Preface

This is a survey about Linux related hardware features of the Issam SmartBook 8080. I don't try to explain the usual installation details (for instance, which partitions I have made).

The ISSAM SmartBook 8080 is an OEM model of the MITAC(http://www.mitac.com.tw/english/index.htm) 8080 laptop.

Installation

On my ISSAM SmartBook 8080 I have installed the Redhat Seven Beta(http://www.redhat.com/) Linux distribution and later upgraded using Rawhide. No fiddling around the hard disk partitions was necessary because the laptop was supplied without an operating system.

General Hardware Data

I got my ISSAM SmartBook 8080 with a 1.3 GHz Pentium-M processor, 512 MB memory, a 40 GB harddisk and a DVD/CD-RW-combo drive. The laptop is built around the Intel 855GM chipset with integrated shared memory graphics and contains an untested winmodem behind the intel 82801DB AC'97 Modem Controller. The integrated Memory card reader is not yet supported by linux (AFAIK, corrections are really welcome). The integrated network card is supported by the via-rhine network driver. Up to now there is no driver for the integrated intel-WLAN mini-PCI card (AFAIK). The DMA mode of the two drives works.

General system information:
Linux version 2.6.0-test4 (gcc version 3.3.1 20030814 (Red Hat Linux 3.3.1-2)) #7 Thu Aug 28 07:45:45 CEST 2003

processor	: 0
vendor_id	: GenuineIntel
cpu family	: 6
model		: 9
model name	: Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 1300MHz
stepping	: 5
cpu MHz		: 598.612
cache size	: 1024 KB
fdiv_bug	: no
hlt_bug		: no
f00f_bug	: no
coma_bug	: no
fpu		: yes
fpu_exception	: yes
cpuid level	: 2
wp		: yes
flags		: fpu vme de pse tsc msr mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 tm pbe tm2 est
bogomips	: 1183.42

Note, these values are obtained while running a self written cpu frequency daemon (URL follows later) in battery mode with no load on the system. The corresponding output while running glxgears follows:

processor       : 0
vendor_id       : GenuineIntel
cpu family      : 6
model           : 9
model name      : Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 1300MHz
stepping        : 5
cpu MHz         : 1296.994
cache size      : 1024 KB
fdiv_bug        : no
hlt_bug         : no
f00f_bug        : no
coma_bug        : no
fpu             : yes
fpu_exception   : yes
cpuid level     : 2
wp              : yes
flags           : fpu vme de pse tsc msr mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 tm pbe tm2 est
bogomips        : 2564.09

I decided to create more than two primary partitions to allow a later installation of an additional MicroSoft-Windows system on hda4:

Disk /dev/hda: 40.0 GB, 40007761920 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4864 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
.
Device Boot    Start       End    Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hda1             1       125   1004031   82  Linux swap
/dev/hda2   *       126       165    321300   83  Linux
/dev/hda3           166      4150  32009512+   5  Extended
/dev/hda4          4151      4864   5735205   83  Linux
/dev/hda5           166       182    136521   83  Linux
/dev/hda6           183       276    755023+  83  Linux
/dev/hda7           277       370    755023+  83  Linux
/dev/hda8           371      1367   8008371   83  Linux
/dev/hda9          1368      2364   8008371   83  Linux
/dev/hda10         2365      3361   8008371   83  Linux
/dev/hda11         3362      4150   6337611   83  Linux

I prefer to split the directories of my system across different partitions:

Filesystem           1K-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/hda2               311115     77256    217794  27% /
/dev/hda5               132207     14693    110688  12% /boot
/dev/hda11             6237976   1311316   4609780  23% /home
none                    241704         0    241704   0% /dev/shm
/dev/hda6               743132     17776    687608   3% /tmp
/dev/hda8              7882560   2690464   4791680  36% /usr
/dev/hda9              7882560     32920   7449224   1% /usr/local
/dev/hda4              5645028     32828   5325440   1% /usr/local/misc
/dev/hda10             7882560     32828   7449316   1% /usr/local/src
/dev/hda7               743132     92528    612856  14% /var

Graphic-Chip

XFree86 4.3.0(http://www.xfree86.org/) worked out of the box using the i8xx driver. I did not install the synaptic touchpad driver, because there were problems with the kernel part of the synaptics drivers (no reset of the device were possible) in the 2.6.0-testX kernels. DRI works.

