Thinkpad X60 1701V17 - Some Issues in Debian & Ubuntu Linux

[applecookie]

Hello...

I got a thinkpad x60 last week and am trying to get a linux distro work with this machine.
In debia 5 (lenny) which I would prefer, I can't get the hsdap work (of course, I tried the
tricks from thinkwiki.org). Manually I can start it and it works, but after rebooting, the
hsdaps is gone... I use kernel 2.6.30 from backports.org
During the boot, the hsdap shows the message, that it can't find a usable device.
(Of course, I wrote the "sda" in the configuration file.)

But my main problem is, that the machine is getting very hot after a while - especially the
right wrist cover. I can really "grill" my hand there...
After some google-ing and searching in the forums, I think, I found the
culprit: the intel wlan card, which is not in power saving mode.
I tried
echo 5 > /sys/bus/pci/drivers/iwl3945/*/power_level
which delivers me an "permission denied" error - also, when I try this as sudo in ubuntu.
In debian, I can make this work when executing this command when loggin in as a "real" root.
But after a reboot it's gone...

Ok, I thought - I write it in the /etc/rc.local. But it seems, this script isn't executed in boot
time - it just brought no effect.

Can anybody give me a hint? Maybe somebody also has a x60 in linux?

I would prefer to get it work in debian, because I love debian more than ubuntu but if there is
no other choice, I would take ubuntu, if I can make it work there.

Regards
applecookie

[ThinkRob]

In debian, I can make this work when executing this command when loggin in as a "real" root.
But after a reboot it's gone...

This has to be done as root, and it will indeed go away after the corresponding module is re-loaded (such as is the case after a reboot). Sorry, but them's the breaks.

Ok, I thought - I write it in the /etc/rc.local. But it seems, this script isn't executed in boot
time - it just brought no effect.

No, rc.local is indeed executed at boot -- but my bet is that since the interface hasn't been probed and brought up at that point it doesn't matter. When the driver does finish loading, it puts the card into full-power mode, thus your changes are getting blown away. One possible solution would be to use an ifup script to change the power mode, or do what I do: have acpid scripts that put the card into power saving modes 3 and 5 for AC and battery respectively.

Just wondering, but why are you using a backported 2.6.30?

[applecookie]

I use the 2.6.30, because I am a beginner and do not have enough experience, to compile my own. 2.6.30, because this kernel is much faster in booting, than the 2.6.26, which is default for lenny.

About the idea with the script: How should I do so, when the command is only executed as a super user (root)?

[Eudoxus]

Sorry for asking, but why do you care so much about boot time on Debian? When I used Debian (it was Etch and Lenny) I rebooted my system once in a month or something like that.

[ThinkRob]

I use the 2.6.30, because I am a beginner and do not have enough experience, to compile my own. 2.6.30, because this kernel is much faster in booting, than the 2.6.26, which is default for lenny.

At the risk of sounding harsh, I'd urge you not to do that. Here's why: If you don't know enough to compile your own kernel, you probably don't know enough to know the pitfalls of using an unofficial kernel. I'd strongly urge you to think twice before doing this.

Debian spends a lot -- and I mean a *LOT* -- of time making sure that its 'stable' releases live up to the name. They spend untold thousands of hours testing, patching, and perfecting the software they ship, and the kernel is no exception. Further, the stock kernel (like the rest of the distribution) will receive security and bug fixes as soon as possible, each of which will also be given the same QA attention that the rest of the distro gets. Use a backported/third party kernel, and you miss out on most if not all of that.

There are a number of other, less-invasive things you can do to improve boot speed, if that's of paramount importance. That said, I'm a little puzzled as to why it matters so much for you -- suspend/resume and hibernate both work fine with the X6x series, so it probably makes more sense to just use that instead of shutting down/booting the machine whenever you want to take it somewhere.

About the idea with the script: How should I do so, when the command is only executed as a super user (root)?

acpid scripts execute with root privileges.