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Release Notes

Release Notes: sidux 2009-04

Contributed by slh on Dec 31, 2009 - 04:55 AM

We now have the pleasure to announce the immediate availability of sidux 2009-04 "Μόρος", shipping with kernel 2.6.32 and KDE 4.3.4 in the following flavours:

  • KDE-lite, amd64, en/ de, ≈585 MB.
  • KDE-lite, i686, en/ de, ≈580 MB.
  • KDE-full, amd64+i686, en/ de (bg, da, el, es, fr, hr, hu, it, ja, nl, pt, pt_BR, ro, ru through liveapt) ≈2.1 GB.
  • XFCE, amd64, en/ de, ≈505 MB.
  • XFCE, i686, en/ de, ≈495 MB.

sidux is a full featured Debian sid based live CD with a special focus on hard disk installations, a clean upgrade path within sid and additional hardware and software support. The ISO is completely based on Debian sid, enriched and stabilized with sidux' own packages and scripts.

Release notes for Μόρος

For "Μόρος", development concentrated on updating the bootloader infrastructure for live- and installed system, but also took upstream changes like kernel 2.6.32 and KDE 4.3.4 and further KDE4 applications into account. On the installed system, grub2 now replaces the traditional grub-gfxboot bootloader, while the live system now employs isolinux and an improved gfxboot theme.

While grub2 offers increased flexibility for installations, like supporting new filesystems (ext4) or advanced installation options like LVM2 and improved detection capabilities for other distributions and operating systems, right now it is limited to a textmode menu. A new theming effort is currently under development and will be available in the future. Even though support for plain wallpapers would be already supported by grub2, it is still fragile and prolongs the system boot. Internally the configuration system for grub2 uses scripts snippets under /etc/grub.d/ to create its configuration file "grub.cfg" in a way that allows many self updating features, such as automating fromiso support with the help of "grub2-fll-fromiso" (optional).

With isolinux now supporting gfxboot, it is now also possible to use isohybrid, which allows writing an ISO directly to USB storage or sd/ sdhc/ mmc memory sticks to make these bootable. isohybrid adds an MBR to the ISO and sets up a partition table with one active entry, the partition containing the ISO. Further partitions can be added to allow access to the unused part of the storage device. As part of overhauling the gfxboot theme, the language menu has been moved to the F2 key and extended with a keyboard sub-menu, which allows further specifying the desired keymap. If the desired layout is not available from the menu, xkbmodel, keytable, xkbvariant and xkboptions can now be set as cheatcodes on the kernel command line. A new timezone menu has been added under F3, while F4 allows selecting the source of the compressed root filesystem (CD, harddisk, NBD), while advanced kernel options are available under F5; F6 allows adding including firmware images from live medium or removable storage.

Network booting from network block devices (NBD) is now supported, as well as fromiso/ fromhd systems on LVM2 volumes, further information about NBD support is available under FAQ.

Kernel 2.6.32 doesn't only improve and stabilise hardware support for newer devices, it also allows enabling KMS (kernel based modesetting) for Intel graphic chipset and supports DRI and basic 3d support for ATi Radeon graphics cards up to the HD4xxx series (r6xx/ r7xx, hints for installing the required firmware are available at non-free sources and drivers). Likewise virtualisation support through KVM has been improved and now also supports KSM (Kernel Samepage Merging) to reduce the memory footprint of concurrent virtual machine. Upstream kernel development has also focussed on improved powersaving capabilities and optimised driver support for webcams and wlan cards.

As usual, a large number of individual functionality enhancements and bugfixes have been applied to the full package line up and sidux' own packages, in order to improve the general distribution infrastructure.

Our special thanks go to the sidux art team and especially all mirror hosters for their efforts regarding sidux. In particularly our thanks go to the Hetzner Online AG for upgrading the server hardware of sidux.com. Following this we would like to welcome the mirror hosted by Cybermirror in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Minimum system requirements:

  • amd64:
    • CPU requirements:
      • AMD64
      • Intel Core2
      • Intel Atom 330
      • any x86-64/ EM64T capable CPU
      newer 64 bit capable AMD Sempron and Intel Pentium 4 CPUs (watch for the "lm" flag in /proc/cpuinfo or use infobash -v3).
    • RAM requirements:
      • KDE: ≥512 MB RAM (≥768 MB RAM recommended), ≥1 GB RAM for liveapt.
      • XFCE: ≥256 MB RAM.
    • VGA graphics card capable of at least 640x480 pixel resolution.
    • optical disk drive or USB media.
    • ≥3 GB HDD space, ≥10 GB recommended.
  • i686:
    • CPU requirements:
      • Intel Pentium pro/ Pentium II
      • AMD K7 Athlon (not K5/ K6)
      • Intel Atom N-270/ 230
      • VIA C3-2 (Nehemiah, not C3 Samuel or Ezra)/ C7
      • any x86-64/ EM64T capable CPU or newer
      the full i686 command set is required.
    • RAM requirements:
      • KDE: ≥384 MB RAM (≥768 MB RAM recommended), ≥1 GB RAM for liveapt.
      • XFCE: ≥192 MB RAM.
    • VGA graphics card capable of at least 640x480 pixel resolution.
    • optical disk drive or USB media.
    • ≥3 GB HDD space, ≥10 GB recommended.

Now to the interesting topics, like what's on the menu for now:

  • Debian sid, as of 2009-12-31.
  • kernel 2.6.32.2 (smp, hard preemption).
  • X.org 7.4 (xserver-xorg-core 1.6.5).
  • enable KMS support for Intel based graphics chipsets.
  • DRI (3d) support for ATi Radeon chipsets up to r7xx (refer to non-free sources and Drivers).
  • KDE 4.3.4 (en + de).
  • Iceweasel 3.5.6
  • new, SVG based, art theme created by the sidux art team.
  • offline manual for en + de directly on the disc, online manuals for more languages online at http://manual.sidux.com/ and available via apt; a big thank you goes to the documentation and translation teams!
    Please note that the offline manual is only available on the running live CD or the installed system.
  • many changes for the manual.
  • at76c50x-usb support for 11 MBit/s Atmel wlan cards (at76c503a, at76c505 and at76c505a).
  • ath5k support for 54/ "108" MBit/s Atheros wlan cards (AR2425, AR5210, AR5211, AR5212, AR5213 and AR5414).
  • ath9k support for 802.11 draft-n Atheros wlan cards (AR5418+AR5133, AR5416+AR5133, AR5416+AR2133, AR9160, AR9280 and AR9281).
  • ar9170usb support for 802.11 draft-n Atheros USB wlan cards (AR9170 "otus").
  • b43/ b43legacy support for Broadcom wlan cards.
    OpenFWWF 5.2 opensource firmware for the following Broadcom AirForce 802.11b/g wireless cards:
    • BCM4306
    • BCM4311 revision 1
    • BCM4318
    • BCM4320
  • iwl3945 support (Intel Pro Wireless 3945 chipsets).
  • iwlagn support for IPW 4965 and the IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n part of the Intel Wireless WiFi Link 1000/ 5xxxAGN/ 6000/ 6050 family.
  • iwmc3200wifi support for Intel Wireless Multicomm 802.11.
  • rt2x00 support for RaLink rt2400, rt2500, rt2570, rt61 and rt73 802.11b/g cards.
  • experimental support for RaLink rt2770, rt2870 and rt3070 802.11b/g/n USB cards.
  • support for RealTek RTL8180L and RTL8185 PCI/ cardbus wlan cards.
  • support for RealTek RTL8187 and RTL8187B USB wlan cards.
  • memtest86+.
  • OpenJDK 6 as part of the kde-full variant.
  • employ "insserv" to reorder the bootsequence based on LSB headers.
  • support kvm (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) for kde-full; kvm depends on hardware virtualisation support (AMD pacifica virtualisation extensions "svm" or Intel IVT (vanderpool) virtualisation extensions "vmx")
  • access point support for many mac80211 based wlan cards through nl80211 and hostapd (optional).
  • USB 3.0 support.
  • client support for network booting over PXE/ NBD.
  • fix fromiso/ fromhd on LVM2 logical volumes.
  • switch to isolinux+gfxboot/ isohybrid and grub2.

Frequently asked questions

Installation

It is recommended to set keymaps, locales and timezone before booting the live system to be installed, by selecting them from the boot menu [F2], [F3]. This way, locale settings propagate to all required places for the installed system and don't require cumbersome changes at several places.