I forced XFree86 and the vesa framebuffer driver provided by the kernel to use the same resolution (1024x768) and color depth (16 bpp) to reduce the interaction between the two interfaces to the graphic chip as I do on all my machines.

Hard Disk

/dev/hda:
.
Model=TOSHIBA MK4018GAS, FwRev=Q1.03 E, SerialNo=23O52475S
Config={ Fixed }
RawCHS=16383/16/63, TrkSize=0, SectSize=0, ECCbytes=46
BuffType=unknown, BuffSize=0kB, MaxMultSect=16, MultSect=16
CurCHS=16383/16/63, CurSects=16514064, LBA=yes, LBAsects=78140160
IORDY=on/off, tPIO={min:120,w/IORDY:120}, tDMA={min:120,rec:120}
PIO modes:  pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4
DMA modes:  sdma0 sdma1 sdma2 mdma0 mdma1 mdma2
UDMA modes: udma0 udma1 udma2 udma3 udma4 *udma5
AdvancedPM=yes: unknown setting WriteCache=enabled
Drive conforms to: device does not report version:
.
* signifies the current active mode

DVD/CD-RW

/dev/hdc:

Model=DW-224E-A, FwRev=1.2A, SerialNo=
Config={ Fixed Removeable DTR<=5Mbs DTR>10Mbs nonMagnetic }
RawCHS=0/0/0, TrkSize=0, SectSize=0, ECCbytes=0
BuffType=unknown, BuffSize=0kB, MaxMultSect=0
(maybe): CurCHS=0/0/0, CurSects=0, LBA=yes, LBAsects=0
IORDY=on/off, tPIO={min:120,w/IORDY:120}, tDMA={min:120,rec:120}
PIO modes:  pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4
DMA modes:  sdma0 sdma1 sdma2 mdma0 mdma1 mdma2
UDMA modes: udma0 udma1 *udma2
AdvancedPM=no
Drive conforms to: device does not report version:
.
* signifies the current active mode

CD-Burning is possible using the ide-scsi emulation. Works as expected.

PCMCIA

The laptop contains a single slot cardbus brigde CB710 from ENE Technology INC. The brigde is supported out of the box by the yenta driver. Further tests could not be performed because I do not own a PCMCIA card.

Sound

I did not test much of the sound system. OSS works, also the ALSA drivers recognize the integrated intel ICH sound device.

Survey PCI Devices

Output from lspci:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corp. 82852/855GM Host Bridge (rev 02)
00:00.1 System peripheral: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 3584 (rev 02)
00:00.3 System peripheral: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 3585 (rev 02)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corp. 82852/855GM Integrated Graphics Device (rev 02)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corp. 82852/855GM Integrated Graphics Device (rev 02)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB USB (Hub #1) (rev 03)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB USB (Hub #2) (rev 03)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB USB2 (rev 03)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82801BAM/CAM PCI Bridge (rev 83)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corp. 82801DBM LPC Interface Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corp. 82801DBM Ultra ATA Storage Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corp. 82801DB/DBM SMBus Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.6 Modem: Intel Corp. 82801DB AC'97 Modem Controller (rev 03)
01:01.0 Network controller: Intel Corp. PRO/Wireless LAN 2100 3B Mini PCI Adapter (rev 04)
01:02.0 Ethernet controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT6105 [Rhine-III] (rev 8b)
01:04.0 CardBus bridge: ENE Technology Inc: Unknown device 1411 (rev 01)
01:04.1 FLASH memory: ENE Technology Inc: Unknown device 0510
01:05.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): VIA Technologies, Inc. IEEE 1394 Host Controller (rev 80)

Other Resources

• Unix Laptop Survey
• TuxMobil - hardware section
• Linux Mobile Guide - Installing, Maintaining and Tuning of Linux on Mobile Computers
• Debian Laptop Proposal

This document is a courtesy of Axel Zeuner <axel.zeuner_at_gmx.de>.