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Installing Linux Fedora 12 on HP HDX X16-1390EL

Last updated: 29.01.2010

Edited by Francesco Zuliani

General Hardware Specifications of HP HDX X16-1390EL:

Hardware Components	Status under Linux	Notes
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU P8600 @ 2.40GHz	Works	No special procedure required during installation.
16'' Dual channel LVDS FHD AG Dual Lamps with BrightView Infinity Display (1920 x 1080p)	Works	No special procedure required during installation
NVIDIA 1 GB (dedicated) Video ( GeForce GT 130 M )	Works	Installed proprietary NVIDIA Linux driver for 3D acceleration and other goodies, i.e. VPDAU support
4096 MB (2 x 2048 MB)	Works	No special procedure required during installation
500 GB SATA 7200 rpm Hard Drive	Works	No special procedure required during installation
Integrated Network Card - Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168B PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet controller	Works	No special procedure required during installation, tested up to 1000Mbit
Blu-Ray disc reader and DVD-DL writer	Works	No special procedure required during installation. Untested DVD-DL wrinting and LightScribe support.
Wireless Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 5100 AGN	Works	No special procedure required during installation
Bluetooth	Works	No special procedure required during installation
6-cell Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery	Works	No special procedure required during installation
Sound card Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family)	Works	No special procedure required if using Kernel 2.6.x.
Memory card reader - JMicron Technology Corp.	Works	No special procedure required during installation – only SD tested
Webcam 1.3 Mpx	Works	No special procedure required during installation
External SATA port		Not tested
External HDMI port	Should work	Not tested, supported by NVIDIA proprietary driver
Firewire - JMicron Technology Corp. IEEE 1394	Should work	Not tested
Integrated finger print reader (Validity VFS101 Fingerprint Scanner) (0x138a:0x0001)	Does not work	Effort is on-going. See http://www.reactivated.net/fprint/wiki/Unsupported_devices and Mailing-lists
Soft-touch multimedia keys	Mostly work	Most of them work except: "wave multimedia", Treble-Bass settings
Infrared Remote	Not tested
PC Card slot	Not tested

This laptop is operating under Kernel version 2.6.31.5-127.fc12.i686.PAE

Basic Installation of Fedora 12:

Why to use Fedora 12: probably simply personal taste, but it really works smoothly.
Obtaining Fedora 12: start from http://fedoraproject.org/
Installing:
- IMPORTANT: use intel_iommu=off when installing (i.e. at installation boot prompt write 'linux intel_iommu=off)
- This is a BIOS issue. It is not fixed by F31.A version (downloaded from HP support)
Post-Install modifications/tweaks
- Use of NVIDIA proprietary driver suggested (tested v190.42)
- 'nvidia' proprietary module conflicts with nouveau default. 'nouveau' module has to inhibited. To obtain this result one has to:
- Bonus include:
  - Full 3D acceleration (i.e. compiz)
  - GPU-based Video playback (VPDAU)

Setting up additional features for Fedora 12

Getting Suspend-to-Disk to operate correctly simply amounts to have a swap partition greater than RAM
Getting the touchpad to operate as more than a PS/2 mouse
- This touchpad does not support either multi-button nor multi-touch.
- The synaptic driver can emulate two finger gestures and middle-button press. See complete file /etc/X11/xorg.conf below for configuration.
- 'gnome-settings-daemon' overrides value from xorg.conf. To tweak this behavior one has to:
  - launch gconf-editor. navigate to /apps/gnome_settings_daemon/plugins
  - un-check (de-activate) 'mouse' and 'pointing-device'
Don't forget to add rpmfusion repository to your system (http://www.rpmfusion.org/) to have access to many useful extra software packages

Unresolved issues

Integrated fingerprint reader

Validity VFS101 Fingerprint Scanner (Don't get disguised by windows driver from 'DigitalPersona')
USBID: 138a:0001
Effort is on-going: see http://www.reactivated.net/fprint/wiki/Unsupported_devices and Mailing-lists

Soft-touch multimedia keys

Most of the keys work properly and send correct 'event' to desktop manager
Most of them work except: "wave multimedia", Treble-Bass settings

Configuration Files

/boot/grub/grub.conf

 # grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE:  You have a /boot partition.  This means that
#          all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
#          root (hd0,2)
#          kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/mapper/VolGroup-lv_root
#          initrd /initrd-[generic-]version.img
#boot=/dev/sda
default=0
timeout=5
splashimage=(hd0,2)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
#hiddenmenu
title Fedora (2.6.31.5-127.fc12.i686.PAE)
	root (hd0,2)
	kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.31.5-127.fc12.i686.PAE ro root=/dev/mapper/VolGroup-lv_root  LANG=en_US.UTF-8 SYSFONT=latarcyrheb-sun16 KEYBOARDTYPE=pc KEYTABLE=us  intel_iommu=off rdblacklist=nouveau
	initrd /initramfs-2.6.31.5-127.fc12.i686.PAE.img
title Windows
	rootnoverify (hd0,0)
	chainloader +1

