Nathan Blythe
Working on the Acer Aspire One page...
ToDo: This page should be merged in the page DebianAcerOne (no need to duplicate the effort). -- FranklinPiat 2009-04-12 08:09:45
This page provides information on installing, configuring, and running Debian GNU/Linux on the Acer Aspire One line of netbooks.
Aspire One versions
There are several versions of the Aspire One on the market. All of these devices are based on the same design and the information presented here should apply to all. Version specific information can be found at the end of this page by clicking on the links below. Each version may have several editions with slightly different specifications.
A110: This is the original Aspire One. There are many editions depending on memory, storage type, webcam, battery size, and pre-installed operating system. The defining feature is the 8.9" screen.
A150: This is the successor to the A110.
ZG5: Do you own this device? You can write a description here.
D150: This is a larger device with a 10.1" screen. There are fewer editions than in the "A" line.
Wikipedia has a good summary of the various versions.
Installation
The Aspire One does not have an optical drive, so installing Debian requires some creativity. There are three methods.
- Attach a USB optical drive and install in the traditional fashion. The user may not wish to purchase an external optical drive, but if one is already owned this is the easiest method and requires no special instructions.
- Install with an external memory device such as a USB hard drive, a USB Flash memory device ("thumbdrive", "pendrive", etc), or an SD card. This method is appropriate for users who have another computer available and an unused memory device.
- Install via the "network boot" method. This method is appropriate for users who have another computer available, a local network, and some level of technical expertise.
Install with an external memory device
Have you used this installation method? You can expand this section!
Install via the "network boot" method
Have you used this installation method? You can expand this section!
Post-installation configuration
While the user is free to configure Debian in any way desired, the following sections provide information on some important considerations.
Configuring the wired network device
The wired network card is a Realtek 10/100 device.
# lspci | grep Ethernet 02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8101E/RTL8102E PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller (rev 02) 03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR242x 802.11abg Wireless PCI Express Adapter (rev 01)
All modern kernels should include support for this device. The interface appears as eth0.
Configuring the wireless network device
The wireless network card is an Atheros 802.11 A, B, and G device based on the AR242 chipset.
# lspci | grep Ethernet 02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8101E/RTL8102E PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller (rev 02) 03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR242x 802.11abg Wireless PCI Express Adapter (rev 01)
Linux kernel < 2.4.26
Are you using this kernel? You can expand this section!
Linux kernel >= 2.4.26
Linux kernels 2.4.26 and newer include support for this device. The interface appears as wlan0. (Another interface, wmaster0, also appears but is not used. Do you know what wmaster0 is for? You can provide a brief explanation!)
The "kill switch" beneath the wireless indicator LEDs is supported.
As of Linux 2.4.29-1, the wireless indicator LEDs on the Aspire One are not enabled. To enable them, edit /etc/rc.local and insert the following lines anywhere above the line exit 0.
sysctl -w dev.wifi0.ledpin=3 sysctl -w dev.wifi0.softled=1
Configuring the webcam
The webcam is a Microdia Pavilion device with a native resolution of 640x480 and frame rate of 30 fps. It is UVC compliant, meaning that it will work with Skype, aMSN, and many similar programs.
# lsusb | grep Webcam Bus 001 Device 002: IE 0c45:62c0 Microdia Pavilion Webcam
Linux kernel < 2.4.26
Linux kernels prior to 2.4.26 do not support this device because they do not support UVC in general. You can install UVC support manually by compiling the uvcvideo module from source.
The source code is stored in a Subversion repository at svn://svn.berlios.de/linux-uvc/linux-uvc/trunk. Have you compiled and used the uvcvideo module from source? You can provide instructions here!
Linux kernel >= 2.4.26
Linux kernels 2.4.26 and newer include support for this device.
Configuring audio
The audio card is an Intel HDA device.
# lspci | grep Audio 00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) High Definition Audio Controller (rev 02)
Linux kernel < 2.4.26
Are you using this kernel? You can expand this section!
Linux kernel >= 2.4.26
Linux kernels 2.4.26 and newer include support for this device.
Some users report that they must add the following line to /etc/rc.local to ensure that the audio device is recognized by Linux.
options snd-hda-intel model=auto position_fix=1
Configuring the card readers
You can expand this section!
Configuring ACPI
CPU frequency scaling
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Temperature monitoring
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Battery monitoring
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Suspend
You can expand this section!
Hibernation
You can expand this section!
Configuring X
Xorg.conf
You can expand this section!
Graphics
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Touchpad
You can expand this section!
Version-specific information
Version: A110
Notes
Do you own this device? You can expand this section!
Where to buy
Did you buy this device? You can expand this section!
Version: A150
Notes
Do you own this device? You can expand this section!
Where to buy
Did you buy this device? You can expand this section!
Version: ZG5
Notes
Do you own this device? You can expand this section!
Where to buy
Did you buy this device? You can expand this section!
Version: D150
Notes
Do you own this device? You can expand this section!
Where to buy
Did you buy this device? You can expand this section!