next »

[teapot]

XO adaptation of Ubuntu Intrepid is now at http://mars.illtel.denver.co.us/~abelits/torrents/OLPCFiles-intrepid-20081130.tar.bz2.torrent .

Developers may want to look at the files used in this build at http://mars.illtel.denver.co.us/~abelits/software/olpc/intrepid-install-from-scratch-20081130.tar.bz2  (update-files/installscript.sh is supposed to be run as root from the top directory), however the build procedure is fragile (does not recover from errors), and it is supposed to produce exactly the same set of files as in the archive, so it's really only good for audits and customization.

As I have mentioned before, this release is intended to be reliable and consistent.

• Kernel is from OLPC release 8.2.0. USB boot fix in ramdisk is the only change that was applied to OLPC-distributed files.
• Ubuntu packages are properly identified as manually/automatically installed for easier customization, patched files are diverted, so package manager won't replace them on upgrades.
• Network Manager 0.7 is in Intrepid -- there is no need for custom repositories.
• clive package in Intrepid is also up to the latest version, so tubewatcher script is included without clive replacement.
• Firefox default configuration is adapted to screen resolution (larger fonts but no scaling for images), and libraries that come with xulrunner are replaced with ones that come with Firefox 3.0.4 release (for some reason libraries from xulrunner package occasionally replace images with noise).
• syslog is removed -- logging to SD or USB takes large amount of resources.
• Power management is by default enabled, "aggressive" power management mode that "invisibly" suspends on inactivity is by default disabled but can be enabled with sudo touch /etc/xo-suspend/aggressive and reboot, disabled with sudo rm /etc/xo-suspend/aggressive and reboot
• GTK theme is adapted to the changes in theme engines that come with Ubuntu -- it looks slightly better now, though differences are minimal.
• Splash screen is shown on boot and shutdown.

Installation procedure is pretty much the same as Hardy minus kernel/modules/firmware copying. To install it on the new SD card from USB stick with OLPCFiles-intrepid-20081130.tar.bz2 file on it:

--- Update: before installing Ubuntu, make sure that you have: ---
1. Developer key: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Activation_and_Developer_Keys
2. OS upgraded at least to the version 8.2.0: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Release_notes/8.2.0
3. Firmware upgraded at least to the version q2e18 (should come with OS 8.2.0): http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Firmware_q2e18

Older versions are known to have major problems and incompatibilities (ex: erasing your SD card, refusing to boot, disabling USB2...)
---------------------------------- end of update ----------------------------------

Start Terminal in Sugar.
Connect the USB drive. Don't insert SD card yet.
Run mount | grep /dev/sd , repeat until it returns a line like this:

/dev/sda1 on /media/USB ...

(assuming the drive is named USB)

Become root and stop haldaemon:

sudo -s
/etc/init.d/haldaemon stop

Insert SD card into the slot (the card will be erased, so back up all data on it that you want to preserve).

Erase MBR and partition table:
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/mmcblk0 bs=4096 count=1

Make the partition table:
echo -e ',,L,*\n\n\n' | sfdisk /dev/mmcblk0

Create the root filesystem:
mke2fs -jLOLPCRoot /dev/mmcblk0p1

Mount the filesystem and unpack the tarball onto it:
mount /dev/mmcblk0p1 /mnt
cd /mnt
tar xvjf /media/USB/OLPCFiles-intrepid-20081130.tar.bz2

Copy the developer key:
cp /security/* security/

If you want to enable aggressive power saving mode, at this point you can run:
touch /mnt/etc/xo-suspend/aggressive

Reboot:
reboot

After booting into a new system, log in as user olpc with password olpcolpc, and perform final updates:

Click on the Network Manager icon at the bottom panel, select the wireless network you want to use.

If wireless network uses encryption, you will be prompted for the key/password.

If it's a public access point that requires browser login (like T-Mobile hotspot), start Firefox and log in.

Start Terminal and complete the configuration:
passwd

(enter olpcolpc as the current password, then twice the password you intend to use)

sudo aptitude update
sudo aptitude safe-upgrade
sudo aptitude reinstall ssl-cert
sudo aptitude clean
sudo /etc/init.d/cups start
mkdir .mplayer
echo -e 'vo=sdl\nframedrop=1\nlavdopts=skiploopfilter=all:fast=1' > .mplayer/config
exit

At that point you may want to install Ubuntu packages (gimp, inkscape, msttcorefonts , flashplugin-nonfree), non-Ubuntu-maintained packages (OpenOffice.org 3.0), Firefox extensions (flashblock and adblock are very helpful on XO), etc.

