Back to the N150

[root]

I find that I cannot return the N150 mini that I had so
much trouble with, so now I am determined to get
Slackware installed on the M2 nvme0n1 partition.

As I have many times before, I created a new GPT
instance (o option) and created a 500M partition 1
with type ef00. I created a 5GB partition 2 with
type ef02. Finally I created partition 3 with all
the rest of the ssd.

The I startup the install. I tell it the target is
partition 3. It sees the efi partition. I let it
format the target as ext4, and I let the install
chug away.
When it comes to installing lilo, I decline and
let it install elilo instead. I finish the install,
remove the install usb, and let the system boot.

Along the way I was asked if I wanted bootmanager
to install a slackware entry. I have tried both
yes and no, with no change in the ultimate result.

While have I have tried many variations of the above
process, they all and with this screen:

ELILO v3.16 for EFI/x86_64
.
Loading kernel vmlinuz... done
Loading file initrd.gz...done

And the system hangs.


After previous attempts to install Slackware,
I had successfully installed Debian, then Ubuntu.
I choose neither of these and want get Slackware
running.

I have been counseled in this newsgroup to install
grub, even though I know elilo works because it is
what the install stick uses. If I want to install
grub, would these steps work after the install:

1. choose to enter a shell
2. see where the operating partition is installed.
3. cd to that parttion
4. do this sequence:

mount --bind /proc proc
mount --bind /sys sys
mount --bind /dev dev

4. chmod /mountpoint
5. grub-mkconfig >/boot/grub/grub.cfg
6. grub-install /dev/nvme0n1


Somehow, somewhere the system seems to remember that Ubuntu
and windows were (are) installed. I booted into a live
Slackware and used efibootmgr to try to remove any mention
of them by -b option, but they seem ensconced in the system.

I know the problem is my fault because the USB stick does
boot, but I would *greatly* appreciate knowing what I
have been doing wrong.

Thanks, and I am sorry for bringing this matter up again.

[Marco Moock]

Post by root
Somehow, somewhere the system seems to remember that Ubuntu
and windows were (are) installed. I booted into a live
Slackware and used efibootmgr to try to remove any mention
of them by -b option, but they seem ensconced in the system.

Can you enter the UEFI menu and delete the entries?

[root]

Post by Marco Moock

Post by root
Somehow, somewhere the system seems to remember that Ubuntu
and windows were (are) installed. I booted into a live
Slackware and used efibootmgr to try to remove any mention
of them by -b option, but they seem ensconced in the system.

Can you enter the UEFI menu and delete the entries?

If you mean the UEFI menu in the bios of the drive, no
I can't delete the entries.

Thanks for responding. I got the system to work.

[root]

root <***@home.org> wrote:

I got grub installed on the system, and am able to
boot into Slackware. For posterity these are the steps
I followed:
assume p1=efi partition type ef00 p2=boot partition type ef02 p3=target partition ext4

In my case p1 was nvme0n1p1, p2 was mvme0n1p2, and p3 was nvme0n1p3


Steps to follow after install.
1. go into shell
2. cd to where p3 is mounted
3. mount --bind /proc proc;
4. mount --bind /proc/sys sys
5. mount --bind /dev/dev
6. chroot /p3 (where the linux partition is mounted).
7. mount /dev/p1 /boot/efi
8. grub-mkconfig >/boot/grub/grub.cfg
9. grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=GRUB --boot-directory=/boot

I had done almost exactly this several times, but
I had always eliminated step 7. If you don't have
step 7 you can get the error message "it doesn't look
like an efi partition to me, and if you merely copy
over the efi partition to /boot/efi you will get
the error message: cannot find the canonical path to
/boot/efi


Some, if not all these steps were given to me in
previous responses from attendees to this group.
I thank you all.

