=================================================================== Linux* Driver Release Notes For Intel(R) Desktop Boards =================================================================== ============================= PRODUCT ============================= Intel(R) Desktop Board Information for users of Novell* Linux* Desktop 9 with kernel 2.6.5-7.111 =================================================================== DATE: November 11, 2004 ======== Contents ======== 1 - Purpose and Scope 2 - Document Conventions 3 - Supported Linux Distributions 4 - Processor Technology Support 4.1 - System Hardware Requirements 4.2 - System BIOS Requirements 4.3 - Pre-OS Install Requirements 4.4 - Post-OS Install Requirements 4.5 - Known Issues/Errata 5 - Graphics Technology Support 5.1 - System Hardware Requirements 5.2 - System BIOS Requirements 5.3 - Pre-OS Install Requirements 5.4 - Post-OS Install Requirements 5.5 - Known Issues/Errata 6 - Audio Technology Support 6.1 - System Hardware Requirements 6.2 - System BIOS Requirements 6.3 - Pre-OS Install Requirements 6.4 - Post-OS Install Requirements 6.5 - Known Issues/Errata 7 - Network Technology Support 7.1 - System Hardware Requirements 7.2 - System BIOS Requirements 7.3 - Pre-OS Install Requirements 7.4 - Post-OS Install Requirements 7.5 - Known Issues/Errata 8 - Peripheral Technology Support 8.1 - System Hardware Requirements 8.2 - System BIOS Requirements 8.3 - Pre-OS Install Requirements 8.4 - Post-OS Install Requirements 8.5 - Known Issues/Errata 9 - Important Notice ===================== 1 - Purpose and Scope =====================
This document provides technology support information for 915G chipset-based Intel(R) Desktop Boards that use the Novell* Linux* Desktop 9 operating system (OS) with kernel 2.6.5-7.111. This document also helps configure Intel(R) Desktop Boards that use the Intel(R) 915G chipset so they can support key technologies BEFORE a Linux-based operating system is installed (Pre-OS). Information is also provided in configuring these Intel(R) Desktop Boards to support key technologies AFTER operating system installation (Post-OS). NOTE: This document is intended for use only on systems built with an 915G Chipset-based Intel(R) product to see if a specific technology is supported by your particular Intel(R) ======================== 2 - Document Conventions ======================== To enhance readability, the following conventions are used throughout the rest of this document: -- Commands are listed either as stand-alone indented lines such as: cd /tmp make install or surrounded by single quotation marks when used in sentences such as: Enter the 'make install' command. -- Special callouts, buttons, and paths are placed within double quotation marks. For example: Browse to the "/root/test" dir and double-click on the "test.bin" file. Always press the "Enter" key after each command entry. -- Bullet items are called out with a double dash "--" prefix at the left side of the page. ================================= 3 - Supported Linux Distributions ================================= Intel(R) has performed limited validation on 915G chipset-based Intel(R) Desktop Boards and verified basic functionality of key technologies described in this document for the Novell* Linux* Desktop 9 operating system running with a standard 2.6.5-7.111 kernel. Linux drivers for these Intel(R) Desktop Boards have also been released to major distributions. Thus, we hope that future releases of most Linux distributions contain native hardware support for the above Intel(R) Desktop Boards.
================================ 4 - Processor Technology Support ================================ The following lists requirements for hardware, BIOS, pre-os installation, and post-os installation: 4.1 - System Hardware Requirements System hardware requirements include: -- The desktop system must contain a 915G chipset-based Intel(R) -- The desktop system must contain an Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 Processor with Hyper-Threading Technology (HT Technology). product to see if a specific technology is supported by your specific Intel(R) 4.2 - System BIOS Requirements ------------------------------ System BIOS requirements include: -- Verify that the Intel(R) Desktop Board system contains the latest BIOS since some features may not appear in older BIOS. -- HT Technology must be "Enabled" in the system BIOS. NOTE: Please check any documentation accompanying your product for instructions on changing BIOS settings. 4.3 - Pre-OS Install Requirements --------------------------------- -- HT Technology requires that the Symmetrical Multiprocessing Support (SMP) kernel be installed. -- SMP kernel upgrade is built into Novell* Linux* Desktop 9. 4.4 - Post-OS Install Requirements No hardware or software configuration is required after operating system installation. 4.5 - Known Issues/Errata ------------------------- No known issues at this time. ===============================
