Arch Linux Support for Asus G1S
Arch Linux is quite well supported on Asus G1S notebook. Most important peripherals are well supported and can be configured easily. In table below is presented what peripherals and features of Asus G1S are supported by Arch.
| ARCH LINUX SUPPORT FOR ASUS G1S MAIN FEATURES | ||
|---|---|---|
| PERIPHERAL | SUPPORT | NOTES |
| Display | Yes | Install nVidia drivers for optimal performance |
| Webcam | Yes | Install linux-uvc-svn |
| Touchpad | Yes | Install synaptics for optimal performance |
| CD/DVD burning | Yes | |
| Speakers | Yes | |
| Microphone | Yes | |
| LAN Ethernet | Yes | |
| Wireless | Yes | Install appropriate modules |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Install bluez |
| USB | Yes | |
| Firewire | ? | |
| eSATA | Yes | |
| Suspend | Yes | Install pm-utils |
| Hibernate | Yes | Install pm-utils |
| ARCH LINUX SUPPORT FOR ASUS G1S EXTRA FEATURES | ||
| PERIPHERAL | SUPPORT | NOTES |
| TV-out | ? | |
| HDMI | ? | |
| CD/DVD Lightscribe | ? | |
| PDIF | ? | |
| 56K Modem | ? | |
| CF/XD/MMS | ? | |
| SD Card Reader | Yes | |
| ExpressCard Slot | ? | |
| Hibernate Fn+F1 | ? | |
| Wireless On/Off Fn+F2 | Yes | Needs tweeaking |
| Brightness Fn+F5/F6 | Yes | Needs tweaking |
| Volume Fn+F10/F11/F12 | Yes | Needs tweaking |
| Multimedia Keys | Yes | |
| Touchpad on/off button | Yes | Needs tweaking |
| Browser launch button | ? | |
| E-Mail launch button | ? | |
| Wireless LED | ? | |
| E-Mail LED | Yes | Needs tweaking |
| Touchpad LED | Yes | Needs tweaking |
| OLED screen | Yes | Needs tweaking |
| Green sidelights | Yes | Needs tweaking |
| Logitech MX518 Mouse buttons | Yes | |
About Arch Linux
Arch Linux is an 32-bit and 64-bit i686-optimized linux distribution with great Asus G1S support. Arch is fast, lightweight, flexible and simple. Those aren't very fancy buzzwords but they're all true. Arch is optimized for the i686 processor, so you get more for your cpu cycle. It's lightweight compared to RedHat et al., and its simple design makes it easy to extend and mold into whatever kind of system you're building.
Arch might be an optimal soluton for those experienced Linux users, who don't want to install standard "bloated" Linux distros like openSUSE or Ubuntu, but who don't want to start from scratch either like Linux From Scratch (LFS) or Gentoo.
Arch Linux Resources
- Arch Linux Home
- Arch Linux Official Packages
- Arch Linux User Supported AUR Packages
- Arch Linux Compared to Others Distros
- Arch Linux CD Download Page
- Arch Linux Beginner's Installation Guide
- Arch Linux Official Installation Guide
- Arch Linux 64-bit FAQ
Installing Arch Linux Base System on Asus G1S
This article is based very heavily on the excellent Arch Linux beginner's installation guide. The beginner's installation guide shows how to gain a fully configured Arch Linux system with a graphical desktop environment, the ability to view DVDs, browse the internet, work with emails, and listen to music.
Before starting this installation process, please take following information into account:
- If you have more than 2GB of RAM installed, it is recommended to upgrade your BIOS to a version 300 (or newer) - otherwise the display graphics will appear as garbage.
- If you are going to create a dual-boot or multi-boot system, it is recommended that you should install Windows XP and Vista before installing Linux. If you install Windows after Linux, the Windows installation process will wipe the GRUB boot loader and you have to install it manually.
Disclaimer: This installation guide assumes that you know how to partition your hard disk and you have at least some experience on operating and maintaining Linux system. If you are not familiar with all this, please work with someone who has experience on working with Linux. As always, please backup your valuable data before proceeding with this guide.
Obtain the latest Core ISO
Go to Arch Linux download page, obtain the ISO image (290MB) and burn the image on CD. You can choose either 32-bit version [i686] or 64-bit version [x86_64].
