Nicholas Schmidt

Nicholas Schmidt

Dad, CTO, and lover of all things 1's and 0's.

Sony Vaio P788K Ubuntu 9.10 Load

2 minute read

Ubuntu 9.10 is the last usable version of Linux for use with the GMA500 craptasic video card. As it stands today I cannot recommend using Linux full-time on the laptop. As a hardcore linux geek that saddens me in my heart. Hopefully with the release of the “new” drivers we will be good to all switchback to a big boy OS. Thanks to Jakob Westhoff for his notes on the Vaio X which helped a good bit here. Notes below:

  • Install Windows 7 to active Verizon Gobi Modem and Firmware
  • Install GMA 500 Graphics driver
  • Edit /etc/apt/sources.list to include universe and multiverse
  • sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
  • reboot
  • Update system to include SSD optimizations
  • Install sony-laptop-zseries module
  • Turn on WWAN hardware
  • Enable Suspend
  • Enable console framebuffer
    • Edit /etc/default/grub
    • set gfxmode=1024×768
      • You can do the full 1600×768, but on the console I prefer larger fonts
    • Edit /etc/grub.d/00_header
        • if loadfont `make_system_path_relative_to_its_root ${GRUB_FONT_PATH}` ; then
        • set gfxmode=${GRUB_GFXMODE}
        • set gfxpayload=keep
      • IT HAS TO GO UNDER “set gfxmode…”
  • Enable scroll trackpoint
  • Install RFkill Applet to disable radios
  • Internal Mic Fix
    • sudo apt-get install linux-backports-modules-alsa-2.6.31-20-generic
    • sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ricotz/unstable
    • sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
    • Edit /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf
    • Add at the bottom of the file
      • options snd-hda-intel model=toshiba-s06 power_save=10 power_save_controller=N
    • On Sound Preferences change Profile to Analog Stereo Duplex
    • Turn speaker volume up HIGH

    • Ubuntu Linux 9.10 SSD Optimizations

    Disable Access Time Attributes

    Edit your /etc/fstab. Modify the root partitions settings. Add noatime and nodiratime to defaults.

    /dev/sda2 / ext4 noatime,nodiratime,errors=remount-ro 0       1

    Optimizing the Kernel

    Add the following to the /etc/sysctl.conf

    vm.swappiness=0

    vm.vfs_cache_pressure=50

    Optimizing the Scheduler

    Edit /etc/default/grub and add noop to end of mem=2000MB

    GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=”quiet splash mem=2000MB elevator=noop”

    Run sudo update-grub afterward

    RFKill Install.sh – the program doesn’t include an install program. Here is a small script

    #!/bin/bash

    sudo cp rfkill-applet.py /usr/bin/rfkill-applet

    sudo chmod a+x /usr/bin/rfkill-applet

    sudo cp rfkill-applet.server /usr/lib/bonobo/servers/

    sudo chmod a+x /usr/lib/bonobo/servers/rfkill-applet.server

    sudo cp rfkill-applet.png /usr/share/pixmaps

    sudo cp rfkill-applet-hardoff.png /usr/share/pixmaps

    sudo cp rfkill-applet.config /etc/

    /etc/hal/fdi/policy/mouse-wheel.fdi

    <?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”UTF-8″?>

    <match key=”info.product” string=”PS/2 Generic Mouse”>

    <merge key=”input.x11_options.EmulateWheel” type=”string”>true</merge>

    <merge key=”input.x11_options.EmulateWheelButton” type=”string”>2</merge>

    <merge key=”input.x11_options.YAxisMapping” type=”string”>4 5</merge>

    <merge key=”input.x11_options.Emulate3Buttons” type=”string”>true</merge>

    <merge key=”input.x11_options.EmulateWheelTimeout” type=”string”>200</merge>

    </match>

    /usr/lib/pm-utils/sleep.d/00usbsleep

    # disable wakeup events when suspending from USB

    echo disabled > /sys/bus/usb/devices/usb1/power/wakeup

    echo disabled > /sys/bus/usb/devices/usb2/power/wakeup

    echo disabled > /sys/bus/usb/devices/usb3/power/wakeup

    echo disabled > /sys/bus/usb/devices/usb4/power/wakeup

    /etc/pm/sleep.d/99_psb_fix

    #!/bin/sh

    ACTION=$1

    case “$ACTION” in

    suspend hibernate)

    fgconsole >/tmp/xconsole.pm-sleep.tmp

    ;;

    resume thaw)

    chvt 1

    chvt `cat /tmp/xconsole.pm-sleep.tmp`

    ;;

    esac

    Updated: