====== Asus EeePC ======

Acquistato il primo esemplare su eBay, direttamente da Taiwan. Con sepdizione e dogana è costato circa 350 euri. Grazie a quei delinquenti di SDA ci ha messo un mese e mezzo ad arrivare a Prato, rischiando di andare perso per sempre.

Il secondo esemplare l'ho acquistato via web da Mediaworld. Prezzo 312 euri, arrivato in 4 giorni.

Alcune pagine specifiche:

  * **[[eeepc_navit]]**
  * **[[eeepc_debian]]**

===== Lanciare una shell (console terminale) =====

**Ctrl+Alt+T** combinazione di tasti per avviare **xterm**, altrimenti dal menu Tools del File Manager si avvia **Konsole**.





===== Web link =====

  * **[[http://wiki.eeeuser.com/|wiki.eeeuser.com]]**
  * **[[http://www.eeeuser.com/|www.eeeuser.com]]**
  * **[[http://www.marlwifi.org.nz/projects/asus-eee-car-charger|EeePC car charger]]** self-made
  * [[http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?pid=115245|More charger]] more ideas
  * **[[http://it.farnell.com/|Farnell]]** componenti elettronici
  * **[[http://debian-eeepc.alioth.debian.org/|Debian for the Asus Eee PC]]**



===== Xandros Linux e altri repository =====

La distribuzione Linux installata da Asus è una derivata da [[http://www.xandros.com/|Xandros]], che a sua volta è derivata da [[http://www.debian.org/|Debian]].

La scelta di Debian sarebbe buona, ma Xandros proprio non va! Si tratta di una distribuzione che non è libera al 100%: non esiste un repository dal quale scaricarla (bisogna acquistarla), alcuni pacchetti hanno una licenza non libera. Inoltre la versione di Asus non è compatibile al 100% con **Xandros Server 2.0** né con **Debian Etch**, quindi in teoria non ci sono repository dai quali attingere software aggiuntivo.

In pratica ci sono alcuni repository non ufficiali che è possibile aggiungere ad ''**/etc/apt/sources.list**'', [[http://wiki.eeeuser.com/addingxandrosrepos|questo articolo]] inoltre suggerisce anche di attivare il pinning per evitare problemi.

<file>
# Standard Asus EeePC only repository; it is the only one in a default config.
deb http://update.eeepc.asus.com/p701     p701  main
deb http://update.eeepc.asus.com/p701/tw  p701  main

# Xandros Server 2.0 is the closest to EeePC Xandros. It is the only other Xandros OS
# that is based on Debian Etch; however, it has a lower version of KDE than Debian
# Etch uses, therefore all KDE apps from the apt repo will not work.
deb http://xnv4.xandros.com/xs2.0/upkg-srv2  etch  main contrib non-free

# DCCRI (Debian Alliance) Repository
# The DCC 3.0 itself is not a distribution but rather a
# Linux Standards Base (LSB) 3.0 compliant Debian core. 
# DCC 3.0 derives its Debian GNU/Linux components from the 3.1 "Sarge" release.
#deb http://dccamirror.xandros.com/dccri/  dccri-3.0  main

# Geek Connection repository for Xandros 4 users.
# This site is not affiliated in anyway with Xandros corp. or Debian.
# This site is a non-profit service provided for the benefit of the
# Xandros community. Applications on this site were built for Xandros 4.
#deb http://www.geekconnection.org/  xandros4  main
</file>

===== Cambio tastiera =====

{{.:eeepc:asus_eeepc_keyboard_clip.jpg?100  |Asus EeePC keyboard clip}} Disassembling the keyboard of the Asus EeePC is quite a simple task: just release with a small screwdriver the **three clips** at the top of the keyboard and lift it up.

Dopo aver sostituito la tastiera italiana con una US-cinese, si lancia **kcontrol** (il Pannello di Controllo KDE) per configurare i layout desiderati.

Poi bisogna fare in modo che l'applet **kxkb** venga eseguito e rimanga visibile nel system try. Si modifica il file **''/etc/alternatives/x-session-manager''** aggiunendo circa alla fine (riga 52):

<file>
(sleep 4; /usr/bin/kxkb) &
</file>

===== Bootstrap =====

Come ben spiegato in questa  [[http://wiki.eeeuser.com/booting_with_init_instead_of_fastinit|pagina wiki]] nella configurazione standard il GRUB dell'EeePC non esegue il classico **init** ma un personalizzato **fastinit**, quindi se si installa qualche demone derivato Debian (es. openssh-server oppure gpsd)  non lo troveremo in esecuzione al reboot.

