Arch Linux

89c51

Member

Registered: 2012-06-05

Posts: 741

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

Just a question: (off topic)

Is it easier to install a normal linux distro -driver problems apart- and use it as a normal laptop. I remember in the old one you had to hold a button wait x amount of seconds each time you wanted to boot something else or something like that???

colemickens

Member

Registered: 2013-05-16

Posts: 24

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

I've written something you might find useful:
https://cole.mickens.us/post/2015-04-02 … nux-guide/

tl;dr: Yes, from a cold boot I have to press Ctrl+L at the scary screen to boot into GRUB. This is a security measure.

89c51

Member

Registered: 2012-06-05

Posts: 741

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

Thanks.

This CTRL+L thing is idiocy at its finest but anyway.

Razor X

Member

From: California

Registered: 2012-08-22

Posts: 14

Website

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

I was able to fix the startup graphical issue I posted (post GRUB only). I added to /etc/mkinitcpio.conf

MODULES="i915"

as explained here https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ke … _KMS_start

I now see the passphase prompt. I don't really care about the "pretty" GRUB menu as I'm going to hide it all anyway. There is probably some grub setting that will fix it though.

For the resolution, I just set better font sizes for my terminal, vim, gtk theme, etc. Also look here for firefox / chrome: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/HiDPI

Keymaps are mostly working thanks to this https://github.com/dhead666/archlinux-p … chromebook but I still have issues like PageUp/Down and Delete not working.

VLC playback is good, but YouTube sound (and video?) skips (install libva-intel-driver).

Last edited by Razor X (2015-04-17 07:23:04)

progtologist

Member

Registered: 2013-04-29

Posts: 9

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

Apparently, unlocking the BIOS is not that hard as it was in the first Pixel.

More info is here http://ausdroid.net/2015/03/12/chromebo … internals/

Hideaki

Member

From: Seattle, WA

Registered: 2009-01-19

Posts: 37

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

Is anyone else using an SD Card with their Pixel 2 to get some extra storage space? I have an issue that when I boot, legacy BIOS will pick the SD Card as the first boot method and fail(since there is no OS in it). Is there any way to change the boot priority with out having to take apart the Pixel and disable write protection?

colemickens

Member

Registered: 2013-05-16

Posts: 24

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

Apparently, unlocking the BIOS is not that hard as it was in the first Pixel.

More info is here http://ausdroid.net/2015/03/12/chromebo … internals/

Not really, the Pixel and Pixel (2015) are almost identical in regards to installing Linux and/or changing the VBB boot flags. The only real difference is that the Pixel 2 doesn't have a bunch of glue in it.

FTA:

Unfortunately the process is still largely the same since it is the same verified boot under the hood with the same security requirements.

Last edited by colemickens (2015-04-21 19:36:44)

bendavis78

Member

Registered: 2014-06-21

Posts: 41

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

I successfully got Arch w/ Gnome installed on an SD card, just to test things out before I install it on the main drive. The only thing I can tell so far that isn't working is the touchpad. The touchscreen actually works just fine. I was surprised to tap the screen and see the Gnome on-screen keyboard appear (something I haven't seen before). The touchpad will let me tap and click, but I can't actually move the mouse pointer with it. Also I can't use secondary click yet.

Has anyone had any success with the touchpad yet?

colemickens

Member

Registered: 2013-05-16

Posts: 24

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

I successfully got Arch w/ Gnome installed on an SD card, just to test things out before I install it on the main drive. The only thing I can tell so far that isn't working is the touchpad. The touchscreen actually works just fine. I was surprised to tap the screen and see the Gnome on-screen keyboard appear (something I haven't seen before). The touchpad will let me tap and click, but I can't actually move the mouse pointer with it. Also I can't use secondary click yet.

Has anyone had any success with the touchpad yet?

Yes, the touchpad works fine with tsowell's samus patches, mentioned in this thread.

Hideaki

Member

From: Seattle, WA

Registered: 2009-01-19

Posts: 37

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

Looks like we are getting upstream support for the touchpad and touchscreen with Linux 4.1

http://lkml.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kern … 03338.html

old486whizz

Member

Registered: 2014-01-30

Posts: 3

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

Hiya guys,

Thinking about grabbing myself a pixel 2 in the UK as the hardware should be fairly Linux friendly soon ish, have been scouring the net concerning replacing chromeos with Arch and am just wondering if I can ask one or two with a pixel 2 and arch installed, if they could give their opinions or experience on the following features?
I obviously know about the big ones (touchpad kernel drivers, seabios and HDMI usb3).

1) double-tap batter monitor.. I assume this is a software feature on chromeos and unavailable under Arch currently? Would this be an acpid call or something similar?
2) light bar control - again purely chromeos? I have seen the /sys/.../kbd_backlight file referenced - but I guess this is just the keyboard backlight and would like to know if any progress on the flashy coloured light bar has been done.
3) battery / heat comparison under normal working conditions (bit harder to judge, but battery life might be helpful if someone can say how long it lasts if they've used it for a week or two? ~8 hours random usage? Quick charge still works?

I know these are mostly gimmicky, but nice to fool about with and nice to know.

