earth tech

A week or so ago I managed to munge the X-server configuration on the hp pavilion zd7000 linux laptop I've been using for about a month now. The X-server quit working after some set of package installs and/or system updates wherein I was trying to get the correct NVIDIA™ display drivers installed such that I could use the various "transparency" and "translucency" settings on the shiny new KDE 4.x desktop.

The fix given on the page Configuring and Running Knoppix on the HP Pavilion zd7000 works, even though the OS distribution listed as the application environment for the fix is given as KNOPPIX. and the distro I have on the hp is OpenSuSE 11.0.

For the record, the fix is/was:

Download the xorg.conf from http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/jpatota/linux/knoppix/xorg.conf and install it as /etc/X11/xorg.conf –

I have posted a copy of the xorg.conf file recommended above at http://blogs.earthside.org/earth_tech/2009/03/xorgconf-file-for-hp-pavilion-zd7000.html.

I have downloaded the file in question, and am uploading attached to this post as an "enclosure" …

Or, "just–in–case" the enclosure doesn't enclose, I will paste a copy of the file into a subsequent posting on this blog.

Labels: config, hp, knoppix, laptop, linux, nvdia, opensuse, x, zd7000

You will need to know these to get the NET install started...

Net Install Parameters:
  Protocol: HTTP
  Host: www.gtlib.gatech.edu
  Path: pub/opensuse/distribution/11.1/repo/oss/

Net Install CD:
  http://www.gtlib.gatech.edu/pub/opensuse/distribution/11.1/iso/openSUSE-11.1-NET-i586.iso

ISO Directory:
  http://www.gtlib.gatech.edu/pub/opensuse/distribution/11.1/iso/

Furthermore, you may need to install these lines into your /etc/hosts file:

## added to solve un-explained "Couldn't resolve host..." error
## while installing OpenSuSE 11.1 (NET) - these lines provide the
## hostname->to->ip address mappings for the OpenSuSE mirrors; 
## NOTE:  These addresses should be checked and updated before use!  
## These is just what the 'host' command returned today...
##     -pdwilso(at)gmail.com
128.8.235.18    mirror.umoss.org
134.174.150.123 mirrors.med.harvard.edu
149.20.20.135   .kernel.org
64.50.236.216   suse.mirrors.tds.net
204.152.186.174 opensuse.ca.unixheads.org
64.50.238.52    ftp.osuosl.org
64.50.236.52    ftp.osuosl.org
146.137.96.15   mirror.anl.gov
146.137.96.7    mirror.anl.gov
198.60.22.13    mirrors.xmission.com
146.6.54.21     ftp.utexas.edu
72.3.128.167    mirror.rackspace.com
155.98.64.86    opensuse.cs.utah.edu
129.21.2.111    mirrors.rit.edu
64.90.181.77    mirror.nyi.net
80.237.136.138  ftp.hosteurope.de
156.56.247.193  ftp.ussg.iu.edu

Hosts file: uploads/opensuse-mirror-hosts-20090212.txt

An odd aspect of the DNS name resolution problem: For some reason, Konqueror could not resolve host names, but 'host' could.

Finally, here is a script that I used to create the hosts listing:

#!/bin/sh
host $1 | perl -e 'while(<>){\
  chomp;m/([a-z.]+) has address ([0-9.]+)/ && print"$2\t$1\n";\
}'

This script is used like:

  getip.sh mirror1.kernel.org

and returns

  <IP-Address>\t<Hostname>

If you've got root, the output of getip.sh can be used thus:

  getip.sh mirror1.kernel.org >> /etc/hosts

Of course there are other ways to do this. Of course you should check the output of getip.sh before appending it to /etc/hosts.

Caveat emptor. YMMV. Don't take any wooden nickels.

Labels: 11.1, install, linux, network, opensuse, tip, workaround