HPMini311
Ubuntu 9.04 Installation Notes 10-10-2009 My HP Mini 311 Atom 280/Ion LE Netbook arrived 3 days ago, so obviously I had to try installing Jaunty on it:) The standard 32-bit i386 Ubuntu Jaunty (desktop - not netbook remix) was installed from a Live CD without issue. Most things seemed to work right out of the box (keyboard, backlighting keys, sound up/down keys, hibernate). Wifi did not work. Sound was somewhat crippled, working only through the headphones but not through the built in speakers. Suspend can be triggered by the standard HP key (fn-f1) but resume triggers part way through suspend and goes straight back to a login prompt.
The Broadcom 4322AGN 802.11bgn wifi was fixed following the instructions posted here:
http://art.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1263730 In summary:
1. Enable the backports repository: Administration > Software Sources > Updates and enable “Unsupported Updates (jaunty-backports)”.
2. Install the linux-backports-modules-jaunty package
3. Install the linux-restricted-modules package
4. Go to System -> Administration -> Hardware Drivers and enable the Broadcom Wireless chipset.
Sound was fixed by upgrading Alsa to version 1.0.21, which was well documented here: http://monespaceperso.org/blog-en/2009/08/31/upgrade-alsa-1-0-21-on-ubuntu-jaunty-9-04/
I had difficulty enabling the NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (version 180) - I could see it listed under the Hardware Drivers menu but could not select it to enable it at first. Updating Jaunty fixed this.
I'm currently using kernel 2.6.28-generic and have not found a solution to suspend/resume.
10-12-2009 I have been trying to troubleshoot suspend/resume. I also found hibernate to be unreliable. I noticed a "btusb_bulk_complete: hci0 urb eo439280 failed to resubmit" message during both suspend and hibernate. I searched the forum and found similar instances of Jaunty having difficulty properly shutting down some USB hardware on suspend. The HP Mini 311 and other netbooks and notebooks have separate hardware switches for turning BT/Wifi on and off. I found that I could get acceptable suspend and hibernate if I turn off bluetooth/wifi (blue-lighted round switch - upper right - turns orange when off) just prior to suspending/hibernating. Then I just turn on the blue/tooth/wifi as the computer is resuming or after logging back in. Hopefully this will be fixed in 9.10.
12-05-2009 I upgraded the HP Mini 311 to Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala" just prior to it's official release. I had an easy time upgrading from Jaunty to Karmic using aptitude. Suspend/resume and hibernate/resume initially had the same issues in Karmic as in Jaunty. The issue was resolved via updates to Karmic about a week or two after it's official release and I can now suspend or hibernate without manually turning off the wifi/bluetooth hardware. The "btusb_bulk_complete" error message still pops up when suspend or hibernate initiates but eventually the hardware is brought down in an orderly manner and suspend and hibernate work fine, as does resume. I also upgraded the Mini 311 from 1GB to 3GB of RAM to improve Compiz graphics and to boost video performance.
HP Mini 311 Summary
Author(s)
J. McDonald
Introduction
The HP Mini 311 is the first netbook in the U.S. equipped with Nvidia's GeForce 9400M (MCP79) chipset. In the case of the Mini 311, this is the nVidia Ion LE GPU chipset without DirectX 10 support.
Specifications
Name |
HP Mini 311-1000 |
Processor |
Intel(R) Atom(TM) CPU N280 @ 1.66GHz |
Chipset |
MCP79 |
Screen |
11.6", 29.5 cm, 1366X768 pixels |
RAM |
1GB + empty slot for up to 2GB additional DDR3 1066hz PC3 SODIMM RAM |
HDD |
160 GB (nominal) 149 GB (actual formatted) SATA |
Optical Drive |
HP LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer (external USB 2.0) |
Graphics |
nVidia 9400M Ion LE |
Network |
Realtek10/100 Ethernet, Broadcomm 4322AGN 802.11abgn Wifi-Bluetooth combo-card |
Distribution
Ubuntu Linux 9.04 "Jaunty Jackalope" |
32-bit i386 Live CD/GUI installation |
Linux Kernel Version |
2.6.28-15-generic #52-Ubuntu SMP Wed Sep 9 10:49:34 UTC 2009 i686 GNU/Linux |
Compatibility
Device |
Compatibility |
Comments |
Processor |
Yes |
|
Screen |
Yes |
|
HDD |
Yes |
Could not partition the HDD from the Jaunty Alternate (non-GUI) Installation CD - No major issues with standard 32-bit i386 live-CD installation partioning the drive and setting up GRUB for dual boot with XP |
Optical Drive |
Yes |
If installing from a CD in the external optical media drive, booting from the CD must be enabled by pressing "esc" immediately after start and choosing "f9 - boot device options". The external drive should show up in the boot device list if it is plugged into the USB port prior to boot. |
Graphics |
Yes |
Open source drivers work for 2D. Proprietary nVidia accelerated graphics driver (version 180) works. Compiz and GLX work. |
Video Out |
Yes |
Equipped with HDMI and VGA out connectors - HDMI video-out was tested after the NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver was upgraded to version 185. A movie was played at 720p on a 24" LCD monitor with no noticeable stutter or dropped frames. HDMI audio-out and VGA-out was not tested. |
Sound |
Partial |
Sound card was not properly ID'd during the install. Sound initially only worked through the headphone jack - no sound was sent to the laptop speakers. Sound was fixed by upgrading Alsa to version 1.0.21 <http://monespaceperso.org/blog-en/2009/08/31/upgrade-alsa-1-0-21-on-ubuntu-jaunty-9-04/> |
Ethernet |
Yes |
|
Wireless |
No |
Broadcomm wireless 4322AGN 802.11abgn card was not ID'd during the install. Wireless was fixed by enabling the jaunty-backports repository and installing the linux-backports-modules-jaunty package and the linux-restricted-modules package. The Broadcomm card was then ID'd and a proprietary driver was installed. The card works reliably in WICD. Connections seem slower and less reliable in Netmanager. Intermittent difficulty obtaining an IP address is encountered when attempting connection to a new (unencrypted/open) WiFi network for the first time. The connection will initiate, but sometimes will not obtain an IP address until after a reboot and new connection attempt. |
Bluetooth |
Yes |
|
56K Modem |
None |
|
USB |
Yes |
|
Firewire |
None |
|
Card Reader |
Yes |
Tested with 8GB SDHC - no issues |
ExpressCard Slot |
None |
|
Camera |
Yes |
Tested in Skype - some stutter and dropped frames noticed on the receiving end |
Suspend/Resume/Hibernate |
No |
Suspend can be initiated by closing the lid or or the HP fn+f2 hotkey, but gives a "btusb_bulk_complete failed to resubmit" message and immediately resumes. Similar issues occured with hibernate. Suspend does not appear to be successfully powering down bluetooth and this appears to trigger resume. A temporary workaround was found by using the the hardware switch on the HP Mini 311 to shut down wifi and bluetooth prior to suspending. This allows a successful suspend operation. Resume occurs normally upon opening the screen and the wifi/bluetooth hardware can then be turned on using the harware switch either during the resume or after authenticating. Update: This now appears to work in the most recently updated versions of Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala |
Additional Notes
The GPU still uses shared RAM. Using "extra" visual effects can quickly result in 40 - 50% RAM usage. The standard configurations of the HP Mini 311 shipping to the U.S. have an empty SODIMM slot available for additional RAM. Anyone purchasing this netbook with the intention of doing fairly graphically intensive operations should consider upgrading the RAM.