X201

Data for the X201 users:

Generic

• http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Category:X201

SECURITY WARNINGS

• Lenovo supplied BIOS update Boot CD (1.40-1.15 6/25/2013) was produced on a workstation not properly sanitized or isolated and should be considered unreliable or even compromised.

For more info ask Muse or DrWhax.

• I found Bios/ECP downloads at http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/downloads/ds013563 (wot)

• Flash Firmware over Network is turned on by default
• Remote management in de BIOS is turned on by default
• WAN/3G is turned on by default (might connect to gsm-tower)
• Check your options in the BIOS.
• Webcam does not have a sticker yet ;)

You get into the BIOS by pressing the blue 'thinkvantage' button when you see the thinkpad bootup logo and pressing F1 at the menu.

Virtualisation

• If intel TXT is enabled, VT-x will not work.

3G/UMTS Modules

• http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Qualcomm_Gobi_2000

Firmware link (from archlinux aur packages):

• ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp48501-49000/sp48568.exe
• https://github.com/jolicloud/linux-firmware/raw/master/gobi/UQCN.mbn

Build():

• cabextract sp48568.exe
• cp Qualcomm/QCImages/Source/Packages/6/*.mbn /usr/lib/firmware/gobi/
• cp UQCN.mbn /usr/lib/firmware/gobi/

From (the French) Win7 Copy these 3 files into /lib/firmware/gobi

• C:\Program Files (x86)\Qualcomm\Images\Lenovo\UMTS\AMSS.mbn
• C:\Program Files (x86)\Qualcomm\Images\Lenovo\UMTS\Apps.mbn
• C:\Program Files (x86)\Qualcomm\Images\Lenovo\0\UQCN.mbn

Taken from: http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/downloads/ds001302

• https://annejan.com/media/UMTS.zip (just AMSS.mbn and Apps.mbn)
• https://annejan.com/media/Lenovo.zip the whole set of images including different versions of AMSS.mbn, Apps.mbn and UQCN.mbn

Generic UMTS firmware with "C:\Program Files (x86)\Qualcomm\Images\Lenovo\4\UQCN.mbn" (T-mobile) works with Limesco (T-mobile network) SIM for data.

GPS

The Qualcomm Gobi 2000 in these laptops also supports GPS (with or without a SIM card.) However, to enable this, you will need to have a Windows install either directly or in a VM that supports USB passthrough. You'll need to install the driver as per above, and the ThinkVantage software from http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/downloads/ds015017 from which you can enable the Auto-Tracking feature that enables GPS.

After that you can:

echo "\$GPS_START" > /dev/ttyUSB2
# use GPS
echo "\$GPS_STOP"  > /dev/ttyUSB2

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Qualcomm_Gobi_2000

Coreboot

See X201/Coreboot for more info

• http://www.sublab.org/wiki/coreboot-x201/
• http://www.coreboot.org/Board:lenovo/x201
• http://review.coreboot.org/gitweb?p=coreboot.git

Memory upgrades

According to http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Unofficial_maximum_memory_specs it might not be possible to upgrade the RAM further than 4GB.

Tested configuration was 2x 4GB: Corsair 1333MHz 9-9-9-24 1.5v (CMSO4GX3M1A1333C9) on ThinkPad X201 3680-PBG with ID 6QET70WW, BIOS version 1.40 and Embedded Controller version 1.15. I have not checked my model/BIOS yet, but JFYI.

Tested the ICIDU Memory from x200s, 2x 4GB: works.

phicoh got 2x Crucial 4 GB DDR3-1600 (CT51264BF160B) from Alternate

r3boot tried 2 x Corsair 4GB PC3-10600 (CMSO8GX3M2A1333C9) and they do NOT work (the laptops initializes all leds and the thinklight flashes quick, but then it hangs)

Tweaks

Some tweaks to make the x201 experience a more pleasurable one.

Blinky Wifi LED of blinking

Seems the wifi LED will blink any time data is transmitted. The location of the wifi LED makes this less than desirable.

From: https://alexcabal.com/stop-blinking-intel-wifi-led-on-ubuntu-karmic/

This works on older kernels:

echo "echo \"options iwlcore led_mode=1\" >> /etc/modprobe.d/wlan.conf" | sudo bash

For newer kernels, THIS works:

echo "echo \"options iwlwifi led_mode=1\" >> /etc/modprobe.d/wlan.conf" | sudo bash

This works in Ubuntu 14.04:

echo "echo \"options iwlwifi led_mode=1\" >> /etc/modprobe.d/iwlwifi.conf" | sudo bash

Powersave

Powertop suggested a bunch of tweaks, listed at https://gist.github.com/realitygaps/c7d5493b10becd1de873

Synaptics config

A synaptics config that seems to work well with the touchpad - https://gist.github.com/realitygaps/2e73de7383a7d4fb1e82

Keycodes for special keys

Some of the keys may not work out of the box, here are the keycodes for mapping some of the extra function keys:

#167 - Next key above right arrow
#166 - Previous key above left arrow
#123 - Volume up
#122 - Volume down
#121 - Volume mute
#156 - Blue Thinkvantage button

You can use them in awesome wm by mapping them to useful functions, eg. awful.key({}, "#167", thingtodo )

The next and previous keys can be usefully mapped to awful.tag.viewnext and awful.tag.viewprevious to allow switching tags

Fingerprint Reader

The fingerprint reader seems to work with libfprint and fprintd - http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/fprint/

Use fprint-enroll and fprint-verify to store and verify your fingerprint. There is also fingerprint-gui software available

To authenticate by fingerprint with pam add:

auth       sufficient   pam_fingerprint-gui.so

To the files in /etc/pam.d/ that you want to allow fingerprint authentication with (eg. sudo, login, etc)

WARNING: Fingerprint verification is not very secure - http://kurtsh.com/2008/05/27/info-why-fingerprint-domain-authentication-is-a-bad-idea/

Windows

If installing via an usb drive is failing, you can try a pxe install, following this tutorial: http://s205blog.wordpress.com/2012/09/29/windows-7-pxe-network-install-turorial/

US keyboard

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/201115764449 $17.59 (€14,48), free shipping (takes a loooong time to arrive)

Non Intel AMT ethernet

I found this ethernet cable to be handy, the driver is free and open source: http://www.replacedirect.nl/product/P0122520/acer-asix-usb-20-to-fast-ethernet-adapter-10100mb/pn/NC.23811.00A.html