HOWTO : HP T5325 X11 Gui (LXDE / XFCE)

Prerequisites : rootfs prepared on usb key following the instructions here link

Enable screen console output from working rootfs

fw_setenv set_bootargs 'setenv bootargs console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200 root=LABEL=rootfs rootdelay=10 $mtdparts $custom_params'

Alternatively

Enable screen console output from serial console

setenv set_bootargs 'setenv bootargs console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200 root=LABEL=rootfs rootdelay=10 $mtdparts $custom_params'
saveenv
reset

Install LXDE, this will take a while so hold on

apt-get update ; apt-get upgrade; apt-get install keyboard-configuration locales tzdata console-data  task-lxde-desktop --install-recommends -f -y

Install XFCE, this will take a while so hold on

apt-get update ; apt-get upgrade; apt-get install keyboard-configuration locales tzdata console-data  task-xfce-desktop --install-recommends -f -y

copy the following file to your /etc/X11/ directory link Optional file with additional resolutions and screen colour depths link contains 48 possible screen settings

edit /etc/initramfs-tools/modules and write the following into it. Save and exit

xgifb
fbcon

update initramfs from the console issue the following command

update-initramfs -u

update uInitrd (check the name of your initramfs and use the proper one)

cd /boot
mkimage -A arm -O linux -T ramdisk -C gzip -a 0x00000000 -e 0x00000000 -n initramfs-4.4.0-kirkwood-tld-1 -d initrd.img-4.4.0-kirkwood-tld-1 uInitrd

edit /etc/inittab and uncomment the entries about tty1 to tty6 so getty is started on them, save and exit

reboot the unit and you should be presented with an X11 desktop on boot, wait for it it can take a little while to load

If you get a message about "No session for PID..." perform the following from the terminal as root

chmod o+x /usr/lib/dbus-1.0/dbus-daemon-launch-helper"

Reconfigure your keyboard in X and some other stuff

dpkg-reconfigure locales
dpkg-reconfigure tzdata
dpkg-reconfigure console-data
dpkg-reconfigure keyboard-configuration

Image of desktop X11 desktop

Shameless plageurism by me from the investigation posts
http://forum.doozan.com/read.php?9,26555 &
http://forum.doozan.com/read.php?2,25473
Credit to everyone involved

Get a working web browser

You will find our pretty quickly that iceweasel doesn' t work and wont load. This is due to a bug in glib2 libraries so lets change the web browser to one that does work. netsurf weblink

Perform the following

apt-get install netsurf --install-recommends -f -y

once that has finished its task do the following to set netsurf as default. from a console type

update-alternatives --config x-www-browser

You should be then presented with the following options, its self explanatory so i will leave it as is for you to read

root@debian:/etc/apt# update-alternatives --config x-www-browser 
There are 4 choices for the alternative x-www-browser (providing /usr/bin/x-www-browser).

  Selection    Path                       Priority   Status
------------------------------------------------------------
* 0            /usr/bin/netsurf            100       auto mode
  1            /usr/bin/epiphany-browser   85        manual mode
  2            /usr/bin/iceweasel          70        manual mode
  3            /usr/bin/netsurf            100       manual mode
  4            /usr/bin/surf               30        manual mode

Press enter to keep the current choice[*], or type selection number: 0

Should you want to go the "whole hog" and add an email client, the following one is one i have managed to get working
CLAWS MAIL weblink

apt-get install claws-mail --install-recommends -f -y

Time fo clean up the letover packages and tidy up the system now

apt-get autoclean; apt-get autoremove; sync;

There you have it a nice current Debian desktop with up to date supported packages.

CONFIGURE SOUND

ensure you have the latest dtb for the device as of the time of writing this use the following link, for kernels and rootfs beyond 4.5 the relevant dtb should be included in the downloaded rootfs

Change /usr/share/alsa/alsa.conf as following:

#pcm.front cards.pcm.front
pcm.front cards.pcm.default

Turn up the sound using alsamixer, select the onboard sound card and use the m key to toggle mute:

Speaker Mix DAC2SPK
HP Mix DAC2HP
Left Headphone Mux [HP Left Mix]
Right Headphone Mux [HP Right Mix]
Sliders:(up/down key) 
Headphone
Speaker
PCM

issue alsactl store when configuration complete


Theres only the accelerated graphics to sort out. but as of now. its a functioning desktop suitable for light web browsing / image manipulation / Office work and Email and audio output.



