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7480

Ubuntu Dell Repo

7480 points posted to Linux, Service and Support by tekhawk 07/20/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**

basicly a simple idea dell to support the ubuntu community a little bit by running a repo for its laptops and desktop if nothing more to support the software that they install on the system and to provide driver updates theses repos should be setup on the machines before shipping so that the users can get the driver updates quick and easy and offer driver on there for all the drivers that there are for dell machines that are support on linux not just the shipping lines

so that user might find that other machines then the ones you ship with ubuntu can easly be made into power ubuntu operating machines

As matt_d has said below, we have repositories for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora, Novell/SuSE Linux Enterprise Server, and a growing one for Ubuntu. Check it out here http://linux.dell.com.

mistern 07/20/07	Could you please use upper case letters and punctuation.
tekhawk 07/20/07	sorry im very bad at that lol and i didnt have any time if i get a chance ill have someone go through and help me edit it later love math <3 hate english
jorge 07/20/07	Repo = Repossess right?
tekhawk 07/20/07	Repositories = repo package databases for users to install from ubuntu users might not even relieze they are there because they have 3 from ubuntu and never need to go else where really but for drivers and such this would be a great thing
jorge 07/20/07	Ok, I guess I was in money mode. Anyway, you have to be kidding right? It will take forever for them to make one, they're better off just mirroring the main one and leave it at that.
tekhawk 07/20/07	they dont have to have a full software list i was thinking mainly drivers it might be a good idea to mirror the main one then add drivers to that but i was thinking more drivers and any software they start to preinstall that isnt part of ubuntu for example skype google earth ect
jorge 07/20/07	Good luck.
tekhawk 07/20/07	yeah long shot i know but it would be a great thing if they went along with it
tekhawk 07/20/07	cosh might i ask for feed back on why you demoted this idea
tekhawk 10/05/07	like to note that should make a repo for people updating from feisty to gutsy and should support a US repo to help with speeds of servers maybe a dev repo...
matt_d 10/18/07	We have yum repositories for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora, and Novell/SuSE Linux Enterprise Server posted on linux.dell.com. We're actively trying to get repositories posted for Ubuntu as well. -Matt Domsch Linux Technology Strategist
tekhawk 10/18/07	Thank you Matt
dell_admin1 10/18/07	Changed status to IN PROGRESS.
tekhawk 10/19/07	Thank you
simontol Feb 16	Duplicate of: http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/75123/Dell_Repository_for_Ubunutu
dell_ubuntu_happiness Feb 17	i have an inspiron 1521.. running ubuntu amd64.. i was wondering if there where any dell programs for wireless... i hate using ndiswrapper.. but... (its what im using right now) yeah... does dell have such a thing.. like a repo for software and drivers?
jaakan Feb 19	Merged Idea originally posted 11/21/07 Dell Repository for Ubunutu Dell Repository for Ubunutu would be very welcome - Dell tools -- bios updates via linux - new drivers - betas for testing fixing for dell hardware etc - documentation - how tos - Support tools
aikiwolfie Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/21/07 I think this is a great idea. It would really bring Dells support for Ubuntu that much closer to it's support for Windows. But then again Dell don't have a great track record for keeping up with Windows driver updates.
dwood Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/21/07 Yes it is a very good idea, mesa agreesa.
jervis961 Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/21/07 Wow a lot of people voted on this one very quickly. Why not vote on some other things too.
dwood Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/21/07 My ideas need to be voted on :D
john_h Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/21/07 We have been working on this for a little while now. In process
matt_d Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/21/07 Just this week I managed to get firmware-tools and firmware-addon-dell reviewed for Ubuntu, and have a process to build BIOS payload debs too in the dell-repo-tools project. All of this code is available in our public GIT repositories at http://linux.dell.com/git if you'd care to play with the code. As john_h notes, the goal is to get the open source applications into Ubuntu and Debian (as they are for Fedora already), and to host the components that aren't open source (such as the BIOS payload files) on linux.dell.com. -Matt
dwood Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/21/07 http://linux.dell.com/repo/software/ wouldn't the above link fit that category too?
matt_d Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/22/07 @dwood: yes, but what's there for Ubuntu right now is pretty scarce. We'll have more packages to include soon as we can.
dwood Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/22/07 Okay. I see. what do you think Dell will do if Open Source becomes more of a competitor to Windows?
