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The case is made by Antec, the motherboard Abit, the CPU is AMD - all quality but non-proprietary parts. This combination of hardware is biased towards performance and upgrade abilities; it is named NANUQ after the polar bear for its stealthy demeanour, power and intelligence.
NVIDIA® defines the different levels of SLI ready PC as Extreme, Ultra High End, High End, Midrange and Entry Level. The default setup falls into the High End level.
The energy efficient Dual core CPU, energy efficient 550W 80 PLUS SLI ready power supply, RoHS compliant motherboard, power supply and case, together with the long non-commercial life cycle of Debian Linux also means an exceptionally long life and lower environmental impact.
The following documents the changes made to integrate this desktop computer with the Debian GNU/Linux distribution system. This disclosure is made in the spirit of Free Software so that users can help themselves and their neighbours.
All material presented are licensed under The GNU Free Documentation License.
Please report problems and direct all enquiries to Contact US.
This product is no longer available for sale but the documentation remains for owner references.
This section is specific to the hardware combination listed in the specification section along with Debian GNU/Linux version 4.x (Etch).
But this will work with most AMD® CPU systems with NVIDIA® video graphics card and SATA or PATA drives. Sound Card support is provided by ALSA sound system, ... etc. Please see references for further details.
Updated: 2006-11-17
Back to topThe default resolution setup on this desktop is 1280x1024. The motherboard on NANUQ uses a NVIDIA graphics chip. NVIDIA® uses a unified driver so information in this section should work with most NVIDIA graphics cards; this means when upgrading your graphics card, keep in mind it is easiest to upgrade to another card with NVIDIA chips.
If you had brought your monitor with the desktop, the setup would be consistent and there would be no need to change it. The NVIDIA driver that came with your desktop is a custom compiled kernel driver; it was compiled from NVIDIA's driver to the specific kernel version installed on your desktop.
For those who did not purhcase from us and/or upgraded their monitor to a higher resolution, there are three places that needs changing.
In addition to changing screen resolutions, you can also enhance your display by messing with the Screen Fonts..
For those who uses the nv
driver that came with Xorg, you can change resolution easily -
Select Desktop->Preferences->Screen Resolution to change the display resolution to a native resolution.
For those using NVIDIA's driver, there are two way to change the Xorg setup. Through the NVIDIA configuration panel under Applications->System Tools like below
Or if that doesn't work, manually setting the option UseEdidFreqs
to false
under the Screen section in
/etc/X11/xorg.conf
.
Section "Screen" ... Option "UseEdidFreqs" "false" ... EndSection
Or if that doesn't work, modify the following options in /etc/X11/xorg.conf
:
$ su # dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg
Or edit xorg.conf directly...
$ su # editor /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Section "Monitor" ... HorizSync 31-101 VertRefresh 60-160 ...
UseEdidFreqsto
falsein the Screen Section. You will need to be root to edit the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file.
Section "Screen" ... Option "UseEdidFreqs" "false" ... EndSection
For non-standard resolutions, you may need to add a modeline in your monitor section and add it to your active mode in your screen section.
You may get your modeline from one of the various sites: XFree86 Modeline Generator, Modeline Tool by Andreas Bohne-Lang. Read more about modeline in wiki
For example:
Section "Monitor"
...
# V-freq: 75.00 Hz // h-freq: 80.42 KHz
Modeline "1400x1024" 165.98 1400 1488 1688 2064 1024 1024 1027 1072
...
EndSection
Section "Screen"
DefaultColorDepth 24
...
Subsection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1400x1024"
EndSubsection
...
EndSection
Sometimes a monitor may advertise display capabilities higher than its native resolution confusing the video card. Unlike CRT monitor which display different resolutions clearly; most LCD display has only one native resolution and it is the only resolution that will display clearly.
To get SLI to work you need additional settings in xorg.
Section "Screen" ... # to get SLI working... Option "SLI" "off" Option "NvAGP" "1" Option "LoadKernelModule" "off" ... EndSection
To turn off NVIDIA's logo, add this...
Section "Screen" ... # turn off anonying logo. Option "NoLogo" ... EndSection
The additional lines in Xorg are for making NVIDIA® play well. In SLI
mode, the parameter value should be set to auto
.
More advance users can choose other modes. Additional kernel parameters are required for stable SLI
operation. Please read on...
|
|
For SLImode, it is mandatory for pci=nommconfto be inserted into the kernel parameter. idle=poll and agp=offare helper parameters to increase stability. Without nommconf, your kernel will crash left and right. |
In addition, the grub parameter could be changed for different initial boot resolutions. This is done to match the Bootsplash screens.