Since sidux 2009-04 "Μόρος", it is also possible to write sidux ISOs directly to USB storage devices of sdhc memory cards in addition to the well known possibility of using "install-sidux-to-usb" (install-usb-gui). This option is particularly useful if there is no existing sidux installation available and if an installation medium needs to be created from another distribution or operating system. It is important to note that this method overwrites the whole USB medium and restricts the available storage to the size of the sidux ISO; install-usb-gui is not subject to these limitations and therefore the recommended option in case an existing sidux system is available. 

cat /path/to/sidux-*.iso > /dev/USB_raw_device_node

Further information about the sidux install is available from the sidux manual at Installation options.

Network booting sidux

Starting with sidux 2009-04 "Μόρος", network booting over PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) and NBD (Network Block Device) is supported, the required settings can be configured from within the boot menu [F4]. Instructions about how to set up an example PXE+NBD boot server can be obtained at sidux netboot introduction.

Localisation

A special feature of kde-full releases is the ability to select all other languages than German or US English from the grub menu (F2), which automatically installs localisations for the desktop and many applications while booting. This ensures they are also present after installing sidux, while only installing the required languages for the given system. The amount of memory required for this feature depends on the language and sidux may refuse to install the given language packs automatically with insufficient RAM and the boot sequence will be continued in english language but with the desired locales-settings (currency, date/ time format, keyboard charsets). 1 GB memory or more is supposed to be safe for all supported languages, which are:

  • Bulgarian
  • Danish
  • Dutch
  • English (GB, AU)
  • Greek
  • French
  • Hungarian
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Croatian
  • Polish
  • Portuguese (BR and PT)
  • Romanian
  • Russian
  • Spanish
  • the language selection depends on the availability of sidux-manual translations, get involved to add your language.

Hints for hardware with non-free needs:

sidux contains only dfsg free software, so you'll probably want to add contrib/ non-free to your /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.list and ensure internet access. 

# See sources.list(5) for more information, especially
# Remember that you can only use http, ftp or file URIs
# CDROMs are managed through the apt-cdrom tool.
# The /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ directory provides a way to add sources.list
# entries in separate files that end with sources.list file.

# unstable
deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian unstable main contrib non-free
# deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian unstable main contrib non-free

# testing
# deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian testing main contrib non-free
# deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian testing main contrib non-free

# experimental
# deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian experimental main contrib non-free
# deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian experimental main contrib non-free

and /etc/apt/sources.list.d/sidux.list: 

# sidux, Germany
deb http://sidux.com/debian/ sid main contrib non-free fix.main fix.contrib fix.non-free
#deb-src http://sidux.com/debian/ sid main contrib non-free fix.main fix.contrib fix.non-free

The required firmware can be determined with the following device/ firmware enumeration or by using the fw-detect script (packaged in sidux-scripts).

