This is my report on how I installed Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 r0a Sarge for i386 on Toshiba Libretto 50.
My goal of the installation is to make my Libretto a server connected to intranet LAN that runs a private web server, which cannot be accessed from the Internet. So, I do not need desktop environments such as GNOME or KDE. I know some people have already reported on how to enable 16bit sound on Libretto 50 under Linux, but I do not need it because my Libretto will run basically as a server.
Libretto 50/60/70 have almost identical hardware except for CPU speed, dimensions and capacities of hard disks, and other few stuffs.
For that reason, the general principles should apply equally to the following models:
When I tried installation, I had a serious trouble in activating the ISA-to-PCMCIA Bridge controller. Until I finally found a way to activate ISA-to-PCMCIA Bridge controller, PCMCIA did not work. I needed to modify /etc/default/pcmcia to get the ISA-to-PCMCIA Bridge controller to work.
There are many strategies suggested by others to install Linux on Libretto.
I had a laptop computer with floppy drive, CD-ROM drive, and built-in ethernet LAN.
So, I used the following strategy:
Take out the hard disk from Libretto, and install OS on the hard disk by using another laptop computer, and then place the hard disk back to Libretto.
I took the following steps to install Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 Sarge for i386 on Toshiba Libretto 50:
Prepare installation media. Obtain or create CD-ROMs or other media of Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 Sarge for i386. If you need to boot from floppy disks, create the floppy disks before you proceed.
Take the hard disk drive out of Toshiba Libretto 50. To do that, unscrew the two screws on the back as you can see in the following photo. You can pull the handle that attaches the hard disk.
Insert the hard disk drive to another laptop computer, on which you know you can install GNU/Linux 3.1 Sarge for i386 without any problems. If you have an adapter which connects 2.5 inch hard disks to 3.5 inch hard disk connector, then you can use desktop computer instead of a laptop computer.
Make partitions on the hard disk by using that laptop computer.
When you make partitions on the hard disk by using a computer other than Libretto 50/60/70, do not make a partion that spans the last 32MB at the end of the hard disk. Leave the last 32MB space free and unused. If Libretto entered hibernation mode, Libretto's system BIOS would write physical RAM's data on the last 32MB free space of the hard disk, independently of the type of the OS. I am not sure if the Libretto's BIOS would write the same data size as physical RAM's size on hard disk when hibernation. I think you would better spare the last 32MB at the end of the hard disk, even if your Libretto has less than 32MB of RAM.
I did not use MS Windows' fdisk.exe for Linux partition, but if you made FAT partitions on a hard disk inside Libretto 50/60/70 by using MS Windows' fdisk.exe, then the Libretto's system BIOS would hide the last 32MB free space of the hard disk.
In my installation, I simply made one Linux native partition and one swap partition on TOSHIBA MK0803MAT 810MB HDD.
If you upgraded your Libretto's hard disk, the location of the last free space would be different from the following table:
The partition /dev/hda1 has 738.0MB, and its file system is ext3, which will be mounted as /.
The partition /dev/hda2 has 40.3MB, which will be used as swap partiton.
remaining free space has 37.2MB.
# fdisk -l Disk /dev/hda: 815 MB, 815431680 bytes 32 heads, 63 sectors/track, 790 cylinders Units = cylinders of 2016 * 512 = 1032192 bytes Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System /dev/hda1 * 1 715 720688+ 83 Linux /dev/hda2 716 754 39312 82 Linux swap / Solaris
# cfdisk -P t
Partition Table for /dev/hda
---Starting--- ----Ending---- Start Number of
# Flags Head Sect Cyl ID Head Sect Cyl Sector Sectors
-- ----- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----------- -----------
1 0x80 1 1 0 0x83 31 63 714 63 1441377
2 0x00 0 1 715 0x82 31 63 753 1441440 78624
3 0x00 0 0 0 0x00 0 0 0 0 0
4 0x00 0 0 0 0x00 0 0 0 0 0
# cfdisk -P s
Partition Table for /dev/hda
First Last
# Type Sector Sector Offset Length Filesystem Type (ID) Flag
-- ------- ----------- ----------- ------ ----------- -------------------- ----
1 Primary 0 1441439 63 1441440 Linux (83) Boot
2 Primary 1441440 1520063 0 78624 Linux swap / So (82) None
Pri/Log 1520064 1592639 0 72576 Free Space None
In my partitioning, the last free space of 37.2MB had 72576 sectors,
starting at Cylinder 754, Head 0, Sector 0, and
ending at Cylinder 789, Head 31, Sector 62.
The following calculation would explain the numbers in the output of fdisk command and cfdisk command.
Each sector has 512 bytes. That is 512 bytes/sector.
(64 sectors - 1 sector) * 32 heads = 2016 sectors per cylinder.
(64 sectors - 1 sector) * 32 heads * 512 bytes/sector = 2016 sectors * 512 bytes/sector = 1032192 bytes per cylinder.
/dev/hda (the whole hard disk drive) has 790 cylinders.
1032192 bytes per cylinder * 790 cylinders = 815431680 bytes in the whole hard disk drive.
The first partition /dev/hda1 has 715 cylinders.
2016 sectors per cylinder * 715 cylinders = 1441440 sectors.
1441440 sectors - 63 offset = 1441377 sectors.
