Arch Linux Live USB - On a Macbook

Hey guys, here's my idea:
I have a semi-old Macbook (2yrs) and I have a USB Stick (Corsair 32GB Voyager) that I want to put Arch with Awesome WM onto. Once I have this setup I want to be able to just semi occasionally boot off my Macbook into Arch. I don't want to touch the partitioning of the internal HDD.
I have some ideas, but I figured I might as well get input and see if anyone has personal experience in the matter.
Thanks!

I have a ARCH testing with squashfs 4.0 Slax-like LiveCD/USB
and also a slightly older build using squashfs 3.4
see here
http://multidistro.com/
this is the newest and best
http://multidistro.com/NFLUXNEW/SQ4/arch4.html
have no idea if it will run on Macbook
though the ZEN kernel has Mac drivers, etc
kernel 2.6.34-ZENa32
Right now I only have a semi-working script hdd installer
and a manual-install method thats easy
it also can run as persistent usb like Slax
Last edited by 72linus (2010-07-17 00:00:02)

Similar Messages

Arch Linux Live USB - FAT-fs error [SOLVED]

Hello,
Every time I try to boot from one of my USBs, it comes up with the error:
FAT-fs (sdb-2): IO charset iso8859-1 not found
mount: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/sdb2,
missing codepage or helper program, or other error
This error occurs when using both my custom archiso image AND the latest official live image. I have tried reformatting the partition using another computer, to no avail. I have set up another live USB using the exact same commands as this one, and it boots up fine. The partitions on this one are set up like:
/dev/sdX1 - LUKS data partition
/dev/sdX2 - FAT-32 partition (what I'm trying to boot from)
I've been able to boot from this USB before. The only thing I can think of that could do this would be when my laptop died while the LUKS partition was mounted. Any help would be appreciated.
Last edited by DoctorSelar (2014-05-11 00:15:04)

This is a known bug:
https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/40217

Booting Arch Linux from usb flash [SOLVED]

I have instaled Arch Linux on usb flash (filesystem is ext2) I have regenerated initrd (mkinitcpio -p) with usb hook (HOOKS="base udev usb ide scsi sata filesystems"), but Arch Linux stop booting with error: unable mount dev/disk/by-uuid/my-uuid After pressing Control-D in recovery shell Caps Lock and Scroll Lock leds blink on my keyboard
I have tried booting from label (dev/disk/by-label/my-label) I have got same error
Please help me
PS Please forgive me for my English
Last edited by vav (2011-02-13 12:42:59)

GRUB is installed on the usb flash drive
menu.lst:
# Config file for GRUB - The GNU GRand Unified Bootloader
# /boot/grub/menu.lst
# DEVICE NAME CONVERSIONS
# Linux Grub
# /dev/fd0 (fd0)
# /dev/sda (hd0)
# /dev/sdb2 (hd1,1)
# /dev/sda3 (hd0,2)
# FRAMEBUFFER RESOLUTION SETTINGS
# +-------------------------------------------------+
# | 640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x1024
# ----+--------------------------------------------
# 256 | 0x301=769 0x303=771 0x305=773 0x307=775
# 32K | 0x310=784 0x313=787 0x316=790 0x319=793
# 64K | 0x311=785 0x314=788 0x317=791 0x31A=794
# 16M | 0x312=786 0x315=789 0x318=792 0x31B=795
# +-------------------------------------------------+
# for more details and different resolutions see
# http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GRUB#Framebuffer_Resolution
# general configuration:
timeout 5
default 0
color light-blue/black light-cyan/blue
# boot sections follow
# each is implicitly numbered from 0 in the order of appearance below
# TIP: If you want a 1024x768 framebuffer, add "vga=773" to your kernel line.
# (0) Arch Linux
title Arch Linux
root (hd2,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz26 root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/1e3753e6-01f4-4153-a36a-07a81c552ee0 ro
initrd /boot/kernel26.img
# (1) Arch Linux
title Arch Linux Fallback
root (hd2,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz26 root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/1e3753e6-01f4-4153-a36a-07a81c552ee0 ro
initrd /boot/kernel26-fallback.img
# (2) Windows
#title Windows
#rootnoverify (hd0,0)
#makeactive
#chainloader +1
Last edited by vav (2011-02-13 08:06:27)

Issue on linux live usb key boot

Hi all,
I ve several laptops at home : X40, T30, T42p and a Dell D410. I ve a Corasair mini voyager 4Go usb key.
A live ubuntu 9. is intalled on the usb key. I ve made this installation with this tool : Linux Live Usb Creator. This works on the dell D410, i get the linux live booting fine on the usb key. On the three IBM I got the same error message "Boot Error".
The three IBM laptops have an up to date bios thanks to Thinkvantage System Update
I ve set the Bios Config->USB->Enable
Have you already experience this boot issue ?
Have you any idea to solve this issue ?
Regards
Pierr0t

I have had that error. I can burn a cd or create live usb pen drive and it will work on another machine but not on my dell desktop. It also comes up with boot ( and root) error. Strange thing is sometimes with a live cd it does and sometimes with others it doesnot...hmm
Ideas anyone?

[SOLVED] Install Arch Linux on USB Stick!

So, here is the deal. I want to install Arch Linux on a USB Stick so I can plug it at any computer and have my system... with me
I've had a little bit experience with Arch so I know a few things about it... used it for a few months before on a real system.
My USB stick is a HighSpeed 17-20 MBPS and it's 16 GB capacity.
So how do I do it?
Last edited by 1lj4z1 (2012-04-05 07:25:53)

I'm using occasionally Arch installed on HDD-USB, I've just added usb hook to mkinitcpio.conf and removed autodetect (more modules=more hardware supported). So far it worked on 3 different computers (all of them have one main HDD so no grub issues, but it's no biggie if it doesn't boot right away, you can always edit grub on-the-fly by pressing "e")
About USB stick: installing on USB stick is not the same as running it in LIVE mode! Consider yourself warned.
If you just install it you really should read about SSD optimizations because USB flash cells also have limited read/write cycles (actually is less robust and sophisticated than SSD). Something to look at: noatime mount option, disable swap if not necessary, profile-sync-daemon and so on...
1lj4z1 wrote:Well I don't need to chroot, i am running it live. I'll see about mkinitcpio.conf but I can't understand what you mean rebuilding initramfs? What is that exactcly?
It means if you fiddle with mkinitcpio you should run:
# mkinitcpio -p linux
afterwards or bad things will happen
Last edited by masteryod (2012-03-27 15:37:13)