To change the initial boot resolution in grub, change the boot parameter in /boot/grub/menu.lst
.
The line to be change is shown below:
... # defoptions=vga=794 resume2=swap:/dev/sda7 splash=silent pci=nommconf idle=poll agp=off ...
The parameter that is change is vga=???, the following are the possible values:
| Color depth | 640x480 | 800x600 | 1024x768 | 1280x1024 | 1400x1050 | 1600x1200 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15-bit | 784 | 787 | 790 | 793 | 832 | 797 |
| 16-bit | 785 | 788 | 791 | 794 | 833 | 798 |
| 24-bit | 786 | 789 | 792 | 795 | 834 | 799 |
After the value is changed. Run update-grub to update the menu.lst
file.
# update-grub
Note: it is important to change the # defoptions
and not the selections below directly, otherwise changes you made will mysteriously disappear next time grub is updated.
To change the bootsplash resolution, do the following:
# dpkg-reconfigure bootsplash
Automatically configure your bootloader,
Update your initramfs images,
For users with LCD monitors, the screen font appearance can be imporved. Select Desktop->Preferences->Font to access the font preference within Gnome.
Selecting Subpixel smoothing (LCD)s
.
Additional Font packages can be installed to enhance readability in web-browsers. A popular set of web fonts are from Microsoft, it is a gift from Microsoft and Bill Gates. Although it is non-free it enhances readability in many websites.
The NVIDIA kernel driver was build from a custom kernel. There may be many reasons for rebuilding the kernel driver: upgrading to a newer version of the driver for redistribution, upgrading to a newer kernel or simply repeating the process for learning. Here are the steps:
srcgroup. If not, add yourself to it and logout and login again.
/usr/src.
/usr/srcdirectory and create a symbolic link
linuxto the source directory. e.g. linux-source-2.6.8.
--add-this-kernelto add new kernel interface into package. Replace xxxx with version number. (The extra parameter is not needed if the current computer is also your target computer.)
$ NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-xxxx-pkg1.run --add-this-kernel
If this sounds like too much work for you, Linuxvillage releases a corresponding driver for each custom kernel relesaed.
To install the custom NVIDIA driver for your kernel, run the following as root in /usr/src
# NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-xxxx-pkg1-custom.run
It will uninstall the old driver and update it with the new driver and install kernel interfaces as well. Kernel source is not needed.
Updated: 2007-07-04
Back to topThe external microphone jack is in the back of the computer and can be enabled as below using GNOME ALSA Mixer. The setting should be as follow for recording or conferencing.
GNOME ALSA Mixer can be found on GNOME Desktop. Select Applications->Sound & Videos->GNOME ALSA Mixer;
Test sound system by selecting Desktop->Preferences->Multimedia System Selection. If there are no sounds coming from the speakers, start the Root Terminal and put in the root password, then enter ALSA configuration menu.
# alsaconf
Select hda-intel nVidia Corporation MCP61 High Definition Audio (rev. XX)
.
Select Yes
to modify modprobe.
Type exit to leave Root Terminal.
# exit
Updated: 2006-11-17
Back to topHibernation is one of the most significant feature in terms of productivity. It allows the user to open up multiple applications to work, stop, hibernate and resume their work from where they left-off.
Hibernation differs from suspend in that suspend to ram will consume energy while hibernation does not. The cost of hibernation is a small amount of time in the hibernating and resuming process - less than half a minute. No suspend to ram is available on this machine.
 | To hibernate, select Applications->Accessories->hibernate. It will save a image of ram onto the disk and power off. |
Resumption is simply the reverse process. Turning on the machine and writing the image back to ram.
| Warning: do not hibernate in one version of the kernel and resume from another - it is a sure way of corrupting the system. |
Also, hibernation is not supported when this computer is in SLImode. |
Hibernation on this machine is setup with Software Suspend2. Aside from the usual in kernel compile, additional customization was developed to make it more convenient and reliable. The following is the list of customizations, the complete source is available in the repository:
echo > /sys/power/suspend2/do_resume
# choose older algorithm for reliability echo 1 > /sys/power/suspend2/full_pageset2 ... # NVIDIA hack for non-SLI mode suspend echo 0 > /sys/power/suspend2/extra_pages_allowance
More details can be found in suspend2.html and the individual patchset for this product in downloads.
Updated: 2006-11-17
Back to topThe bootsplash screen can be changed by the user. The instructions for creating a custom bootsplash are a little elaborate and a novices may feel more comfortable with using a image from bootsplash archive.
bootsplash-themeand download the theme.