5 - Graphics Technology Support =============================== The following lists requirements for hardware, BIOS, pre-os installation, and post-os installation: 5.1 - System Hardware Requirements System hardware requirements include: -- The desktop system must contain a 915G chipset-based Intel(R) -- The desktop system must contain integrated Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 900 (Intel(R) GMA 900). -- The desktop system should contain at least 256MB of system memory. product to see if a specific technology is supported by your specific Intel(R) 5.2 - System BIOS Requirements ------------------------------ System BIOS requirements include: -- Verify that the Intel(R) Desktop Board system contains the latest BIOS since some features may not appear in older BIOS. -- The Primary Video Adapter option in system BIOS must be set to Auto, and a PCI Express video card must not be installed in the system. NOTE: Please check any documentation accompanying your product for instructions on changing BIOS settings. 5.3 - Pre-OS Install Requirements --------------------------------- No hardware or software configuration is required prior to operating system installation. 5.4 - Post-OS Install Requirements -- Intel(R) GMA 900 solution is NOT natively supported in Novell* Linux* Desktop 9. -- The latest drivers can be downloaded from: http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop -- Follow the instructions provided with the driver to aid in the installation and configuration of the driver. 5.5 - Known Issues/Errata
------------------------- SYMPTOM: The uninstall feature of the Automated Installer does not function. CAUSE: Currently under investigation. WORKAROUND: Manually configure the system to use the "vesa" drivers and delete the "gdg.o" file from the system. SYMPTOM: Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator Driver (Intel(R) GMA Driver) does not load when using 8-bit (256) color depth. CAUSE: Currently under investigation. WORKAROUND: Change the color depth to 16-bit or higher. ============================ 6 - Audio Technology Support ============================ The following lists requirements for hardware, BIOS, pre-os installation, and post-os installation: 6.1 - System Hardware Requirements System hardware requirements include: -- The desktop system must contain a 915G chipset-based Intel(R) -- The desktop system must contain integrated Intel(R) High Definition Audio (Intel(R) HD Audio). product to see if a specific technology is supported by your specific Intel(R) 6.2 - System BIOS Requirements ------------------------------ System BIOS requirements include: -- Verify that the Intel(R) Desktop Board system contains the latest BIOS since some features may not appear in older BIOS. -- The integrated Intel(R) HD Audio solution must be "Enabled" in the system BIOS. NOTE: Please check any documentation accompanying your product for instructions on changing BIOS settings. 6.3 - Pre-OS Install Requirements --------------------------------- No hardware or software configuration is required prior to operating system installation. 6.4 - Post-OS Install Requirements
-- Intel(R) HD Audio solution is NOT natively supported in Novell* Linux* Desktop 9. -- The latest drivers can be downloaded from: http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop -- Follow the instructions provided with the driver to aid in the installation and configuration of the driver. 6.5 - Known Issues/Errata ------------------------- Known issues and errata include: SYMPTOM: Certain changes made utilizing the "alsamixer" utility is not reflected in the GUI. CAUSE: This is a limitation of the "alsamixer" utility. WORKAROUND: Closing/re-opening the "alsamixer" utility will refresh the GUI and recent changes will be accurately reflected. SYMPTOM: Application volume controls do not work. CAUSE: Application volume controls are not linked to mixer settings. WORKAROUND: Use mixer to change volume. SYMPTOM: On Intel(R) Desktop Boards containing three audio jacks, 6-channel audio does not appear to function. CAUSE: Only 2-channel audio is enabled by default. A fix is currently under investigation. WORKAROUND: None SYMPTOM: On Intel(R) Desktop Boards containing five audio jacks, "digital out" does not appear to function. CAUSE: The "digital out" feature is disabled by default. A fix is currently under investigation. WORKAROUND: None. SYMPTOM: On Intel(R) Desktop Boards containing five audio jacks, "digital out" appears to support only 2-channel audio. CAUSE: There is no support for AC3. WORKAROUND: None. SYMPTOM: No audio is played when an audio CD is inserted. CAUSE: Analog CD playback is not supported on 915. A fix is currently under investigation. WORKAROUND: In XMMS, change the CD playback options to use Digital Extraction. SYMPTOM: CD audio playback through Digital Extraction has poor quality. CAUSE: A fix is currently under investigation WORKAROUND: None. SYMPTOM: CAUSE: SYMPTOM: Microphone does not record any sound. Microphone recording is not supported on the 915. A fix is currently under investigation. Driver cannot work in both SMP and UP in one partition at the same time.