Boot Arch Linux CD
Insert the CD into your CD/DVD drive and reboot your Asus G1S. At boot splash screen press ESC and select boot device CD/DVD. If the system freezes throughout install, enter following boot command before start install:
arch ide-legacy
Select Keyboard layout and Console Font
After Arch has booted, you may select appropriate keyboard layout and console font:
km
Select the suitable keyboard layout and console font default8x16.psfu.gz. If you need cyrillic or other non-western character set you may want to select another console font instead.
Start Installation
Start the Arch installation:
/arch/setup
During the installation process you can see the actual installation messages on the Virtual console VC5 (Alt-F5), if needed. You can get back to installation window by selecting virtual console vc1 (Alt-F1).
Select Installation Source
Select CD-ROM as the installation source.
Prepare Hard Drive
Select the first menu entry "Prepare Hard Drive" and select option "2. Partition Hard Drives" in order to be able to specify partitions manually. It is recommended that you create three different partitions:
1. The system partition for the root file system / should be at least 5GB - 10GB.
2. The swap partition size should be equal to the RAM you have installed [2GB - 4GB].
3. The user data partition /home should be at least 5GB.
NOTE: If you plan on using suspend-to-disk, (hibernate) you must have a swap partition at least equal in size to the amount of physical RAM, and some users even recommend oversizing it beyond the amount of physical RAM by 15%.
Set Filesystem Mountpoints
After you have created the partitions, you need to specify filesystem mountpoints for swap, root file system / and for user data /home. It is recommended to use ext3 file system for / and /home, unless you have a particular reason to choose otherwise.
Select Packages
Now we shall select packages to install in our system. Select CD for the package source and select the default base packages only. We will add later other packages as needed.
Install Packages
Next, choose 'Install Packages'. Select "Yes" to cache pacman packages and wait until pacman installs base packages. The packages are binary i686-optimized and total only ~100MB, so they install quite expediently.
Configure System
You will be asked if you want to choose hwdetect to gather information for your configuration. Beginners should choose 'yes'. Then answer questions regarding your boot options. It is recommended to select nano as your default editor unless you are familiar with vim.
/etc/rc.conf
Arch Linux follows in the FreeBSD tradition of utilizing /etc/rc.conf as the principal location for system configuration. This one file contains a wide range of configuration information, principally used at system startup.See section /etc/rc.conf on the beginner's guide for more detailed info.
- Set your locale etc. settings
- You can activate virtual console vc2 (Alt-F2) and enter command locale -a in order to get a list of locales. Press (Alt-F1) to get back to installation console vc1.
- Set your networking settings
- Set your hostname
- Set eth0 to "dhcp" if you are using dhcp
- in DAEMONS section prefix network with @ to start in background
/etc/fstab
Hwdetect should have effectively configured a usable fstab, but briefly checking it is recommended.
/etc/resolv.conf (for Static IP)
If you are using DHCP, you may safely ignore this file, as by default, it will be dynamically created and destroyed by the dhcpcd daemon. If you use a static IP, set your DNS servers in /etc/resolv.conf (nameserver <ip-address>).
/etc/hosts
Add the desired hostname, coinciding with the one specified in /etc/rc.conf, so that it looks like this:
127.0.0.1 localhost.localdomain localhost YOURHOSTNAME
If you use a static IP, add a new line using the syntax: <static-ip> hostname.domainname.org hostname, e.g.:
192.168.1.100 YOURHOSTNAME.domain.org YOURHOSTNAME
/etc/locale.gen
See the beginner's guide about /etc/locale.gen for detailed info. Choose the locale(s) you need (remove the # in front of the lines you want), e.g.:
en_US ISO-8859-1
en_US.UTF-8
Note that if you do not choose your locale, this will lead to a "The current locale is invalid…" error. This is perhaps the most common mistake by new Arch users, and also leads to the most commonly asked questions on the forum.
Set Root Password
Finally, set a root password and make sure that you remember it later.
Set Pacman-Mirror
Choose a mirror repository for pacman. If you are not sure what to choose, please choose any mirror that is geographically near you. However, don't use archlinux.org as it is throttled.