Installing Arch Linux on USB key: error while booting

Hello,
first of all, I must say I've followed the steps from this article on arch wiki to install archlinux on my USB key: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/In … _a_USB_key
So what I did is to use one of my 2 usb keys to INSTALL linux, and the second one to RUN linux. I used dd to write on the 1st usb, eveything worked fine when booting, then I do install arch on the my second usb following the stept from the link above, everything works until I get this error while booting (at the middle):
Waiting 10 seconds for device /dev/sdc/
Root device '/dev/sdc' doesn't exist. Attempting to create it.
ERROR: Unable to determine major/minor number of root device '/dev/disk/by-uuid/lotsofnumbers'
You are being dropped to a recovery shell
Type 'exit' to try and continue booting
/bin/sh: Can't contact tty; job control turned off
[ramfs /]#
To summarize I'll show you my conf files that could help you to resolve my problem:
/etc/fstab.conf
/dev/sdc1 /boot ext2 defaults 0 1
/dev/sdc2 / ext3 defaults 0 1
/dev/sdc3 /home ext3 defaults 0 1
So here I've sdc1 boot 32MB partition; sdc2 root 3GB partition; sdc3 home 978MB partition for a total of 4GB USB key~
I didn't make a swap partition as in the tutorial they are writing it's unnecessary for some kind of reasons.
/etc/mkinitcpio.conf
HOOKS="base udev usb autodetect pata scsi sata filesystems"
I've added to here, "usb" to the hooks
installed GRUB on my sdc, here is the menu.ist:
# (0) Arch Linux
title Arch Linux (USB)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/sdc ro vga=773
initrd /kernel26.img
So, I boot GRUB without problems, start Arch Linux, but then I got this error above.
I've searched alot on some forums and read many stuffs, but sitll can't fix it and it seems complicated.
I've tried to boot with UUID, also, but didn't make difference. I tried to remove some parameter from the hooks, but unfortunately this wasn't working still. I've read somewhere to use chroot, but I didn't catch on how to do that and what was the use of chroot, I'm still noob user of arch linux and currently learning. Maybe it's the problem, as some forum were talking about creating a new image, but I still don't know how to make it. By the way, I'm not sure this could have fixed my current problem. I've also read somewhere it could be due to my lack of space, but I wrote you how I did partition my USB key, let me know if you have any suggestion please.

1. What I did is re-installing entirely from my installation disk or USB to test out different setting in my config files, because I don't know how to edit my .conf as I can't really finish to boot to the end and get in terminal mode? If there is a quicker way to edit files from any terminal to go into my current USB sdc to modify directly my file from there, I'd enjoy probably. So rebuilding the initpio, no, I just re-installed to test out different configs.
2. Yes, same error.
3. Tested out by-id/by-path and uuid = no difference
4. Didn't know about larch, it seems to be a nice tool, I'll check it out

How can I boot a linux live cd in my macbook pro 8,1

I have a macbook pro 8,1 13inch. Whenever I attempt to boot from a linux live cd (ubuntu, kubuntu, gparted, knoppix) I get dropped to a busybox interface with a message that the live file system can not be found. I have tested the linux cd on a non apple laptop and it does indeed work. What am I missing that is preventing me from booting the mac with the same cd?

Hi
You may have bought Your Mac just when Apple decided not to sell or deliver iDVD any more (to a hilarious frustration to most of us users).
a. Apple do not sell it any more
b. No it's not included in iLife11 any more (if downloaded from Apple)
c. One can buy - secondhanded iLife11 boxed/DVD version still including iDVD but they are not so many and price is increasing
Else
If there is no iDVD on Your Mac (and it's not on newer Macs as Apple discarded it) then You need a program that can do this.
Your Mac can burn CDs and DVDs - BUT DVD as Data-DVDs not as Video-DVDs - they need a program to be encoded and STRUCTURED as such.
• iDVD is part of the boxed version of iLife'11 and can only be bought outside Apple as on Amazon and e-bay
• DVD Studio pro - Part of FinalCut Studio Pro bundle - this to has expired and can only be bought second handed. (High price and tough learning Curve - but best ever done.)
• Roxio Toast™ - Not as elegant as iDVD - but has many other positive additions (I like it as 10-Pro incl BD-component) (now version 11)
• Burn - only free alternative I know of on internet. Very simple - Just for doing a plain Video-DVD
Burn http://www.digital-digest.com/software/Burn.html
only You can buy from Apple is
• FinalCut Pro-X which also can burn to DVD but without any nice themes.
AppleMan1958
You can also buy Compressor from Apple for $50 US. It will also create DVD and BluRay but without the nice themes.
Yours Bengt W

Having trouble installing Arch Linux to USB key

Hello,
I have read the wiki article, but it doesn't answer my question. I am having trouble installing Arch to a USB key (8GB Sandisk Cruzer). I installled GRUB correctly, it booted, but the flash drive was write-protected. In the fstab file, I have the defaults and noatime flags in there. I have never experienced an error like this, and I don't know how to fix it. I have tried to reboot into the Arch CD and mounted the USB, but it just stalls and displays no output. Obviously, if I boot into my USB (you can still boot into it), and do "nano /etc/fstab", it says that I cannot write. In case you were wondering, I am using the root user. Thank you for all your help!
EDIT: I have Syslinux, the kernel parameters is RW. If I run mount -o remount,rw /dev/sda1, it tells me something like:
ata3.00: status: {DRDY ERR}
ata3.00: error: {IDNF}
end_request: I/O error, dev sda, sector 21
Buffer I/o error on device sda1, logical block 0
EXT4-fs error (device sda1): ext4_remount:4665: Abort forced by user
I did NOT hit CTRL+C.
Last edited by aqua123 (2013-09-07 02:01:30)

I'm a nub, and I think I'll piggy back of aqua's post. Perhaps we have the same problem
I have an Asus UX31A with Xubuntu (with grub) currently installed. I created the bootable USB as per the Arch Wiki UEFI bootable usb page. I can boot into the main prompt where you can choose "Arch Linux Iso", "shell v1", "shell v2" and "Default prompt."
Choosing the first option (to get to the the command prompt and begin installing) makes the screen flash once, then just hangs black. Before the flash I think I see three text lines in the upper left corner, but they flash so fast I can't read them.
Choosing either of the shell options presents the error:
"Error loading \EFI\shellx64_v1.efi: Unsupported" (replace "v1" with "v2" for the other option)
Any thoughts?

