GNU/Linux on HP OmniBook Laptops

This page covers the use of the GNU/Linux operating system on Hewlett-Packard OmniBook laptop computers. However, it is also intended to be a resource for making OmniBook laptops run GNU/Linux as well as possible, in the following ways.

• This page provides detailed information about status and configuration of GNU/Linux on the OmniBook 6000 and the OmniBook 500. Some of this information is valid for other OmniBooks, and we will add information about new machines as it becomes available.
• There is an associated mailing list to build a community of OmniBook users who use GNU/Linux. Please join the list and become a member of the community. The list is still new so we need people to bring both questions and expertise.
• HP is sponsoring this effort, and is eager to see GNU/Linux work as well as possible on their products. HP will provide help to address issues that prevent the full use of GNU/Linux on the OmniBook.
• There is a rich collection of links to related resources.

Details

• OmniBook 6000
• OmniBook 500

Mailing List

I've created an OmniBook mailing list to encourage discussion about these machines, and (for now) specifically to address issues regarding the use of GNU/Linux on OmniBooks. Anyone can subscribe to the list; go to the subscription page to sign up. (Or send an email to omnibook-request@zurich.ai.mit.edu with the word "subscribe" in either the subject line or the message body.) The list is archived, and the archive is viewable as a web page.

Links

General information:

• Kenneth Harker's Linux on Laptops is the first place I look to find out about laptop use with GNU/Linux. It has links to specific information about many different laptops. There is a page specifically for HP laptops.
• MobiliX provides general information about laptops, including the Linux Mobile Guide and the Infrared HOWTO.
• David Hinds' excellent Linux PCMCIA Information.
• Debian on Laptops is a new site that may eventually be a useful resource.

HP-specific information:

• Kernel Support for HP OmniBooks and Pavilions provides Linux kernel support for HP OmniBook and Pavilion machines. This supports: use of OneTouch buttons; blanking the console; monitoring of battery, AC adapter, and display status; control of thermal policy; and disabling the touchpad.
• Christopher Erickson's HP laptop page has lots of useful documentation for OmniBooks that isn't available elsewhere, including service manuals for many models.
• HP HOWTO contains lots of information about using GNU/Linux with HP products, including OmniBooks.
• HP has a page for their Linux products.

Other OmniBook 6000 pages:

• Linux on an HP OmniBook 6000 (Red Hat Linux 6.2)
• RedHat Linux 7.x on the HP Omnibook 6000
• Linux on HP Omnibook 6000 (Mandrake Linux 8.0)

Other OmniBook 500 pages:

• Debian GNU/Linux on a HP Omnibook 500 (Debian GNU/Linux 2.2)
• SuSE 7.1 Linux (Kernel 2.4.4) on a HP Omnibook 500
• Installing RedHat 7 on an HP Omnibook 500
• RedHat Linux on the HP OmniBook 500 (Red Hat Linux 7.1)

Drivers for specific components:

• The Linux-IrDA page has detailed information about infrared support.
• Information about Linux USB support.
• Information about Wireless LAN Resources for Linux.
• The Linux Touchpad Driver page.
• The Linux Sound Subsystem is the only page I know that is dedicated to the sound drivers in the Linux kernel. But the page hasn't been updated in a long time.
• The Advanced Linux Sound Architecture project does a good job of providing drivers for sound chipsets in laptops.
• Fred Maciel's 3Com Mini PCI Device Driver for Linux. This page provides information about the Mini PCI network device that is built in to the OmniBook 6000. (All recent kernels have built-in support for this device.)

Power management:

• Information about apmd for Linux. This is where I downloaded the source to the upstream apmd and discovered that its proxy script had solutions to many of my APM issues.
• Information about ACPI support for Linux. This software is still very immature, although it is possible to make it work with recent 2.4 kernels. However, in 2.4 suspend-to-RAM isn't supported, although suspend-to-disk is possible using the software suspend patches. In recent 2.5 kernels, both suspend-to-RAM and suspend-to-disk are supported without patches.

Copyright © 1969 Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.

Last Modified: 31 December 1969 (revision history)