Linux on CASIO Cassiopeia Fiva

Whats new.

I tried that I hack CPU register to make stanby time longer and to consume. battery slower.

Start distributing the patch for Linux 2.4.18.

Preface

Purpose of this document

With this document, I offer an information for the person who use the Linux on Fiva and introduce patches for the latest kernel.

WARRANTY

This documentation is made with expecting accuracy, but it is no guarantee about the contents. Even if you damaged from this contents, the author have no responsibility. This Document is served "AS-IS" form.

What is a fiva

CASSIOPEIA FIVA is a mini-note PC provided by CASIO COMPUTER Inc. This PC adopted the Cyrix/IBM/Natinal Semiconductor"s integrated CPU MediaGX/GXm, aka NSC Geode. The first version is released in Dec., 1998. It has A5 form, 870g weight and 8.4inch HAST liquid crystal monitor that displays in 800x600 resolution. there"s detailed information in casio web site.

Hardware specs

CASSIOPEIA FIVA 101S

CPU

Cyrix MediaGXm 200MHz

Chipset

Cyrix Cx5520

PCMCIA/PC CARD

CardBus: Ricoh RL5c475 Compatible

USB Controller

Compaq compatible:OHCI

VGA Controller

Integrated to Cyrix MediaGX

Sound controller

Integrated to Cyrix MediaGX

CASSIOPEIA FIVA 102S

CPU

Cyrix MediaGXm 233MHz

Others

same as 101

CASSIOPEIA FIVA 103S

CPU

National Semiconductor Corp.(NSC) Geode(tm) G1 300MHz

Others

same as 101

Downloads

kernel patches

• Linux 2.2.16
• Linux 2.2.17
• Linux 2.2.18
• CD-ROM Drive PCMCIA-CS patch
• stanby patch for 2.4.7
• Linux 2.4.7 big patch
• Linux 2.4.16 big patch
• Linux 2.4.18 big patch

Sample of configuration files

• sample of XF86Config
• /usr/src/linux/.config(linux-2.2.16)
• /usr/src/linux/.config(linux-2.2.17)
• /usr/src/linux/.config(linux-2.2.18)
• /usr/src/linux/.config(linux-2.4.7)
• /etc/rc.boot/hdd example that setup a hard disk controller on bootup with using hdparm command.

Description of Problems

Problems on APM BIOS

There are many example that APM BIOS of Notebook PC is broken, and Fiva is not left out of an example.

In addition, I have destroyed file system so that APM BIOS is going to do a write to illogical area that I let you do hibernation with default of Linux because APM BIOS does not do archiving facility about hard disk controller.

Linux is going to establish connection to APM BIOS in bootstrap time.(i.e. /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/kernel/apm.c:apm_init()) Linux acquires a version information of APM BIOS, i.e. presence of 32 bits support, a value of segment and offset of BIOS entry and a value of data segment and the length of it.

Fiva informs an OS that APM BIOS is version 1.2 and supports 16bit/32bit access. Its APM BIOS entry address is 0xf000:8040(segment:offset)and data segment (dseg) is located on 0x9ffc and has 0x40 byte long.

BTW, Linux has a work around for old laptop PC in apm_init(), that Linux decides a values of data segment length by itself than using values informed by BIOS. You can force it to kernel except BIOS version with kernel compile option.

Problem on CPU ID

It changes CPU-ID on Geode(tm) G1 CPU, aka Cyrix MediaGX, which made by National Semiconductor Corp. That is because Linux kernel cannot recognize CPU MediaGX and handle it as UNKNOWN CPU. Geode inform to OS that has same feature as Pentium MMX(tm) CPU, but it has terrible BUG. It cause kernel clush when the worst. FIVA 103S uses Geode CPu, so you may get trouble... My patch fixes it!

Problem on PC-CARD

It may be kernel panic (failure of interrpt handler) in bootup after PCMCIA-CS 3.1.12 package. To fix it, you should cope as follows:

  lilo: linux single

boot single mode. rewrite /etc/pcmcia.conf as

PCMCIA=yes
PCIC=i82365
PCIC_OPTS="pci_irq_list=15"

CORE_OPTS=
CARDMGR_OPTS=

afterword, please reboot.