802.11
Atmel AT76c50x 11 MBit/s devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
atmel* at76_usb
To install the firmware
apt-get install atmel-firmware
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/atmel_at76c5
Broadcom, b43/ b43legacy devices
The modules using this firmware are
b43 b43legacy
To install the firmware
apt-get install b43-fwcutter
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/b43/b0g0bsinitvals5.fw
  • /lib/firmware/b43/b0g0initvals5.fw
  • /lib/firmware/b43/ucode5.fw
NOTE
While this shouldn't be required for most 802.11b/g wlan cards anymore, the proprietary firmware gets preferred by b43, in case it is installed.
Intel ipw2100 (11 MBit/s) and Intel ipw2200 (54 MBit/s) devices
The modules using this firmware are
ipw2100 ipw2200
To install the firmware
apt-get install firmware-ipw2x00
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/ipw2100
Intel ipw3945/ iwlwifi, 54 Mbit/s and Intel ipw4965, iwl1000/ iwl5xxx, iwl6000, iwl6050/ iwlagn, draft-n devices
The modules using this firmware are
iwl4965 iwl3945 iwlwifi-* iwlagn
To install the firmware
apt-get install firmware-iwlwifi
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/iwlwifi-3945-1.ucode
  • /lib/firmware/iwlwifi-3945-2.ucode
  • /lib/firmware/iwlwifi-4965-1.ucode
  • /lib/firmware/iwlwifi-4965-2.ucode
  • /lib/firmware/iwlwifi-5000-1.ucode
  • /lib/firmware/iwlwifi-5000-2.ucode
  • /lib/firmware/iwlwifi-5150-2.ucode
Intersil prism54 (p54pci/ p54usb), 54 MBit/s devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
p54pci p54usb prism54
To install the firmware
visit http://jbnote.free.fr/prism54usb/
The modules using this firmware are
rt73* rt61* rt28*
To install the firmware
apt-get install firmware-ralink
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/rt73
NOTE
rt2860 and rt2870 from staging
ZyDAS zd1201 11 MBit/s devices
The modules using this firmware are
zd1201
To install the firmware
visit http://surfnet.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/linux-lc100020/zd1201-0.14-fw.tar.gz
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/zd1201
ZyDAS zd1211 54 MBit/s devices
The modules using this firmware are
zd1211*
To install the firmware
apt-get install zd1211-firmware
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/zd1211/zd1211
audio
Cirrus Logic (Sound Fusion) CS4280/CS461x/CS462x/CS463x devices
The modules using this firmware are
snd-cs46xx
To install the firmware
visit http://bugs.debian.org/464197
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/cs46xx/cs46xx-old.fw
NOTE
follow the howto described in the bugreport carefully, MD5: 6510e1759d85b0627d36367febbb3a6a
EMI 2|6 devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
emi26
To install the firmware
visit http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=tree;f=emi26;hb=HEAD
and place the file(s) in the /lib/firmware/emi26/ directory
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/emi26/bitstream.bin
  • /lib/firmware/emi26/firmware.fw
  • /lib/firmware/emi26/loader.fw
EMI 6|2m devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
emi62
To install the firmware
visit http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=tree;f=emi62;hb=HEAD
and place the file(s) in the /lib/firmware/emi62 directory
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/emi62/bitstream.bin
  • /lib/firmware/emi62/loader.fw
  • /lib/firmware/emi62/midi.fw
  • /lib/firmware/emi62/spdif.fw
Sound Blaster 16/AWE CSP devices
The modules using this firmware are
sb16
To install the firmware
visit http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=tree;f=sb16;hb=HEAD
and place the file(s) in the /lib/firmware/sb16 directory
Korg 1212 IO devices
The modules using this firmware are
snd-korg1212
To install the firmware
visit http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=tree;f=korg;hb=HEAD
and place the file(s) in the /lib/firmware/korg directory
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/smctr/k1212.dsp
ESS Allegro Maestro3 devices
The modules using this firmware are
snd-maestro3
To install the firmware
visit http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=tree;f=ess;hb=HEAD
and place the file(s) in the /lib/firmware/ess directory
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/ess/maestro3_assp_kernel.fw
  • /lib/firmware/ess/maestro3_assp_minisrc.fw
Yamaha YMF724/740/744/754 devices
The modules using this firmware are
snd-ymfpci
To install the firmware
visit http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=tree;f=yamaha;hb=HEAD
and place the file(s) in the /lib/firmware/yamaha directory
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/yamaha/ds1_ctrl.fw
  • /lib/firmware/yamaha/ds1_dsp.fw
  • /lib/firmware/yamaha/ds1e_ctrl.fw
bluetooth
Broadcom Blutonium Bluetooth chipset (BCM203x) devices
The modules using this firmware are
bcm203x
To install the firmware
apt-get install bluez-firmware
cpu
Intel devices
To install the firmware
apt-get install intel-microcode
eth
Broadcom NetXtremeII (BCM5706/5708/5709/5716, bnx) devices
The modules using this firmware are
bnx2
To install the firmware
apt-get install firmware-bnx2
Broadcom NetXtremeII 10Gb (BCM57710/57711/57711E, bnx2x) devices
The modules using this firmware are
bnx2x
To install the firmware
apt-get install firmware-bnx2x
Chelsio Communications T3 10Gb Ethernet devices
The modules using this firmware are
cxgb3
To install the firmware
visit http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=tree;f=cxgb3
and place the file(s) in the /lib/firmware/cxgb3/ directory
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/cxgb3/*.bin
Intel e100 (82559 D101M/ D101M, 82551-F, 82551-10), 100 MBit/s devices
The modules using this firmware are
e100
To install the firmware
apt-get install firmware-linux-nonfree
KLSI KL5USB101-based devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
klsi
To install the firmware
apt-get install firmware-linux-nonfree
SMC ISA/MCA Token Ring devices
The modules using this firmware are
smctr
To install the firmware
visit http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=blob;f=tr_smctr.bin;hb=HEAD
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/smctr/tr_smctr.bin
SUN Cassini GBit/s devices
The modules using this firmware are
sun
To install the firmware
visit http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=tree;f=sun;hb=HEAD
and place the file(s) in the /lib/firmware/sun directory
Broadcom Tigon3 (tg3) devices
The modules using this firmware are
tg3
To install the firmware
apt-get install firmware-linux-nonfree
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/tigon/tg3.bin
  • /lib/firmware/tigon/tg3_tso5.bin
  • /lib/firmware/tigon/tg3_tso.bin
modem
Atari DSP56k devices
The modules using this firmware are
dsp56k
To install the firmware
visit http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=tree;f=dsp56k;hb=HEAD
and place the file(s) in the /lib/firmware/dsp56k directory
Eagle ADSL devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
eagle
To install the firmware