Install Bootloader
Select GRUB and select bootloader installation location as /dev/sda.
Exit install
Exit the install, eject the installer CD, and type the magic word:
reboot
Your new Arch Linux system will boot up and finish with a login prompt.
Congratulations, and welcome to your shiny, new Arch Linux base system!
The Base System
Your new Arch Linux base system is now a functional GNU/Linux environment ready for customization. From here, you may build this elegant set of tools into whatever you wish or require for your purposes.
Login with your root account. We will configure pacman and update the system as root, then add a normal user.
Configuring Network
First, check that your network connection is up and running:
ping -c 3 www.google.com
if you have problems with the network, please read the Configuring the Network section and Arch Linux Network article for help.
Update System
Initially, you may be prompted to update pacman itself, depending on how old the installation media is:
pacman -Syu
Allow pacman to update itself. Check that pacman repositories are ok in /etc/pacman.conf:
nano -w /etc/pacman.conf
Then synchronize pacman databases:
pacman -Sy
Update, sync, and upgrade your entire new system with:
pacman -Syu
Wait until pacman has downloaded updates and reboot.
Add Default User
You should not do your everyday work using the root account. It is more than poor practice; it is dangerous. Root is for administrative tasks. Instead, add a normal user account using:
adduser
Create groups hal and dbus for later use:
groupadd dbus
groupadd hal
Add the new user for needed groups in /etc/group:
usermod -aG audio,video,floppy,lp,optical,network,power,storage,wheel,dbus,hal USERNAME
You may want to install the sudo package:
pacman -S sudo
Edit also the /etc/sudoers for suitable sudo-options:
nano /etc/sudoers
...
# Uncomment to allow people in group wheel to run all commands
# %wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL
# Same thing without a password
%wheel ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL
# Samples
# %users ALL=/sbin/mount /cdrom,/sbin/umount /cdrom
# %users localhost=/sbin/shutdown -h now
...
Now you can logout as root and re-login as a normal user and do rest of the system configuration using sudo.
exit
Install ALSA Sound System
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners_Guide#Configure_the_audio_card_with_alsamixer
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/ALSA
The alsa-utils package contains alsamixer, which will allow us to configure the sound device from the console. (You may also run alsamixer from an X environment later.) Install the alsa-utils package:
sudo pacman -S alsa-utils
Start alsamixer:
sudo alsamixer
Unmute the PCM and Front channels by scrolling to them with cursor left/right and pressing M. Increase the volume levels with the cursor-up key. (70-90 Should be a safe range.) Leave alsamixer by pressing ESC.
Test your sound configuration as normal user using aplay:
aplay /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav
Save the ALSA settings in file /etc/asound.state:
sudo alsactl store
Finally, add the alsa daemon to your DAEMONS section in /etc/rc.conf to automatically restore the mixer settings on boot-up:
sudo nano /etc/rc.conf
DAEMONS=(@syslog-ng @network @crond alsa)
Install X Windows
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners_Guide#Installing_and_configuring_X
First, install the xorg and mesa packages:
sudo pacman -S xorg mesa
nVidia Drivers
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NVIDIA
Next, install the nVidia proprietary drivers:
pacman -S nvidia nvidia-utils
Create a default X configuration file:
sudo nvidia-xconfig -o /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Open the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file:
sudo vi /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Add some optimization options:
...
Section "Device"
Identifier "Card0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "nVidia Corporation"
BoardName "GeForce 8600M GT"
Option "NvAGP" "0"
Option "NoLogo" "True"
Option "AllowGLXWithComposite" "1"
Option "AddARGBVisuals" "True"
Option "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "True"
Option "Coolbits" "1"
Option "TripleBuffer" "1"
Option "AllowIndirectPixmaps" "1"
Option "AccelMethod" "XAA"
Option "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps" "true"
Option "DRI" "true"
Option "PixmapCacheSize" "2500000"
Option "AllowSHMPixmaps" "0"
Option "OnDemandVBlankInterrupts" "true"
Option "RenderAccel" "True"
EndSection
...
You may want to remove the comment from "NoLogo" later.