[root]

Post by root
I got grub installed on the system, and am able to
boot into Slackware. For posterity these are the steps
assume p1=efi partition type ef00 p2=boot partition type ef02 p3=target partition ext4
In my case p1 was nvme0n1p1, p2 was mvme0n1p2, and p3 was nvme0n1p3
Steps to follow after install.
1. go into shell
2. cd to where p3 is mounted
3. mount --bind /proc proc;
4. mount --bind /proc/sys sys
5. mount --bind /dev/dev
6. chroot /p3 (where the linux partition is mounted).
7. mount /dev/p1 /boot/efi
8. grub-mkconfig >/boot/grub/grub.cfg
9. grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=GRUB --boot-directory=/boot
I had done almost exactly this several times, but
I had always eliminated step 7. If you don't have
step 7 you can get the error message "it doesn't look
like an efi partition to me, and if you merely copy
over the efi partition to /boot/efi you will get
the error message: cannot find the canonical path to
/boot/efi
Some, if not all these steps were given to me in
previous responses from attendees to this group.
I thank you all.

I'n not out of the woods yet. Now I find I can't startx.
Here is the tail end of the error log:
[ 68.820] (II) LoadModule: "modesetting"
[ 68.820] (II) Loading /usr/lib64/xorg/modules/drivers/modesetting_drv.so
[ 68.820] (II) Module modesetting: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[ 68.820] compiled for 1.20.14, module version = 1.20.14
[ 68.820] Module class: X.Org Video Driver
[ 68.820] ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 24.1
[ 68.820] (II) LoadModule: "fbdev"
[ 68.821] (WW) Warning, couldn't open module fbdev
[ 68.821] (EE) Failed to load module "fbdev" (module does not exist, 0)
[ 68.821] (II) LoadModule: "vesa"
[ 68.821] (II) Loading /usr/lib64/xorg/modules/drivers/vesa_drv.so
[ 68.821] (II) Module vesa: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[ 68.821] compiled for 1.20.10, module version = 2.5.0
[ 68.821] Module class: X.Org Video Driver
[ 68.821] ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 24.1
[ 68.821] (II) modesetting: Driver for Modesetting Kernel Drivers: kms
[ 68.821] (II) VESA: driver for VESA chipsets: vesa
[ 68.821] (++) using VT number 1

[ 68.821] (EE) open /dev/dri/card0: No such file or directory
[ 68.821] (WW) Falling back to old probe method for modesetting
[ 68.821] (EE) open /dev/dri/card0: No such file or directory
[ 68.821] vesa: Refusing to run on UEFI
[ 68.821] (EE) Screen 0 deleted because of no matching config section.
[ 68.821] (II) UnloadModule: "modesetting"
[ 68.821] (EE) Device(s) detected, but none match those in the config file.
[ 68.821] (EE)
Fatal server error:
[ 68.821] (EE) no screens found(EE)
[ 68.821] (EE)
Please consult the The X.Org Foundation support
at http://wiki.x.org
for help.
[ 68.821] (EE) Please also check the log file at "/var/log/Xorg.0.log" for additional information.
[ 68.821] (EE)
[ 68.825] (EE) Server terminated with error (1). Closing log file.

And here is lspci:
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Device 461c
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Device 46d4
00:0a.0 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation Platform Monitoring Technology (rev 01)
00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation Device 54ed
00:14.2 RAM memory: Intel Corporation Device 54ef
00:15.0 Serial bus controller: Intel Corporation Device 54e8
00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation Device 54e0
00:17.0 SATA controller: Intel Corporation Device 54d3
00:1a.0 SD Host controller: Intel Corporation Device 54c4
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Device 54be
00:1d.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Device 54b0
00:1d.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Device 54b2
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation Device 5481
00:1f.3 Audio device: Intel Corporation Device 54c8
00:1f.4 SMBus: Intel Corporation Device 54a3
00:1f.5 Serial bus controller: Intel Corporation Device 54a4
01:00.0 Network controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. Device b852
02:00.0 Non-Volatile memory controller: MAXIO Technology (Hangzhou) Ltd. NVMe SSD Controller MAP1202 (rev 01)
03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation Ethernet Controller I226-V (rev 04)


GitHub, a while back, reported that someone could not get
X to run on the N150. A person who writes the Intel drivers
said it would be in the next version of the kernel. So
I updated my system and I still cannot start X.

