Linux users of Sony Z1 series

[Brouard Nicolas <>]

Hi all,

I have good news! Not very new because Ionut already mentioned that
kernel  2.6.11.2 and new Alps patches solved many of our problems with
Linux on a Sony Z1 laptop.

- Alps touchpad patches
The most important new feature is the ability to double tap. Since
yesteday I have started again to use the double tap instead of clicking
with a finger on the key (vertical scrolling bar of the touchpad has
ever worked very well).

I am using the qsynaptics software in order to tune the various
parameters of the touchpad, scrolling and tapping.
In particular, you can tune the delay after the key press: this was also
an important feature which lets you type on the keyboard even if you
inadvertedly were touching the touchpad while keying (avoiding random
jumps of the cursor into your text). I enabled this feature but set its
level at the minimum. 

You can automatically save your Alps parameters on ~/.qsynaptics file.
Restoring is done with the command 'qsynaptics -r' (a batch command
which doesn't enable the GUI). This command is automatically launched at
startup by the mandrake rpm. I just upgraded the Mandrake rpm to
qsynaptics-0.22.0-1mdk and you can find it on 
http://sauvy.ined.fr/~brouard/sony/rpm .

I am enclosing my current ~/.qsynaptics file. A ~/.qsynaptics file can
be used to correct a wrong parameterisation of your XF86Config (the
SHMConfig "on" is an important feature in order to dialog with the
synaptics driver). It could be nice to do "qsynaptics -r file" in order
to reload a file different from ~/.qsynaptics (is somebody willing to
add this feature?).
 
The Alps patches can be found on
http://sauvy.ined.fr/~brouard/sony/patches
or on Peter Osterlund synaptics web page.

In order to use the new kernel you also need to update the X11 (Xfree or
Xorg) synaptics driver (0.14.1). And on the same rpm directory mentioned
above, you will access to a new Mandrake rpm synaptics-0.14.1 .
For other distros you can get the src rpm on the same directory or
directly go to the initial sources of Peter Osterlund.

In the README.Alps it is written that the Alps patches were filed in the
2.6.11 kernel but it is still not true. May be some errors are still
there and we will discover them.

- Kernel rpm
On this same directory you will find a 2.6.11.3 Mandrake rpm. When I say
Mandrake rpm, it means that I used the latest 2.6.11 kernel src from
cooker and just included the latest 2.6.11.3 tar.gz from kernel.org
instead of the raw 2.6.11 . And I kept all the patches from Mandrake.
They all applied excepting ivtv (which can be useful for VGN sonys and
other laptops) which created problems by non exported symbols during the
depmod. 

In addition to these patches, I included the Alps patches. That's all.
Thus it is mostly a basic Mandrake rpm (I haven't had to modify the
configs files).

Please notice that even if your laptop has a memory of 512k, you need
now to use the so-called i586 kernel of Mandrake or more precisely the
kernel-i586-up-1GB-2.6.11.3.nb1mdk-1-1mdk.i586.rpm otherwise you wont
boot (see http://qa.mandrakesoft.com/show_bug.cgi?id=13646) because the
Pentium M has no "pae flag". I compiled only this kernel and you can
download it on the same rpm directory. 

Let me mention that the kernel is compiled with ipw2100 1.0.5 and
ipw2200 1.0.1 drivers and therefore you don't need the source-stripped
rpm in order to use the ipw2100 (or ipw2200) dkms. But for a newer
version of the Intel Wifi drivers you will need them. Also you might
need the hardware and must download them from Mandrake or from Intel (I
haven't had to update my hardware part of the ipw2100 driver).

- Software-suspend (standard suspension to disk)
The kernel is compiled with the standard kernel mechanism of swsusp, not
with swsusp2 (that I have used with former kernel 2.6.7) reported by
Ionut.
And my fist tests are incredibly good. The suspend to disk is about 18
seconds now!!! (with low loaded system under GNOME). Resuming is much
more longer but works, no fail until now (three tests only).  
I haven't changed my former configuration of the special version of
script hibernate-scripts-1.0.1-2mdk.i586.rpm that I built some months
ago (the rpm is on the same directory). But parameters were
(/etc/hibernate/susptodisk.conf) :
UseSysfsPowerDisk shutdown
UseSysfsPowerState disk
SaveClock yes
UnloadModules usb-storage usbhid usblp ehci-hcd uhci-hcd battery ac
usbkbd
LoadModules auto
StartServices usb

It might be that SaveClock is no more useful.

- Software suspend to ram
Software suspension to ram lasts 2 or 3 seconds and resumes very well.
I am using the same hibernate-script with parameters
(/etc/hibernate/susptoram.com):
UseSysfsPowerState mem
UnloadModules battery ac
LoadModules auto
SwitchToTextMode yes
UseVideoPost yes

It might be that unloading battery and ac modules are useless now.

UseVideoPost yes means that I have a radeon video card and use the
videopost program during resuming. This parameter is not in the original
hibernate-script of Bernard Blackham (and I haven't had time yet to
merge with his newer version). See former discussion in the archives on
videopost.