# dpkg-reconfigure bootsplash
Automatically configure your bootloader,
Update your initramfs images,
The default bootsplash screen resolution is 1280x1024. The resolution and the images can be overriden. Read screen section for changing resolution, this section will address the overriding method.
To create a bootsplash screen:
/etc/bootsplash/themes/current/imagesdirectory with a file name of
silent-1280x1024.jpg.
silent-1280x1024.jpgis the image displayed with the progress bar and
bootsplash-1280x1024.jpgis the terminal screen with all the messages.
# update-initramfs -u
Aside from the standard kernel patch, the kernel parameters added in /boot/grub/menu.lst
under the grub section is the following:
# defoptions=vga=794 splash=silent ... # altoptions=(single-user mode) single vga=794 splash=verbose ...
A custom patch was also applied to /etc/init.d/rc
to support the progress bar.
Animation is not supported.
The custom patch is called rc.patch and is available in the Downloads section.
To apply the patch manually, run the following from a root terminal:
patch -i rc.patch -p0 -b /etc/init.d/rc
Replace the rc.patch
with the actual path of the file. The patch will create a backup in case something goes wrong.
Updated: 2006-11-17
Back to topThe integrated IEEE1394 Firewire port is a popular device used by video cameras. Kino will require this interface enabled to download video clips.
The raw1394 device file can be created by loading the appropriate kernel module. To load the module,
# modconf
kernel/drivers/ieee1394and press the Enter key;
raw1394and press the Enter key;
Exitto leave ieee1394 options, select
Exitagain to leave modconf.
exitto leave the Root Terminal
The firewire port was tested with Kino and Cannon ZR200 video camera. Controlling of the dv camera did not work, but the capture was ok. Testing was conducted with Debian Etch - custom kernel 2.6.18-3_10.01, Kino 0.9.2, dvgrab 1.8-4, libraw1394-5/8 ver. 0.10.1-1.1/1.2.1-2, libdc1394-13 1.1.0-3+b1
Updated: 2007-03-17
Back to topA usb webcam can be installed as a optional equipment. It can be use to take still digital photos, video conferencing with friends or make short video clips.
Digital photos can be taken with Camorama. Simply select Applications->Graphics->Camorama Webcam Viewer from the GNOME desktop.
Press the Take a Picture
button to take a snapshot, save the file into local directory.
Here, another one of my niece's friend is put to work.
There are a couple of video conferencing tools, Ekiga (formerly Gnome Meeting) or KOpete. KOpete will work with Yahoo and MSN.
To record a short video clip with sound. You will need to :
$ streamer -q -c /dev/video0 -f rgb24 -r 24 -C /dev/dsp -F mono16 -t 01:00 -o ~/Desktop/filename.avi
Ctrl-Cto stop recording.
This captures in avi format, you can convert it to DV in Kino and do editing. Add clips together to make a videogram or put your rantings on YouTube and have the entire planet ignore you.
The GSPCA kernel module for the webcam was compiled from source for the custom kernel. The source was from our friends at http://mxhaard.free.fr/. Please check the compatibility chart prior to purchasing.
Updated: 2006-12-28
Back to topThe wireless service on this desktop consist of four components, the wireless card and driver, the ndiswrapper and the Network Manager. Installation is assumed, a brief guide for the end-user is provided here.
To join a wireless network, left click on the signal strength in the notification area of the top panel and join an existing network or connect to a new wireless network. Fill in the pop-up dialog box as below and after a minute or so, a message should indicate you have successfully joined or failed.
Once successfully joined, a password will be asked to save the wireless profile. The profile is retrieved each time wireless network is detected.
Wireless services on this machine requires a wireless card, the ndiswrapper collection of software and the Network Manager. The configuration of ndiswrapper is found in Wireless Netowrking.
To avoid problems, check ndiswrapper list for compatible cards prior to purchasing.
The wireless-tools are a great assets in trouble shooting.
Use iwconfig to find out the status of the driver. Do this from a Root Terminal.
# iwconfig
Something similar to the following should show.
lo no wireless extensions.
eth0 no wireless extensions.
eth1 no wireless extensions.
...
wlan0 IEEE 802.11g ESSID:"oz"
Mode:Managed Frequency:2.417 GHz Access Point: 00:18:F3:3A:2A:FF
Bit Rate:54 Mb/s Tx-Power:15 dBm
Retry limit:15 RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off
Encryption key:6903-35A5-03CC-E5D8-9F30-A93A-6076-3438-7697-DC54-668E-C00F-8C2D-8D68-2867-4EFE Security mode:open
Power Management:off
Link Quality=75/100 Signal level=-59 dBm Noise level=-60 dBm
Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:84 Missed beacon:0
...
sit0 no wireless extensions.