How to setup a live USB stick using the latest archlinux 201405

Hello, long time reader, first time poster. I recently purchased a new computer, and I would like to setup arch linux as host OS, so I can see if I could build a LFS system from the Arch Linux live USB drive. When I run the following command "dd if=/arch.iso of=/dev/myDisk" it successfully creates a USB drive that is bootable on the new computer (it's using EFI) and the system boots into a shell prompt. However, when running the above command, my host OS (OS X) on my other computer doesn't recognize the drive, so I can add files or do anything with the remaining 15.5GB of storage on the drive.
I came across this document, => https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/US … tion_Media which I must say is very well documented (kudos). So I mounted the Arch_Linux_2014.05 ISO and copied the files to freshly formatted (FAT 32) USB drive, and inserted into the new computer, and it see's the EFI boot option, when I hold down the "option" key when the computer boots up (that's good). However, it doesn't bootstrap the Linux kernel or the Arch Linux base system for that matter.
I came across this forum post, => https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=135046 where a member was discussing editing some files to get his USB drive to boot. I wasn't sure if this forum thread was still relative as it a couple years old.
Finally, the reason I prefer the mounting of the ISO, and copying the files is so that 1) my host OS on my old computer (OS X) can read the USB drive. 2) I can add files to the USB drive without having it locked down.
Thanks for reading, and any help would be greatly appreciated.

After fooling around with the grub.cfg I finally got it to boot.
The menu entries I added to the grub.cfg look like the following,
menuentry "[loopback]arch_201405.iso" {
set isofile="arch.iso"
loopback loop (hd0,1)/$isofile
linux (loop)/arch/boot/x86_64/vmlinuz archisolabel=ARCH_201405 img_dev=/dev/sda1 img_loop=$isofile earlymodules=loop
initrd (loop)/arch/boot/x86_64/archiso.img
menuentry "[loopback]arch_2014.04.01-dual.iso" {
set isofile="archlinux-2014.04.01-dual.iso"
loopback loop (hd0,1)/$isofile
linux (loop)/arch/boot/x86_64/vmlinuz archisolabel=ARCH_201404 img_dev=/dev/sdc1 img_loop=$isofile earlymodules=loop
initrd (loop)/arch/boot/x86_64/archiso.img
I added the archlinux-2014.04.01-dual.iso file to the USB flash drive because apparently there is a bug with the 201405 version of archlinux using fat32 and booting into a live environment, https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/40217

Arch Linux running on Asus Transformer T100/T100TA... sort of.

I'm not really asking for help here (can't find an appropriate place to put this post), but more to show off my accomplishment with this tablet.
As the thread title says, I've gotten Arch Linux to run on the Asus T100TA which is a quite annoying little thing. I haven't documented the steps myself, however, I remember exactly what I have done, and in order to get the live image to at least run on this tablet, here are the steps I did:
(you'll maybe need 2 USB drives, seems to be the easiest way)
1. Create an ISO using the archiso set as you normally would (except you won't really need the ISO itself) OR if you can figure it out yourself, install the base image to the USB drive (either architecture will do, but I recommend i686 since the processor is 32 bit as well)
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Archiso
This step will be unnecessary as of May, as the live images onwards on the main download site will already contain the 3.14 or newer kernels.
2. After the image building successfully finishes, copy all the contents from (PROFILE)/work/iso/ (except root-image squashfs files) to a FAT32 formatted USB drive (1). This is to simply create a bootloader drive that will allow us for later swapping the USB drives.
3. Download an ia32 version of grub. Any will do as long as it can boot up on the tablet.
http://www.supergrubdisk.org/category/download/supergrub2diskdownload/
This one works, download the standalone IA-32/i386 EFI and paste it in (USB Drive (1))/EFI/boot/bootia32.efi .
(use latest versions, no matter if it's unstable)
4. Now you need to make a grub.cfg. The one I made looks like this
menuentry 'Arch Linux i686'{
echo 'Loading Linux core repo kernel ...'
linux /arch/boot/i686/vmlinuz noefi nomodeset archisobasedir=arch archisolabel=ARCH_201404
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /arch/boot/i686/archiso.img
menuentry 'Arch Linux x86_64'{
echo 'Loading Linux core repo kernel ...'
linux /arch/boot/x86_64/vmlinuz noefi nomodeset archisobasedir=arch archisolabel=ARCH_201404
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /arch/boot/x86_64/archiso.img
NOTE: If you're using a later live image build, I advise to change the date accordingly. It's not necessary to do so, since the mount by label doesn't work, however, I like to keep everything intact.
noefi flag seems unnecessary as well, though I have added it to prevent some kernel panics from happening, for just in case. It works without it, still, however you need the nomodeset flag or else you'll get a black screen!
I'm not entirely sure where the grub.cfg goes, but I've put it in USB Drive(1)/boot/grub/ , /EFI/grub/ and in /EFI/boot/grub/ just to make it sure that it works.
5. Create an ext2/3/4 (recommended ext2 for flash drives, not to wear it out) USB drive (2) and copy the arch folder to the root of the USB drive (2)
---- BOOT PROCESS ----
Before this step, ensure that Secure Boot is set to OFF in the Aptio setup. Otherwise it will throw up an error in a red box crying it's not signed.
6. Plug in the USB drive (1) into a USB port and while powering on the tablet, tilt the escape key to pop up a boot menu.
7. Select UEFI: (your USB drive (1))
8. GRUB 2 will pop up. If you're running the SuperGrubDisk version, you're gonna have to go to Everything and then scroll down until it says something like
(hd0, msdos1)/boot/grub/grub.cfg
and click on it to open the configuration data manually created.
9. Simply select your desired version of Arch Linux live distro to boot.
10. VOILAaa, not really... It'll pop up with a mount error saying it's a wrong FS to mount. This is where you plug in your USB drive (2) in place of the first one.
11. Type in:
# mount /dev/sda1 /run/archiso/bootmnt
# exit
12. Congratulations, you're running Arch Linux on your ASUS Transformer T100TA tablet!
This is as far as I have went into running it. Installing it on a HDD would require mounting the mmcblk partitions, which I haven't looked into yet. For a start, I'd just recommend installing it on a USB drive, though you'd have to own one of the USB OTG converters or a USB hub. The screen is spammed with the mmcblk0rpmb timeout errors though and that is annoying. It stops after a while when it stops trying. Reboot doesn't work either, seems like acpi is broken.
You could do it with a single usb drive, though it requires some knowledge of this tablet's EFI because it disallowed me from running a kernel on another partition other than FAT32. Grub pops up with an error:
can't unload EFI services
or something like that.
I've also tried putting the USB Drive (2) in during grub and it pops up with an error with invalid sector sizes. That was to be expected.
btw I know it's my first post, I'm just here to share this with you. I never had the need to ask for help but when absolutely necessary.
PICS OF IT RUNNING
Some USB devices aren't visible, like the camera.
A custom partition layout without the recovery partitions. Yours may differ.
Last edited by xan1242 (2014-04-13 22:54:46)

