page

http://www.tce.co.jp/linux/

Linux on Portégés mailing list

Web-based subscription at http://www.onelist.com/community/linux-on-portege

XF86Config Archive

A database of XF86Config files used by Linux and FreeBSD users. If you need an XF86Config file for your notebook or laptop, check out this site. (Some documents available in Japanese only.) http://www.yy.cs.keio.ac.jp/~sanpei/note-list.html

Linux on Laptops

http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/kharker/linux-laptop/

Linux on the Toshiba Portege 3010CT / 3015CT

Derek Simkowiak describes his laptop's configuration in considerable detail.. While it's not the same model, many of his tips apply to mine (I'm especially that he told me how to access the BIOS!). http://www.kd-dev.com/~dereks/toshiba/