After installing flashplugin-nonfree, run
sudo ln -s /etc/alternatives/firefox-flashplugin /usr/lib/firefox-addons/plugins/flashplugin-alternative.so
and install flashblock extension (the usual way, from the browser itself).
Update: mavrothal is maintaining an index of "solution posts at http://www.olpcnews.com/forum/index.php?topic=4057.msg27470;topicseen#msg27470 -- please check it if you encountered problems, it may be something already answered.

[mavrothal]

OK!...
THANK YOU!

Create the root filesystem:
mke2fs -jLOLPCRoot /dev/mmcblk0p1

Shouldn't this be
mke2fs -jL OLPCRoot /dev/mmcblk0p1 ?

Make the partition table:
echo -e ',,L,*\n\n\n' | sfdisk /dev/mmcblk0

This would make whole the card one partition correct?

[teapot]

OK!...
THANK YOU!

Create the root filesystem:
mke2fs -jLOLPCRoot /dev/mmcblk0p1

Shouldn't this be
mke2fs -jL OLPCRoot /dev/mmcblk0p1 ?

Space between option and argument is optional.

Make the partition table:
echo -e ',,L,*\n\n\n' | sfdisk /dev/mmcblk0

This would make whole the card one partition correct?

Yes.

[linyanam]

Thanks Teapot.
Is swap not needed if you are using GIMP, Openoffice etc. If I want to create swap, can I do that from within Sugar. I know how to create partitions with "Partition editor", but my understanding is, I can't do from Ubuntu in XO as SD card is mounted and is already in use.
Once again Thanks,
Linyanam.

[StewieGriffin]

Thanks a bunch!  Been using it an hour already, no problems at all!

[mavrothal]

The installation went as smooth as described in Teapot's post with one exception

Code:

olpc@OLPC:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/cupsd start
sudo: /etc/init.d/cupsd: command not found

Edit "sudo /etc/init.d/cups start" will start  unix printing

Also the mic light of the XO stays ON

Edit 3 Un-checking the "V_REFOUT enabled" box in the sound control panel turns-off the light

Did anyone else had these two issues?

Edit 2 And a question. Intrepid does not have an .xfce4_startup file, so where do we put the keyboard layout toggle shortcut?

[humptybump]

Thanks Teapot !

I followed the instructions and during the untaring process (after a while) I looked over and noticed it was throwing errors about directories not found etc. I scrolled back but they had been going on for too long. I am guessing I ran out of space on my SD card (only 1GB).

What size SD card do I need (and do you recommend) for the Intrepid build ?

[teapot]

The installation went as smooth as described in Teapot's post with one exception

Code:

olpc@OLPC:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/cupsd start
sudo: /etc/init.d/cupsd: command not found

Edit "sudo /etc/init.d/cups start" will start  unix printing

Thanks, updated.

[teapot]

Thanks Teapot !

I followed the instructions and during the untaring process (after a while) I looked over and noticed it was throwing errors about directories not found etc. I scrolled back but they had been going on for too long. I am guessing I ran out of space on my SD card (only 1GB).

What size SD card do I need (and do you recommend) for the Intrepid build ?

2G.

Really it takes slightly above 1G -- I was able to fit a smaller installation of Intrepid onto 1G card, however it left too little space for the user.

[teapot]

Edit 2 And a question. Intrepid does not have an .xfce4_startup file, so where do we put the keyboard layout toggle shortcut?

Startup script is in /usr/lib/xfce4/scripts/xfce4_startup (Manu -> Settings -> Settings Manager -> Autostarted apps places a reference to it into .config/autostart )

[jrobbins]

Hello, Teapot.  I hope you got in some turkey for Thanksgiving, what with all the work here on the new OS install.

Sorry for the basic questions here, but Ubuntu opens yet another new world for me (and, I suspect, many others on this forum).  So, now knowing how I am trying to use my XO, do you recommend that I start over (sigh) with the Ubuntu install?  Do I start by reinstalling back to a base 8.2.0 Sugar installation?  For those of us who were just getting used to a bit of Linux programming, what's the best source to understand the differences as to installing additional software between "regular Linux" and Ubuntu?  For example, does the "yum install" function still work, or the "rpm -Uvh" install procedure (although, I suppose, one no longer looks for the Fedora 9 i396 core versions of the rpms)?  I see uses of sudo instead of su and apt-get perhaps is the replacement for wget?  Is the -Uvh install process now incorrect because one really wants to unpack and load additional software onto the SD card and not at all onto the XO hard drive itself?  If so, I assume my 8Gb SD card will prove to be advantageous.  I assume the keybindings settings are the same with the .xfce4_startup file under /usr/lib/xfce4/scripts (fyi, I got the keybindings to work now in my version of Xfce, except for the screen brightness -- I had constantly missed the instruction to include the required command for the autostarted applications in Xfce).  I think you know most of what I'm looking for -- Firefox, OpenOffice 3.0 (with JRE, in the hope that I can get the Linux client for our office VPN to function), remote desktop, Network Manager, Audacity, VLC, mplayer -- all with an Xfce (or similarly simple to understand) interface.  Whew!