I haven't tried much other than getting this live image to run on this machine. I'll attempt to install the base image using my desktop computer with the appropriate drivers and see how that goes. (or just install the wifi driver)
That guy really made it to work much better than I imagined it to work at all! I'll see what can be done using the same drivers, though running Ubuntu seems tempting as well. He even got the touchscreen to work, which is really awesome. It seems that he also merged the drivers into the kernel image, which is going to be a challenge in Arch.
Since he's using the 64 bit build of Ubuntu, I'll try it with x86_64 Arch as well to try and use his guide to make the drivers to work.
EDIT: I have successully installed the base to an external drive and booted it on the tablet, however since the base was installed externally on another machine, I need to regenerate initrd. It boots on the fallback ramdisk, but still no wifi and the screen is spammed even more with the timeout errors. I've seen topics on Raspberry Pi having a similar issue and that it was repaired using some kernel flags, but I am not sure if those will work with the tablet. Also, using the bootflags jfwells used on Ubuntu work here as well, and gives full resolution output now. Wifi doesn't work. ip link doesn't give any signs of a wifi card present.
EDIT2: Got Arch up and running relatively nicely on the tablet now. Though it is in the same state as the last edit in terms of functionality, it works I'd say well enough to be considered usable. I couldn't make the wireless card to work, for some strange reason, so I got a RT73 USB card (Edimax EW-7318USg to be precise, had to use 2 USB ports) and installed stuff on to the tablet. I ran X without a desktop manager, and the X apps worked fine, even with the touch screen (emulating a mouse, no right click) and I ran XFCE4 on it without a problem (with compositing).
It simply needs more developed drivers on it, that's mostly it. The state is exactly the same as Ubuntu 14.04 that jfwells made to work (minus the wifi). I haven't played with the sound, either, due to the warning he posted, but I believe it works as it does in Ubuntu.
The steps I made are as follows:
1. Simply made another live ISO with the archiso set
2. dd'd the image to a USB drive
3. On the second USB drive I created two GPT partitions (200 - 300 MB for ESP, everything else ext2)
4. Booted the live archiso USB drive
5. Installed the base to the second USB drive while being mounted like this: ext2 partition -> /mnt and ESP -> /mnt/boot
6. Installed GRUB x86_64-efi to simply generate a configuration
7. Installed wireless utilities as well as everything else needed to make it to work
8. To ensure bootability on the tablet, again, I put the IA32 GRUB to the ESP in /EFI/boot/bootia32.efi
9. I have edited the grub.cfg, can't exactly remember with what, but this is what it looks like
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
menuentry 'Arch Linux, with Linux core repo kernel' --class arch --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-core repo kernel-true-(hd0,gpt2)' {
set gfxpayload=keep
insmod gzio
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd0,gpt1'
echo 'Loading Linux core repo kernel ...'
linux /vmlinuz-linux root=/dev/sda2 video=VGA-1:1368x768e reboot=pci,force sdhci.debug_quirks=0x8000 rw quiet
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /initramfs-linux.img
menuentry 'Arch Linux, with Linux core repo kernel (Fallback initramfs)' --class arch --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-core repo kernel-fallback-(hd0,gpt2)' {
set gfxpayload=keep
insmod gzio
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd0,gpt1'
echo 'Loading Linux core repo kernel ...'
linux /vmlinuz-linux root=/dev/sda2 video=VGA-1:1368x768e reboot=pci,force sdhci.debug_quirks=0x8000 rw quiet
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /boot/initramfs-linux-fallback.img
### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
I simply added the kernel flags jfwells added. It needs that root flag, or else it will not boot. I can't figure out the UUIDs though. It will reboot, but it will not shut down.
10. Boot up your second USB drive on the tablet and... IMPORTANT - Boot with the fallback ramdisk - or else you're going to experience non functional input
11. After booting it, you'll get the annoying mmcblk timeout spamming the screen. I haven't figured out how to fix it, but to hide it, type in
# dmesg -n 1
12. Generate another ramdisk (forgot the command, but search function should serve you)
13. Reboot with the normal ramdisk now.
14. After setting up the wireless connection, rock on with the pacman!
At this point I installed a bunch of stuff, like Intel GPU drivers, xorg, xfce4, ntfs-3g, gparted, and among other stuff I personally test stuff with.
I couldn't mount the mmcblk partitions to at least somehow be able to edit data on the Windows partitions or the disk as a whole.
Anybody willing to help getting Arch to run on this tablet is welcome.
EDIT3: Internal WiFi working! Simply added "sdhci.debug_quirks=0x8000" flag.
Last edited by xan1242 (2014-04-13 23:35:26)