Qui c'è una [[http://ywwang.blogspot.com/2007/11/start-ssh-server-in-eeepc.html|bizzarra ricetta]], ma la strada giusta pare essere quella descritta in [[http://wiki.eeeuser.com/howto:starting_services|Starting services]].

Bisogna creare il file ''**/etc/fastservices**'' e aggiungere una riga per ogni servizio che si vuole avviare (il nome dello script in ''**/etc/init.d/**'').

===== CPU frequency =====

If you load the p4-clockmod module and load the userspace gov and then use the cpu frequency applet to cut down the clock speed, you'll feel the system slow down.

===== Boot Xandros from USB on Eeepc =====

How to get the **original Xandros image** from the restore DVD and put it into an **USB or SD storage**. Some tricks are required because the **init** script should find boot **partitions by label**, not by fixed device name.

I found this very verbose recipe: [[http://fire.prohosting.com/eeepc/bootusb/puppylinux/bootusb.htm|Boot Xandros from USB on Eeepc]]. If you are a bit Linux savvy, you can go with the following quick checklist. We suppose that you work on a standard Linux box, and the target USB device si **/dev/sdb**:

<code bash>
wget http://hk.geocities.com/akrishi0/eeepc/eeepc-bootusb.tgz
gunzip -c /media/cdrom/P701L.gz | dd of=/dev/sdb
e2label /dev/sdb1 SYSTEM_USB
# Create the second partition /dev/sdb2 in the remaining space.
fdisk /dev/sdb
mkfs.ext3 -L USER_USB /dev/sdb2
</code>

Then extract the files contained in **eeepc-bootusb.tgz**, into the /dev/sdb1 partition. Change the **''/boot/grub/menu.lst''** as you need.

NOTE: The files are for the EeePC 700, if you have the EeePC 900 model you must change the **''init''** script contained into the **''initramfs-usblabel-eeepc.img''** file. See [[:doc:appunti:linux:sa:clone#kernel_modulare|this page]] about how to unpack and repack an initramfs file.

I found useful also this **[[http://hk.geocities.com/akrishi0/eeepc/initramfs-usblabel-nounionfs-eeepc.tgz|initramfs image]]** which does not use **unionfs**: it just mounts the root partition in read/write mode.

The problems with the **EeePC 900** are with the **''init''** script contained into the initramfs, where the **''mount''** command (actually the **''busybox''** program) is used with a syntax not compatible. Besides, the 900 uses the new **aufs** filesystem instead of unionfs. Here are the two initramfs images, revised for the EeePC 900:

  * {{.:eeepc:initramfs-usblabel-nounionfs-eeepc.tgz|initramfs-usblabel-nounionfs-eeepc.tgz}} This image does not use the unionfs.
  * {{.:eeepc:initramfs-usblabel-nounionfs-eeepc.tgz|initramfs-usblabel-eeepc.tgz}} FIXME **WARNING** Still some problem: the aufs partition is not mounted properly?
  * {{.:eeepc:initramfs-eeepc.tgz|initramfs-eeepc.tgz}} This is the **original initramfs** of the **EeePC 900**.

===== Restoring Xandros from an USB stick prepared with Linux =====

Here you can find a **[[http://wiki.eeeuser.com/howto:usbrestore|detailed article]]**. Here it is my quick reminder.

Insert the restore DVD into your Linux desktop, suppose to mount it under **''/media/cdrom''**. Insert the empty USB stick (2 Gb at least), suppose to be ''**/dev/sdb**''. If the USB get mounted by some automounter utility, umount it.

<code>
dd if=/media/cdrom/Software/BootTool/BootTool/usb.img of=/dev/sdb
# Unplug and replug the USB stick.
mount /dev/sdb1 /media/usb
cd /media/cdrom
cp -p P701L.gz 2007.12.21_17.25.bld blockcount.dat ver.tag user_start.dat /media/usb/
umount /dev/sdb1
</code>