Installing KDE Desktop Environment
While The X Window System provides the basic framework for building a graphical user interface (GUI), a Desktop Environment (DE), works atop and in conjunction with X, to provide a completely functional and dynamic GUI. A DE typically provides icons, applets, windows, toolbars, folders, wallpapers, applications and abilities like drag and drop. The particular functionalities and designs of each DE will uniquely affect your overall environment and experience. Therefore, choosing a DE is a very subjective and personal decision. Choose the best environment for your needs.
- If you want something full-featured and similar to Windows and Mac OSX, KDE is a good choice
- If you want gain more control of KDE you can install modular KDEmod. So, if you know KDE and want a compact system, you might want to consider KDEmod.
- If you want something slightly more minimalist, which follows the K.I.S.S. principle more closely, GNOME is a good choice
- Xfce is generally perceived as similar to GNOME, but lighter and less demanding on system resources, yet still visually pleasing and providing a very complete environment. So, if you want more responsive system, you might want to install Xfce
In this article we will install KDE as an example.
First, install some pretty fonts:
sudo pacman -S ttf-ms-fonts ttf-dejavu ttf-bitstream-vera
Next, install KDE base package (80MB) itself:
sudo pacman -S kdebase
Enable the KDE login manager:
sudo nano /etc/inittab
Comment out id:3:initdefault: and uncomment id:5:initdefault:
...
## Only one of the following two lines can be uncommented!
# Boot to console
#id:3:initdefault:
# Boot to X11
id:5:initdefault:
...
Comment x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon and uncomment x:5:respawn:/opt/kde/bin/kdm -nodaemon
...
# Example lines for starting a login manager
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon
#x:5:respawn:/usr/sbin/gdm -nodaemon
x:5:respawn:/opt/kde/bin/kdm -nodaemon
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/slim >& /dev/null
...
Reboot the machine and login to your new KDE desktop:
sudo reboot
Set Keyboard Layout
For the very first task you should setup keyboard layout "K Menu" - "Settings" - "Regional & Accessibility" - "Keyboard Layout".
Installing Gnome Desktop
First, install some pretty fonts:
sudo pacman -S ttf-ms-fonts ttf-dejavu ttf-bitstream-vera
Install Gnome and GDM:
pacman -S gnome gnome-extra
Edit /etc/rc.conf and add "gdm" in DAEMONS
Set Keyboard Layout
For the very first task you should setup keyboard layout "Settings" - "Preferences" - "Keyboard".
Setup Wireless
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wireless
Install the Wireless driver:
sudo pacman -S iwlwifi-4965-ucode
If you use Intel 3945ABG install iwlwifi-3945-ucode instead.
You can discover what your wireless card running this command:
lspci | grep -i wireless
Comment ipw4965 (ipw3945) and add the iwl4965 (or iwl3945) to MODULES() array in /etc/rc.conf:
sudo nano /etc/rc.conf
MODULES=(r8169 !ipw4945 iwl4965 snd-mixer-oss ...)
Configure also the wlan0 interface in NETWORKING section:
...
lo="lo 127.0.0.1"
eth0="dhcp"
wlan0="dhcp"
INTERFACES=(lo eth0 !wlan0)
...
The iwl driver is better than ipw, but if your network doesn't work try using ipw driver.
Knetworkmanager Applet
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NetworkManager
Install the KDE networkmanager:
sudo pacman -S knetworkmanager
Make sure that the user is a member of the network group:
sudo gpasswd -a USERNAME network
You must also "disable" the default network daemon, and add the dhcdbd and networkmanager daemons in this order in /etc/rc.conf:
sudo nano /etc/rc.conf
DAEMONS=( ... !network dhcdbd networkmanager ... )
Create a Autorun-file which will start the knetworkmanager when you login:
nano ~/.kde/Autostart/knetworkmanager.sh
#!/bin/sh
sleep 5
knetworkmanager
Make the script file executable:
chmod a+x ~/.kde/Autostart/knetworkmanager.sh
Finally, reboot to restart the network daemons.
Synaptics Touchpad
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Synaptics
Install the Synaptics driver:
sudo pacman -S synaptics
Edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf as sudo and add InputDevice "Touchpad" "SendCoreEvents" to the ServerLayout:
...
Section "ServerLayout"
...