Arch Linux on SmartQ (V5II) -looking to start project-

Upfront I will note that I am not skilled enough to accomplish this alone at my current level. I will learn what I can in order to achieve this task, so any and all links to tutorials and ideas on how to get this working will be taken and put through heavy consideration. Primary concern will be getting a working "livecd" cloned image (basically, all the most standard core packages to get a working Arch Linux with USB Keyboard and mouse support, then build from there till I get X and all the nice features of the V5(II) working, and branch out from there Will probably look into repartitioning the NAND so I can have a complete and full install (probably preserve Android for being boot from SD, which is fine since it's a complete dual-boot which requires rebooting to switch anyway) As of now, I am referencing the development tutorial for SmartQ, tutorials for building firmware images from plugapps (nice Arch port to ARM devices) and whatever information I can gather from someone on the Arch Linux forums who has recently ported it to the newest ARM processor type (v7, if I'm not mistaken). All links will be provided at the bottom of this post.
My guess is that I will have to approach this with a "Linux From Scratch" mindset of compiling the kernel, busybox and whatever else I need to get a working base install (which, from there, I can compile everything else natively on the actual device)to the point where I reach a working system with gui, basic tools, maybe a game or two, and whatever else would constitute being enough for "firmware" status. I guess, my only question ahead of all that is how do I go about making the "base install" firmware to build up from? Secondary question to that is, once I get a nice setup, how do I take that (all being on the actual V5II) and remaster THAT into a firmware that I can then post online for others to test? I already have my homework cut out for me, so I'll be reading what i can to figure this out while anybody and everybody here throws me tutorial links and ideas on how I can accomplish this each step of the way... We shall see where this train takes us.
SmartQ Linux Development Guild: https://docs.google.com/View?id=ddtx8wk … skpm&pli=1
PlugApps Development Portal: http://www.plugapps.com/index.php5?titl … evelopment
Arch Forum post for developer who ported Arch Linux to the v7 ARM processor: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=59638
can't think of anything else at this point, but I will categorize links the best I can to morph them into somewhat of a workflow process and group the help aids to each relevant step along the way. Anyone interested in helping, feel free to join in on the fun.. Will be looking that the ArchMobile stuff and incorporating what I can into my project... maybe this will help revive the ArchMobile project as well...

If you are a new programmer then Python is a good place to start. Install WingIDE 101 from the AUR for a good beginner's IDE for that.
Think Python is a free book to get started with (PDF or HTML download on that page and you can buy the dead tree if you want)
If you want to do programming that requires fast code above all else then C++ is the standard. Code::Blocks is a good IDE for that. Be sure to install "base-devel" and "gdb" to go along with it.
Programming - Principles and Practice Using C++ is a dead tree book for C++, you have to buy it but that is offset by the fact that its author is also the author of the C++ language.

