[NBLUG/talk] Linux and new Dells (video and NIC workarounds)

[Robert Hayes]

I've been watching with interest the posting about advantages to linux, and 
noted that a few people mentioned they were going to join us chosen (choosy?) 
few and run linux. as soon as they got new machines.

I just bought a Dell Dimension 2350 and -- I really should know better -- 
just figured it would run linux out of the box. I really do know better.

Of course, it doesn't. So I thought I'd share the why's and solutions.
You will require a 2.4.x kernel.

The two big deals that are mentioned around the web are the video chipset and 
the integrated NIC. Neither will work with linux without some work.

Video:
The video is an integrated Intel chipset. On my Dimension 2350 it's an i845. 
Trying to load Debian 3.0r1 from iso images failed to launch X, although the 
Knoppix 3.1 01-20-03 CD launched X both as a boot CD and as an installation 
to the HDD. However, once you log off the desktop, X fails and won't restart.

Mandrake 9.0 failed X straight away.

RedHat 9 (just hit me now) found the chipset, configured it and ran fine as 
far as X is unconcerned. Unfortunately, the rpm package manager and 
everything else I know from running 7.2 for a year + is gone, and all the 
gui's look like the same bastard child from a parentage of Redmond and 
Cupertino. 

In researching the video problem, I found the following link: 

http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scripts-df/Detail_Desc.asp?agr=N&ProductID=922&DwnldID=5117

which will give you the drivers you need. Read the readme.txt. The rest is 
pretty straight forward, just following prompts. 

NIC:
The integrated NIC is a Broadcom4400. With this information it should be 
pretty quick to get it recognized. I'm still having a problem getting it to 
work.

Download driver sources from either: 

http://www.asus.com.cn/support/download/selectftp.aspx?l1_id=1&l2_id=15&l3_id=15&m_id=1&f_name=4401_653.zip~zaqwedc

or

http://ftp.leo.org/download/pub/comp/general/devices/asus/lan/broadcom/4401/

Unpack them, and follow the tree down to the src directory. Give the make 
command (I had to do /usr/bin/make on my Debian install) and viola.
Copy bcm4400.o into /lib/modules/2.4.xxx/kernel/drivers/net.
Give the command insmod bcm4400.
Thanks to Lars Marius Garshol, larsga at garshol.priv.no
for this information.

At this point, I've run modconf, and upgrade-modules.
I edited /etc/networks/interfaces and added

iface eth0 inet dhcp

just below the iface lo entry.

When I run ifconfig -a the card is there, but the return is:

/etc/network/interfaces:1: misplaced option
ifup: couldn't read interfaces file /etc/network/interfaces

I've tried using the mapping and auto methods in interfaces, but no luck 
there either. 
Any suggestions?

FWIW, the Dell seems to have been a good deal, AND: It's QUIET. Quiet fan, 
quiet drive. Of course, YMMV.

Thanks,
Bob
rhayes at silcom.com