/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

#
# Listing a module here prevents the hotplug scripts from loading it.
# Usually that'd be so that some other driver will bind it instead,
# no matter which driver happens to get probed first.  Sometimes user
# mode tools can also control driver binding.
#
# Syntax:  driver name alone (without any spaces) on a line. Other
# lines are ignored.
#

# blacklisting nouveau otherwise nvidia does not load
blacklist nouveau

# watchdog drivers
blacklist i8xx_tco

# framebuffer drivers
blacklist aty128fb
blacklist atyfb
blacklist radeonfb
blacklist i810fb
blacklist cirrusfb
blacklist intelfb
blacklist kyrofb
blacklist i2c-matroxfb
blacklist hgafb
blacklist nvidiafb
blacklist rivafb
blacklist savagefb
blacklist sstfb
blacklist neofb
blacklist tridentfb
blacklist tdfxfb
blacklist virgefb
blacklist vga16fb

# ISDN - see bugs 154799, 159068
blacklist hisax
blacklist hisax_fcpcipnp

# sound drivers
blacklist snd-pcsp

/etc/X11/xorg.conf

# nvidia-xconfig: X configuration file generated by nvidia-xconfig
# nvidia-xconfig:  version 1.0  (buildmeister@builder63)  Tue Oct 20 21:00:15 PDT 2009

Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier     "Layout0"
    Screen      0  "Screen0"
    InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
    InputDevice    "Touchpad2" "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Files"
    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/default/Type1"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    Identifier     "Touchpad2"
    Driver         "synaptics"
    Option         "Protocol" "event"
    Option         "Device" "/dev/input/event6"
    Option         "SHMConfig" "on"
    Option         "TapButton1" "1"
    Option         "TapButton2" "2"
    Option         "TapButton3" "3"
    Option	   "EmulateTwoFingerMinZ" "50"
    Option	   "EmulateTwoFingerMinW" "8"
    Option	   "VertTwoFingerScroll" "1"
    Option	   "HorizTwoFingerScroll" "1"
    Option	   "PalmDetect" "1"
    Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    # generated from data in "/etc/sysconfig/keyboard"
    Identifier     "Keyboard0"
    Driver         "kbd"
    Option         "XkbLayout" "us"
    Option         "XkbModel" "pc105"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     "Monitor0"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "Unknown"
    HorizSync       28.0 - 33.0
    VertRefresh     43.0 - 72.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device0"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen0"
    Device         "Device0"
    Monitor        "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth    24
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
EndSection

More Specific Information.

df -hl: mostly a personal taste choice ...

Filesystem            Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/mapper/VolGroup-lv_root
                       49G   26G   21G  56% /
tmpfs                 2.0G  268K  2.0G   1% /dev/shm
/dev/sda3              14G  1.8G   12G  14% /boot
/dev/mapper/VolGroup-lv_root1
                       49G  4.1G   42G   9% /extra
/dev/mapper/VolGroup-lv_home
                      182G   86G   87G  50% /home

lspci

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Memory Controller Hub (rev 07)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset PCI Express Graphics Port (rev 07)
00:1a.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #4 (rev 03)
00:1a.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #5 (rev 03)
00:1a.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #2 (rev 03)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) HD Audio Controller (rev 03)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 1 (rev 03)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 2 (rev 03)
00:1c.3 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 4 (rev 03)
00:1c.4 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 5 (rev 03)
00:1c.5 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 6 (rev 03)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 03)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 03)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 03)
00:1d.3 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #6 (rev 03)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #1 (rev 03)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev 93)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation ICH9M LPC Interface Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.2 SATA controller: Intel Corporation ICH9M/M-E SATA AHCI Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) SMBus Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.6 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) Thermal Subsystem (rev 03)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation Device 0652 (rev a1)
02:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 5100 AGN [Shiloh] Network Connection
03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168B PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet controller (rev 02)
06:00.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): JMicron Technologies, Inc. IEEE 1394 Host Controller
06:00.1 System peripheral: JMicron Technologies, Inc. SD/MMC Host Controller
06:00.2 SD Host controller: JMicron Technologies, Inc. Standard SD Host Controller
06:00.3 System peripheral: JMicron Technologies, Inc. MS Host Controller
06:00.4 System peripheral: JMicron Technologies, Inc. xD Host Controller

lsusb

Bus 002 Device 003: ID 5986:0137 Acer, Inc 
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 007 Device 002: ID 03f0:171d Hewlett-Packard Wireless (Bluetooth + WLAN) Interface [Integrated Module]
Bus 007 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 008 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 006 Device 002: ID 138a:0001 DigitalPersona, Inc Fingeprint Reader
Bus 006 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub

Links:

Other infos:

BIOS issue: shipped BIOS as well as current one from HP support site "F32.A" seem to have something broken in ACPI table that prevent intel_iommu to work properly. This should not affect average user in any tangible way
Depending on your date-of-purchase you might be eligible to a Windows7 upgrade. Costs depend on country, for Italy it is roughly 25Euros. After properly submitting proof-of-purchase the installation CD have arrived in a week.

Overall very positive impressions and good performance for all components. Very high linux compatibility.