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diff --git a/content/blog/archlinux-macbook-a1211.md b/content/blog/archlinux-macbook-a1211.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d0ea094 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/archlinux-macbook-a1211.md @@ -0,0 +1,222 @@ ++++ +title = "Archlinux on a MacBook Pro 15'' Model A1211" +categories = [ "Operating System", "Archlinux", "MacBook" ] +date = "2018-11-06T16:20:39+02:00" +thumbnail = "/images/blog/archlinux-macbook-a1211/macbook-A1211.jpg" +draft = true ++++ + +## History + +I got an old Mac from a collegue at work. Apple decided not to +support those devices anymore, anyway, they date back to 2006. +I find a pitty, because this Mac has a solid case, a pretty fast +64-bit processor (sorry Archlinux32, no test machine for you) and +a graphic chip which is not melting away like in later models.. + +Here the specifications: + +* 2.3 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo +* 2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM +* OSX 10.6.8 +* ATI Radeon X1600 256 MB RAM, 1440x900, 32 bit + +I didn't try any Sierra OSX hacks on old hardware and besides, +Archlinux is a better choice for a developer on a Mac. Although +there are still MacPorts for OSX 10.6.x (no Brew), it can be +quite painful to get something compiled on a Mac OS that old. + +As we will later see, we want to keep OSX around for being able to +change settings, extract some firmware, etc. + +## Installation + +### Prepare for dual installation + +TODO: Shrink OSX partition to 64GB, rest to free space + +Preapre the USB stick for installation. + +hdiutil convert -format UDRW -o archlinux-2018.09.01-x86_64.img archlinux-2018.09.01-x86_64.iso +dd if=archlinux-2018.09.01-x86_64.dmg of=/dev/disk2 bs=1m + +### EFI boot + +I used [ReFIT for MAC](http://refit.sourceforge.net/) to improve the +somewhat limited EFI environment of an early Mac (don't get me wrong, it's +pretty impressive that such an old machine already had EFI, but nowadays this +EFI shows it's age). + +The firmware is a 32-bit EFI, causing trouble all along. I didn't take +ReFind, as I didn't expect 32-bit EFI to be supported, especially as I +see now Tianocore failing to build with more modern 32-bit binutils and gcc. + +I installed a 32-bit GRUB onto the EFI partition as a second boot option +along to OSX. This one then boots ArchLinux. This is easier than to try +to load a 64-bit kernel from an 32-bit EFI environemnt with grub or +even systemd-boot. + +### ATI VESA BIOS + +I didn't want to boot into legacy mode to make the VGA BIOS visible, so +I got a nice problem during KMS switching in early booting stage: the +graphical output just froze. The irony here is that modern Linux and Xorg +don't care at all about the old VGA/VESA BIOS, but for KMS, where they rely +on 16-bit firmware functions to program the video chip. Wonder, what will +happen, if the BIOS disappears completly.. + + +So, all I got was a missing the following kernel and Xorg error messages: + +``` +[2.052705] [drm] initializing kernel modesetting (RV530 0x1002:0x71C5 0x106B:0x0080 0x00). +[2.052742] radeon 0000:01:00.0: Invalid PCI ROM header signature: expecting 0xaa55, got 0xa1a1 +[2.052817] [drm:radeon_get_bios [radeon]] *ERROR* Unable to locate a BIOS ROM +[2.052825] radeon 0000:01:00.0: Fatal error during GPU init +[2.053037] radeon: probe of 0000:01:00.0 failed with error -22 +... +[31.041] (EE) open /dev/dri/card0: No such file or directory +``` + +So this basically translates into: "I don't have a direct rendering interface, +because there is no card, because there is no BIOS for the card'. + +The idea was to extract the VESA BIOS on a distribution which handles +the KMS switching correctly (in my case an old Ubuntu 10). + +``` +dd if=/dev/mem of=vbios.bin bs=65536 skip=12 count=1 +``` + +Verify that indeed you got the right firmware. There is error message: + +``` +[2.052742] radeon 0000:01:00.0: Invalid PCI ROM header signature: expecting 0xaa55, got 0xa1a1 +``` + +so we expect to find that in the *vbios.bin* file: + +``` +hexdump -C vbios.bin | head -n 1 +00000000 55 aa 7d e9 7f 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |U.