OK, I will stand down and await your advice.    Thanks.  JCR

[teapot]

Is swap not needed if you are using GIMP, Openoffice etc.

Usually if you run, say, Firefox+Openoffice the swap isn't needed, however large files (for example, Gimp editing images downloaded from a digital camera) or multiple memory-consuming programs at once may not fit in memory without a swap. You can run Xfce Task Manager (from Menu -> System) to check memory usage. Take into account that "RSS" memory shown in it per task is not an accurate measurement of what program uses exclusively because memory of multiple programs overlaps on common libraries.

If I want to create swap, can I do that from within Sugar. I know how to create partitions with "Partition editor", but my understanding is, I can't do from Ubuntu in XO as SD card is mounted and is already in use.

You can make a swap file (in this example it's 256M file, so you need at least 256M if free space):
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/swap.bin bs=1M count=256 (will take some time)
sudo chmod 600 /swap.bin
sudo mkswap /swap.bin
sudo swapon /swap.bin

If you want to remove it, disable swap first:
sudo swapoff /swap.bin
sudo rm /swap.bin
Make sure that you can disable swap at this point (exited all memory hog applications), otherwise you will end up with slow-running system or applications will be automatically killed to free resources.

To re-enable swap after reboot, run
sudo swapon /swap.bin

I really should have automated this, but didn't have time to make it reliable (so swap file that it creates does not eat all free space).

[linuxcat]

FYI:
After changing the password, pam does not change the password for the network manager keyring.  If you need to unlock the keyring, the password will still be olpcolpc.

[teapot]

Hello, Teapot.  I hope you got in some turkey for Thanksgiving, what with all the work here on the new OS install.

Eating turkey with friends and getting away from work for a few days was helpful -- over the last few weeks I was overloaded at work, and had to get some minimal amount of rest before completing this.

Sorry for the basic questions here, but Ubuntu opens yet another new world for me (and, I suspect, many others on this forum).  So, now knowing how I am trying to use my XO, do you recommend that I start over (sigh) with the Ubuntu install?

It installs on SD card (or USB drive, though it's less convenient), so you can keep separate systems in flash and on cards. >=2G SD card should be sufficient.

Do I start by reinstalling back to a base 8.2.0 Sugar installation?

I recommend to have at least 8.2.0 installed in internal NAND flash before using anything with SD card, however Sugar/Fedora and Ubuntu can be completely separate and use any versions. You can mount NAND flash with sudo mount /media/olpcmtd0 and see your files on NAND under /media/olpcmtd0/home/olpc

For those of us who were just getting used to a bit of Linux programming, what's the best source to understand the differences as to installing additional software between "regular Linux" and Ubuntu?  For example, does the "yum install" function still work, or the "rpm -Uvh" install procedure (although, I suppose, one no longer looks for the Fedora 9 i396 core versions of the rpms)?  I see uses of sudo instead of su and apt-get perhaps is the replacement for wget?  Is the -Uvh install process now incorrect because one really wants to unpack and load additional software onto the SD card and not at all onto the XO hard drive itself?  If so, I assume my 8Gb SD card will prove to be advantageous.

Ubuntu uses Debian package manager instead ot Red Hat package manager, so aptitude and dpkg would be approximate equivalent of yum and rpm. Syntax is different but purpose is similar (implementation is better though). Aptitude and Synaptic (GUI version) show lists if applications, dependencies, etc., and install sets of packages, dpkg installs individual packages. Since the root filesystem is on SD card, by default everything is installed there.

I assume the keybindings settings are the same with the .xfce4_startup file under /usr/lib/xfce4/scripts

They are more or less trhe same.

(fyi, I got the keybindings to work now in my version of Xfce, except for the screen brightness -- I had constantly missed the instruction to include the required command for the autostarted applications in Xfce).  I think you know most of what I'm looking for -- Firefox, OpenOffice 3.0  (with JRE, in the hope that I can get the Linux client for our office VPN to function), remote desktop, Network Manager, Audacity, VLC, mplayer -- all with an Xfce (or similarly simple to understand) interface.  Whew!

Those packages are similar except they are installed from Debian packages instead of RPM. VPN may or may not work depending on the actual protocol they use -- OpenVPN and PPTP should work with Network Manager's builtin support.

[teapot]

FYI:
After changing the password, pam does not change the password for the network manager keyring.  If you need to unlock the keyring, the password will still be olpcolpc.

rm .gnome2/keyrings/login.keyring will remove the old keyring, and new one will be created next time.