If you install this hibernate-script you will have access to two
programs, susptoram and susptodisk, which you can run as a standard
user.

You can link these two programs to Fn-Esc and Fn-F12 respectively using
sonyxosd. But the sonyxosd program, even in its rpm form, is still
difficult to install because of the XOSD perl libraries. In my view, we
still need something intermediate between sonypidd and sonyxosd where
the final user could choose how to link the function keys to its
preferred programms in a file like ~/.sonypidrc to supersede the ever
wrong default.

I have  read on LKLM that the sonypi module could be replaced in the
future by similar parameters (like brightness) into /proc/acpi/sony
(like for some other laptops) simulating ACPI features, obviously not
ACPI, but which will help the standardisation of such tools (spicctrl)
which are currently too specific to Sony.

I am still using radeontool for switching from an LCD to an external
monitor.

In order to suspend to ram and resume correctly when the laptop is in
its dockstation, I discovered that I must disconnect "live" the laptop
from its dockstation. On Mandrake the ethernet connection will halt
automatically, the usb devices (external keyboard, external mouse,
external CRT) will be unloaded. And then I click on Fn-Esc.

For resuming, I must first push the halt/on button (i.e resume) before
connecting to the dockstation. Then the ethernet connection and USB
devices are connected automatically.

The wifi is resuming very well.

The Alps kernel patches were not taken into account by Mandrake and
therefore the XF86Config generated by Mandrake is wrong (a
confusing /dev/input/mice is introduced in the section where there is
already an autodev option). Also the Alps section is sometimes removed
when the kernel is changed.


The next step, if the tests are ok with this new kernel and Alps
patches, is to file them in standard distributions such as Mandrake.

Some of my rpm like sonypid, sonypidd, spicctrl, powernowd are now on
the Mandrake Contribs. Some are not, like sonyxosd or hibernate-scripts
and all the kernels and latest qsynaptics and  synaptics. Another rpm,
winetools, is not on this server but on Mandrake Club for testing: in
fact this rpm is not specific to sony laptops but concerns Wine. And it
is enough important for me to mention this tool in a few sentences.

Winetools (GPL) lets you install many Windows softwares (like
CrossOverOffice but CrossOver is not GPL) using Wine (GPL). It lets you
install a oood basic fake windows drive by downloading from the
Microsoft download center many proprietary but free dlls via the
installation of Internet Explorer 6 SP1 and Microsoft System  Installer
and some other programms like DCOM. 

Once the fake windows drive is setup, you can install many other
softwares with a standard "wine /mnt/cdrom/setup.exe" command.
For example, stata 7 (licensed) is working nicely. Windows Sas version
8.1 is working (in batch only) too. The advantage over Win4lin is that
you can use the sound card and usb devices. I have successfully
installed NoteWorthy Composer (licensed) and Tunelab97 (free) for tuning
a piano. It also quicker to use Word under Wine than under Win4lin.

But Win4lin is not completely over because many Windows programs do not
work on Wine. An important news is that Win4lin which was limited to
Win98 programs, can now (with its newer costly version) emulate Windows
XP. Newer version also doesn't need special kernel patches. I haven't
bought yet.


This was a rather long mail.

If some of you are willing to test these new rpms, it could speed the
process of inclusion into a standard distribution.

What is not working on a Sony Z1 under Linux? Nothing anymore?

Regards,

Nicolas




-- 
Brouard Nicolas 
<>
AccelFactor 0.01
BottomEdge 650
CircScrollDelta 0.1
CircScrollTrigger 0
CircularPad 0
CircularScrolling 0
ClickTime 100
CoastingSpeed 0
EdgeMotionMaxSpeed 40
EdgeMotionMaxZ 160
EdgeMotionMinSpeed 1
EdgeMotionMinZ 30
EdgeMotionUseAlways 0
EmulateMidButtonTime 75
FastTaps 0
FingerHigh 30
FingerLow 25
GuestMouseOff 0
HScrollEmuOff 0
HorizScrollDelta 50
LBCornerButton 0
LTCornerButton 0
LeftEdge 60
LockedDrags 0
MaxDoubleTapTime 180
MaxSpeed 0.5
MaxTapMove 110
MaxTapTime 210
MinSpeed 0.2
PalmDetect 1
PalmMinWidth 10
PalmMinZ 200
RBCornerButton 3
RTCornerButton 2
RightEdge 830
ScrollingMode 1
SynDaemonOff 0
SynDaemonTiming 0
TapButton1 1
TapButton2 2
TapButton3 3
TappingOff 0
TopEdge 70
TouchpadOff 0
UpDownScrolling 1
VScrollEmuOff 0
VertScrollDelta 50
# File generated by XFdrake.