}.............| +``` + +This firmware comes into */lib/firmware/radeon/vbios.bin* to be available during +boot. + +The next problem was that the radeon driver didn't know about this firmware +to load. There is a patch in https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=26891 +for older modules, but it also applies to modern radeon kernel drivers. All +it does is load the *vbios.bin* file from the right place, when all the other +options failed. + +Now, Archlinux needs the Radeon driver for KMS as early as possible, so +I thought it's a nice idea to put it into the init-RAM-disk: + +So, I added to */etc/mkinitcpio.conf*: + +``` +MODULES=(radeon) +FILES=(/usr/lib/firmware/radeon/vbios.bin) +``` + +My version of the module is [here](/text/blog/archlinux-macbook-a1211/radeon_bios.c), check +out function *radeon_read_bios_from_firmware* and calling code. + +TODO: link the code of the module from somewhere. + +### "Total Darkness" after 10 minutes + +Everything was running smoothly.. for about 10 minutes. Then my LCD display +just went pitch black. + +Setting the brightness manually didn't help: + +``` +xrandr --output LVDS --brightness 1 +``` + +(it did work later though to set the brightness between 0.0 and 1.0) + +The trick is to tell the radeon module to handle the LCD backlight, not +one of the funny Apple brightness modules. In */etc/modprobe.d/radeon.conf* put: + +``` +options radeon backlight=1 +``` + +Also handy is the https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/brightd/, thought +I think also systemd-backlight can nowadays save the brightness. + +### Function keys or special keys + +If you don't need the special volumes, brightness keys but instead the old +Fxx function keys, add the following to */etc/modprobe.d/hid_apple.conf*: + +``` +options hid_apple fnmode=2 +``` + +TODO: Functions keys or ACPI + +### Camera + +Here we come to iSight and why we need OSX around to extract the proper +firmware. + +https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Mac#Webcam has a really nice walkthrough. + +Short, you need https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/hfsprogs/ to mount the HFS +partition. There you will find a file called *AppleUSBVideoSupport* in +*/System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleUSBVideoSupport.kext/Contents/MacOS*. + +You will also need https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/isight-firmware-tools/, +with that one you extract a file *isight.fw* from *AppleUSBVideoSupport*. + +The udev rule in */etc/udev/rules.d/isight.rules* then makes sure the firmware +is also loaded on startup. + +### Wifi + +Install *wireless-regdb* and make sure to enable the proper regulatory domain in +*/etc/conf.d/wireless-regdom*: + +``` +WIRELESS_REGDOM="CH" +``` + +The regulatory domain has to be set properly, otherwise the Wifi works +perfectly. Put in */etc/modprobe.d/regdom.conf*: + +``` +options cfg80211 ieee80211_regdom=CH +``` + +(CH is for Switzerland, pick your own country here) + +TODO: regdomain for WPA-supplicant, can it be done in userspace? + +### Fans and sensors + +macfanctl from AUR works nicely, lm_sensors no problems + +### Power consumption + +cpupower seems to work fine. + +TODO: issues with powertop and hard disk wake-up? + +### Mouse buttons + +TODO: load synaptic, configure at your gusto (double, triple finger clicks), +for opening tabs in a browser, doing some X copy paste etc. +TODO: Ctrl/Meta-Modifier shift if you want context menues + +## References + +* https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=26891: the patch to radeon.ko, + enabling loading of file as VESA bios. +* https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=139511: some discussions about + the VESA radeon topic in the Archlinux forum. +* https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Mac#Webcam: how to make the camera work + |