Translation(s): none

DebianOn is an effort to document how to install, configure and use Debian on some specific hardware. Therefore potential buyers would know if that hardware is supported and owners would know how get the best out of that hardware.

The purpose is not to duplicate the Debian Official Documentation, but to document how to install Debian on some specific hardware.

If you need help to get Debian running on your hardware, please have a look at our user support channels where you may find specific channels (mailing list, IRC channel) dedicated to certain types of hardware.

Overall Status

Core Components
Boot Standard Kernel:
LAN network card:
Detect CD/DVD:	[-]
Detect hard drives:
Extra Features
CPU Frequency Scaling
Hibernation
Sleep / Suspend
Xorg
- OpenGL	[?]
- Resize-and-Rotate(randr)	[?]
Switch to External Screen	[?]
Mouse
- Built-in (Touchpad)
Modem	[?]
Wireless/Wifi
Keyboard's Hotkeys
Webcam

Legend :
= OK ; Unsupported(No Driver) ; $/!\$ = Error (Couldn't get it working); [?] Unknown, Not Test ; [-] Not-applicable
= Configuration Required; = Only works with a non-free driver and or firmware

Important Note

I was not able to install with official installer, had to use unofficial with non-free firmware included

Did use kernel 2.6.39 and xserver-xorg from backports

Configuration

Display

(not covered yet)

Audio

Audio fully worked without any further tweaking.

Mouse

The internal touchpad worked without any further tweaking.

Webcam

The webcam "USB2.0 0.3M UVC WebCam" seems to be mounted upside down. After porting back a more recent version of the package "libv4l" (0.8.5-7 at time of this writing), the webcam works in Cheese as expected.

To make Skype work, the following command line is required:

LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib32/libv4l/v4l1compat.so skype

Note: This is an example of 32 bit Skype on a amd64 system.

Power Management

Power management has been really tricky. The notebook contains a optimus gpu from nvidia which will be on by default and eat up your battery power. There are also some issues regarding the suspend / resume behavior, without any further configuration the system will just freeze.

Overview of tasks to be done in order to make it work:

switch optimus gpu off
make suspend work (usb bus related)
add kernel parameter for intel graphics card

Optimus gpu

This is a relly annoying topic, because it is not used by default but still on and consuming power from the battery.

First task is to make the acpi_call module. Rough notes:

$/!\$ Please make yourself familar with this stuff before just executing these commands. This list is meant to be a hint which steps had to be taken.

   git clone http://github.com/mkottman/acpi_call.git
   cd acpi_call
   make
   mkdir -p /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/misc
   cp acpi_call /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/misc
   depmod
   update-initramfs -u
   echo "acpi_call" >> /etc/modules

If this module is available, the file /proc/acpi/call should show up and provide an interface to perform ACPI calls.

To switch the optimus off during system start, I created the following init script as /etc/init.d/optimusoff:

### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides:             optimusoff
# Required-Start:       $local_fs $syslog
# Required-Stop:        $local_fs $syslog
# Default-Start:        2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop:         0 1 6
# Short-Description:    Disables/Enables the NVidia graphics card
#                       within the NVidia Optimus system
#                       
#                       Modified for the U36SD and Debian Squeeze, based
#                       on script for U36Jc and Ubuntu 11.04
#                       using details from
#                       
#                       https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Asus_U36JC
### END INIT INFO
 
. /lib/lsb/init-functions
 
set -e
 
case "$1" in
start)
#
echo '\_SB.PCI0.PEG0.GFX0.DOFF' > /proc/acpi/call
;;
stop)
echo '\_SB.PCI0.PEG0.GFX0.DON' > /proc/acpi/call
;;
*)
echo '\_SB.PCI0.PEG1.GFX0.DOFF' > /proc/acpi/call
N=/etc/init.d/optimusoff
echo "Usage: $N {start|stop}\nBy default, 'start' is executed.\n" >&2
exit 1
;;
esac
 
exit 0

To activate it, the following command can be used:

update-rc.d optimusoff defaults 98 02

Note: I used cat /sys/class/power_supply/BAT0/power_now to check the impact.

Make suspend work

There seems to be some trouble with usb buses and suspend.