Edited 15 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/2016 06:26AM by Gravelrash.

@bodhi

Would you add this to your "wiki"

Gravelrash,

> Would you add this to your "wiki"

Already done :)

You might want to include the picture you've uploaded a few days ago, too.

-bodhi
===========================
Wiki
latest Kirkwood kernel builds and rootfs
latest u-boot-kirkwood builds
latest Oxnas kernel builds and rootfs
latest u-boot-oxnas builds
latest MVEBU Armada kernel builds and rootfs
U-Boot & Kernel Booting process
bodhi's u-boot GitHub
bodhi's corner

Gravelrash,

I followed your instructions verbatim and they worked fine on a fresh rootfs running 3.17. Good job!

Couple things I experienced.

When I did the fw_setenv I got an error about writing to mtd0. Evidently this wasn't a problem however.

For /etc/x11, there was no existing xorg.conf file in the main directory or the subs so all I had to do was copy over the file you posted.

And for whatever reason, iceweasel does not work in the desktop. I'll have to investigate.

But as I said, everything worked for me so kudos :)

LeggoMyEggo's Google Plus Profile

@LeggoMyEggo

Thanks for testing this on a 3.17 i presume you are going to have a go with the infamous xgi xorg driver? I would be interested in your feedback if you do.

I have tested the above on the 4.4.0 kernel with jessie and i get the same issue with iceweasel, trying to work through whats wrong here, so would be intererested to hear what you discover too.

Thanks again

GR

EDITED THE INSTRUCTIONS TO INCLUDE setenv from console



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2016 09:16AM by Gravelrash.

@Leggo

Found that the reason we cant use iceweasel or for that matter icedove is due to the following reason

"iceweasel: GLib-CRITICAL **: g_slice_set_config: assertion `sys_page_size == 0' failed"

which breaks down to a call to libglib2.... so no iceweasel fo us then!

https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?package=libglib2.0-0



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/17/2016 07:03AM by Gravelrash.

LeggoMyEggo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When I did the fw_setenv I got an error about
> writing to mtd0. Evidently this wasn't a problem
> however.

Now that I think about this more, when I had the T5325 open and on serial console (and before I performed your operation), I may have executed a setenv bodhi or you had posted earlier that enabled the display at boot. I don't know which one of the instruction I issued as there were a couple bandied about. What I am trying to say is that I can't confirm that the fw_setenv you posted above actually wrote to the env's as I enabled display earlier through serial console.

LeggoMyEggo's Google Plus Profile

With web browsing and the LXDE desktop with the framebuffer driver. the following web browser(s) have been seen to work

netsurf : loads and accesses most pages
surf : loads and then closes does nothing

Instructions in first post updated to include web browser instructions



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/17/2016 07:59AM by Gravelrash.

next post will be about local email clients

First post updated to include claws mail client



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/17/2016 11:35AM by Gravelrash.

additional xorg.conf file now added with the following possible screen resolutions

"1600x1200"
"1280x1024"
"1280x960"
"1280×720"
"1152x864"
"1024x768"
"800x600"
"800x480"
"768x576"
"720x480"
"640x480"
"320x200"

should cover most monitors and screen requirements. Highlighted ones above can be set as default console boot option under

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier       "Primary Monitor"
	Option          "DPMS" 	"true"
	HorizSync    1-10000
	VertRefresh 1-10000
	Option          "NonDDCDefaultMode"      "1800x600@60"
	Option          "PreferredMode"                "800x600"

Hi Gravelrash,

I do not remember every step I did,
but I managed to get a graphical login started automatically upon boot using lightdm.
(First I had tried gdm3, but did not get it to work)

-I (re-)installed packages systemd, systemd-sysv, lightdm
-at one point I had a error message concerning D-Bus not being able to start something, I made "chmod o+x /usr/lib/dbus-1.0/dbus-daemon-launch-helper"

Perhaps you want to try this.

Cheers,
CV

EDIT: Now also this funny window "No session for PID..." (it's also in your screenshot) does not appear any longer.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/2016 11:26AM by CV.

@CV
Thanks for this, if i get a minimum GUI loaded i will add the instructions to the first post of this page.

So far I have included instructions for LXDE and XFCE full desktop environments. if anyone has any requests for what other environments either console or graphical, i am happy to oblige with a HOWTO*


* usual caveats around getting it working first and time to do it.