[Solved] Boot process hangs for installed Arch and installation usb

Hi. I've been using Arch Linux for around 6 months now and I'm in love with it. It is now my primary OS. However, I might have done something or performed some update, and I can no longer boot into Arch. The boot process hangs right before it should show the login screen (I'm using Gnome 3.6 with GDM). I see the following messages on the screen:
Loading Linux core repo kernel ...
Loading initial ramdisk ...
/dev/sda3: recovering journal
/dev/sda3: clean, 330610/1749664 files, 5585671/6996827 blocks
And then it hangs right there. I have to hard-reboot after this.
I then tried to boot using the Arch Linux Installation USB (archlinux-2012.12.01-dual.img), which also hangs at a particular point, before it should show me the prompt. I took a picture of the screen where it hangs: Screen Capture. This is an issue with just my laptop, because the USB boots just fine on another laptop I tried.
I also have Windows 7 and Ubuntu 12.10 installed on my system, and I'm able to boot into both of them.
I have 2 hard drives: /dev/sda is a 120GB SSD, and /dev/sdb is a 500GB hard disk. My partitions are as follows:
sda1 - Windows 7 100MB System Reserved Partition (boot flag enabled)
sda2 - Windows 7 OS
sda3 - ArchLinux (boot flag enabled)
sdb1 - Ubuntu 12.10 (boot flag enabled)
sdb2 - Just data
I ran bootinfoscript and below is the output:
Boot Info Script 0.61 [1 April 2012]
============================= Boot Info Summary: ===============================
=> Grub2 (v1.99) is installed in the MBR of /dev/sda and looks at sector 1 of
the same hard drive for core.img. core.img is at this location and looks
in partition 99 for .
=> Grub2 (v1.99) is installed in the MBR of /dev/sdb and looks at sector 1 of
the same hard drive for core.img. core.img is at this location and looks
in partition 99 for .
sda1: __________________________________________________________________________
File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7: NTFS
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System:
Boot files: /bootmgr /Boot/BCD
sda2: __________________________________________________________________________
File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7: NTFS
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System: Windows 7
Boot files: /Windows/System32/winload.exe
sda3: __________________________________________________________________________
File system: ext4
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:
Mounting failed: mount: /dev/sda3 already mounted or sda3 busy
sdb1: __________________________________________________________________________
File system: ext4
Boot sector type: -
Boot sector info:
Operating System: Ubuntu 12.10
Boot files: /boot/grub/grub.cfg /etc/fstab
sdb2: __________________________________________________________________________
File system: ntfs
Boot sector type: Windows Vista/7: NTFS
Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
Operating System:
Boot files:
============================ Drive/Partition Info: =============================
Drive: sda _____________________________________________________________________
Disk /dev/sda: 120.0 GB, 120034123776 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14593 cylinders, total 234441648 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Partition Boot Start Sector End Sector # of Sectors Id System
/dev/sda1 * 2,048 206,847 204,800 7 NTFS / exFAT / HPFS
/dev/sda2 206,848 178,466,084 178,259,237 7 NTFS / exFAT / HPFS
/dev/sda3 * 178,466,085 234,440,703 55,974,619 83 Linux
Drive: sdb _____________________________________________________________________
Disk /dev/sdb: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Partition Boot Start Sector End Sector # of Sectors Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 63 20,948,759 20,948,697 83 Linux
/dev/sdb2 20,964,824 976,771,071 955,806,248 7 NTFS / exFAT / HPFS
"blkid" output: ________________________________________________________________
Device UUID TYPE LABEL
/dev/mmcblk0p1 6665-3162 vfat
/dev/sda1 CA6A20CC6A20B75B ntfs System Reserved
/dev/sda2 1EE242D5E242B137 ntfs
/dev/sda3 65db0c59-9f04-46f1-975d-8a4c28132137 ext4
/dev/sdb1 bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed ext4
/dev/sdb2 3C2E3A4E2E3A0206 ntfs
================================ Mount points: =================================
Device Mount_Point Type Options
/dev/mmcblk0p1 /media/dhaval/6665-3162 vfat (rw,nosuid,nodev,uid=1000,gid=1000,shortname=mixed,dmask=0077,utf8=1,showexec,flush,uhelper=udisks2)
/dev/sdb1 / ext4 (rw,errors=remount-ro)
=========================== sdb1/boot/grub/grub.cfg: ===========================
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE
# It is automatically generated by grub-mkconfig using templates
# from /etc/grub.d and settings from /etc/default/grub
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then
set have_grubenv=true
load_env
fi
set default="0"
if [ x"${feature_menuentry_id}" = xy ]; then
menuentry_id_option="--id"
else
menuentry_id_option=""
fi
export menuentry_id_option
if [ "${prev_saved_entry}" ]; then
set saved_entry="${prev_saved_entry}"
save_env saved_entry
set prev_saved_entry=
save_env prev_saved_entry
set boot_once=true
fi
function savedefault {
if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then
saved_entry="${chosen}"
save_env saved_entry
fi
function recordfail {
set recordfail=1
if [ -n "${have_grubenv}" ]; then if [ -z "${boot_once}" ]; then save_env recordfail; fi; fi
function load_video {
if [ x$feature_all_video_module = xy ]; then
insmod all_video
else
insmod efi_gop
insmod efi_uga
insmod ieee1275_fb
insmod vbe
insmod vga
insmod video_bochs
insmod video_cirrus
fi
if [ x$feature_default_font_path = xy ] ; then
font=unicode
else
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd1,msdos1'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd1,msdos1 --hint-efi=hd1,msdos1 --hint-baremetal=ahci1,msdos1 bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed
fi
font="/usr/share/grub/unicode.pf2"
fi
if loadfont $font ; then
set gfxmode=auto
load_video
insmod gfxterm
set locale_dir=$prefix/locale
set lang=en_US
insmod gettext
fi
terminal_output gfxterm
if [ "${recordfail}" = 1 ]; then
set timeout=-1
else
set timeout=10
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###
set menu_color_normal=white/black
set menu_color_highlight=black/light-gray
if background_color 13,37,73; then
clear
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
function gfxmode {
set gfxpayload="${1}"
if [ "${1}" = "keep" ]; then
set vt_handoff=vt.handoff=7
else
set vt_handoff=
fi
if [ "${recordfail}" != 1 ]; then
if [ -e ${prefix}/gfxblacklist.txt ]; then
if hwmatch ${prefix}/gfxblacklist.txt 3; then
if [ ${match} = 0 ]; then
set linux_gfx_mode=keep
else
set linux_gfx_mode=text
fi
else
set linux_gfx_mode=text
fi
else
set linux_gfx_mode=keep
fi
else
set linux_gfx_mode=text
fi
export linux_gfx_mode
if [ "${linux_gfx_mode}" != "text" ]; then load_video; fi
menuentry 'Ubuntu' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-simple-bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed' {
recordfail
gfxmode $linux_gfx_mode
insmod gzio
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd1,msdos1'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd1,msdos1 --hint-efi=hd1,msdos1 --hint-baremetal=ahci1,msdos1 bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed
fi
linux /boot/vmlinuz-3.5.0-21-generic root=UUID=bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed ro quiet splash acpi_osi=Linux acpi_backlight=vendor $vt_handoff
initrd /boot/initrd.img-3.5.0-21-generic
submenu 'Advanced options for Ubuntu' $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-advanced-bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed' {
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 3.5.0-21-generic' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-3.5.0-21-generic-advanced-bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed' {
recordfail
gfxmode $linux_gfx_mode
insmod gzio
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd1,msdos1'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd1,msdos1 --hint-efi=hd1,msdos1 --hint-baremetal=ahci1,msdos1 bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed
fi
echo 'Loading Linux 3.5.0-21-generic ...'
linux /boot/vmlinuz-3.5.0-21-generic root=UUID=bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed ro quiet splash acpi_osi=Linux acpi_backlight=vendor $vt_handoff
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /boot/initrd.img-3.5.0-21-generic
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 3.5.0-21-generic (recovery mode)' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-3.5.0-21-generic-recovery-bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed' {
recordfail
insmod gzio
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd1,msdos1'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd1,msdos1 --hint-efi=hd1,msdos1 --hint-baremetal=ahci1,msdos1 bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed
fi
echo 'Loading Linux 3.5.0-21-generic ...'
linux /boot/vmlinuz-3.5.0-21-generic root=UUID=bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed ro recovery nomodeset
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /boot/initrd.img-3.5.0-21-generic
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 3.2.0-29-generic' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-3.2.0-29-generic-advanced-bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed' {
recordfail
gfxmode $linux_gfx_mode
insmod gzio
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd1,msdos1'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd1,msdos1 --hint-efi=hd1,msdos1 --hint-baremetal=ahci1,msdos1 bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed
fi
echo 'Loading Linux 3.2.0-29-generic ...'
linux /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-29-generic root=UUID=bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed ro quiet splash acpi_osi=Linux acpi_backlight=vendor $vt_handoff
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-29-generic
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 3.2.0-29-generic (recovery mode)' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-3.2.0-29-generic-recovery-bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed' {
recordfail
insmod gzio
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd1,msdos1'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd1,msdos1 --hint-efi=hd1,msdos1 --hint-baremetal=ahci1,msdos1 bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed
fi
echo 'Loading Linux 3.2.0-29-generic ...'
linux /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-29-generic root=UUID=bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed ro recovery nomodeset
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-29-generic
### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###
### END /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+)" {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd1,msdos1'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd1,msdos1 --hint-efi=hd1,msdos1 --hint-baremetal=ahci1,msdos1 bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed
fi
linux16 /boot/memtest86+.bin
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+, serial console 115200)" {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd1,msdos1'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd1,msdos1 --hint-efi=hd1,msdos1 --hint-baremetal=ahci1,msdos1 bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed
fi
linux16 /boot/memtest86+.bin console=ttyS0,115200n8
### END /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
menuentry 'Windows 7 (loader) (on /dev/sda1)' --class windows --class os $menuentry_id_option 'osprober-chain-CA6A20CC6A20B75B' {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ntfs
set root='hd0,msdos1'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,msdos1 --hint-efi=hd0,msdos1 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,msdos1 CA6A20CC6A20B75B
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root CA6A20CC6A20B75B
fi
chainloader +1
### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_uefi-firmware ###
### END /etc/grub.d/30_uefi-firmware ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries. Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment. Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
### END /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###
if [ -f ${config_directory}/custom.cfg ]; then
source ${config_directory}/custom.cfg
elif [ -z "${config_directory}" -a -f $prefix/custom.cfg ]; then
source $prefix/custom.cfg;
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/41_custom ###
=============================== sdb1/etc/fstab: ================================
# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
# Use 'blkid' to print the universally unique identifier for a
# device; this may be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name devices
# that works even if disks are added and removed. See fstab(5).
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>
proc /proc proc nodev,noexec,nosuid 0 0
# / was on /dev/sdb1 during installation
UUID=bb9818db-ce7c-43a4-8ad5-8d3702001aed / ext4 errors=remount-ro 0 1
=================== sdb1: Location of files loaded by Grub: ====================
GiB - GB File Fragment(s)
4.564525127 = 4.901121536 boot/grub/grub.cfg 1
5.130507946 = 5.508840960 boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-29-generic 2
5.851592541 = 6.283099648 boot/initrd.img-3.5.0-21-generic 2
6.317649364 = 6.783524352 boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-29-generic 1
4.965751171 = 5.331934720 boot/vmlinuz-3.5.0-21-generic 2
5.851592541 = 6.283099648 initrd.img 2
5.851592541 = 6.283099648 initrd.img.old 2
4.965751171 = 5.331934720 vmlinuz 2
4.965751171 = 5.331934720 vmlinuz.old 2
I tried adding nomodeset and acpi=off to the boot parameters, but the boot process still hangs. Please let me know if I should provide any other information.
Last edited by dhavalparmar (2012-12-30 11:45:25)