Create the file /etc/pm/sleep.d/20_custom-asus-u36sd to handle it:

# from https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Asus_U36SD

BUSES="0000:00:1a.0 0000:00:1d.0"
BUSES3="0000:04:00.0"

case "${1}" in
    hibernate|suspend)
        # Switch USB buses off
        for bus in $BUSES; do
            echo -n $bus | tee /sys/bus/pci/drivers/ehci_hcd/unbind
        done
        # Switch USB 3.0 buses off
        for bus in $BUSES3; do
            echo -n $bus | tee /sys/bus/pci/drivers/xhci_hcd/unbind
        done
        ;;
    resume|thaw)
        # Switch USB buses back on
        for bus in $BUSES; do
            echo -n $bus | tee /sys/bus/pci/drivers/ehci_hcd/bind
        done
        # Switch USB 3.0 buses back on
        for bus in $BUSES3; do
            echo -n $bus | tee /sys/bus/pci/drivers/xhci_hcd/bind
        done
        # optimus nvidia
        /etc/init.d/optimusoff start
        ;;
esac

Note that there is also a call to the script which switches off the optimus card after resume.

WiFi

With kernel 2.6.29 from debian backports and non-free firmware, it worked without any further steps. Used it via network-manager.

Modem

(not covered yet)

System Summary

lspci

00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation Sandy Bridge DRAM Controller [8086:0104] (rev 09)
00:01.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation Sandy Bridge PCI Express Root Port [8086:0101] (rev 09)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation Sandy Bridge Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:0126] (rev 09)
00:16.0 Communication controller [0780]: Intel Corporation Cougar Point HECI Controller #1 [8086:1c3a] (rev 04)
00:1a.0 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation Cougar Point USB Enhanced Host Controller #2 [8086:1c2d] (rev 05)
00:1b.0 Audio device [0403]: Intel Corporation Cougar Point High Definition Audio Controller [8086:1c20] (rev 05)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation Cougar Point PCI Express Root Port 1 [8086:1c10] (rev b5)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation Cougar Point PCI Express Root Port 2 [8086:1c12] (rev b5)
00:1c.3 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation Cougar Point PCI Express Root Port 4 [8086:1c16] (rev b5)
00:1c.5 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation Cougar Point PCI Express Root Port 6 [8086:1c1a] (rev b5)
00:1d.0 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation Cougar Point USB Enhanced Host Controller #1 [8086:1c26] (rev 05)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge [0601]: Intel Corporation Cougar Point LPC Controller [8086:1c49] (rev 05)
00:1f.2 SATA controller [0106]: Intel Corporation Cougar Point 6 port SATA AHCI Controller [8086:1c03] (rev 05)
00:1f.3 SMBus [0c05]: Intel Corporation Cougar Point SMBus Controller [8086:1c22] (rev 05)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: nVidia Corporation Device [10de:1050] (rev ff)
03:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Atheros Communications Inc. AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express) [168c:002b] (rev 01)
04:00.0 USB Controller [0c03]: Fresco Logic FL1000G USB 3.0 Host Controller [1b73:1000] (rev 04)
05:00.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Atheros Communications Device [1969:1083] (rev c0)

lsusb

lsusb -v | grep -E '\<(Bus|iProduct|bDeviceClass|bDeviceProtocol)' 2>/dev/null

Bus 003 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
  bDeviceClass            9 Hub
  bDeviceProtocol         1 Single TT
  iProduct                0 
  bDeviceClass            9 Hub
  bDeviceProtocol         0 Full speed (or root) hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
  bDeviceClass            9 Hub
  bDeviceProtocol         0 Full speed (or root) hub
  iProduct                2 EHCI Host Controller
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
  bDeviceClass            9 Hub
  bDeviceProtocol         3 
  iProduct                2 xHCI Host Controller
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
  bDeviceClass            9 Hub
  bDeviceProtocol         1 Single TT
  iProduct                2 xHCI Host Controller
Bus 002 Device 004: ID 04f2:b1b9 Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd 
  bDeviceClass          239 Miscellaneous Device
  bDeviceProtocol         1 Interface Association
  iProduct                1 USB2.0 0.3M UVC WebCam
      (Bus Powered)
  bDeviceClass          239 Miscellaneous Device
  bDeviceProtocol         1 Interface Association
  (Bus Powered)
Bus 002 Device 003: ID 13d3:3304 IMC Networks 
  bDeviceClass          224 Wireless
  bDeviceProtocol         1 Bluetooth
  iProduct                0 
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
  bDeviceClass            9 Hub
  bDeviceProtocol         1 Single TT
  iProduct                0 
  bDeviceClass            9 Hub
  bDeviceProtocol         0 Full speed (or root) hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
  bDeviceClass            9 Hub
  bDeviceProtocol         0 Full speed (or root) hub
  iProduct                2 EHCI Host Controller

USB Host controllers entries (without OHCI, UHCI, EHCI) are removed too.

Resources

Attachments

Some configuration files and sample outputs.

Useful Links

Credits

Most resolutions to trouble are heavily inspired by this report for Ubuntu: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Asus_U36SD

CategoryLaptopComputer

InstallingDebianOnAsusU36SD