Running RedHat Linux on a Gericom Laptop

The laptop died less then a year after its purchase.
Hence this page is no longer updated!

This page gives some hints on how I installed and configured RedHat 6.0 on my Gericom 6100AT Laptop (Pentium 233 / ct6555 chipset). I provide this information in the hope that it might be useful to others. For more information see also the Linux on Laptops page.

Now here is my setup:

1. I use XFree86 with the "XF86_SVGA" server. However, the built-in modelines don't seem to work with my TFT screen (only with an external monitor). The following one

   # 800x600 @ 67 Hz, 40.54 kHz hsync
   Modeline "800x600"     36    800  804  876  888   600  601  603  605
   

   works fine with both (even at the same time). Here is how I found it: I connected an external (multisync) monitor in text mode and directed the video output to both my display and the monitor. Then I started X (the TFT display went blank) and played with xvidtune until I got a picture on the TFT display.
   You can also download my entire /etc/X11/XF86Config file. It is configured for two mice (the internal trace pad and an external serial mouse) using gpm (more precisely: gpm -t ps/2 -R -M -t ms -m /dev/mouse2, where /dev/mouse, /dev/mouse2 are linked to /dev/psaux, /dev/ttyS0 respectively). It is configured for using the xfs font server.
2. The built-in sound card works fine with the sound blaster driver (recording and playing sound). Here is the relevant part of my /etc/conf.modules file (use sndconfig)

   alias sound sb
   options -k sb esstype=1688 io=0x220 irq=5 dma=1 dma16=5
   alias midi opl3
   options opl3 io=0x388
   options mpu401 io=0x330
   

   I have not really fully tested everything.
3. Advanced power management (suspend, auto power off, etc) works with no problems.
4. PCMCIA worked out of the box with both my ethernet adapter and modem.