The installation of FreeBSD 4.6 RELEASE from the mini ISO image went flawlessly, without any need to manually configure the kernel available on CD. The upgrade to FreeBSD 4.6-STABLE worked like a charm too, as well as the installation of extra packages.
You can read the:
dmesg
output (boot was in verbose mode)pciconf -l
-v outputscanpci
-v outputXFree86 4.2.0 configured itself using XFree86
-configure. However, to get a correct resolution (1024*768
in 16 or 24 bits), I had to force a dummy (but reasonnable)
HorizSync parameter in the XF86Config
configuration file.
You can get my XF86Config configuration file, but be aware that it is configured with a French keyboard layout.
Do not forget the ShadowFB option; it renders the
unaccelerated server usable when scrolling a window.
However, XFree86 4.2.0 (and any previous version) is not usable
as is: it sets the keyboard in raw mode but is unable to interpret
multiple key release events. It results into multiple key
presses, such as in thisss exaamplllle. The right fix would
be to patch XFree86 so that it handles those events correctly (as
does the console FreeBSD driver, as well as the Linux one).
However, in the meantime, you should install the
x11/accessx port and use the following command in your
~/.xinitrc:
ax +bouncekeys bouncedelay 20 -timeout
Switching between internal/dual/external display works using the
Fn-F5 key. However, when under XFree86, it is
necessary to change the video mode once to get correct results.
Hence pressing Ctrl-Alt-F1 then Alt-F9
yields a correct result.
The battery information given by apm is correct (both the charging level and the time estimate).
The suspend/resume feature works well, except that it seems to let the USB bus stuck. More on that when I find a solution.
This laptop seems to have a long battery life (around three hours when using the wireless ethernet card). However, as soon as the battery level drops below 50%, the laptop forces the screen brightness to its lowest level, making it barely usable in an outdoor environment.
You can grab my no-apmbios.c.
Compile it with:
gcc -O -o no-apmbios -fomit-frame-pointer no-apmbios.c
then install it in /usr/local/sbin, then have it
run automatically at each boot. If you do that, you will loose a
lot of power-saving functionalities.
The ethernet card is an Intel EtherExpress Pro which works
perfectly using the fxp driver.
The wireless ethernet card is a Lucent Embedded WaveLan/IEEE,
which works perfectly using the wi driver. It appears
like a PCMCIA device, so you have to set
pccard_enable=YES in your /etc/rc.conf to
have it recognized.
PCMCIA works fine when tested with an Aironet 4800 series card.
The sound mostly works with the pcm driver.
However, after a boot, the sound level decreases automatically
while playing. Stopping then resuming seems to restore a correct
level. If you don't want to compile the sound support in your
kernel, add snd_t4dwave_load="YES" in your
/boot/loader.conf.
The DVD reader/CD-RW burner works correctly with FreeBSD.
However, interrupting a dummy burn will let your ata1
bus stuck. Even the BIOS will not be able to reset it when you
reset your computer, you do have to use a power cycle.
I have not had a chance to test the following peripherals:
I have installed FreeBSD -CURRENT (2002-07-31), and didn't get any interesting results: ACPI is basically working, but suspend and sound were not working any more.