aikiwolfie Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/22/07 It's great you guys are putting the effort in. Keep up the good work. It's very much appreciated. Even if it doesn't seem like it sometimes.
skin Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/24/07 Wonderful idea: I'm going to buy a notebook and I'm goin to use ubuntu, the idea to have a repository and some sort of support encourage me to buy from Dell.
dwood Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/24/07 Id wait until they release more powerful options for the notebook and stop trying to defer customers from the pages b4 I get one.
aikiwolfie Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/24/07 Yeah I'm trying to hold out too. I'm hoping the laptop/tablet will be Ubuntu friendly. I want that. If not, I'll just have to buy a Lenovo.
dwood Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/25/07 I cant wait until a touchscreen Ubuntu tablet, with opensource, the possibilities are endless!
johnpro Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/25/07 Though this would be completely useless since I use a Thinkpad but it is still a good idea.
dwood Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/25/07 I find more possibilites in the Ubuntu market than any other closed source one.
aikiwolfie Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/25/07 I think open source markets have more possibilities because open source folks tend to implement anything that is needed. Closed source folks only implement things that turn a profit. Obviously there are still priorities in the open source market but sooner or later everything seems to get done.
matt_d Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/29/07 Because you asked for it here, I'm giving you a preview of what will be more publicly available in a few days: Dell system BIOS updates, via apt-get. You will need to be root to execute these steps. These will work on many, but not quite all, Dell systems (~240 systems right now). Create a file /etc/apt/sources.list.d/dell-firmware.list that contains: deb http://linux.dell.com/repo cross-distro dell-firmware Create a file /etc/apt/sources.list.d/dell-software.list that contains: deb http://linux.dell.com/repo hardy dell-software deb-src http://linux.dell.com/repo hardy dell-software (replace hardy with feisty or gutsy as appropriate for you) and run these steps # apt-get update # apt-get install firmware-addon-dell # for a in $(bootstrap_firmware -a); do apt-get install $a; done (follow the prompts; we'll be adding GPG keys to eliminate the authentication warning soon.) This should have installed a system-bios package appropriate for your system. Then run: # update_firmware follow the prompts, reboot, and you'll have your new BIOS. Feedback to firmware-tools-devel@lists.us.dell.com (subscribe and read archives at http://lists.us.dell.com/mailman/listinfo) Matt
sugarbear Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/29/07 Thank you for the update and the instructions. This will help many people.
aikiwolfie Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/29/07 Kewl beans matt_d you are the man. I recommend Micheal Dell gives you a raise.
dwood Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 11/30/07 do yo have the info on how many Linux compies that Dell has sold so far, Matt?
matt_d Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/02/07 @dwood: we aren't disclosing that, sorry.
aikiwolfie Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/02/07 So when do we get to see Ubuntu on XPS systems matt :o)
matt_d Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/05/07 FYI, this just got even easier. I've published firmware-tools deb packages, and the latest system BIOS images for 223 Dell system types, into a new repository on linux.dell.com. Please see http://linux.dell.com/wiki/index.php/Repository/firmware for instructions in how to use them. In a nutshell, for Ubuntu systems with Feisty, Gutsy, or Hardy, be sure the Universe section is enabled in /etc/apt/sources.list, then run as root: wget -q -O - http://linux.dell.com/repo/firmware/bootstrap.cgi \| bash aptitude install firmware-addon-dell aptitude install $(bootstrap_firmware -a) update_firmware The bootstrap command downloads a GPG key for use in validating the linux.dell.com repository, and sets up the dell-firmware and dell-software sections for use by apt. A reboot is required for the flash to actually happen.
aikiwolfie Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/05/07 Micheal Dell really needs to give you a promotion.
aikiwolfie Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/05/07 Since no one has asked I thought I should. How do these firmware updates affect a PC dual booting to Windows?
matt_d Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/05/07 aikiwolfie: they're just firmware updates. Rarely do we require driver and firmware updates to coincide. But you're right, that would complicate things.
jervis961 Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/05/07 Great updates matt_d!!! Can we clone you to work in the other departments as well?
dell_admin1 Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/06/07 Yeah, matt_d is definitely awesome! We hope to clone him in other departments at Dell. :)