In the xorg log above, note the message vesa: refusing to run on UEFI

[Alexander Grotewohl]

Post by root
I'n not out of the woods yet. Now I find I can't startx.
GitHub, a while back, reported that someone could not get X to run on
the N150. A person who writes the Intel drivers said it would be in the
next version of the kernel. So I updated my system and I still cannot
start X.
In the xorg log above, note the message vesa: refusing to run on UEFI

Just a quick peek on YouTube for the N150 and this guy suggests kernel
6.12.x is probably necessary.

Slackware-current could work if that's all that was necessary.

Otherwise you're probably stuck waiting for Slackware 15.1 or attempting
something custom.

[root]

Post by Alexander Grotewohl
Just a quick peek on YouTube for the N150 and this guy suggests kernel
6.12.x is probably necessary.
http://youtu.be/c8MUCR0u_7A
Slackware-current could work if that's all that was necessary.

I know the Slackware live install is current, but I am also
thinking about simply trying to upgrade to current. I've
never tryied to simply change the mirror and run update/upgrade.
If anyone has tried that let me know.

Thanks for responding.

[Petri Kaukasoina]

I am also thinking about simply trying to upgrade to current. I've never
tryied to simply change the mirror and run update/upgrade. If anyone has
tried that let me know.

I have tested it last summer (2024-07-24) and it worked then this way:

# < change mirror to current in /etc/slackpkg/mirrors >
slackpkg update
slackpkg upgrade slackpkg
slackpkg upgrade aaa_glibc-solibs gnupg
slackpkg install-new
slackpkg upgrade-all
slackpkg clean-system
# < handle the .new files >
# < if grub then reinstall grub >
# < take care of initrd, boot loader >
reboot

But for a new install it would be faster to wipe everything and install from
scratch using a current ISO.

[root]

Post by Petri Kaukasoina

I am also thinking about simply trying to upgrade to current. I've never
tryied to simply change the mirror and run update/upgrade. If anyone has
tried that let me know.

# < change mirror to current in /etc/slackpkg/mirrors >
slackpkg update
slackpkg upgrade slackpkg
slackpkg upgrade aaa_glibc-solibs gnupg
slackpkg install-new
slackpkg upgrade-all
slackpkg clean-system
# < handle the .new files >
# < if grub then reinstall grub >
# < take care of initrd, boot loader >
reboot
But for a new install it would be faster to wipe everything and install from
scratch using a current ISO.

Thanks, I think I will give it a try.

[root]

Post by root

Post by Petri Kaukasoina

I am also thinking about simply trying to upgrade to current. I've never
tryied to simply change the mirror and run update/upgrade. If anyone has
tried that let me know.

# < change mirror to current in /etc/slackpkg/mirrors >
slackpkg update
slackpkg upgrade slackpkg
slackpkg upgrade aaa_glibc-solibs gnupg
slackpkg install-new
slackpkg upgrade-all
slackpkg clean-system
# < handle the .new files >
# < if grub then reinstall grub >
# < take care of initrd, boot loader >
reboot
But for a new install it would be faster to wipe everything and install from
scratch using a current ISO.

Thanks, I think I will give it a try.

I gave it a try and it worked. However I was blown
away by the reluctance of the current version of the
gcc compiler:14.2.0. The 15.0 compiler version is
11.2.0 which compiles all my C programs without
a problem. Over my past history of linux I have
written 1,354 C programs, with over 1,045,000 lines
of code. Some of that code goes back to be compatible
with the original K&R compiler, which among other things,
defaults routine types to (int). There are many such
changes that came along since then. I tried various
things to make the new gcc happy, but the overall
task was too great for me.

So I decided to go back to 15.0 and install another
kernel alongside that of 15.0. I pulled down the
6.12.12 kernel from kernel.org. After tweaking
around a bit I got grub to load that kernel, and
now I can get X to start.

So I have a working gcc and a kernel that handles
the video of the N150.

[Henrik Carlqvist]

I was blown away by the reluctance of the current version of the gcc
compiler:14.2.0. The 15.0 compiler version is 11.2.0 which compiles all
my C programs without a problem.

