My notes for running linux on the ThinkPad x200. Mine is model NR35NGE, Windows Vista Business, 3x USB 2.0, ExpressCard/54 Slot, weight 1.54kg

• Intel Core 2 Duo P8600, 2.40GHz, 3MB L2, 1066MHz FSB
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500 MHD onboard graphics, 12” CCFL with 1280×800 (WXGA, 200 nit)
• Support for up to 4GB DDR3-RAM PC3-8500, 2GB buildin
• harddisk 160GB SATA 2.5” 7200RPM
• 5-1 (MMC/SD/SDHC and MS/MS Pro) Media card Reader with Modem
• Intel Gigabit Ethernet Controller
• MiniPCI Express slot 1 w/ Intel Wifi Link 5100 (AGN)
• Integrated camera (?), Integrated microphone, Fingerprint Reader Authentec Inc. AES2810 ( usb 08ff:2810 )
• Bluetooth
• IBM Embedded Security Subsystem 2.0
• IBM Active Protection System
• TrackPoint only
• 6-cell battery, 56 Wh (10.8 V, 5.2 Ah). up to 6.5 hr, 1.47kg (slightly elevates the back)

• first step: getting the debian network install-files for amd64 from http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/installer-amd64/20090123/images/netboot/debian-installer/amd64/, setting up dhcp/tftp on other debianbox, PXE-booting the x200
• partitioning:

  primary 256M partition for /boot
  primary 256M partition for other linuxs /boot (still unused currently)
  primary 10GB partition for OpenSolaris or FreeBSD, those still require partitions, right?
  extended 
     2gb encrypted swap
     12gb encrypted / for debian

• see snippets/debianinstall

As of 21.03.2009 X from debian unstable uses the VESA driver by default, thats slow and screen-blanking doesnt work.

# make sure X is not running
X -configure
mv /root/xorg.conf.new /etc/X11/xorg.conf
vi /etc/X11/xorg.conf # make sure Driver "intel" is set in graphic-card section

• With this one can press the middle-button on websites and scroll the site moving the trackball up/down.
• The 2 keys above the cursor-keys also get a new mapping here, after making this change here you can directly use them in your windowmanager for mappings.
• Create file /etc/udev/rules.d/99_trackpoint.rules with this content and restart uder/X ort reboot:

ACTION!="add|change", GOTO="xorg_trackpoint_end"
KERNEL!="event*", GOTO="xorg_trackpoint_end"
ENV{ID_PATH}!="platform-i8042-serio-1", GOTO="xorg_trackpoint_end"
ENV{x11_options.EmulateWheel}="1"
ENV{x11_options.EmulateWheelButton}="2"
ENV{x11_options.XAxisMapping}="6 7"
ENV{x11_options.Emulate3Buttons}="0"
LABEL="xorg_trackpoint_end"

• Create file /etc/hal/fdi/policy/mouse-wheel.fdi with this content and reboot:

<match key="info.product" string="TPPS/2 IBM TrackPoint">
 <merge key="input.x11_options.EmulateWheel" type="string">true</merge>
 <merge key="input.x11_options.EmulateWheelButton" type="string">2</merge>
 <merge key="input.x11_options.YAxisMapping" type="string">4 5</merge>
 <merge key="input.x11_options.XAxisMapping" type="string">6 7</merge>
 <merge key="input.x11_options.Emulate3Buttons" type="string">true</merge>
 <merge key="input.x11_options.EmulateWheelTimeout" type="string">200</merge>
</match>

Use this if you dont want trackball-scrolling in websites as mentioned in the section above.

Note: This is no longer needed for xorg-installasions as of 2009. Those mostly offer the keys automatically, so you have just to configure your windowmanager appropriately.

xev         # select the window that gets created and hit the keys after each other to get their keycodes. here 234 and 233
xmodmap -pk # shows current mappings
xmodmap -e 'keycode 233 = THORN'
xmodmap -e 'keycode 234 = Oslash'
            # those commands now maps keysyms to our keys, use keysyms you do not usually
WPrefs      # this is the utilits windowmaker uses to assign actions. Go to 'change keyboard shortcuts', select your action
            # (for me its switch to next/previous workspace), then 'capture' and hit the key. save, and the keys have their
            # new assignment.
            # execute the 2 assignment-xmodmap-calls in ~/.xinitrc or ~/.xsession, or read on .xmodmaprc in 'man xmodmap'

I use a external 24” monitor attached to the ultrabase dockingstation. X detects the DisplayPort-output as HDMI-2, from there i use a cable to the DVI-interface of the monitor. This script is run upon userlogin from xdm.

