Ubuntu suspend without keyboard

Some similar problems seem related to the intel keyboard controller.
Well the following command should cure and identify my problem :

root@batman:~# echo -n "i8042" > /sys/bus/platform/drivers/i8042/unbind
root@batman:~# echo -n "i8042" > /sys/bus/platform/drivers/i8042/bind

No change, so I can forget about the entire set of stuff related to this hardware...

Still searching a solution on hibernate for the Vaio - Ubuntu 9.10 - CS31

While I am testing other stuff I re-installed Ubuntu, did an update and switched to the Nvidia driver.

Suspsend: stops the computer quickly. When resuming unfortunately the keyboad does not work !

Hibernate: black screen, then blinking cursor for around 1 minute, then error messages and finally shutdown. Restarting from hibernate. I see Grub loading. The Ubuntu logo (white) then a minute or two (may be three), error messages and finally I can login and indeed my desktop is properly re-initialized.

So the situation has evolved since I started looking at Karmic (Koala 9.10... I will now try to dig in the logs.

Two busy weeks - still not hibernating with Ubuntu

I still have problem with my Ubuntu 9.10 on my CS31 Vaio.

An old problem of Ubuntu installer related to hibernation is the swap size. There is a need to have a swap size as big as the RAM size. So, I learned that the swap is used to hibernate. Cool and logical. Usually Linux install are recommending a swap size equal to two times the RAM size. Considering the extra requirement of the hibernate swap the allocation of 12 GB - (2+1) x 4G - of swap for 4GB of RAM makes sense.

Anyway, it is not my problem. I saw may posts on the Ubuntu forum on this issue but none of the tips worked. Some net rumors pointed me to think  hat it could be 64 bits related... So I tried 32 bits install, no change - I moved back to 9.04 no changes either ! Glad to see it is not a Karmic problem... Clearly the power - ACPI management changes depending on the video card driver. I swapped the Ubuntu driver by the proprietary Nvidia driver. Good for performance and extra setup controls, but nothing changes on my hibernation issue.

Will I find the time to dig into the ACPI stuff? It is far from my day to day business.

Not so Karmic Koala

Well, back to my Vaio. I am not yet happy with the current setting. My intention was then to install the latest Ubuntu.

Install was very smooth. I see Ubuntu progressing at each release. very impressing.

Unfortunately, hibernating or suspending is not properly working. Well they may do so but restarting is an issue. I searched a bit on the net. Not that much at this stage...

The Vaio install venture continues

Well in spite of the added virtual memory, the Sony recovery software continues crashing when installing on a VM. So forget about my previous post, my only excuse: doing three things at the same time.

Saturday, I registered my new Dyson vacuum cleaner. Instead, of sending the classical postcard I followed the indication in their manual and went to dyson.be. Nice site, built by graphical nuts for sure. Don't expect to see "register your product". After some search, I went to "profile". I did not know that I had a vacuum profile... I created one and finally there, I could register my serial number. These registration processes are really the poorest applications made on the internet... Companies should put much less mony on graphical stuff and much more (that is more than zero) on use-case scenarios


Sunday, I did a bit of homework for the school of my sons. A few parents are trying to setup a library. I already  helped, building a small Java program to print stickers with barcode (believe me or not, this was a pain). Currently the inventory is done by people encoding data in spreadsheets. This last sunday, I grouped all the files together and wanted to publish it on Goodle doc. Unfortunately I never suceeded importing the file.


These week-ends are definitively too short !

For this week, I need to finish a web service written in Java with Apache Axis, get back to a customer for an Open ERP project, read a full bunch of paper concerning another Open ERP project and finally may be a bit of Joomla -- I want to try migration from 1.0.xxto 1.5.xx.

Virtual PC not for me either, so back to the future with VMWARE

Well, I recognize my ignorance. I though the so called XP Mode required the Intel vitualization. Well in fact, it seems Virtual PC has this requirement (logical in fact).

So I give up on MS Virtualization stuff. Strangely, without prompting, 7 activated itself...

I decided to try VMWARE, I requested a trial key and loaded the software. My idea is to try to use the recovery disk from the Vaio to install Vista 32 bits. I will then recover all the drivers and apps originally installed. I will use this 32 bits OS for Checkpoint access. At least that's my plan.

Unfortunately the Vaio recovery DVD crashed with a message "memory xxxxxxxx cannot be read from instruction at xxxxxxxxx" - sorry I forgot to write the exact message. I tried to run the memory diag on the VM , it passed.

By default VMWARE allocated 1GB of RAM; I tried to configure 4GB and... it worked. Well, it started to work since the re-install is still running as I am writing this. Next I will try to get back this Virtual memory...

This give me a bit of time. As most IT, I am use to throw RTFM to users but I must admit myself I don't spend that much time in the manuals of utilities or O/S. Any way I decided to go through the VMWARE workstation manual. Plenty of discoveries there that I will comment later on this blog... as soon Vista runs on 7.

7 - Virtual PC & XP Mode

Well I will not go further on the XP Mode for the Vaio. It does not install. In fact you need the Intel virtualization extension to install XP Mode. Strange. I understand that performance could be affected but not working at all...

My processor is a t6500 http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=39311&code=t6500. I must say I did not looked at that feature. It is basically in all recent desktop processor but not for in the notebook/laptop product line.

So before considering your migration, look at you processor with the utility provided by Intel
http://www.intel.com/support/processors/tools/piu/.

What's next for the Vaio? In spite of this XP Mode processor issue I will try the Virtual PC (which has the benefit of being free). And I will compare it with VMWARE workstation.

Windows VISTA...

On my new Vaio, I got 4GB of RAM. Here are the figures just after having produced the recovery disk...

Total memory is 3GB (because it is a 32 bits OS). Cached is reported at 1950 MB! And free is reported to 0. The graph for memory shows 1,4 GB.

I don't understand these figures and not matching figure but what I see is that is already consuming everything... That could be a sign of optimization whenI I am using it, but here I have a serious doubt because nothing is installed and running.

Second, I continue to see the hard disk light blinking... for doing what?

So my plan is to get out of Vista on this one too. As a MS partner I have access top the early release of Windows 7. I think this is an opportunity to try it out...