InputDevice "USB Mouse" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Touchpad" "SendCoreEvents"
EndSection
...
Add Load "synaptics" to the Module section, for example:
...
Section "Module"
...
Load "freetype"
Load "record"
Load "synaptics"
...
EndSection
...
Lastly, add a new InputDevice section for the touchpad itself:
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Touchpad"
Driver "synaptics"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mouse0"
Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
Option "LeftEdge" "1700"
Option "RightEdge" "5300"
Option "TopEdge" "1700"
Option "BottomEdge" "4200"
Option "FingerLow" "25"
Option "FingerHigh" "30"
Option "MaxTapTime" "180"
Option "MaxTapMove" "220"
Option "VertScrollDelta" "100"
Option "MinSpeed" "0.09"
Option "MaxSpeed" "0.18"
Option "AccelFactor" "0.0015"
Option "EdgeMotionMinSpeed" "250"
Option "EdgeMotionMaxSpeed" "300"
Option "VertTwoFingerScroll" "1"
Option "SHMConfig" "on"
EndSection
Restart X by Ctrl-Alt-Backspace to load the synaptics driver.
Ksynaptics Applet
GNOME users can use gsynaptics package to control Synaptics settings.
KDE users need to download the ksynaptics package from AUR package repository [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php]:
1. Install libsynaptics package
sudo pacman -S libsynaptics
2. Create a directory builds into your home directory
3. Download the ksynpatics tarball to builds directory
- http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=3201
- Click to Tarball :: Files :: PKGBUILD to start download
- Save the file into builds
4. Open the command window and go to builds directory
cd ~/builds
5. Extract the contents of the ksynaptics tarball
tar xzf ksynaptics.tar.gz
6. Go to extracted directory
cd ksynaptics
7. Build the package
makepkg
8. Install the package
sudo pacman -U ksynaptics-0.3.3-3-x86_64.pkg.tar.gz
9. Restart X by Ctrl-Alt-Backspace and the Touchpad applet is loaded to applet panel
NOTE: During build process you may encounter missing packcages or tools. Just use sudo pacman -S package to install the missing packages and run makepkg again.
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/AUR_User_Guidelines
Firefox misinterprets horizontal scrolling
Even though this problem isn't concerning the synaptics drivers, you will probably look up here for a solution anyway. To prevent firefox from scrolling through the history and make it scroll the site, you have to set the following settings:
Launch Firefox, enter about:config at the address bar, and then modify following entries:
mousewheel.horizscroll.withnokey.action = 1
mousewheel.horizscroll.withnokey.sysnumlines = true
Bluetooth
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Bluetooth
Install bluetooth libraries:
sudo pacman -S bluez-libs bluez-utils
Edit /etc/conf.d/bluetooth as follows:
...
# Run the bluetooth HID daemon (default: false)
HIDD_ENABLE="true"
HCID_ENABLE="true"
...
Add bluetooth in the DAEMONS list after hal in /etc/rc.conf.
If you on KDE install the KDE bluetooth applet:
pacman -S kdebluetooth
If you on Gnome install the Gnome bluetooth applet:
pacman -S gnome-bluetooth
Webcam
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Webcam_Setup
If you are using kernel > 2.6.26 the module have been integrated with the kernel and doesn't need to install the module above:
http://kernelnewbies.org/LinuxChanges
see 1.3
Install the webcam driver:
sudo pacman -S linux-uvc-svn
Add your user on video group:
gpasswd -a USERNAME video
This will give normal users permission to use your webcam.
Finishing Touch
HAL Daemon
HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) is a daemon that allows desktop applications to readily access hardware information so that they can locate and use such hardware regardless of bus or device type. In this way a desktop GUI can present all resources to its user in a seamless and uniform manner.
For example HAL can gather information about removable storage devices and create an icon on that users desktop allowing for easy access & modification.
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/HAL
Install dbus and hal daemons:
sudo pacman -S dbus hal
Finally, edit the file /etc/rc.conf as sudo with nano and add hal to the DAEMONS array, for example:
DAEMONS=(@syslog-ng hal fam !network @netfs ...)