1441377 sectors * 512 bytes/sector = 737985024 bytes.
737985024 bytes / 1024 = 720688.5 KiB. (See "720688+" in the Blocks number column in the fdisk output)
Install Debian Linux by using the laptop computer. You do not need to do anything specific to Libretto at this stage. I installed kernel 2.6.8. Make sure that you install pcmcia-cs package and hotplug package.
Finish all the essential setup.
Take the hard disk drive out of the laptop computer, and insert it to Libretto.
Power on Libretto. Login as root.
Open and edit the following file with your favorite text editor: /etc/default/pcmcia
The content of /etc/default/pcmcia would look like this:
# Defaults for pcmcia (sourced by /etc/init.d/pcmcia)
PCMCIA=yes
PCIC=yenta_socket
PCIC_OPTS=
CORE_OPTS=
CARDMGR_OPTS=
Change the line "PCIC=yenta_socket" to "PCIC=i82365". You change it in this way because yenta_socket will work for PCI-to-PCMCIA but not for ISA-to-PCMCIA.
Save the file, and exit your text editor.
Type "shutdown -h now" at the shell command prompt in order to power off.
After you see "Power down." on the screen, push the power button for a second. That will cause Libretto to make a beep sound twice and to power off.
Power on Libretto. If you see the following messages, ISA-to-PCMCIA Bridge controller is working:
Linux Kernel Card Services
options: [pci] [cardbus] [pm]
Intel ISA PCIC probe:
Intel i82365sl B step ISA-to-PCMCIA at port 0x3e0 ofs 0x00, 2 sockets
host opts [0]: none
host opts [1]: none
ISA irqs (scanned) = 3,9,10,11,15 status change on irq 15
If ISA-to-PCMCIA Bridge controller is working, you would see the following output of "cardctl status" command when no PCMCIA card is inserted:
# cardctl status Socket 0: no card Socket 1: no card
Thanks to Manoj Srivastava for providing your report on enabling ISA-to-PCMCIA bridge.
http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2001/08/msg04842.html
Excerpt:
Subject: Success: migrating ISA PCMCIA bridge and wavelan NIC to kernel2.4.7
From: Manoj Srivastava
Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2001 23:43:10 -0500Hi,
I finally managed to get my old ISA PCMCIA bridge working with the 2.4.X kernels (running 2.4.9 right now). I went from the stand alone pcmcia modules package to using the built in drivers in the 2.4.X kernels. I had to change two files; as shown below....
Toshiba Libretto 50CT
http://lists.debian.org/debian-laptop/2004/09/msg00150.html
Excerpt:
I have install Libranet 2.8 (mostly Sarge) on a drive which I then installed in my (new to me) Libretto. Everything except pcmcia went smoothly.
...
Debian Reference
Chapter 10 - Network configuration
10.10.5 Network configuration and PCMCIA
http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/reference/ch-gateway.en.html#s-trigger-pcmcia
Date: August 2005
This report is listed at TuxMobil - Linux on laptops, notebooks, PDAs, mobile phones.
Libretto 100 Experiences (I found the page in August, 2005.)
Excerpt:
... The Libretto 100 has a few oddities about it. It is mostly PCI based, it's Graphics Chip, Infrared controller, and CardBus controllers are all PCI. However, the only device on the PCI bus that has an IRQ line is the Infrared controller. This means the CardBus controller must be polled for card insertion/removal. This is poor designing for a laptop, as PIO is much harder on the battery and heat generation than interrupt driven IO. The PIO nature of the CardBus controller will cause problems with alternative operating systems. Notably, I havn't gotten PCMCIA working at all on the *BSD's, because they apparently don't do PIO on the CardBus controller. Windows and Linux both work fine, though read the PCMCIA under Linux section if you're interested in running Linux on the L100.
...
Strangely, the IDE controller is not PCI based on the L100. This is probably because it is based on the Libretto 50/70 design, and Toshiba kept most parts the same. The sound card, IDE controller, PS/2 controller and many other devices are the same components as on the L50/L70.
...
PCMCIA CardServices Under Linux
The Lib100 uses a ToPIC97 PCI->CardBus bridge. The ToPIC97 does not have an IRQ line to it, and this causes some problems with newer versions of PCMCIA card services. I've had no problems with the 2.2 kernel series and the 3.1.xx pcmcia card services, the cardmgr just runs in a polling mode. However, I've not gotten it working with the 2.3.99preX series with the builtin kernel PCMCIA services. Hope it gets fixed for 2.4 kernels.
...
Journal de Debian sur le Toshiba Libretto 50CT (Report in French. I found the page in August, 2005.)
Linux and the Toshiba Libretto 100CT
Excerpt:
Installing Zipslack
Installing RedHat Linux on a Toshiba Libretto 100CT - RedGrittyBrick
Libretto 70 CT and Linux : additional information (I found the page in August, 2005.)
Excerpt:
...
4) Get Sound to work in 16 bit mode
...
/sbin/rmmod sb
/sbin/modprobe opl3sa2 io=0x220 mss_io=0x530 mpu_io=0x330 irq=5 dma=1 dma2=0...
Installing Debian 2.0 on a Libretto 100CT
Excerpt:
Installation over the network using a PCMCIA Ethernet card.