jervis961 Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/06/07 great news, make sure you tattoo numbers on the clones so you can tell them apart. If he's married I'm sure his wife would be happy to have the clones around, think of all the chores that will get done. :D
tagno25 Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/06/07 how do we see what laptops are supported?
loneowais Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/11/07 This is the need of the hour
matt_d Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/11/07 FYI, the problem reported on my blog post where apt-get/aptitude/synaptic kept believing the BIOS payload packages weren't up-to-date, is now http://linux.dell.com/repo/dists/cross-distro/dell-firmware/binary-i386/ contains the directory listing of all the published BIOS payloads. Most have recognizable system names, but a few do not - simply because I don't have the System ID -> pretty name mapping for those systems. If you don't see your system listed, try running 'getSystemId', and post the fields "Product Name" and "System ID" (not your service tag or express service code fields please!). Then I can update the mapping so future updates will have the pretty product names in their file names.
sugarbear Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/11/07 You are wonderful matt_d.
xivulon Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/12/07 A paid-for commercial multimedia package with legal codecs would be a nice addition to the repo. I am not a big fan of closed codecs, but if that is stumbling block for some users, better have Ubuntu + proprietary codecs than a 100% propietary solution. Today the lack of proprietary codecs is probably the single most common compalint against ubuntu (after hardware compatibility). This would close the gap nicely, without forcing proprietary codecs on the ones that do not wish to sponsor them. Plus there might be some money for Dell too. Fluendo provides such package http://www.fluendo.com/products.php?product=plugins I did not use it myself, but it could be a nice starting point.
tekhawk Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/13/07 LMAO this is a dupe of something i posted back in JULY http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/71963/Ubuntu_Dell_Repo< in progress..
unity Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/19/07 This sounds promising, Thanks matt d!
aikiwolfie Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/19/07 LinDVD is being bundled by Dell now with their Linux systems.
delder Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/20/07 For anyone using SLED (sorry, I know this is an Ubuntu forum not SUSE) you can modify the script at line 93 and include: elif rpm -q --whatprovides sled-release >/dev/null 2>&1; then DISTRO_REL_RPM=$(rpm -q --whatprovides sled-release 2>/dev/null \| tail -n1) SLES_RELEASE=1 This will let you subscribe to correct repository on SLED (binary equivalent to SLES).
s3indiana Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/20/07 Having choice as to installing (http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/75692/) applications would be beneficial...
kwilliam Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/23/07 Demoted! Dell software, such as firmware updates, should be pushed into the regular Ubuntu repositories where they can be reviewed and held to Ubuntu's standards. I'd rather not install binaries from a 3rd party repository.
matt_d Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/24/07 kwilliam: the two necessary applications, firmware-tools and firmware-addon-dell, have now been included in the Ubuntu Universe repository for Hardy. I've spent _way too much_ time over the past month getting these packages prepared and included there. Given Ubuntu's rules, we may not get these added to Universe for the earlier releases like Feisty or Gutsy, so they'll continue to be posted on linux.dell.com. As for the firmwares themselves, I'm happy for people to review the packaging of them and suggest changes/fixes. They're generated from a template which is available in the dell-repo-tools GIT tree at http://linux.dell.com/git. However, with several hundred BIOS images, and hopefully more types of firmware images coming, all of which are licensed under the Dell Software License which is not open source/Free software, I don't see the point of pushing the firmware payload packages themselves into the Ubuntu metaverse repository (which is really the only place they could land there given their licensing). I want all of the open source components in Ubuntu, absolutely. But the payload packages, unlikely.
ubondell Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted 12/26/07 @matt_d - Will those packages make Ubuntu run better on my new Latitude D830N? I looked in the Wiki and there doesn't seem to be much support for people that have switched their Dell laptop to Ubuntu (or used the N option to make that the OS of choice). The thing I would like are some Dell specific tips on how to get the suspend-to-RAM and hibernate-to-disk operations to work. Those are things that are very hardware specific and must have been addressed in getting Ubuntu to work on other Dell PCs. Please share the knowledge so that the experience of all the Ubuntu users with Dell HW is improved. I'm just talking about adding it to a Wiki or other online database, not providing a help line. This seems to be a simple thing to do that will have significant payoff without any real ongoing costs.
