This document describes how I installed and configured GNU/Linux (SuSE 9.3 distribution) on a Samsung X20 laptop.
| Component | Details |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Centrino 1.6 GHz |
| RAM | 1024 MB |
| Hard disk | 60 GB |
| Display | 15" 1400×1050 LCD |
| Graphics controller | Intel i915 |
| Modem | 56 Kbps V.92 AC'97 S/W modem |
| Ethernet | BCM4401-B0 100Base-TX |
| Wireless LAN | PRO/Wireless 220BG |
| DVD drive | TSST 8x DVD-ROM, 24x RW, 24x CD-R, 24x CD |
| Sound | AC'97 |
| Ports | IEEE 1394 (FireWire) |
| 3× USB 2.0 | |
| PCMCIA | |
| RJ45 (Ethernet) | |
| TV-out | |
| RJ11 (modem) | |
| VGA | |
| headphone | |
| microphone | |
| S/PDIF | |
| memory stick |
| Component or feature | Details |
|---|---|
| ACPI | not tested |
| DVD | working |
| Ethernet | working |
| wireless | working |
| FireWire | not tested |
| graphics | working |
| graphics, dual monitor mode | not tested |
| hard disk | working |
| modem | not tested |
| PCMCIA | not tested |
| sound, MIDI | not tested |
| sound, wave | working |
| TV-out | not tested |
| memory stick | not tested |
| S/PDIF | not tested |
| USB | working |
Before booting for the first time, press F2 to enter the BIOS setup and make a note of which version you have. If necessary, upgrade your BIOS as there are some bugs in older versions which may affect the WLAN on/off button and other components.
The X20 comes with Windows XP preinstalled. Its hard drive partition must be shrunk in order to make room for GNU/Linux.
SuSE 9.3 was installed via network through my company's LAN. Except for the X.org display setup, installation went off without a hitch.
SuSE's X configuration utility, SaX, had trouble setting up the graphics
card and display. I had to use the default /etc/X11/X.org file
produced during installation. This gave me a respectable display of
1280×1024 at 24 bpp.
To achieve the maximum LCD resolution of 1400×1050, you need to make
several changes to the system. First, download and install
915resolution and add the
following line to /etc/init.d/boot.local:
915resolution 5c 1400 1050
You may need to obtain the latest i810
driver; be sure you
download the one appropriate for your version of X.Org. Install the
driver in /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers. The i810 driver that comes
with SuSE 9.3 does not support 1400×1050 mode; I'm not sure about later
versions of SuSE.
Finally, modify the relevant sections of your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file
to read as follows:
Section "Module"
Load "dbe"
Load "dri"
Load "extmod"
Load "glx"
Load "freetype"
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "LaptopLCD"
Option "DPMS"
DisplaySize 304 228
EndSection
Section "Device"
Identifier "i915Chipset"
Driver "i810"
BusID "PCI:0:2:0"
VideoRam 131072
Option "NoAccel" "false"
Option "DRI" "true"
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "LaptopScreen"
Device "i915Chipset"
Monitor "LaptopLCD"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 8
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 16
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection
Section "ServerLayout"
…
Screen 0 "LaptopScreen" 0 0
…
EndSection
Section "DRI"
Group "video"
Mode 0660
EndSection
The following hotkeys work out of the box:
To get Fn-F6 (mute), Fn-Left (volume down), and Fn-Right (volume up) to
work, put the following in /etc/X11/Xmodmap:
keycode 174 = XF86AudioLowerVolume
keycode 176 = XF86AudioRaiseVolume
keycode 160 = XF86AudioMute
If you are using KDE and the package `kdeutils3-laptop' is installed, then you will get nice popups for volume adjustment. (If this not enabled by default, go to Control Center→KDE Components→Service Manager, make sure the "Use" box for "KMilo" is ticked, and if necessary, start it by clicking the "Start" button.
Not tested; check back later.
To enable the three application buttons, add the following lines to
/etc/init.d/boot.local:
setkeycodes 74 93
setkeycodes 75 94
Then add the following to /etc/X11/Xmodmap:
keycode 131 = F13
keycode 128 = F14
keycode 208 = F15