site  contact  subhomenews

2.6.39.3 kernel recompile, take-4

July 17, 2011 — BarryK
Fourth time, fifth time? I forget. The previous compile and upload was reported here:
http://bkhome.org/archive/blog2/201107/linux-2639-3-kernel.html

The source link is the same, I have updated it:
http://bkhome.org/sources/kernel-2.6.39-3/

The latest PET (23.3MB):
http://distro.ibiblio.org/quirky/pet_packages-common/linux_kernel-2.6.39-3-pae-i686-1-w5.pet

The reason that I have recompiled the kernel, is that I have discovered that my new laptop has "hybrid graphics". That is, it has Intel graphics plus nVidia graphics chips, with a multiplexer so that either can access the screen.

To be able to switch betwen the GPUs, a kernel option has to be enabled "Graphics support -> laptop hybrid graphics - GPU switching support". This enables what is called "VGA Switcheroo". nVidia refers to it as Hybridpower, and ATI as Powerxpress.

Note, I also enabled ISA bus support, and all the ISA sound drivers.

Note also, I will need to do some work on the Xorg Wizard to support this, and hopefully will succeed.

Comments

Adding vgaswitcheroo
Username: pemasu
http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/Vga_switcheroo Kernel debugfs needs to be enabled. Vgaswitcheroo needs it. If you want to shuh down the unused discrete graphics, acpi_call.ko do that. Even if you use the intel graphics nvidia uses watts (as much as all together) so shuttind it down is useful when in battery. Compile acpi_call.ko, place it under acpi in kernel folders, load it and run ./test_off.sh. You see in terminal if your nvidia were shut down. Well, then you cant switch graphics before you have woke it up again. https://github.com/mkottman/acpi_call

OT: Coffee Script
Username: Dougal
"Barry, I've been meaning to mention this for a while... kind of like BaCon etc.: http://jashkenas.github.com/coffee-script/

Debug filesystem needs ticking
Username: pemasu
"I downloaded latest kernel pet to get .config file. It seems that in Kernel hacking --> Debug filesystem is not enabled. Vgaswitcheroo definitively needs it. /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch

PAE & co
Username: Sage
"Grateful for the deference to ISA, but are all these recent developments in the spirit of Wary? Time to stand back a long way and re-assess matters? Pre-occupations with the latest and greatest kit may be intellectually rewarding, but in a cash-strapped world with growing landfill mountains, only one nation is blinkered to realities - give you a clue: it's not Oz. Why not devise a new breed called Lemming for all those (probably not as many as some believe?) who cannot resist the entreaties of the siren calls? As in most other fields of endeavour, trying to be all things to all men may not prove possible? At least, not until the Koreans perfect their mobiles with video calling - perhaps that'll satisfy the wailing kiddies. Time was when a pair of empty bean cans and a piece of string made a good two-way telephone, with the added advantages of conversion to a pair of stilts, rain-gauge, wicket for a game of tin-can-willy, ad. inf. Spending dosh on shiny new plastic never was so much fun...

PAE and Wary
Username: BarryK
"sage, When did I ever say that the PAE kernel would be used for Wary? I compiled it in Wary, that is all. I will probably use the 2.6.39-3 PAE kernel for the next build of Drake Puppy (Mageia-based) -- which is likely to be soon.

When did I ever say that the PAE kernel would be used for Wary?
Username: Sage
"Ah! My misunderstanding, then - apologies! Sometimes I get confused with all these parallel developments as to which applies. Glad to report latest incarnation continues to run well on everything, old & new.


Tags: puppy