How-to: Install AntiX 7.5 on EeePC 701/4G

lagopus · posted: 2008-10-24 01:00

This how-to requires some knowledge of linux...

Try not to break your base Xandros linux on the Eeepc SSD disk (the /dev/sda disk) ...we'll need it for some post-install tweaks.
After this warning, go on...

Step 1) Download and burn the Antix 7.5 iso

Step 2) Run AntiX from you CD drive (I got an external CD drive)
Alternative: try a live USB install (link?), or run the process from inside another linux box

Step 3) You decide to install to a USB key or a SD card (>=4 GB, the installed stuff weights 1.2 GB) Go to System->Install antiX

Step 4) Choose"Use disk:" sdb or sdc (check with df or mount) and"Custom install"
Format your key or card... go on and wait for the process to finish (drink a glass of retsina wine at the next ΚΑΦΕΝΕΙΟ)
Install grub to your new / partition (not on the SSD!)

Step 5) Reboot. You are not a fresh new Eeepc user, so you hit 3 or 4 the Esc key when the Eeepc starts, and you select to boot from the key (or card).
Likely it will fail, you return to the grub menu, hit 'e' to edit the boot line:
replace (hd1,0) by (hd0,0) since the system now sees the key as the first boot device, enter 'b' to boot... and then:

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kernel panic - not syncing: VF: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0)

Step 6) Now you are aware: you could skip step 5! Reboot your eeepc (or your mepis box) in normal (Xandros, Mepis, Ubuntu?) mode. You key is mounted?
Go to the key (something like /media/usbdisk, /media/USB KEY/partition1, /media/SDHC-CARD...) and next to the mounted boot/grub directory.

Edit the menu.lst (and have a look at the menu.lst.old saved during the install process). You should be root. Replace the 'boot' line by:

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initrd  /boot/initrd

Updated: In the install process, when installing grub to the / partition, check the initrd checkbox, this will add the initrd line in menu.lst

In the 'kernel' line, the device (the 'boot=' argument, your key/card) should be specified by its UUID - as the /dev/sdX may vary randomly according to the devices attached to your system (as root, use the

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blkid

command, Xandros does not have the vol_id command, nor the /dev/disk/by-uuid special file)

Here is my menu.lst (of course substitute your key's UUID)

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timeout 15
color cyan/blue white/blue
foreground ffffff
background 0639a1

gfxmenu /boot/grub/message

title MEPIS at sdb1, newest kernel
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=UUID=92f9fc37-6721-4917-82ab-11ae9407229e nomce nosplash vga=791 
initrd          /boot/initrd.img

title MEPIS at sdb1, previous kernel (if any)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz.old root=UUID=92f9fc37-6721-4917-82ab-11ae9407229e nomce quiet splash vga=791 
initrd          /boot/initrd.img

title MEPIS at sdb1, kernel 2.6.22-1-mepis-smp
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22-1-mepis-smp root=UUID=92f9fc37-6721-4917-82ab-11ae9407229e nomce quiet splash vga=791 
initrd          /boot/initrd.img

title Normal Boot
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.21.4-eeepc quiet rw vga=785 irqpoll root=/dev/sda1
initrd /boot/initramfs-eeepc.img

title MEMTEST
kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin

I removed the quiet option, and set the nosplash option to see what happens.

Step 7) Reboot, Esc-Esc-Esc, select the key/card, at the grub menu select Mepis newest kernel (all kernels at the moment are the same, except 'Normal boot' that should lead you to the Xandros system - provided you did not erase the SSD disk -remember: you did it at your own risk)... and Hurrah! Antix is there.

To be continued:
Eeepc's adventures in AntiXland - Season 2: The wifi connection.

Feel free to comment...

lagopus · posted: 2008-10-24 02:33

Part 2: Enabling WIFI

When I boot my fresh install of antiX, I get the kernel log:

Oct 23 19:39:51 pinocchio kernel: ath_hal: module license 'Proprietary' taints kernel.
Oct 23 19:39:51 pinocchio kernel: ath_hal: 0.9.18.0 (AR5210, AR5211, AR5212, RF5111, RF5112, RF2413, RF5413)
Oct 23 19:39:51 pinocchio kernel: ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:00:1f.3 -> GSI 19 (level, low) -> IRQ 19
Oct 23 19:39:51 pinocchio kernel: wlan: 0.8.4.2 (0.9.3.2-rc1)
Oct 23 19:39:51 pinocchio kernel: ath_pci: 0.9.4.5 (0.9.3.2-rc1)
Oct 23 19:39:51 pinocchio kernel: ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:01:00.0[A] -> GSI 18 (level, low) -> IRQ 18
Oct 23 19:39:51 pinocchio kernel: PCI: Setting latency timer of device 0000:01:00.0 to 64
Oct 23 19:39:51 pinocchio kernel: wifi%d: unable to attach hardware: 'Hardware revision not supported' (HAL status 13)

Ok I have a problem with the ath_hal and ath_pci modules.

