201 lines
7.5 KiB
Plaintext
201 lines
7.5 KiB
Plaintext
Linux on Sony VAIO mini-HOWTO
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Hideki Saito hideki@chatlink.com
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v1.1, 16 September 1998
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This document explains installation of Linux on Sony VAIO computers.
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______________________________________________________________________
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Table of Contents
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1. Introduction
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1.1 Notes
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1.2 Notes about different systems
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1.3 Update History
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1.4 Disclaimer
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1.5 What this document all about?
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2. Hardware compatibilities issue
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2.1 Hardware that not compatible with Linux
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2.2 Partially compatible hardwares
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2.2.1 Soundcard
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2.2.2 Video Card
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3. How to install Linux?
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4. After all...
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5. Little Legal notes
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6. Special thanks
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______________________________________________________________________
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1. Introduction
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1.1. Notes
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This document first appeared in "Hideki Saito's Homepage" at
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http://ryoohki.anime.net/~hideki/
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. This version of HOWTO is rewritten for updated information. HTML
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version is found in http://ryoohki.anime.net/ hideki/VAIO+Linux.html.
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You may distribute this document freely. When you publish it, please
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drop me a note; I just want know how this documents are used :)
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1.2. Notes about different systems
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I've recently received some mail stating that some of contents in this
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document is incorrect. It is because some reason, hardware installed
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on more recent systems are slightly different than older systems. I
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will start covering those information. But since of course, I don't
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have every system in here, I would like to ask Sony VAIO owners to
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tell me more information about it. This would help me a lot if you can
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put [VAIO Information] in the beginning of the subject, so I can take
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extra attention to it. Also, please include model number of the
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system. If it is notebook, please include that information in a
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content, or in a subject. I would like to apologize to ones that got
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confused by this document. (Addition: 12/29/98)
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1.3. Update History
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12/29/98 Added several updates
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1.4. Disclaimer
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Also most of procedures in this document is tested, I will take no
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responsibilities for any problem caused by using any information in
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this document. As like in GPL, please try anything in your own risk. I
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am not native English writer, and you will find many mistakes in this
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document. Please excuse me on those. Any corrections and
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clarifications are welcome; please send those to hideki@chatlink.com.
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1.5. What this document all about?
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In this HOWTO, I will go over how to use Linux under Sony VAIO
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computers. The VAIO computers are great, but was not very friendly to
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Linux. But this isn't mean that you cannot use it, actually you can!
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Throughout this document, I will assume that you own either PCV 70 or
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90. Since almost all VAIO models are similar in their architecture
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(although newer ones have larger disks, updated video card, more RAM,
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etc), many of contents in this document should apply to all VAIO
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models.
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2. Hardware compatibilities issue
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2.1. Hardware that not compatible with Linux
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Most of hardwares installed in the system are compatible under Linux.
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However there are exceptions of modem, USB Port and MPEG decoder.
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Please be aware that you cannot use modem, which should be problem for
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some of you. Modems installed in the VAIO is called DSVD modem, which
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is the variant of the "Winmodem."
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(Addition: 12/28/98) Newer model seems to have normal modem instead of
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Winmodem.
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2.2. Partially compatible hardwares
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The soundcard and the Video card installed are partially compatible.
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2.2.1. Soundcard
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Soundcard is compatible under Linux with supports of Microsoft Sound
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System + Sound Blaster, if you want to use MIDI under Linux, you need
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to compromise your sound input capabilities. For this case, cancel
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out the Sound Blaster. If you need MIDI, and sound input, you may
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want consider buying OSS/Linux, which you can use all of its
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capabilities under Linux. The soundcard equipped with the VAIO is
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Yamaha OPL3SA, and OSS/Linux has full support to it. It seems like
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that the wavetable synthesis mentioned in the specification is really
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the soft synthesizer, so you are not missing hardware capabilities on
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it. As the time I am writing this, there is the OSS/Free 3.8, which
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supports this soundcard under Yamaha OPL3-SA1 audio controller. Please
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note that this is not initially installed on 2.0.x. You will need to
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download from OSS site. 2.1.x comes with updated version of OSS/Free,
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but I haven't tested compatibility with it. If you see that it is
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working with this soundcard, please let me know.
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2.2.2. Video Card
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Videocard is partially supported under Linux. You will have no
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problem using it under Linux console mode. If you wish to use it
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under X Window, get 3.3.1 or later XFree86, which has support to ATI
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Rage. Other commercial X Window system should support this, too.
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However, 3D acceleration of this video card will not work under Linux,
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as there is no driver for this. (Update 12/29/98) For model number
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505, ALSA drivers on XFree86 V3.3.3 or later is compatible.
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3. How to install Linux?
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Installing Linux on the system will not be big problem. However, you
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need to aware that initially, there are one non-DOS partition on the
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system. I have no idea what that partition is. It is 400MB
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partition, and it is visible by running fdisk. I simply deleted this
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partition to allocate it for Linux. And I don't have any problem, so
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probably it must be something to do with software installation.
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(Update 12/29/98) This 400MB partition is only on older models, it
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really supporsed to be another 400MB DOS partition, but Sony made
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mistake on it. Please refer to other instruction for general
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installation of Linux. The VAIO has nice support that you can boot
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directly from CD-ROM, if CD-ROM is bootable. Since the BIOS supports
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it, it is what you can use in some distribution. This is nice,
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because you can perform floppyless installation. Particularly, Redhat
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could boot from CD-ROM. Other distribution like SUSE also claims that
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it can boot from CD-ROM. But as I have not checked those yet, I
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cannot be sure on that. If that this way of booting does not work with
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yours, try checking boot option in the BIOS. Kernel configuration
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shouldn't be big problem except for the part to setup soundcard. But
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as I covered that issue earlier, I will not talk about it in this
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section. The VAIO computer is equipped with APM BIOS, or Advanced
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Power Management BIOS, I personally don't recommend that you enable
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support to it under Linux. I had problem when I enabled it. (Update
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12/29/98) I have received report that with 505, CD-ROM install is
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difficult and network install is much easier.
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4. After all...
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Everything went well? I hope it did. Now your Sony VAIO computer is
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one of the best Linux workstation. If you have any problem, I may
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have answer to your questions. Please just send those to
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hideki@chatlink.com anytime. I will try to answer those as soon as
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possible.
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5. Little Legal notes
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VAIO is the trademark of Sony. All other trademark appeared in this
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documents are belonged to their respective holders. The copyright of
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this document is reserved by Hideki Saito.
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6. Special thanks
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I would like to thank to following people, not in any particular
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order: Daniel Nunes. If you feel that your name should be on this
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section, please let me know by mail. (recentlly I lost big portion of
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my mail spool by accident, so it maybe the case)
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