matt_d Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted Jan 19 Changed status to PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED.
aikiwolfie Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted Jan 19 I just thought of another question. Does this repo work with Synaptic? Is that a stupid question? Please don't get annoyed if it is. :o) Edit: Never mind I'm just stupid.
jaakan Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted Feb 2 I know the bios listing for my new laptop is not in the repo jaakan@jms1000:~$ sudo getSystemId Libsmbios: 0.13.10 System ID: 0x022A Product Name: Vostro 1000 BIOS Version: 2.6.1 Vendor: Dell Inc. Is Dell: 1 I hope this helps you out Matt_d
matt_d Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted Feb 2 @jaakan: Indeed, the Vostro 1000 notebook does not implement the "RBU" BIOS update method, which firmware-addon-dell knows how to use. We don't have another Linux update utility for this system either. Your best bet will be the DOS-based method, or the Windows-based method at this time.
zanlok Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted Feb 2 DOS.. as in breaking out an old floppy boot disk.. haha - fun!
simontol Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted Feb 16 Does this install packages only if upgrade needed? I own a DM061 system, on the "aptitude install $(bootstrap_firmware -a) " step I get "can't find a package ...... «pci-firmware-ven-0x8086-dev-0x29a0-subven-0x1028-subdev-0x01dd»". It seems not to find that I need the "system-bios-dm061" package. I have to mention that my system is already updated with 2.4.0 bios. Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon.
matt_d Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted Feb 16 simontol, are you running as root? bootstrap_firmware -a must be run as root for it to pick up the system type.
toggi3 Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted Feb 16 Thumbs up on this idea, its great and gives dell the opportunity to bundle software and provide updates for them.
dell_ubuntu_happiness Feb 19	Merged Comment originally posted Feb 17 i have an inspiron 1521, using ndiswrapper....now.... i HATE ndiswrapper, nothing about it seems right... is there a repo for dell software and drivers... not firmware, i have NO interest in flashing bios...
kara_k Mar 5	Changed status to PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED. As matt_d has said here, we have repositories for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora, Novell/SuSE Linux Enterprise Server, and a growing one for Ubuntu. Check it out here http://linux.dell.com.
zanlok Mar 6	If you have a repository for Ubuntu, then why is this only "partially" implemented?
matt_d Mar 6	zanlok: the request asked for drivers, which we don't have in the repository at this time. Not that we have many drivers not already included in the distribution directly...
der_vegi Mar 17	Merged Idea originally posted Mar 17 Provide Bios Updates that run under Linux for all models Some time ago I logged into the Dell website with my service tag (Dell Inspiron 1501) and found a Bios update, that was marked as important. So I downloaded the Bios (it said it would run under DOS), created a Dos Bootdisk (as I run Linux and do not have a copy of Windows) and started the update, which didn't work, telling me, that it could only be used in Windows. Asking the support, they told me, Windows would not be necessary, so I burned a new Bootdisk, got the same error, contacted the support again. After the 4th time or so, they finally told me, that indeed would only work with Windows. A version installable with Linux over libsmbios is not available. Then I tried the same with a Inspiron 530n, which is sold with Linux preinstalled. This computer gets really loud, running on full fan all time without the Bios update. No Linux-Bios there, either. The update under Dos works somehow there, but a floppy has not sufficient disk space for that, you need a bootable USB-disk to update your Bios. So I think Dell should provide Bios-Updates that run under Linux for all models or at least for the models that come with Linux preinstalled!
matt_d Mar 17	Merged Comment originally posted Mar 17 We provide this for _most_ Dell systems (over 260 at present). See http://linux.dell.com/firmware-tools for details. However, there are a few, such as the Inspiron 530n, for which we have no clean BIOS update solution under Linux. For these few, we're looking for a solution, and actively working with the BIOS teams to come up with a solution.
matt_d Mar 17	Merged Comment originally posted Mar 17 http://linux.dell.com/wiki/index.php/Oss/Firmware_Tools/Systems_Missing_RBU lists the systems I'm aware of that do not have Linux native BIOS update capability. As you can see, this list is quite short, compared to the over 260 systems which do have BIOS Linux native BIOS update capability.
der_vegi Mar 21	Thanks for the info, matt. My Inspiron 1501 is indeed not listed under the systems with missing RBU. Nevertheless, after performing all the steps described in your above linke, I get "Checking System BIOS for Inspiron 1501 - 2.1.0 [...] This system does not appear to have any updates available."

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