Backgrounding DAEMONS on startup
To speed up system start up procedure, background your DAEMONS in /etc/rc.conf by prefixing them with a '@' e.g.:
DAEMONS=(@syslog-ng hal fam !network @crond alsa)
Beautify Fonts for LCD in X
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fonts#Beautify_Fonts_for_LCD_in_X
ACPI Support
ACPI support is needed if you want to use some special functions on your notebook (e.g. sleep, sleep when lid is closed, special keys…). Install acpid using
sudo pacman -S acpid
and add it to the daemons in /etc/rc.conf. Acpid should be started before hal and dbus, so take care to place it before any calls to hal.
DAEMONS=(@syslog-ng acpid hal fam !network ... )
Configuring CPU frequency scaling
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Cpufrequtils
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pm-utils
Modern processors can decrease their frequency and voltage to reduce heat and power consumption. Less heat leads to a quieter system; Laptop users will definitely want this, but even a desktop system will benefit from it. Install cpufrequtils with
sudo pacman -S cpufrequtils
To load the driver automatically at startup, add the appropriate driver to the MODULES array within /etc/rc.conf. For example:
MODULES=(acpi-cpufreq r8169 iwl4965 snd-mixer-oss ...)
Burning CD/DVD
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/CD_Burning_Tips
Install k3b CD/DVD package:
sudo pacman -S dvd+rw-tools k3b
Playing MP3 and Music
Install Amarok and MP3 codecs:
sudo pacman -S amarok-base
sudo pacman -S codecs
Eye Candy
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Compiz_Fusion
Kopete
sudo pacman -S kdenetwork
Leds & ACPI upgrade
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Asus_G1#Leds_.26_ACPI_upgrade
To enable every led (the ones on the LCD too) the first thing needed is upgrading the acpi module with the one provided by acpi4asus.
It's really easy, follow these steps:
mkdir sources
cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@acpi4asus.cvs.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/acpi4asus login
cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@acpi4asus.cvs.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/acpi4asus co -P acpi4asus
cd acpi4asus/driver
make
make install
Now the new driver is installed. To use it and prevent udev from using the old one, edit your /etc/rc.conf and:
1. Add to "MOD_BLACKLIST": asus_acpi
2. Add to "MODULES": asus_laptop
Right now you can reboot or execute:
modprobe -r asus_acpi
modprobe asus_laptop
Everything done!
You'll find the leds in "/sys/class/leds/".
To enable a led write "1" in the "brightness" file in the right directory. To disable a led write "0" in the "brightness" file in the right directory.
Try this:
echo 1 > /sys/class/leds/asus:gaming/brightness
Enjoy your leds!
OLED Display
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Asus_G1#OLED_Display
There is a package in AUR named asusoled. There is also a separate kernel driver based on asusoled: Asus_OLED. It works without patching usbhid or removing asus_laptop.
The Lapsus daemon & KDE applet
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Asus_G1#The_Lapsus_daemon_.26_KDE_applet
Lapsus is a set of programs created to help manage additional laptop features such as:
* All the LEDs (on/off)
* LCD Backlight
* Wireless radio switch
* Bluetooth adapter switch
* Alsa mixer (volume control, mute/unmute)
* Synaptics touchpad (on/off)
* Volume/Mute hotkeys
* Touchpad hotkey
* Backlight hotkey
* LightSensor switch and sensitivity level (svn version only)
Prerequisites: acpi4asus from CVS (at least a version > 0.41). In your rc.conf, blacklist the 'acpi_asus' module and add the 'asus_laptop' one in the MODULES array.
Install the latest lapsus package from aur. Now start the lapsusd daemon: /etc/rc.d/lapsusd start. You can add it into DAEMONS array in /etc/rc.conf.
Finally add the lapsus applet to KDE kicker.
Hibernate and Suspend
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pm-utils
Install pm-utils package:
sudo pacman -S pm-utils
In order for suspend2disk (hibernate) to work, we need to edit /boot/grub/menu.lst as root and add resume=/path/to/swap/drive (e.g. /dev/sda2) to the kernel options, for example:
# (0) Arch Linux
title Arch Linux
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/sda3 resume=/dev/sda2 ro vga=0
initrd /kernel26.img
When the machine is placed into hibernation, it will now move all data from RAM to the swap partition… you did make your swap partition large enough to hold your RAM data, right?