If you don't see any network ESSID or Access Point information, it failed to negotiate a connection with a access point. If this happens, check the wireless light. If it is off, wireless kill switch is on and no connection is possible. If everything looks good then you should double check your access point essid key or password.
If you don't see any problems, then it is in the higher layer. Possibly a dhcp problem or a network problem from the access point onward. Check dmesg for any revealing messages.
Updated: 2006-11-17
Back to topThe following are the list of changes made to the standard Debian kernel source:
/etc/initramfs-tools/scripts/init-premountdirectory. Once the compilation is completed and an kernel image is created, suspend2 script must be removed from the afore mentioned directory prior to installing the new kernel.
 | The .config file can be downloaded from the Downloads section for peer review. |
Updated: 2006-11-17
Back to topThis is a desktop designed with upgradable parts. So for crying out loud - don't throw it out if you out grown it. See upgrading below for details.
| FEATURES | |
|---|---|
| Processor | Support AMD socket AM2 with 2GHz Hyper Transport System Bus. |
| Motherboard and Chipset | Abit KN9-SLI with NVIDIA® nForce® 570 SLI MCP (RoHS) |
| Memory | Dual channel DDR2 800 for a maximum of 8GB memory. |
| Expansion | 2 x PCI-E X162 slots supporting NVIDIA Scalable Link Interface, 2 x PCI-E and 2 PCI |
| Controller | 1x Floppy port, 1x UDMA 133/100/66/33 PATA connector, 6 x SATA 3Gb/s RAID 0/1/0+1/5 JBOD connector. |
| Audio | Realtek HD 7.1 channels. |
| Dimension (mm) | 444.5 (H) x 205.74 (W) x 469.9 (D) |
| Drive Bays |
|
| Front Panel | 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x Firewire, 1 x Microphone, 1 x Headphone |
| Rear Panel |
|
| Power | SLI ready |
| Case | Antec Mini Tower case with:
|
2The PCI-E x16 will drop to PCI-E x 8 bandwidth when in use with SLI mode. i.e. 2 x PCI-E x8 when in SLI mode. When used with only one graphic card, it is in PCI-Ex16 mode.
lspci produces the following output:
00:00.0 RAM memory: nVidia Corporation MCP55 Memory Controller (rev a1) 00:01.0 ISA bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 LPC Bridge (rev a2) 00:01.1 SMBus: nVidia Corporation MCP55 SMBus (rev a2) 00:01.2 RAM memory: nVidia Corporation MCP55 Memory Controller (rev a2) 00:02.0 USB Controller: nVidia Corporation MCP55 USB Controller (rev a1) 00:02.1 USB Controller: nVidia Corporation MCP55 USB Controller (rev a2) 00:04.0 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation MCP55 IDE (rev a1) 00:05.0 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation MCP55 SATA Controller (rev a2) 00:05.1 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation MCP55 SATA Controller (rev a2) 00:05.2 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation MCP55 SATA Controller (rev a2) 00:06.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 PCI bridge (rev a2) 00:06.1 Audio device: nVidia Corporation MCP55 High Definition Audio (rev a2) 00:08.0 Bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 Ethernet (rev a2) 00:09.0 Bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 Ethernet (rev a2) 00:0a.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 PCI Express bridge (rev a2) 00:0c.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 PCI Express bridge (rev a2) 00:0d.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 PCI Express bridge (rev a2) 00:0e.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 PCI Express bridge (rev a2) 00:0f.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 PCI Express bridge (rev a2) 00:18.0 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] HyperTransport Technology Configuration 00:18.1 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] Address Map 00:18.2 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] DRAM Controller 00:18.3 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] Miscellaneous Control 01:08.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Texas Instruments TSB43AB22/A IEEE-1394a-2000 Controller (PHY/Link) 06:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation Unknown device 0393 (rev a1)
The VGA compatible controller is the optional graphics card.
Updated: 2007-01-17
Back to topThis combination of hardware named NANUQ is very maintainable and upgradable. This includes the CPU, memory, harddisk, DVDRW drive, wireless card, power supply, sound and graphics card; even the motherboard can be replaced further extending the life of your case, power supply and drive accessories.
This upgrade ability will allow your computer to grow with your needs and keep waste out of landfills longer.
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Warning: Always unplug the power cord from the wall outlet and discharge any static electricity prior to opening the case. |
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Here are instructions for common upgrades.
| Note: Shop for standards compliant (JEDEC specs.) 1.8V DDR2 800/667/533 memory chips. |
Updated: 2006-11-17
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