visit http://eagle-usb.org/ueagle-atm/non-free/
radio
Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) Receiver devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
dabusb
To install the firmware
apt-get install firmware-linux-nonfree
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/dabusb/bitstream.bin
  • /lib/firmware/dabusb/firmware.fw
serial
Computone IntelliPort Plus devices
The modules using this firmware are
computone
To install the firmware
visit http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=blob;f=intelliport2.bin;hb=HEAD
Inside Out Edgeport devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
edgeport
To install the firmware
visit http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=tree;f=edgeport;hb=HEAD
and place the file(s) in the /lib/firmware/edgeport/ directory
Keyspan USA-xxx devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
keyspan
To install the firmware
visit http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=tree;f=keyspan;hb=HEAD
and place the file(s) in the /lib/firmware/keyspan directory
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/keyspan/mpr.fw
  • /lib/firmware/keyspan/usa18x.fw
  • /lib/firmware/keyspan/usa19.fw
  • /lib/firmware/keyspan/usq19qi.fw
  • /lib/firmware/keyspan/usa19qw.fw
  • /lib/firmware/keyspan/usa19w.fw
  • /lib/firmware/keyspan/usa28.fw
  • /lib/firmware/keyspan/usa28x.fw
  • /lib/firmware/keyspan/usa28xa.fw
  • /lib/firmware/keyspan/usa28xb.fw
  • /lib/firmware/keyspan/usa49w.fw
  • /lib/firmware/keyspan/usa19qw.fw
  • /lib/firmware/keyspan/usa49wlc.fw
Keyspan PDA single-port devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
keyspanda
To install the firmware
visit http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=tree;f=keyspan_pda;hb=HEAD
and place the file(s) in the /lib/firmware/keyspan_pda directory
TI 3410/5052 devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
ti_usb_3410_5052
To install the firmware
visit http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=blob;f=ti_3410.fw;hb=HEAD http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=blob;f=ti_5052.fw;hb=HEAD
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/ti_usb_3410_5052/ti_3410.fw
  • /lib/firmware/ti_usb_3410_5052/ti_5052.fw
ConnectTech WhiteHEAT devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
whiteheat
To install the firmware
visit http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=blob;f=whiteheat.fw;hb=HEAD http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=blob;f=whiteheat_loader.fw;hb=HEAD
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/whiteheat/whiteheat.fw
  • /lib/firmware/whiteheat/whiteheat_loader.fw
tv
Afatech AF9005 DVB-T USB1.1 devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
dvb-usb-af9005
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/AF05BDA.sys
Afatech AF9015 DVB-T devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
dvb-usb-af9015
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/dvb-usb-af9015.fw
av7110 dvb devices
The modules using this firmware are
av7110
To install the firmware
get_dvb_firmware av7110
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/dvb-ttpci-01.fw
bluebird dvb devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
bluebird
To install the firmware
get_dvb_firmware bluebird
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/dvb-usb-bluebird-01.fw
dec2000t dvb devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
dec2000t
To install the firmware
get_dvb_firmware dec2000t
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/dvb-ttusb-dec-dec2000t.fw
dec2500t dvb devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
dec2500t
To install the firmware
get_dvb_firmware dec2500t
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/dvb-ttusb-dec-dec20500t.fw
dec3000t dvb devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
dec3000t
To install the firmware
get_dvb_firmware dec3000t
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/dvb-ttusb-dec-dec3000t.fw
diusb dvb devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
diusb
To install the firmware
get_dvb_firmware diusb
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/dvb-diusb-5.0.0.11.fw
various full featured DVB devices
The modules using this firmware are
dvb
To install the firmware
visit http://www.linuxtv.org/downloads/firmware/
NOTE
most budget cards won't need this
IVTV devices
To install the firmware
visit http://dl.ivtvdriver.org/ivtv/firmware/
Technotrend/Hauppauge Nova devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
nova
To install the firmware
visit http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=tree;f=ttusb-budget;hb=HEAD
and place the file(s) in the /lib/firmware/ttusb-budget/ directory
or51132_qam devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
or51132_qam
To install the firmware
get_dvb_firmware or51132_qam
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/dvb-fe-or51132_qam.fw
or51132_vsb dvb devices
The modules using this firmware are
or51132_vsb
To install the firmware
get_dvb_firmware or51132_vsb
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/dvb-fe-or51132_vsb.fw
or51211 dvb devices
The modules using this firmware are
or51211
To install the firmware
get_dvb_firmware or51211
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/dvb-fe-or51211.fw
sp8870 dvb devices
The modules using this firmware are
sp8870
To install the firmware
get_dvb_firmware sp8870
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/dvb-fe-sp8870
sp887x dvb devices
The modules using this firmware are
sp887x
To install the firmware
get_dvb_firmware sp887x
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/dvb-fe-sp887x
tda1004x dvb devices
The modules using this firmware are
tda1004x
To install the firmware
get_dvb_firmware tda10046
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/dvb-fe-tda10046.fw
vga
ATi r128 and Radeon r100-r780 devices
The modules using this firmware are
radeon
To install the firmware
apt-get install firmware-linux-nonfree
Matrox MGA 100-450 devices
The modules using this firmware are
matrox
To install the firmware
apt-get install firmware-linux-nonfree
nVidia devices
The modules using this firmware are
nv
NOTE
3d acceleration isn't possible with free drivers yet
video
cameras based on Vision's CPiA2 devices
The modules using this firmware are
cpia2
To install the firmware
visit http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=tree;f=cpia2;hb=HEAD
and place the file(s) in the /lib/firmware/cpia2/ directory
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/cpia2/stv0672_vp4.bin
3com HomeConnect (aka vicam) devices (including usb)
The modules using this firmware are
vicam
To install the firmware
visit http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/dwmw2/linux-firmware.git;a=tree;f=vicam;hb=HEAD
and place the file(s) in the /lib/firmware/vicam/ directory
You can confirm you have installed the firmware by checking for the following files
  • /lib/firmware/vicam/firmware.fw