cat >/etc/X11/Xsession.d/45custom_xrandr-settings <<EOT
# lets detect if the external monitor is currently connected
(xrandr |grep '^HDMI-2 connected' >/dev/null) && ( \
        # disable the internal tft-screen, set mode 1920x1080 on external screen
        xrandr --output LVDS --off
        xrandr --output HDMI-2 --auto
        xrandr --output HDMI-2 --mode 1920x1080
)
EOT

• Option GlobeTrotter HSUPA Modem (aka “T-Mobile Web'n'walk Card Compact III'), usb id 0af0:7011
• we have to disable the modem shows up a storage-device and not the modem-interfaces, debian-package usb_modeswitch doesnt work for me:

# get udev.tar.gz from http://www.pharscape.org/ozerocdoff.html 
apt-get install libusb-dev ppp
cd hso_udev
CC=/usr/bin/gcc-4.4 make
make install

• insert umts-card, driver hso (in kernel since 2.6.29) should be loaded. The udev-rule from hso_udev should switch from usb-storage mode to modemmode, devices /dev/ttyH[1234] should appear
• get hso_26-v1.9 from http://www.pharscape.org, edit conninfo.ini, use './hso_connect.sh up' to get connected
• alternatively use wvdial:

apt-get install wvdial
cat >/etc/wvdial.conf <<EOT
[Dialer Defaults]
Modem = /dev/ttyHS3
Phone = *99***1#
Username = t-mobile
Password = t-mobile
Dial Command = ATDT
New PPPD
Init2 = AT+CPIN=1234
Init3 = AT+COPS=0
Init4 = AT+CGDCONT=1,"ip","internet.t-mobile.de"
Init5 = AT$QCPDPP=1,1,"t-mobile","t-mobile"
Init6 = AT_OWANCALL=1,1,0
Modem Type = Analog Modem
EOT
# replace 1234 with your pin, change providersettings. then start 'wvdial' to dial in

• selfcompiling and installing kernel 2.6.28.8 provides the iwlagn wlan driver (config not very stipped down, available here http://fluxcoil.net/files/linux_kernelconf_2.6.28.8_x200 )
• install firmware: 'wget http://intellinuxwireless.org/iwlwifi/downloads/iwlwifi-5000-ucode-5.4.A.11.tar.gz', extract the archive and place the file iwlwifi-5000-1.ucode ins /lib/firmware
• apt-get install kismet wpasupplicant
• the kismet wlan-scanner doesnt yet know a source-type iwlagn so use 'source=iwl4965,wlan0,iwlagnsource' and 'enablesources=iwlagnsource' in /etc/kismet/kismet.conf
• the cfg80211 module should be configured for your region providing proper channels. I do echo 'options cfg80211 ieee80211_regdom="EU"' >/etc/modprobe.d/wlan.conf' here. 'cat /sys/module/cfg80211/parameters/ieee80211_regdom' shows your setting. 'iw reg set EU' also tries to set this.
• packet-injection with aircrack-ng doesnt work here

ifconfig wlan0 down
ifconfig wlan0 1.0.0.1 netmask 0xffffff00
iwconfig wlan0 mode ad-hoc
iwconfig wlan0 key 1234567890
iwconfig wlan0 channel 1
iwconfig wlan0 essid tester
ifconfig wlan0 up

source=iwl4965,wlan0,iwlagnsource
enablesources=iwlagnsource

• append 'vga=0x0368' - for framebuffer mode

By default the fan here tunes up when cpus get hot, but do not tune back later. One can control this manually, risking heat-damages. Or employ scripts to tune the fan up/down.

# activate manual fan-control
echo 'options thinkpad_acpi hotkey=enable,0xffffbf experimental=1 fan_control=1' \
   >>/etc/modprobe.d/thinkpad_acpi.modprobe.conf
# then after reloading the module with those options, lets tune the fan up for example:
echo 'level 5' >/proc/acpi/ibm/fan

• I wrote regulator.pl to observe the temp-sensors and control the fan accordingly on my x200. The sensors have to be modified for other thinkpad-models, the limits to ramp up the fan are more or less randomly chosen and there is no mode without fan, its always on at least lowest level. There is a observer-mode for just observing fan/temperatures and a daemon-mode to run the script in background. On thinkwiki.org there are more of these scripts, tried one from there but wrote this myself so i have a clue what it does. Its available here: http://fluxcoil.net/files/scripts/ .

Lenovo is providing an option for bios-update with windows-binaries, since i am not running windows this wont work here. They also provide a cdrom-iso which i cannot boot with a usb-cdrom since i dont own one.

The memdisk-program from sysutils-common package can boot cdrom iso images, but the one doing the bios-update needs to be converted bevore memdisk can boot it. isobar is doing the conversion, http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/BIOS_update_without_optical_disk contains informations on the whole procedure, that did work for me for upating to bios 3.03 .