[Discuss] Re: Progress report on Debian install for new system

[Alan W. Irwin]

On 2007-11-02 16:43-0700 Alan W. Irwin wrote:

> Just to remind you here is the summary of the hardware I am configuring with
> Debian testing (lenny):
>
> ASUS P5K-V motherboard with Intel g33/ich9 chipset
>
> Intel e6550 processor (duo-core, 2.33 GHz, low power, low heat, and
> therefore low noise and yearly power costs)
>
> 2 gb Crucial ddr2 667mhz (good quality ram, life time warranty)
>
> Seagate 7200.10 500gb SATA2 7200RPM
>
> Pioneer 212 DVD-RW SATA [...]

> More to come concerning the following topics as I get to them:
>
> * Learn to configure xorg.conf to give me a mode with a reasonable vertical
> refresh rather than having to rely on xrandr to work around this issue (or
> if it is an X bug, work with the developers to get it ironed out by giving
> them lots of test support for the g33).

I now have the solution to this.  Use gtf, e.g.,

gtf 1028 768 85

to computer the (probably standard) mode you want and then put those results
into xorg.conf followed by the PreferredMode option, e.g.,

# 1024x768 @ 85.00 Hz (GTF) hsync: 68.60 kHz; pclk: 94.39 MHz
Modeline "1024x768_85.00"  94.39  1024 1088 1200 1376  768 769 772 807 -HSync + Vsync
Option "PreferredMode" "1024x768_85.00"

If you just ask for a standard modeline
e.g.,

Option "PreferredMode" "1024x768"

it doesn't work with Debian unstable (see the full discussion [and the great
help I got on this subject] at
http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=448983.  Either that
standard modeline is completely ignored and they give you a much higher
resolution with stomach-churning 60Hz vertical refresh or X hangs altogether
somewhere in the mode choosing code with no error message.  So right now
with the latest X release it is essential to make your own custom modeline
with a unique name even if it just copies a standard modeline.

So this whole RandR revolution going on in the X drivers is making X
configuration quite a chancy business right now, but I am sure they
will sort it out.  For now, the above works so I have moved on to other
things.

The next thing I tried was sound configuration.  All I could get was a hum
from my speakers with the Intel ICH9 sound chipset for Debian testing. I did
have a backup in mind (a great classic PCI-based SB Live! sound card I had
hanging around), but one last try (using the Debian unstable version of
snd_hda_intel which is from a later alsa release and too new to make it into
Debian testing) worked well enough.  Obviously there is still some work to
do on the ICH9 support of this driver; I can still hear a slight hum that
should not be there, and the mixer is currently quite limited (no main
volume control).  I was soon enjoying lots of different audio apps with this
sound chipset, and it can only improve for the future.

To summarize my experiences thus far with our new powerful Linux PC, there
were some uncomfortable moments (especially with X and audio) for
configuring Linux for this box since it proved to be too close to the
cutting edge for a normal Linux install.  However, with some help I was able
to overcome all problems encountered.  The current status is kernel, GNU OS
software, X, KDE, and audio all seem to be working well.  Both my gigabit
Attansic 10/100/1000 chipset and 10/100 NIC are working well.  The former
had something like 50GB poured through it at 100Mbs without a single bit
error (end to end check including the new disk drive with md5sum of all of
my redundant backups).  I would have liked to check it at gigabit speed, but
I don't have gigabit on the other end (yet). I didn't test the 10/100 card
quite as hard, but it has been tested hard in the past with no problems.
In the new system I also reused an old TV card (Hauppage low-end), and
that works well.

I have not yet tested anything for the Pioneer optical drive except a small
amount of CD reading, but tests of CD burning, and DVD reading and burning
will be happening soon as well as tests of the JMicron controller for the
external SATA 3Gb/s port (I plan to buy an external esata 500GB drive for
backup of my internal drive).

The Edge at Broadmead Village (the original store in the small local Edge
chain) has treated me well throughout all of this experience.  For one
trivial but telling example, the Logitech mouse is wonky (right button is
intermittently sticking), and Matt said to bring it in at my first
convenience for replacement.  It's a pleasure to deal with somebody like
that who does not view customers as adversaries.

Alan
__________________________
Alan W. Irwin

Astronomical research affiliation with Department of Physics and Astronomy,
University of Victoria (astrowww.phys.uvic.ca).

Programming affiliations with the FreeEOS equation-of-state implementation
for stellar interiors (freeeos.sf.net); PLplot scientific plotting software
package (plplot.org); the libLASi project (unifont.org/lasi); the Loads of
Linux Links project (loll.sf.net); and the Linux Brochure Project
(lbproject.sf.net).
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Linux-powered Science
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