This guide is intended to provide you details on how well this laptop works with Linux and which drivers you need to configure. For details on how to actually install and configure the required drivers have a look at our guides section for distribution specific instructions.

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Page Contents Author Introduction Editing This Page Specifications Linux Compatibility Notes Related Resouces Summary

Author

Bill Giannikos (bill2 at giannikos.com.au)

Introduction

This is a guide to running Linux with the Toshiba Tecra A9 laptop.

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Specifications

Name	Toshiba Tecra A9
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 2.0GHz
Screen	15.4" WXGA
RAM	1GB
HDD	120GB
Optical Drive	DVD+-RW
Graphics	Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
Network	10/100/1000 Ethernet, Intel 4965 802.11abgn Wireless, Bluetooth
Other	3 x USB2.0, Fingerprint Reader

Linux Compatibility

Device	Compatibility	Comments
Processor	Yes
Screen	Yes
HDD	Yes
Optical Drive	Yes
Graphics	Yes	See notes below
Sound	Yes	See notes below
Ethernet	Yes
Wireless	Yes	See notes below
Bluetooth	Not Tested
56K Modem	Not Tested
USB	Yes
Card Reader	Not Tested
PCMCIA	Not Tested
Fingerprint Reader	Not Tested
Serial Port	Not tested but detected

Notes

Many Linux distributions do not fully support the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 yet. In this case you will need to update the version of Xorg you are running. Ubuntu 7.10, OpenSuSE 10.3 and Mandriva 2008 support this chip fully.

The Intel 4965AGN controller in the Tecra A9 uses the iwlwifi driver. If you are using a kernel older than 2.6.22 then this driver becomes very difficult to install so I would recommend upgrading to 2.6.22. Currently Ubuntu 7.10, Mandriva Linux 2008 and OpenSuSE 10.3 support this controller fully. You can view the guide below for a more up to date list of distributions which support this controller as well as instructions for distributions which don't support it fully.

I have not tested this fully but I believe the standard 2.6.22 kernel does not yet support the sound controller in the Tecra A9. If sound does not work for you it means that you will need to upgrade to at least version 1.0.15rc3 of the ALSA drivers. Audio with Ubuntu 7.10 works fine, I believe this is because Ubuntu includes an updated set of drivers.

Related Resouces

Preparing your laptop for Linux
Configuring the audio
Configuring the iwl4965 driver for the Intel 4965AGN wireless controller
Increasing battery life

Summary

A Linux distribution with at least kernel version 2.6.22 is recommended for the Toshiba Tecra A9. I would recommend Ubuntu 7.10 as all the features tested work without hassle.

If you are looking to purchase this laptop you can visit Toshiba's Tecra page.

Have you installed Linux on this laptop? If so how about leaving a comment about your success in the comments section below.