Post-install Steps For Debian Eabi With Installer, What to do after installing debian the cortez way! Options

[tux]

What needs doing after a successful installation of cortez-debian. I'm talking about the version of debian and the installer provided by cortez in this thread Debian Eabi With Installer.

Please re-read the first post in that thread because it has been updated. Follow the steps carefully to ensure fewer problems during and post-install.

It is worth remembering that the kernel and modules used in this method, 2.6.23 at the moment, have been produced by cortez using the build system and source tree used by the Poky linux developers. I believe this is based on bitbake and the angstrom work. I think it is worth considering that there may be incompatabilities between this system and the angstrom kernel, modules and packages.

I have successfully installed this system. However I did make an error in allowing the partitioner to format the new / partition. This meant that I had to copy the modules for the kernel across to the microdrive by using the method shown on the TitchyLinux site. I mean I had to mount the SD card and use this command: dpkg-deb -x (pathtofileon SDcard)zaurus_specific.deb . while being in the / directory of the microdrive.


Does it matter if I use keymap.map as in ZDevil's Monster thread or the spitz.gz file from the TitchyLinux files in order to set up the keyboard? Would it be automatically set upif I hadn't let the partitioner format /?

What about the gui/X system? Where do I start looking? cortez says get kdrive from PokyLinux and install it. Then install the window maager of your choice.

One definite plus for this install, the hardware clock is sorted out without needing any clever tricks.

The wifi only had the post-install problem of blacklisting the hostap modules. I have to do this post-install with all methods and varieties of debian, because all my wifi cards work with orinoco and fail with hostap loaded.

The dhcp in the installer works well!

It is much easier to work from the console if you install the openssh-server and login from a terminal on your desktop or use putty. It is vital to work this way when trying to get X to work. It is possible to have a Zaurus which loads X, but a non-working variety, and the only way to mend things is from a remote console.

Hope this thread is of use, especially to me , to people who are testing this convenient way of installing an EABI + EABI debian system on their Z.

This post has been edited by tux: Nov 4 2007, 12:47 AM

[tux]

Finally I have cortez-debian with X! But the Wiki pages and the linked threads are so fragmented!!! Thanks anyway guys.. I finally blundered my way through.

Particular thanks to cortez for his install files being smooth working. Thanks for the thousands of words from ZDevil..

I would never have got there if it hadn't been for the fact that I used ssh to cut and paste the steps from ZDevil's afterinstall scripts, one after the other, into the terminal on BigZ!

The X system gave me the biggest struggle and jpmatrix's page of tips at the Wiki got me through. But I didn't have the luck to be able to use his preferred steps. I had to take the alternatives he suggested.

Points to note:
1. I used cortez's files to install. This means I used his kernel and modules.
2. When it came to X it had no touchscreen calibration nor use of mouse.
3 So I left the first module_raw uncommented.
4. I could not get calibration to work with the use of a script, I had to use this command at the terminal :export TSLIB_TSDEVICE=/dev/input/event1
5. finally ts_calibrate worked....
6. I used rmmod mousedev to get the pointer to behave itself after X started.

I think I'm going to have to suspend BigZ to keep X working or I'll have to manually do export TSLIB_TSDEVICE=/dev/input/event1 and rmmod mousedev after each boot. I will eventually get this automated but the tips don't seem to work as advertised so far...

One other thing jpmatrix, so far I've not managed to get your tips about running X as a non-root user working. But tomorrow is another day.

[dlj0]

Finally I have cortez-debian with X! But the Wiki pages and the linked threads are so fragmented!!! Thanks anyway guys.. I finally blundered my way through.

That makes two of us.

I would never have got there if it hadn't been for the fact that I used ssh to cut and paste the steps from ZDevil's afterinstall scripts, one after the other, into the terminal on BigZ!

That makes two of us!

The X system gave me the biggest struggle and jpmatrix's page of tips at the Wiki got me through. But I didn't have the luck to be able to use his preferred steps. I had to take the alternatives he suggested.

Points to note:
1. I used cortez's files to install. This means I used his kernel and modules.
2. When it came to X it had no touchscreen calibration nor use of mouse.
3 So I left the first module_raw uncommented.
4. I could not get calibration to work with the use of a script, I had to use this command at the terminal :export TSLIB_TSDEVICE=/dev/input/event1
5. finally ts_calibrate worked....
6. I used rmmod mousedev to get the pointer to behave itself after X started.

I think I'm going to have to suspend BigZ to keep X working or I'll have to manually do export TSLIB_TSDEVICE=/dev/input/event1 and rmmod mousedev after each boot. I will eventually get this automated but the tips don't seem to work as advertised so far...

For the fouchscreen, to calibrate I had to comment out the line in /etc/ts.conf that installed a config file for a corgi or some such. Then it worked.

For the user-X, and to consistently get the TSLIB device set up, replace /usr/bin/X with the following script:

#!/bin/sh
export TSLIB_TSDEVICE=/dev/input/event1
exec /usr/bin/Xfbdev -screen 480x640@270 "$@"

chmod 4755 this file and it will work.

I think cortez himself has gone back to the drawing board on this, so you and I may be the only ones using it. But I have gotten to the point that this thing is better than it ever was. The only major hassle now is the browser issue, and I have workarounds for that, along with minor hassles.

[cortez]

I think cortez himself has gone back to the drawing board on this, so you and I may be the only ones using it. But I have gotten to the point that this thing is better than it ever was. The only major hassle now is the browser issue, and I have workarounds for that, along with minor hassles.