I decided to install the windows XP driver with ndiswrapper:

Step 1) Blacklist the modules in /etc/modprobe.d/madwifi:
(uncommented the commented lines and vice versa)

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## ath5k (mac80211)
## Comment out the following line, and uncomment all of the
## madwifi modules below to use the athk module
#blacklist ath5k

## madwifi (non-free)
blacklist ath_hal
blacklist ath_pci
blacklist ath_rate_amrr
blacklist ath_rate_onoe
blacklist ath_rate_sample
blacklist wlan
blacklist wlan_acl
blacklist wlan_ccmp
blacklist wlan_scan_ap
blacklist wlan_scan_sta
blacklist wlan_tkip
blacklist wlan_wep
blacklist wlan_xauth

2) Download the drivers from Asus site
========= SCRAPER REMOVED AN EMBEDDED LINK HERE ===========
url was:"http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us"
linktext was:"http://support.asus.com/download/downlo ... uage=en-us"
====================================

3) Unzip the downloaded files and make a local copy the Wireless/ndis5x and lan/Attansic/WinXP_32 directories

4) cd to these directories and install the drivers:

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# ndiswrapper -i l251x86.inf
# ndiswrapper -i net5211.inf

5) Check:

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# ndiswrapper -l
airplus : driver installed
bcmwl5 : driver installed
bcmwl5a : driver installed
l251x86 : driver installed
        device (1969:2048) present
lsbcmnds6 : driver installed
lstinds : driver installed
mrv8k51 : driver installed
net5211 : driver installed
        device (168C:001C) present (alternate driver: ath_pci)
net8185 : driver installed
netr33x : driver installed
prismnic : driver installed
wlannic : driver installed
wlanuig : driver installed
wlipnds : driver installed

6) Reload the module:

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# modprobe -r ndiswrapper
# modprobe ndiswrapper

7) Is my wifi interface up?

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# iwconfig
lo        no wireless extensions.

wlan0     IEEE 802.11g  ESSID:off/any  
          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.412 GHz  Access Point: Not-Associated   
          Bit Rate:54 Mb/s   
          Encryption key:off
          Power Management:off
          Link Quality:0  Signal level:0  Noise level:0
          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0
          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:0   Missed beacon:0

(I am not sure my ethernet lan works, but I can configure my wifi connection)

__{{emoticon}}__ Can I see my network?

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# iwlist wlan0 scan
wlan0     Scan completed :
          Cell 01 - Address: 66:BB:EE:11:AA:00
                    ESSID:"HelloWorld"
                    Protocol:IEEE 802.11g
                    Mode:Managed
                    Frequency:2.427 GHz (Channel 4)
                    Quality:93/100  Signal level:-36 dBm  Noise level:-96 dBm
                    Encryption key:on
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s
                              9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s
                              48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Extra:bcn_int=100
                    Extra:atim=0
...

__{{emoticon}}__ Configure my access (access point, key, DHCP, etc)
Open Control Center -> Network -> Wicd...

Next steps:
= Install a new kernel (sidux?) that may have the linux drivers working out of the box
= Download and run the sidux-eepc.sh script

eriefisher · posted: 2008-10-24 12:13

I think there are some specific eeepc modules in the sidux kernels, I would have to check to be sure. There is also a package called eeepc-acpi-scripts in the repos. You may need this for keys and lights and such.

Great how-to by the way. Keep posting what ever info you find, I'm sure someone else will make good use of it.

anticapitalista · posted: 2008-10-24 15:19

Thanks very much for this howto. I'm sure others will benefit from it.

coyotito · posted: 2009-01-28 21:01

or this kernel?

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====================================
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lagopus · posted: 2009-01-28 21:49

Cyotito:

I never tried these custom kernels.
I stay with antix-M8 2.6.27-1-mepis-smp
Sound and wireless works, did not tried the webcam.

Yves

masinick · posted: 2009-01-28 21:59

Great stuff! I do not have this box, but if I find someone who does, I can point them to this set of tips on how to get AntiX functional on the EeePC 701/4G. Thanks!