Ok.. So my Arch Linux randomly decided to work. I'm sure I didn't do anything between my last "not working" state and my current "working" state. Below are a few things I tried:
I thought of trying an earlier build of ArchLinux, and downloaded archlinux-2012.11.01-dual.iso and made a bootable USB out of it. It still hung.
I was getting error messages during Arch boot that the last access time for the disks was at a future date. I found out that Ubuntu was using localtime instead of UTC and screwing up my hardware clock. I fixed it, and thought maybe the time issues were causing the boot problem. But fixing time didn't solve my problem.
I chrooted into Arch from my Ubuntu install, ran 'sudo pacman -Syyu' and updated my Arch install.
I thought maybe GDM isn't starting up. I re-enabled the service using 'systemctl enable gdm.service'.
I removed OpenNTPd and installed NTPd. Enabled the daemon using 'systemctl enable ntpd'
None of the above solved the problem, and rebooting to Arch still hung the system. So I stopped fiddling with it yesterday. Today, as usual, I just tried logging into Arch.. And it just worked out of the blue. The solution to me is as mysterious as the problem.
I told this to my friend who introduced me to Arch, and this is what he said:
Damn it computers, you were supposed to be deterministic!

Blackberry & Arch Linux

The guide at the wiki doesn't say how to transfer files, IIRC.
So how do I transfer files from my laptop running on Arch Linux via USB cable to my Blackberry Bold 9630 and viceversa?
Kernel 3.0-ARCH x86_64 Openbox.
Thanks in advance!
Last edited by Supernova (2011-10-23 19:10:04)

Does it need a special software suite (like iTunes for iOS devices), or is the filesystem FAT/FAT32 (which most memory cards are formatted with) ?
Because if it needs a software suite to "sync" stuff (horrible concept, really), your best bet would be VirtualBox (the PUEL version, not OSE - meaning the one with USB support) and TinyXP/MicroXP installed in a 2 GB .vdi file.
If it's FAT/FAT32 we're talking about, Dolphin, Nautilus, Thunar, etc., should be able to detect it and mount it automatically when you click on it. Just like any USB stick.

Installing and running Arch linux on the new MacBook 2015

So Apple has just started taking orders for the new 2015 MacBook. You know --
the thinnest and lightest MacBook to date (even thinner than the MacBook Air),
with a 12 inch retina display, the Intel Core M processor, a single USB-C port,
and the new force touch trackpad.
I'm pretty sure there are a few people like me who'd like to buy this new
MacBook and then install and run Arch (or some other flavor of linux) on it.
But of course, this MacBook is in many ways very dissimilar to previous MacBook
Pros and MacBook Airs. So this thread is a shout out to likeminded individuals
who are willing to brave the odds and install Linux on this new machine, so we
can help each other figure out (and hopefully fix) the inevitable issues that
will arise when we venture into this uncharted territory!
I have a little bit of experience installing and running Arch on MacBook Pros
and other Apple computers, but I'm (very) far from being an expert. But based
on my limited experience, I think the following areas will pose the biggest
challenges to getting Linux properly up and running on the new MacBook:
1. Installation: it's possible that booting a live USB will fail. So we might
have to use a CD. Indeed, perhaps we may even have to build a special ISO
image for this laptop. And once the install is complete, EFI/EFISTUB booting
with/without refit/refind may or may not work. Also, installing a bootloader
(grub, gummiboot, etc.) for dual booting Mac OS X and Linux may be a
challenge. We might have to endure kernel panics and deal with cryptic error
messages while booting.
2. Wifi may or may not work reliably. We might have to do some tinkering with
different drivers, etc.
3. Battery life may not be very good. We might have to fix a few things here.
4. The HiDPI retina display may or may not work properly with specific window
managers/desktop environments. Fonts/icons might be too tiny, may not scale,
etc.
5. The new Force touch trackpad may not work out of the box. In fact, I'm
fairly sure the regular xf86-input-synaptics package won't play nice with
this trackpad. There may not be support for features like the trackpad's
haptic feedback, multi-finger gestures, pressure sensitivity, etc. Indeed,
this might actually take a while to get properly working under Linux.
6. I don't know if the new USB-C port will work out of the box. It may not
play nice with USB flash drives and other peripherals and there may be
issues with ehci/uhci/whatever.
I tried Googling around trying to learn as much as I could about the issues
above, but since the laptop is going on sale only today and most users are
probably not interested in running Linux on it, I came up quite empty. I think
many others on this forum might also have faced the same issue.
So here's an open invitation. Let's share our experiences trying to get linux
working on this laptop. If you buy this laptop and try to install Arch on
it, please let us know how it went! Even if some things work out of the box, it
might be useful for others to know, so please share.
And of course, if you have more information/gotchas: for example, if you
encountered and managed to fix one or more of the issues above, or you
encountered a problem that's not on the list above, or even if you tried
something and it didn't work out as expected, please post below. I'm sure this
will be a very big help to others trying to solve similar issues on the same
hardware. Thanks!