Hints for Upgraders:

sidux tries hard to provide seamless upgrade path for debian and sidux' own packages, nevertheless a few things remain that could be improved with manual interaction.

crda

The new regulatory domain framework for cfg80211 based wlan cards requires crda to allow access to wireless channels above ch11 (2.4 GHz or their 5 GHz equivalents), without crda only the "world domain" (channel 1-11) is available. Previous hacks using module parameters ("ieee80211_regdom={US,EU,JP}") are no longer available and prevent cfg80211 from loading, please remove possible module-init-tools overrides ("grep -R ieee80211_regdom /etc/modprobe.d/" to find them) manually. 

# apt-get update
apt-get install crda

Timezone settings

Older versions of tzdata (as present in previous sidux versions) didn't record and set the timezone correctly, please reconfirm and select your current timezone – even if it appears to work – through: 

# dpkg-reconfigure tzdata

Obsolete packages

As part of the continuing development of sidux, a number of packages have been replaced by better alternatives or become redundant.

  • grub-gfxboot
    Although grub2 is used in place of grub-gfxboot on new installs, grub-gfxboot remains to be actively supported at least until the release of Debian 6.0 "squeeze". Manually switching the bootloader should only be considered by experienced administrators for the time being and it is recommended to test this procedure following the manual inside a virtual machine first. The upgrade from grub-gfxboot to grub2 of existing installs will only be suggested in future releases.
  • liveusb-creator
    liveusb-creator is no longer available, on sidux systems it is possible to use "install-sidux-to-usb" instead. From within other distributions and operating systems, it is now possible to write an ISO directly to raw devices.
  • ndiswrapper
    Due to packaging and policy changes (#517130 and Bits from the kernel team), combined with basically missing upstream development for the last 2 years, precompiled ndiswrapper modules can no longer be provided. Please investigate if native FOSS modules are available for your wlan hardware or consider replacing it with better supported alternatives.
  • virtualbox-ose
    Due to recent packaging changes (#517130, Bits from the kernel team and #551531) in virtualbox-ose, it is unfortunately no longer possible to provide prebuilt kernel modules for virtualbox-ose, subsequently seamless guest integration can no longer be provided on the ISOs. However for the host system, "virtualbox-ose-source" can be installed in combination with dmakms or alternatively through "virtualbox-ose-dkms". Virtual installations may profit from installing "virtualbox-ose-guest-source" can be installed in combination with dmakms or alternatively through "virtualbox-ose-guest-dkms". For systems supporting hardware virtualisation (AMD pacifica virtualisation extensions "svm" or Intel IVT (vanderpool) virtualisation extensions "vmx"), kvm is the preferred replacement.