CAUSE: After installing the audio driver in UP and rebooting to UP, the driver works well. However, if you reboot to SMP the driver does not work. After installing the audio in SMP and rebooting to SMP, the driver works well. However, if you reboot to UP the driver does not work. WORKAROUND: You must install the driver again in UP in order to get it to work SYMPTOM: No audio after installing audio driver. CAUSE: The volume is set to 0. WORKAROUND: Open a mixer control program and turn the volume up. ============================== 7 - Network Technology Support ============================== The following lists requirements for hardware, BIOS, pre-os installation, and post-os installation: 7.1 - System Hardware Requirements The system must contain a 915G chipset-based Intel(R) Desktop Board and one or more of the following network technology solutions: -- The desktop system must contain an integrated Intel(R) PRO/100 LAN solution. -- The desktop system must contain an integrated Marvell* Yukon*-EC Gigabit Ethernet LAN solution. product to see if a specific technology is supported by your specific Intel(R) 7.2 - System BIOS Requirements ------------------------------ System BIOS requirements include: -- Verify that the Intel(R) Desktop Board system contains the latest BIOS since some features may not appear in older BIOS. -- The integrated LAN solution must be "Enabled" in the system BIOS. NOTE: Please check any documentation accompanying your product for instructions on changing BIOS settings. 7.3 - Pre-OS Install Requirements --------------------------------- No hardware or software configuration is required prior to operating system installation. 7.4 - Post-OS Install Requirements
Network technology support for 915G chipset-based Intel(R) Desktop Boards running Novell* Linux* Desktop 9 is dependent upon the type of networking controller in use as follows: 7.4.1 - Intel(R) PRO/100 LAN Solution: ---- -- Intel(R) PRO/100 LAN solution is natively supported in Novell* Linux* Desktop 9. -- The latest drivers can be downloaded from: http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop -- Follow the instructions provided with the driver to aid in the installation and configuration of the driver. 7.4.2 - Marvell* Yukon*-EC Gigabit Ethernet LAN Solution: ---------------------- -- Marvell Yukon-EC Gigabit Ethernet LAN solution is NOT natively supported in Novell* Linux* Desktop 9. -- The latest drivers can be downloaded from: http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop -- Follow the instructions provided with the driver to aid in the installation and configuration of the driver. 7.5 - Known Issues/Errata ------------------------- There are no known issues at this time. ================================= 8 - Peripheral Technology Support ================================= The following lists requirements for hardware, BIOS, pre-os installation, and post-os installation: 8.1 - System Hardware Requirements The system must contain a 915G chipset-based Intel(R) Desktop Board and one or more of the following technologies: -- The desktop system must contain an integrated USB 2.0 hardware solution with legacy USB 1.1 support. -- The desktop system may contain an integrated 1394 hardware solution. product to see if a specific technology is supported by your specific Intel(R)
8.2 - System BIOS Requirements ------------------------------ System BIOS requirements include: -- Verify that the Intel(R) Desktop Board system contains the latest BIOS since some features may not appear in older BIOS. -- The integrated USB 2.0 solution must be "Enabled" in the system BIOS. -- The integrated 1394 solution may, if available, be "Enabled" in the system BIOS. NOTE: Please check any documentation accompanying your product for instructions on changing BIOS settings. 8.3 - Pre-OS Install Requirements --------------------------------- No hardware or software configuration is required prior to operating system installation. 8.4 - Post-OS Install Requirements Peripheral technology support for 915G chipset-based Intel(R) Desktop Boards running Novell* Linux* Desktop 9 is dependant upon the type of peripheral controller in use as follows: 8.4.1 - USB 2.0 Solution: ------------------------- -- USB 2.0 technology is natively supported in the Linux kernel 2.4.x and 2.6.x. -- USB 2.0 technology is natively supported in Novell* Linux* Desktop 9. -- USB 2.0 devices are emulated as a SCSI device in Linux and will appear as the next available SCSI disk. -- Please use the SCSI device interfaces "sda1", "sdb1", "sdc1", etc to access USB 2.0 devices. -- Please consult the operating system documentation for more information on how to access and use USB devices in Linux. -- For more information on USB support in Linux please visit the "Linux USB Project" website: http://www.linux-usb.org -- Intel(R) does not provide drivers for USB 2.0, please contact your distribution vendor for driver issues/updates 8.4.3-1394 Solution:
---------------------- -- 1394 technology is natively supported in the Linux kernel 2.4.x and 2.6.x. -- 1394 technology is NOT natively supported in Novell* Linux* Desktop 9. -- Please consult the operating system documentation for more information on how to setup and use 1394 devices in Linux. -- For more information on 1394 support in Linux please visit the "IEEE 1394 for Linux" website: http://www.linux1394.org -- Intel(R) does not provide drivers for 1394, please contact your distribution vendor for driver issues/updates. 8.5 - Known Issues/Errata ------------------------- Known issues and errata include: SYMPTOM: 1394 devices do not function in Novell* Linux* Desktop 9. CAUSE: 1394 technology is not natively supported in Novell* Linux* Desktop 9. WORKAROUND: None. Please contact your distribution vendor for help enabling 1394 technology support. ==================== 9 - Important Notice ==================== All information and software contained herein is provided "AS IS" to Intel customers. Intel Corporation disclaims all express or implied warranties and liabilities for the use of this document, the software and the information contained herein, and assumes no responsibility for any errors which may appear in this document or the software, nor does Intel make a commitment to update the information or software contained herein. Intel reserves the right to make changes to this document or software at any time, without notice. Please contact the distribution vendor for specific Linux version support. Hyper-Threading requires a computer system with an Intel Pentium(R) 4 processor supporting this technology, a chipset and BIOS that utilizes this technology, and an operating system that includes optimizations for this technology. Performance will vary depending on the specific hardware and software you use. See www.intel.com/info/hyperthreading for information. Intel, Pentium, and the Intel logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. * Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others. Copyright (c) 2004 Intel Corporation.