This page contains instructions, tips, pointers, and links for installing and configuring Arch Linux on the ASUS G55VW ROG Laptop ## Contents * [1 Bootloader](#Bootloader) * [1.1 Boot on usb](#Boot_on_usb) * [1.2 Set up UEFI boot](#Set_up_UEFI_boot) * [2 Graphics Drivers](#Graphics_Drivers) * [3 Screen Backlight](#Screen_Backlight) * [4 Other Keys](#Other_Keys) * [4.1 keyboard backlight script](#keyboard_backlight_script) ## Bootloader ### Boot on usb Press `Escape` to get the boot menu. If usb bootable device is not listed, enter configuration menu and directly press `F10` to save. Press `Escape` again on reboot : this time USB bootable device should appears in the menu. ### Set up UEFI boot **Note:** It is recommended to read the [UEFI](/index.php/UEFI "UEFI"), [GPT](/index.php/GPT "GPT") and [UEFI Bootloaders](/index.php/UEFI_Bootloaders "UEFI Bootloaders") pages before following those instructions. It is possible to use [UEFISTUB](/index.php/UEFI_Bootloaders#Setting_up_EFISTUB "UEFI Bootloaders") in-kernel bootloader, if you wish. We present here the [GRUB2](/index.php/GRUB2 "GRUB2") way. We assume `x86_64` version of Arch Linux. **Warning:** UX31A firmware is `x86_64`, so it makes it compulsory to use `x86_64` kernel to be able to dual boot with Windows in UEFI mode In the original partition setup: first partition: UEFI boot fat32 partition, should be mounted on `/boot/efi` in Arch. second partition: [GUID Partition Table](/index.php/GUID_Partition_Table "GUID Partition Table") Step 0 (optional): install [x86_64 UEFI Shell 2.0 (Beta)](https://edk2.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/edk2/trunk/edk2/ShellBinPkg/UefiShell/X64/Shell.efi): See [UEFI#UEFI Shell](/index.php/UEFI#UEFI_Shell "UEFI"). Can be useful during install, especially it allows to manually boot using [UEFISTUB](/index.php/UEFI_Bootloaders#Setting_up_EFISTUB "UEFI Bootloaders"). Step 1: granted you can boot into your install through install disk, grub1 or via a liveusb and a chroot: ``` # pacman -S grub-efi-x86_64 ``` Follow [GRUB2#UEFI systems](/index.php/GRUB2#UEFI_systems "GRUB2"). Optional: add some power optimisation kernel parameters. In `/etc/default/grub` file: ``` GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet add_efi_memmap i915.i915_enable_rc6=1 drm.vblankoffdelay=1 i915.semaphores=1" ``` **Note:** concerning kernel parameter `pcie_aspm=force`, I'm unsure: Ubuntu wiki recommends it, but UX31E Arch wiki says it should not be used. Reinstall grub2 : ``` grub-mkconfig -o /path/to/grub.cfg ``` Step 2: it is not yet possible to finish install by [creating GRUB2 entry in the Firmware Boot Manager](/index.php/UEFI#Create_GRUB2_entry_in_the_Firmware_Boot_Manager "UEFI") since it is required to boot in UEFI mode to be able to use [efibootmgr](/index.php/Efibootmgr "Efibootmgr"). The tricks is to do: ``` # cp /boot/efi/EFI/arch_grub/grubx64.efi /boot/efi/shellx64.efi ``` **Note:** temporary move `shellx64.efi` if necessary ``` # reboot ``` Press `F2` on reboot and choose "Launch EFI shell from filesystem device". It should trigger grub2 and boot into arch if grub2 is correctly set up. You should now be able to [use efibootmgr to add grub entry to firmware](/index.php/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_Interface#efibootmgr "Unified Extensible Firmware Interface"). ## Graphics Drivers See [NVIDIA](/index.php/NVIDIA "NVIDIA"). ## Screen Backlight Using the nvidia drivers provided in the extra repo screen the backlight-adjust keys(`Fn+F5`, `Fn+F6`) do not work. To get