DELL SX270 hardware

[Wouter]

We just bought 59 new DELL ultra small computers for our school's PClab. We had tested the old SX260 and it ran smoothly. On these new SX270 the hardware seem slightly different: can't get more than 640x480 in my X and soundcard is not detected by Knoppix. Here's my lspci -v output:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 2570 (rev 02)
Subsystem: Dell Computer Corporation: Unknown device 0151
Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0
Memory at f8000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=64M]
Capabilities: [e4] #09 [0106]

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 2572 (rev 02) (prog-if 00 [VGA])
Subsystem: Dell Computer Corporation: Unknown device 0151
Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 16
Memory at f0000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=128M]
Memory at feb80000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=512K]
I/O ports at ed98 [size=8]
Capabilities: [d0] Power Management version 1

00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 24d2 (rev 02) (prog-if 00 [UHCI])
Subsystem: Dell Computer Corporation: Unknown device 0151
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 16
I/O ports at ff80 [size=32]

00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 24d7 (rev 02) (prog-if 00 [UHCI])
Subsystem: Dell Computer Corporation: Unknown device 0151
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 18
I/O ports at ff40 [size=32]

00:1d.3 USB Controller: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 24de (rev 02) (prog-if 00 [UHCI])
Subsystem: Dell Computer Corporation: Unknown device 0151
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 16
I/O ports at ff20 [size=32]

00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 24dd (rev 02) (prog-if 20 [EHCI])
Subsystem: Dell Computer Corporation: Unknown device 0151
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 23
Memory at ffa80800 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=1K]
Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2
Capabilities: [58] #0a [20a0]

00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82801BA/CA/DB PCI Bridge (rev c2) (prog-if 00 [Normal decode])
Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0
Bus: primary=00, secondary=01, subordinate=01, sec-latency=32
I/O behind bridge: 0000d000-0000dfff
Memory behind bridge: fea00000-feafffff

00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 24d0 (rev 02)
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0

00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 24db (rev 02) (prog-if 8a [Master SecP PriP])
Subsystem: Dell Computer Corporation: Unknown device 0151
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 18
I/O ports at 01f0 [size=8]
I/O ports at 03f4
I/O ports at 0170 [size=8]
I/O ports at 0374
I/O ports at ffa0 [size=16]
Memory at feb7fc00 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=1K]

00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 24d3 (rev 02)
Subsystem: Dell Computer Corporation: Unknown device 0151
Flags: medium devsel, IRQ 17
I/O ports at eda0 [size=32]

00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 24d5 (rev 02)
Subsystem: Dell Computer Corporation: Unknown device 0151
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 17
I/O ports at ee00 [size=256]
I/O ports at edc0 [size=64]
Memory at feb7fa00 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=512]
Memory at feb7f900 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256]
Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2

01:0c.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corp. 82540EM Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 02)
Subsystem: Dell Computer Corporation: Unknown device 0151
Flags: bus master, 66Mhz, medium devsel, latency 64, IRQ 18
Memory at feae0000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=128K]
I/O ports at df40 [size=64]
Capabilities: [dc] Power Management version 2
Capabilities: [e4] PCI-X non-bridge device.
Capabilities: [f0] Message Signalled Interrupts: 64bit+ Queue=0/0 Enable-


It would be great to be able to run Knoppix on these machines by the start of the new academic year in september.

greetings,
Wouter Mignon
System Administrator
KHLeuven dept. Rega
BELGIUM

[rickenbacherus]

We just bought 59 new DELL ultra small computers for our school's PClab. We had tested the old SX260 and it ran smoothly. On these new SX270 the hardware seem slightly different: can't get more than 640x480 in my X and soundcard is not detected by Knoppix. Here's my lspci -v output:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 2570 (rev 02)
Subsystem: Dell Computer Corporation: Unknown device 0151
Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0
Memory at f8000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=64M]
Capabilities: [e4] #09 [0106]

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 2572 (rev 02) (prog-if 00 [VGA])
Subsystem: Dell Computer Corporation: Unknown device 0151
Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 16
Memory at f0000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=128M]
Memory at feb80000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=512K]
I/O ports at ed98 [size=8]
Capabilities: [d0] Power Management version 1

OK so Linux doesn't know of a human readable name for the VGA controller and a few other things-not a big deal. What video card do you have in the 260? Is it the same in the 270? Same with the sound card. Open those machines up and have a look if nothing else. What about the motherboard? What's the chipset? These Dell's have a history of being a little quirky but it seems that overall they work with Linux just fine. You'd do well to search through all the Dell related threads here at the forums. Perhaps those who own Dell's might have some insight on that particular machine. Also- always use G4L (http://www.google.com/linux). Enter your exact error message (if any) and specific hardware info. You'll get alot of information from mailing lists, pages people have posted about their own machines, how-to's, all sorts of stuff you can use.

When you boot the cd how are you doing it? Are you using any of the cheatcodes (http://www.knoppix.net/docs/index.php/CheatCodes)?

[Wouter]

There is defenetly not the same vid and audio inside. I had a SX260 over for testing if it would work decently with linux. All was OK. They garanteed me that SX270 whould be aprox the same. Not the case.

Checking out the miniature mobo doesn't reveal a lot. In Windows graphics driver "Intel 82865G" is used, that's what Knoppix detects too. Knoppix uses i810 drivers for XFree but i only get 640x480 resolution with that driver :(

In Windows the audio is recognized as Soundmax Integrated Digital audio. On boot Knoppix says it's "Intel 82801EB AC'97 Audio - driver=unknown"

Thanks for the advice, i'll start on the cheatcodes right away. If my info gives you any other ideas on what i could try or where i could look, let me know!

greets,
Wouter

[rickenbacherus]

For example:

boot: knoppix lang=us screen=800x600 alsa

You may need to add more cheat codes.

BTW-alsa is a sound card driver.

[Wouter]

I seemed to be a BIOS setting which was the problem. Once i changed the Onboard video buffer from 1Mb to 8Mb the video started to work fine!

Sound on the other hand still is a problem, adding alsa doesn' result in any output to the soundcard.


thanks for the help!
Wouter