The following command is able to find packages not available from any active apt repository and may hint at obsolete packages, be careful about manually installed packages though. apt-show-versions is a separate package and isn't necessarily preinstalled. 

$ apt-show-versions | awk '/No available version in archive/{print $1}'

Disclaimer:

This is experimental software. Use at your own risk. The sidux project, it's developers and team members (all represented by the sidux e.V.) cannot be held liable under any circumstances for damage to hardware or software, lost data, or other direct or indirect damage resulting from the use of this software. If you do not agree to these terms and conditions, you are not permitted to use or further distribute this software.

Download URLs, please give the mirrors some time to sync:

Europe

North America

South America

Asia

Africa

Australia

Our thanks go to all mirror hosters for their efforts regarding sidux.

How to get involved

Getting involved in sidux is easy, just join us at our Forum or even better on IRC (irc.oftc.net, port 6667, channel #sidux) and discuss your patches/ proposals or additions.

We will gladly discuss any dfsg-free patches and contributions, especially regarding alternative window managers (gnome, lxde), general janitorial tasks or translations/ localisations.

Roadmap:

Please understand that the following roadmap is a rough estimate regarding our release schedule and is affected by the status of upstream Debian sid, major system components like X.org, KDE, the linux kernel and our own developments and is subject to changes.

  • sidux 2010-01 "Ύπνος" — Q1 2010
  • sidux 2010-02 "Κῆρες" — Q2 2010
  • sidux 2010-03 "Ἀπάτη" — Q3 2010
  • sidux 2010-04 "Γῆρας" — Q4 2010

Special thanks go to the entire sidux team.

Developers:

Joaquim Boura (x-un-i)
David Creedy (klaymen)
Michael Deelwater (ModestUser)
Bernard Gray (cleary)
Aedan Kelly (etorix)
Stefan Lippers-Hollmann (slh)
Kel Modderman (kelmo)
Nicolas Poniros (edhunter)
Dinko Sabo (cobra)
Niall Walsh (bfree)
Andreas Weber (webera)
Fabian Wuertz (xadras)

Documentation and Manuals:

Jose Tadeu Barros (ceti)
Alpha Mohamed Diakite (alphad)
dongle
Stefan R. Eissens (eislon)
Roland Engert (RoEn)
Alessio Giustini (alessiog75)
Richard Holt (Richard)
Markus Huber (hubi)
kostiagol
Luis_P
manul
Philippe Masson (LjanA)
Magnus Müller (evnu)
neceron
Mutsumu Nomura (muchan)
Nicolas Poniros (edhunter)
Reuss
Dinko Sabo (cobra)
Imre Veres (mrowl)
Dorin Vatavu (dorin)
Trevor Walkley (bluewater)
zulu9

Art Team:

David Creedy (klaymen)
Bernard Gray (cleary)

Web design Team:

azoo
Bernard Gray (cleary)
Chris Hildebrandt (slam)
Stefan Lippers-Hollmann (slh)
Dinko Sabo (cobra)
rieper|net
Daniel-S-P
Ferdi Thommes (devil)

Vital Support:

Alessio Giustini (alessiog75)
Chris Hildebrandt (slam)
Ralph Hokanson Jr. (piper)
Aedan Kelly (etorix)
Gerald Prock (raider700)
Ferdi Thommes (devil)
Florian Schneider (hathe)
Torsten Wohlfarth (towo|)
sidux e.V.

Thanks to Hetzner Online AG for sponsoring sidux.com.

On behalf of the sidux team:
        Stefan Lippers-Hollmann (slh)