around this, you need to grab ({aur|nvidiabl-git}). Once you have installed that package, you can map your keys to the script. ## Other Keys It is also possible to use [Dynamic Kernel Module Support](/index.php/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support "Dynamic Kernel Module Support") (DKMS) (package in community), to avoid compiling the whole kernel: 1 get the archive at [http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=12054636#post12054636](http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=12054636#post12054636) (ubuntu forums account + minimum of 50 posts required) or [http://markmail.org/message/idvl6s27r26xzorb](http://markmail.org/message/idvl6s27r26xzorb) (no account required) **Note:** there is perhaps more suitable place to get the asus-wmi kernel module sources, the patch and the dkms conf file 2 extract the archive, and then extract the .deb and get the sources inside (asus-wmi.c is already patched with above patch): ``` # cp -a usr/src/asus-wmi-0.2 /usr/src/ # cd /usr/src/ # dkms add -m asus-wmi -v 0.2 # dkms built -m asus-wmi -v 0.2 -k 3.4.6-1-ARCH # dkms status # dkms install -m asus-wmi -v 0.2 -k 3.4.6-1-ARCH # dkms status ``` replace `3.4.6-1-ARCH` by your output for `uname -r` 3 There is still a problem since dkms doesn't gzip the kernel module and archlinux does (see `$ modinfo asus-wmi`): ``` # cd /lib/modules/3.4.6-1-ARCH/kernel/drivers/platform/x86/ # mv asus-wmi.ko.gz asus-wmi.ko.gz.save # gzip asus-wmi.ko ``` **Note:** there is probably a cleaner way to do that with dkms 4 After reboot, `xev` should display events for `Fn` keys. And keyboard backlight can be trigger by: ``` # echo 0 >> /sys/class/leds/asus\:\:kbd_backlight/brightness # echo 3 >> /sys/class/leds/asus\:\:kbd_backlight/brightness ``` ### keyboard backlight script In the same style that for screen backlight. As root, create the file `/usr/local/share/kbd_backlight`: ``` #!/bin/bash path="/sys/class/leds/asus::kbd_backlight" #path="/sys/class/leds/asus\:\:kbd_backlight" # max should be 3 max=$(cat ${path}/max_brightness) # step: represent the difference between previous and next brightness step=1 previous=$(cat ${path}/brightness) function commit { if [[ $1 = [0-9]* ]] then if [[ $1 -gt $max ]] then next=$max elif [[ $1 -lt 0 ]] then next=0 else next=$1 fi echo $next >> ${path}/brightness exit 0 else exit 1 fi } case "$1" in up) commit $(($previous + $step))  ;; down) commit $(($previous - $step))  ;; max) commit $max  ;; on) $0 max  ;; off) commit 0  ;; show) echo $previous  ;; night) commit 1  ;; allowusers) # Allow members of users group to change brightness sudo chgrp users ${path}/brightness sudo chmod g+w ${path}/brightness  ;; disallowusers) # Allow members of users group to change brightness sudo chgrp root ${path}/brightness sudo chmod g-w ${path}/brightness  ;; *) commit $1 esac exit 0 ``` Allow file to be executed : ``` # chmod +x /usr/local/share/kbd_backlight ``` Allow users to change brightness at each boot : ``` # echo "/bin/bash /usr/local/share/kbd_backlight allowusers" >> /etc/rc.local ``` Adding to `.zshrc` or `.bashrc` : ``` alias -g "kbd_backlight"="/bin/bash /usr/local/share/kbd_backlight" ``` allows to easy toggle backlight in terminal : ``` $ kbd_backlight up $ kbd_backlight down $ kbd_backlight max $ kbd_backlight off $ kbd_backlight night $ kbd_backlight 2 $ kbd_backlight show ``` And finally, add some convenient keyboard shortcuts [by the method of your choice](/index.php/Extra_keyboard_keys_in_Xorg "Extra keyboard keys in Xorg").