Yep, although I haven't updated this thread for some time, I'm still working on it . I created a root filesystem from scratch with all basic stuff installed. Some of the installed packages are apt, hal, NetworkManager, Midnight Commander, X11, iceWM. Everything is working fine until now, and best of all is that I didn't need any of the "pre install" and "post install" steps described in all the threads and wiki. All seems to work out of the box until now.

But... It takes so much time to set things up correctly, much more than I expected. Anyhow, I hope that I will succeed in building a fresh root filesystem so each of you will be able to install Debian hassle-free without the need of a rocket scientist

Currently I'm having trouble setting up IceWM. Somehow the desktop is in portrait mode all the time. Any ideas are welcome!

cortez

[dlj0]

Currently I'm having trouble setting up IceWM. Somehow the desktop is in portrait mode all the time. Any ideas are welcome!

cortez

Try my X script instead of the small executable that the debian packages install. I posted it earlier on this thread. For me both the login screen and the desktop show up in landscape mode.

I would like to know more about the mousedev module. Why do those who remove it have to remove it? How do you do that, since it is being used while X is running? I got bad results when I just blacklisted it.

[tux]

Currently I'm having trouble setting up IceWM. Somehow the desktop is in portrait mode all the time. Any ideas are welcome!

cortez

Try my X script instead of the small executable that the debian packages install. I posted it earlier on this thread. For me both the login screen and the desktop show up in landscape mode.

I would like to know more about the mousedev module. Why do those who remove it have to remove it? How do you do that, since it is being used while X is running? I got bad results when I just blacklisted it.

Hi dlj0,

I am using your script now.

I have also installed xfce and much prefer it to icewm. As regards rmmod mousedev: YMMV, I found that the mouse pointer went shooting off away from the stylus position and this made using the 'mouse' difficult. When I did rmmod mousedev the pointer started to behave itself. As regards doing the rmmod: before I used your script xdm ran and could be stopped to allow me to rmmod mousedev. With your script, xdm doesn't appear to be running. So I'm going to put rmmod mousedev in your script and see what happens!!

jpmatrix's tip about xrandr was used before I used your script and I commented it out to cure the rotated screen. All is ok now apart from some jittering with the mouse. I'm going to investigate the state of my scripts and just what tips are being used now.

By the way, my wifi only works with hostap blacklisted and with the interface called wlan0. I had a real battle to get it working...

This post has been edited by tux: Nov 21 2007, 10:19 AM

[dlj0]

I am using your script now.

I have also installed xfce and much prefer it to icewm. As regards rmmod mousedev: YMMV, I found that the mouse pointer went shooting off away from the stylus position and this made using the 'mouse' difficult. When I did rmmod mousedev the pointer started to behave itself. As regards doing the rmmod: before I used your script xdm ran and could be stopped to allow me to rmmod mousedev. With your script, xdm doesn't appear to be running. So I'm going to put rmmod mousedev in your script and see what happens!!

jpmatrix's tip about xrandr was used before I used your script and I commented it out to cure the rotated screen. All is ok now apart from some jittering with the mouse. I'm going to investigate the state of my scripts and just what tips are being used now.

By the way, my wifi only works with hostap blacklisted and with the interface called wlan0. I had a real battle to get it working...

Check your /etc/ts.conf file for an uncommented machine definition. I found one, and the mouse started to behave once I commented that line out.

You probably had/have both the xrandr command and the rotation from my script, so it may be 180-degrees rotated.

As-far as the wifi goes, I am doing exactly the same. But, up to now I haven't even configured the wifi, dhclient just seems to find it.

[tux]

I've just spent two nights reinstalling! I installed an application and just accepted the options. Unfortunately the install removed some components that allowed X to work. I should have paid more attention. The app was wifi-radar.

I found the reinstall very tedious. The really annoying thing is running the scripts and then going through the steps manually to check which bits worked and which bits need to be done manually. The 2nd-cfg script needs debugging.... But I suppose if cortez's new scheme for a tarball of a working system with X works out this isn't likely to be needed.

Again setting up the wifi seemed very problematical. I know now to use wlan0 and set it up as per the interfaces file from my install of Titchy. (By the way, Titchy is still the easiest to set up and have a working X system. The only drawback is the lack of multimedia!)

Again X was a pain to get going. dlj0's script works well and I add rmmod mousedev to it. jpmatrix's page at the wiki is also useful, though his tips for getting X to work for the normal user don't work for me. This is the biggest issue about working with eabi debian for me. I don't like using root as my working user.

I noticed, this time, that using this install, you should partition the drive using fdisk before install and say no to cortez's installer, when it offers to format the drive for you. You end up with one partition and no swap partition, if you just accept everything. This means that you need to set up a swapfile after the install.

I installed xfce because I don't like having to make my own menu entries for installed apps, as you seem to have to in icewm.

I still haven't got very far with multimedia. I did get mplayer to play some flv files. Rather slow motion though. I still haven't got any sound out, but that is just a matter of playing with mixer settings I believe. An avi file that used to play under cacko showed no signs of life.

This locales hitch annoys me too.

Under Titchy I was able to use my usb lan dongle with very little trouble. I've not managed to get it going under EABI yet. Probably forgotten how I set it up!!!

I'm using dillo as my browser and sylpheed as my mail client. I've installed abiword and I think I've installed gnumeric as compiled by ZDevil.

Lots of playing about to do yet. Roll on cortex's tarball.

(sorry about the lack of commas!)

This post has been edited by tux: Nov 25 2007, 02:42 AM