It would probably be beneficial to post the output of lsusb -vvvv and dmesg.
FS1RTG77 wrote:
2. Broadcom BCM4360 AirPort Extreme, not supported.
5. The new Force touch trackpad and keyboard, both SPI bus devices, do not work.
On 2, it may just be a case of needing firmware, my laptop has a BCM43602 card, and the firmware required has only just been added to the linux-firmware package. Prior to that I had to install it manually.
On 5, I'm wondering if you identified them as SPI devices by looking in OS X, I ask because my laptop categorises my keyboard and trackpad in the same way. But they are actually still both connected to the USB bus, and presumably using SPI as an interconnect between the keyboard/trackpad and the microcontroller that tie them together.

New FaunOS Live Arch-Based DVD/USB Distro Now Available

Hello fellow archers,
We have just released the latest version of FaunOS. Since this version of FaunOS is the answer to the most important question in the universe, we have named it "fortytwo."
FaunOS-fortytwo contains many improvements over previous releases and more packages (575 total). Improvements, in no particular order, include:
- Improved wireless support, both wlassistant and knetworkmanager are now included.
- Improved automatic X configuration with 3D acceleration.
- Better boot splash support. We have moved to fbsplash which seems to work pretty consistently and has lead to a faster boot time.
- A new boot option for quickly booting into a console-based system with no X windows.
- A new boot option for machines that hang when booting from DVDs using piix modules.
- Ability to save FaunOS session back to a multi-session DVD-+R or DVD-+RW.
- Permanent Arch Linux Installer using archin.
- Permanent FaunOS Installer for creating additional FaunOS USB drives from within FaunOS and for performing a "frugal" install to hard drive. Frugal install (not to be confused with Frugal Linux) installs the compressed FaunOS files to a hard drive permanently leading to an "unbreakable desktop" meaning the end user can totally ruin everything at runtime. To revert back to the starting point all the user has to do is reboot the machine and everything goes back to normal since all changes happen in ram, unless the FaunOS session is saved at boot time.
- FaunOS is probably the only live distro that can perform two kinds of installations.
- New added packages include: wlassitant, madwifi, firmware packages for ipw2100 and ipw2200, ndiswrapper, lynx for text-based web browsing, and kmobiletools accessing phone books and other information on mobile phones.
- All packages have been upgraded to the latest from the Arch repos as of today, 8/27/2007.
- And, most importantly, a new logo.
We have also decided to stay away from the evil 2.6.22 kernel which seems to have created more bugs and headaches than introducing new features, no flame war intended. The latest 2.6.21-faunos kernel is based on the stock arch kernel with the addition of the fbsplash patch from genpatches.
There are those people that may think FaunOS is bloated, but we like to think that it is a muscular and strong live Linux distribution, thanks to Arch. Of course keeping with Arch's KISS principal, we have tried to make FaunOS simple and easy enough for anyone to use.
You can get the latest version at:
http://www.faunos.com/downloads/faunos-fortytwo
A new wiki has been created at http://wiki.faunos.com. Feel free to contribute and change the wiki as you wish.
Our support and discussion forums can still be found at http://forum.faunos.com
We can definitely use some mirrors for our downloads. We will also be creating a torrent shortly and can use some seeders. Please let us know either here or in the FaunOS forums if you can help in any way.
We'll see ya at the FaunOS forums!
So long and thanks for all the fish,
Raymano

We have simply used larch but with some additions and changes:
- FaunOS uses a slightly modified version of larch with the added ability to build a live system from a preinstalled partition on the harddrive.
- Added fbsplash capabilities to the initial initrd images and kernel.
- Applications on FaunOS are preconfigured and integrated to work out of the box.
- Some kernel specific modules/packages have been compiled for the FaunOS kernel, e.g. ndiswrapper.
- All services are pre-configured to execute out of the box.
- All available codecs are included.
- 3D desktop using beryl is preconfigured to run on intel based graphics cards and some ATI cards with a click of a button.
- Network management is simplified with use of knetworkmanager and wlassistant.
- Storage are is included on the FaunOS device to share files with other platforms.
- R/W access Windows parititions by clicking on an icon in KDE.
- Common grub booting on USB and DVD. With multiple boot options for graphical and non-graphical system.
- FaunOS's own mkxorgconf utility was added (using hwd) for better automatic configuration of graphics cards. This includes setting up AIGLX.
- Easily performs frugal install of the live FaunOS system to hard drive, including saved overlays. This was not part of the original larch scripts.
- Use of sudo to allow the user to perform certain system wide configuration tasks.
- Integrated flash java and mplayer plugins for Firefox.
- Ability to put a computer running FaunOS into sleep (suspend-to-ram), remove the FaunOS media, boot and work on other computers with the FaunOS device, return to the original computer, insert the FaunOS device, turn on the computer and continue working where you left off. This in not possible with latest Arch Linux because of the kernel.
- And we believe, most importantly, you can hand a FaunOS DVD to a user with no knowledge of Linux and say go try this out.
Last edited by raymano (2007-10-09 17:38:40)

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