[ltp] ultrabase x2 warm-docking?

[Karl Klashinsky]

Your setup is very similar to mine: x21 w/ ultrabay/dvd/floppy,
RH-7.2+Ximian Desktop.  I have also been experimenting with the
dock/undock ability, and getting similar problems.  I'm still running
the original RedHat-shipped kernel.  I was hoping a kernel upgrade and
custom config would help solve some prob's, but, based on your report,
probably not.

Specific comments:

On Fri, 2002-04-19 at 13:25, Eric Jorgensen wrote:
> 
> 	I've got an X21 (2662-67U), and I've also acquired for it the Ultrabase X2
> Media Slice, and the 6x/24x ultrabay 2000 dvd drive. I've got the latest bios
> and embedded controller program flashed. Well, latest as of mid-February. 

I haven't upgraded the original/FCS bios, etc.  Is there a reason to do
so?

> 	I'm running debian/woody on it, with a 2.4.17 kernel I built myself. I'm using
> the xserver from the gatos project. I haven't yet attempted to do anything with
> tpctl, haven't even built the thinkpad specific modules yet. I'm in the process
> of learning what it can do for me. 

... what is the gatos proj, what does its xserver bring?  Spare an URL?

> 	When i boot up with the ultrabase, everything works great. I'm able to watch
> DVDs easily with VLC (recommended - www.videolan.com). Floppy drive works too. 

Is "www.videolan.com" right?  I get no such site...

> 	Somebody's website explaining how to use linux on an x20 or x21 advised that
> all one needed to do was suspend the notebook before docking or undocking. also
> included source for a program "scandvd" to rescan the 2nd ide port when the
> notebook wakes up. 

The procedure I found via google was a tad more detailed.  For undock:

        1. Use "modprobe -r" to remove modules related to ultrabay,
           notably, cdrom and ide-cd, maybe floppy.  Note that this
           implies that you should configure these guys as
           kernel-loadable, not compiled in.
        2. Suspend the machine.
        3. Detach the ultrabay.
        4. Resume the machine.
        5. Run scandvd.

The procedure to re-dock is similar:

        1. Suspend the machine.
        2. Dock/connect.
        3. Resume.
        4. Run scandvd.
        5. Use modprobe to reload relevant modules (note: I believe that
           this step isn't necessary if your module autoload setup is
           properly configured).

> 	Problem is, it doesn't work that way. 

Ditto.

> 	If i suspend and resume with the ultrabase in place, everything still seems to
> work. 

Ditto.

> 	If i suspend, remove the ultrabase, resume, and run "scandvd", scandvd
> complains that it couldn't talk to the 2nd ide port. It would appear that when
> the ultrabase is not present, the 2nd ide port is disabled / powered off. 

>From what I read on the google-found page, this is the output that you
should get when you run scandvd after the undock.  From my prior
experiences with a tp600e w/ full dock (i.e., dock had PCI slots, etc),
you have literally "extra buses" that only show up when connected to the
dock.

If you're experiences are similar to mine, everything is pretty well
"peachy" at this point.  Your undocked x20 works fine, etc.

> 	If i then suspend, install the ultrabase, resume, and run "scandvd" again, it
> happily informs me of my DVD drive, but it doesn't actually work. 
> 
> 	If i then run vlc, and try to play a dvd, vlc just locks up, and can't be
> killed. I have to reboot to notebook to get rid of the process. 

Ditto.  In my case, I try to do something as simple as a "mount" command
(with a simple cd-rom in the drive), and it hangs the "mount" command. 
Note that I've experimented with skipping step (5) of the re-dock
procedure.  The "mount" still hangs, and an lsmod shows the necessary
modules loaded.  However, I end up with an error message in
/var/log/messages.  Unfortunately, I no longer have a "messages" file
around that still contains the error message, but it's related to the
IDE subsystem.

> 	What bothers me is that google turns up very little when i search for "linux"
> and "ultrabase". It's as though not many people ever use them. I admit the
> retail price is absurd, but some guy on eBay was getting rid of a large number
> of them at $120/ea, so i grabbed one. And then found a used dvd drive for $60.
> If I'd had to pay the, what, $540 total retail cost of these things, I'd never
> have bought them. 

My machine is company-owned, so it came with the whole nine yards (lucky
me! 8*).

Anyway, most of above comes into the category of "me, too".  I haven't
had a chance to do much futzin' about for more than a month, but now
you've got me curious in revisiting this.  I'll keep the alias
up-to-date with anything I find in my experimentation, would be great if
you could please do the same?

> 	There's plenty of people talking about how to warm-swap ultrabay devices, but,
> in this case, the ultrabay itself is getting swapped out. 
> 
> 	So I'm hoping someone on this list has worked with a similar configuration and
> can give me some clues? I don't generally need the dvd or floppy drives, so it
> would be great if i could shed the extra inch and extra 2+ pounds immediately
> after each boot up, and be able to swap them back in later. I mean, that's the
> whole point of having an X series thinkpad, isn't it? 
> 
> 	Oh, by the way, am I the only person who wishes IBM had put keyboard-like
> flip-up legs on the underside of the ultrabase? I got so used to the angle of
> the keyboard when docked with the port replicator, typing with the ultrabase is
> sort of annoying. 
> 
>  - Eric
> 	
> 
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-- 
klash        |       |          One must do one's best.
            .|.     .|.             -- Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth,
           .|||.   .|||.	       the Queen Mother
         .:::::::.:::::::.


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