Make sure that the user is a member of the power group:
sudo gpasswd -a USERNAME power
Firefox Flash Player Plugin for Arch-64
Updated Instructions :
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Flash_and_Adobe_Acrobat_browser_plugins
# pacman -S flashplugin
Same for java plugin :
# pacman -S jre
Old Instructions :
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Install_Flash_on_Arch64
This ain't pretty, but it works.
Install necessary 32-bit libraries (50MB):
sudo pacman -Sy --asdeps gtk2 lib32-atk lib32-cairo lib32-expat lib32-fontconfig lib32-freetype2 lib32-gcc-libs lib32-glib2 lib32-glibc lib32-gtk2 lib32-libice lib32-libpng lib32-libsm lib32-libx11 lib32-libxau lib32-libxcb lib32-libxcursor lib32-libxext lib32-libxfixes lib32-libxft lib32-libxi lib32-libxinerama lib32-libxmu lib32-libxrandr lib32-libxrender lib32-libxt lib32-pango lib32-pcre lib32-zlib libxt util-linux-ng lib32-alsa-lib
Download the AUR package "nspluginwrapper 0.9.91.5-3" from http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=6217 into your ~/builds directory
cd ~/builds
tar xzf nspluginwrapper.tar.gz
cd nspluginwrapper
makepkg
sudo pacman -U nspluginwrapper-0.9.91.5-3-x86_64.pkg.tar.gz
Download the AUR package "nspluginwrapper-flash 9.0.115.0-1" from http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=6232 into your ~/builds directory
cd ~/builds
tar xzf nspluginwrapper-flash.tar.gz
cd nspluginwrapper-flash
makepkg
sudo pacman -U nspluginwrapper-flash-9.0.115.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.gz
Patch the Firefox plugins:
mkdir ~/.mozilla/plugins
nspluginwrapper -v -a -i
There might be some error messages, but they should not matter. Check that your installation was successful by launching Firefox and enter "about:plugins" to address bar. You should see Adobe Flash plugin in the list.
Firefox MPlayer Video Plugin
The Mplayer-plugin enables you to view most of the web video contents directly on Firefox:
sudo pacman -S mplayer-plugin
Wacom Drawing Tablet
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wacom_Tablet
Download and install the linuxwacom package from the AUR Package Repository.
Next, we need to determine the location of your tablet device. Run the command below, and take note of the event number of the Handlers row. We will use this to set the correct device in our Xorg config below.
cat /proc/bus/input/devices
Make note the H: Handlers=mouse2 event6 below:
I: Bus=0003 Vendor=056a Product=0015 Version=0403
N: Name="Wacom Graphire4 4x5"
P: Phys=
S: Sysfs=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb5/5-1/5-1:1.0/input/input6
U: Uniq=
H: Handlers=mouse2 event6
B: EV=1f
B: KEY=1c63 70011 0 0 0 0
B: REL=100
B: ABS=10003000003
B: MSC=1
Edit the /etc/X11/xorg.conf as follows:
...
Section "ServerLayout"
...
InputDevice "stylus" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "eraser" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "cursor" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "pad" "SendCoreEvents"
...
EndSection
...
Section "Module"
...
Load "wacom"
...
EndSection
...
Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "stylus"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/event6"
Option "Type" "stylus"
Option "USB" "on"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "eraser"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/event6"
Option "Type" "eraser"
Option "USB" "on"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "cursor"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/event6"
Option "Type" "cursor"
Option "USB" "on"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "pad"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/event6"
Option "Type" "pad"
Option "USB" "on"
EndSection
...
If you change the USB port, you may need to re-configure the xorg.conf again.
Using Wacom Tablet with GIMP
Start GIMP and open "File" - "Preferences" - "Input Devices" - "Configure Extended Input Devices" and configure following settings:
- pad - Disabled + Save
- cursor - Screen + Save
- eraser - Screen + Save
- stylus - Screen + Save
Remember to "Save Input Device Settings Now". Now you can use the tablet and select tools for the "pen" and "eraser" [yes, you need to point the Eraser tool with the pen's eraser tip to enable eraser functionality].
Updated Instructions