During the years, I have at a few occasions seen newer C standards break
existing code. When it comes to C++ that seems even more common.

I haven't tried Slackware current or gcc 14.2.0, but during the years, at
some occasions minor fixes has been done to code to make it work with
newer compilers. However, often I have not cared to update old code and
instead given some argument like -std=gnu90 to use an older C standard
than the default in the installed GCC.

So I decided to go back to 15.0 and install another kernel alongside
that of 15.0. I pulled down the 6.12.12 kernel from kernel.org. After
tweaking around a bit I got grub to load that kernel, and now I can get
X to start.

Even with a non standard kernel, running a stable version of Slackware
might have its advantages. The updates to 15.0 are only a few security
updates a week as opposed to current where any update might break the
system that you are beta testing. However, there will probably come a day
when you want to upgrade to something like Slackware 15.1 stable. That
day you will have to choose between making a recent compiler work with
your existing code or installing an older gcc version. If you choose to
install an older version of gcc I would advice to install that alongside
the original Slackware gcc compiler. You could put your custom compiler
below /usr/local or /opt.

regards Henrik

[root]

Post by Alexander Grotewohl

Post by root
I'n not out of the woods yet. Now I find I can't startx.
GitHub, a while back, reported that someone could not get X to run on
the N150. A person who writes the Intel drivers said it would be in the
next version of the kernel. So I updated my system and I still cannot
start X.
In the xorg log above, note the message vesa: refusing to run on UEFI

Just a quick peek on YouTube for the N150 and this guy suggests kernel
6.12.x is probably necessary.
http://youtu.be/c8MUCR0u_7A
Slackware-current could work if that's all that was necessary.
Otherwise you're probably stuck waiting for Slackware 15.1 or attempting
something custom.

I just swtiched to current via changing the mirror, and I am
still running the old 5.15.161 kernel. I did a mkintrd, new grub.cfg
and re-ran grub-install. I'll take a look at grub.cfg to see if
I can figure out why. If I can't I will fall back to installing
current directly from a new stick.

[root]

Post by root

Post by Alexander Grotewohl
Slackware-current could work if that's all that was necessary.
Otherwise you're probably stuck waiting for Slackware 15.1 or attempting
something custom.

I just swtiched to current via changing the mirror, and I am
still running the old 5.15.161 kernel. I did a mkintrd, new grub.cfg
and re-ran grub-install. I'll take a look at grub.cfg to see if
I can figure out why. If I can't I will fall back to installing
current directly from a new stick.

I had forgot to clean-system. After doing so and running mkinitrd
again and the grub stuff I am running kernel 6.12.12 and startx
works. All is fine.

Thanks.

[Henrik Carlqvist]

Post by root
Failed to load module "fbdev" (module does not exist, 0)

Does your installed kernel modules match your booted kernel?

ls -al /lib/modules
uname -r

regards Henrik

[root]

Post by Henrik Carlqvist

Post by root
Failed to load module "fbdev" (module does not exist, 0)

Does your installed kernel modules match your booted kernel?
ls -al /lib/modules
uname -r
regards Henrik

Thanks for responding Henrik:

ls -s /lib/modules -> 5.15.161/

uname -r 5.15.161

It is a fresh install.

[Petri Kaukasoina]

created a 500M partition 1 with type ef00. I created a 5GB partition 2 with
type ef02.

For what did you create the ef02 GPT partition? I use it for grub booting in
BIOS mode, and I have its size of a little less that one MEGAbyte. Booting in
EFI mode does not need it and certainly does not need five GIGAbytes.

[root]

Post by Petri Kaukasoina

created a 500M partition 1 with type ef00. I created a 5GB partition 2 with
type ef02.

For what did you create the ef02 GPT partition? I use it for grub booting in
BIOS mode, and I have its size of a little less that one MEGAbyte. Booting in
EFI mode does not need it and certainly does not need five GIGAbytes.

I have no idea of what is going on behind the secure boot stuff.
The ssd has 500GB, I didn't want to skimp and get stuck.

I will remember your setup if I have to reinstall.

Thanks.