# **********************************************************************
# Refer to the XF86Config man page for details about the format of
# this file.
# **********************************************************************

Section "Files"
    # Multiple FontPath entries are allowed (they are concatenated together)
    # By default, Mandrake 6.0 and later now use a font server independent of
    # the X server to render fonts.
    FontPath "unix/:-1"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
    #DontZap # disable <Crtl><Alt><BS> (server abort)
    AllowMouseOpenFail # allows the server to start up even if the mouse 
doesn't work
    #DontZoom # disable <Crtl><Alt><KP_+>/<KP_-> (resolution switching)
EndSection

Section "Module"
    # Load "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules/extensions/libglx.a"
    Load "glx" # 3D layer
    Load "dri" # direct rendering
    
    # This loads the Type1 and FreeType font modules
    Load "type1"
    Load "freetype"
    Load "dbe" # Double-Buffering Extension
    Load "synaptics"
EndSection

Section "DRI"
    # Access to OpenGL ICD is allowed for all users:
    Mode 0666
EndSection

Section "Keyboard"
    Protocol "Standard"
    XkbModel "pc105"
    XkbLayout "fr"
    XkbOptions ""
EndSection

Section "Pointer"
    Protocol "IMPS/2"
    Device "/dev/mouse"
    ZAxisMapping 4 5
EndSection


Section "InputDevice"
    Identifier "Mouse1"
    Driver "mouse"
    Option "Protocol" "ExplorerPS/2"
    Option "Device" "/dev/mouse"
#    Option "ZAxisMapping" "6 7"
### xmodmap -e 'pointer = 1 2 3 6 7 4 5'
### xmodmap -pp
    Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    Identifier "SynapticsMouse1"
    Driver "synaptics"
    Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
    Option "MaxSpeed" "0.5"
    Option "MinSpeed" "0.2"
    Option "RightEdge" "830"
    Option "LeftEdge" "60"
    Option "BottomEdge" "650"
    Option "TopEdge" "70"
    Option "SHMConfig" "on"
    Option "FingerLow" "25"
    Option "FingerHigh" "30"
#    Option "MaxTapTime" "180" 
    Option "MaxTapTime" "210" 
#http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=linux-kernel&m=109104309904873&w=2 
    Option "MaxTapMove" "110"
    Option "VertScrollDelta" "50"
    Option "HorizScrollDelta"   "50"
    Option "AccelFactor" "0.010"
    Option "EdgeMotionSpeed"    "40"
    Option "UpDownScrolling"    "1"
    Option "TouchpadOff"        "0"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier "monitor1"
    VendorName "Generic"
    ModelName "Flat Panel 1400x1050"
    HorizSync 31.5-90
    VertRefresh 59-75
    
    # Sony Vaio C1(X,XS,VE,VN)?
    # 1024x480 @ 85.6 Hz, 48 kHz hsync
    ModeLine "1024x480"    65.00 1024 1032 1176 1344   480  488  494  563 
-hsync -vsync
    
    # Dell D800 and few Inspiron (16/10) 1280x800
    ModeLine "1280x800"  147.89  1280 1376 1512 1744  800 801 804 848
    
    # Dell D800 and few Inspiron (16/10) 1680x1050
    ModeLine "1680x1050"  214.51  1680 1800 1984 2288  1050 1051 1054 1103
    
    # Dell D800 and few Inspiron (16/10) 1920x1200
    ModeLine "1920x1200" 230 1920 1936 2096 2528 1200 1201 1204 1250 +HSync 
+VSync
    
    # TV fullscreen mode or DVD fullscreen output.
    # 768x576 @ 79 Hz, 50 kHz hsync
    ModeLine "768x576"     50.00  768  832  846 1000   576  590  595  630
    
    # 768x576 @ 100 Hz, 61.6 kHz hsync
    ModeLine "768x576"     63.07  768  800  960 1024   576  578  590  616
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier "device1"
    VendorName "ATI"
    BoardName "ATI Radeon"
    Driver "radeon"
    Option "DPMS"
    
    # DDCMode may be useless
    # Option "DDCMode" "on"  # If on forces to use the modes queried from the 
connected monitor
    Option "CloneHSync" "30.0-96.0" # This might be useless too
    Option "CloneVRefresh" "80-150" # This might be useless too
    Option "CloneMode" "1280x1024" # I think that it has to be used if the 
geometry of the Clone
    # is different from the primary monitor (here an LCD)
    
    # Option "CloneDisplay" "2"  # Not used anymore
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier "screen1"
    Device "device1"
    Monitor "monitor1"
    
    # DefaultColorDepth 16
    DefaultColorDepth 24
    
    Subsection "Display"
        Depth 8
        Virtual 1400 1050
    EndSubsection
    
    Subsection "Display"
        Depth 15
        Virtual 1400 1050
    EndSubsection
    
    Subsection "Display"
        Depth 16
        Virtual 1400 1050
    EndSubsection
    
    Subsection "Display"
        Depth 24
        
        # If I enable 1400x1050 I lose accelerated OpenGL
        # Modes    "1280x1024" "1280x960" "1152x864" "1024x768" "800x600" 
"640x480"
        Modes "1400x1050" "1280x1024" "1280x960" "1152x864" "1024x768" 
"800x600" "640x480"
        Virtual 1400 1050
    EndSubsection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier "layout1"
    InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer"
    InputDevice "SynapticsMouse1" "SendCoreEvents"
#    Screen "screen1"
    Screen 0 "screen1" 0 0
EndSection