--
Old486whizz

satchmosgroove

Member

From: Long Beach, NY

Registered: 2010-01-13

Posts: 88

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

Hi,

thanks to this thread, I might pick up one by myself as well. I have one question about the verified boot: if I remove the write-protect screw, is the bios still password protected, so I can still lock the bios to only boot from internal ssd? i just don't know how "full-featured" SeaBIOS is.

colemickens

Member

Registered: 2013-05-16

Posts: 24

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

Hiya guys,

Thinking about grabbing myself a pixel 2 in the UK as the hardware should be fairly Linux friendly soon ish, have been scouring the net concerning replacing chromeos with Arch and am just wondering if I can ask one or two with a pixel 2 and arch installed, if they could give their opinions or experience on the following features?
I obviously know about the big ones (touchpad kernel drivers, seabios and HDMI usb3).

1) double-tap batter monitor.. I assume this is a software feature on chromeos and unavailable under Arch currently? Would this be an acpid call or something similar?
2) light bar control - again purely chromeos? I have seen the /sys/.../kbd_backlight file referenced - but I guess this is just the keyboard backlight and would like to know if any progress on the flashy coloured light bar has been done.
3) battery / heat comparison under normal working conditions (bit harder to judge, but battery life might be helpful if someone can say how long it lasts if they've used it for a week or two? ~8 hours random usage? Quick charge still works?

I know these are mostly gimmicky, but nice to fool about with and nice to know.

--
Old486whizz

1. Both the double-tap-for-battery-level and the Konami-code-easter-egg are implemented on the hardware controller itself and will work anytime, anywhere. Even at the scary unverified boot screen, you can still access them.

2. Light bar? I can control the backlight level of both the display and the keyboard.

3. ~8 hours might be on the generous side, but I'm doing more than just running Chrome. It does not over heat. Yes, it still quick charges.

bendavis78

Member

Registered: 2014-06-21

Posts: 41

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

I got the touchpad working, I just had to install xorg-input-synaptics.  The only thing left that doesn't seem to be working is sound. Do I need to do anything special to get it working? I'm using linux-samus from AUR.

colemickens

Member

Registered: 2013-05-16

Posts: 24

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

I got the touchpad working, I just had to install xorg-input-synaptics.  The only thing left that doesn't seem to be working is sound. Do I need to do anything special to get it working? I'm using linux-samus from AUR.

https://github.com/tsowell/linux-samus/ … ce-state-1

genki

Member

Registered: 2015-01-03

Posts: 17

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

Hello, has anyone had troubles getting the microphone to work?
I could be completely misunderstanding the issue (so please let me know if that is the case), but for example if I go to a video-test website, my webcam, audio, etc. all work (after following the instructions on tsowell's GitHub repo) using the flash interface they give, but the website doesn't seem to recognize that I have a microphone.
I haven't been able to find any mention of this elsewhere, so could anyone let me know if it was just working for them out of the box, if they have tried it in say Google Hangouts for example, etc.
If I should provide any details, please let me know!

EDIT: I just tested on Google Hangouts, and it says it didn't see that I had any microphone.

EDIT #2: Relevant issue at the tsowell GitHub - https://github.com/tsowell/linux-samus/issues/4

Last edited by genki (2015-04-30 05:19:27)

bendavis78

Member

Registered: 2014-06-21

Posts: 41

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

Hi, I've had my Pixel 2 running smoothly on Arch for the last few days. At work I have it connected to an external DisplayPort monitor using the adapter from Google. It's been working great, until today when I plug it in and the monitor doesn't wake up. Xorg detects the monitor just fine, and even extends the desktop (I can drag windows off the screen). But the monitor is not waking up (keeps entering powersave mode). 

When I boot into ChromeOS, the monitor works fine. Any ideas what could be causing this?

Here's my xrandr -q output:

Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 2560 x 1700, maximum 8192 x 8192
eDP-0 connected primary 2560x1700+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 272mm x 181mm
   2560x1700     60.00*+
   2048x1536     60.00  
   1920x1440     60.00  
   1856x1392     60.01  
   1792x1344     60.01  
   1600x1200     60.00  
   1400x1050     59.98  
   1280x1024     60.02  
   1280x960      60.00  
   1024x768      60.04    60.00  
   960x720       60.00  
   928x696       60.05  
   896x672       60.01  
   800x600       60.00    60.32    56.25  
   700x525       59.98  
   640x512       60.02  
   640x480       60.00    59.94  
   512x384       60.00  
   400x300       60.32    56.34  
   320x240       60.05  
DisplayPort-0 connected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
   2560x1440     59.95 +
   2048x1152     60.00  
   1920x1200     59.88  
   1920x1080     60.00    50.00    59.94    30.00    25.00    24.00    29.97    23.98  
   1920x1080i    60.00    50.00    59.94  
   1600x1200     60.00  
   1680x1050     59.95  
   1280x1024     75.02    60.02  
   1200x960      59.99  
   1152x864      75.00  
   1280x720      60.00    50.00    59.94  
   1024x768      75.08    60.00  
   800x600       75.00    60.32  
   720x576       50.00  
   720x480       60.00    59.94  
   640x480       75.00    60.00    59.94  
   720x400       70.08  
HDMI-0 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DisplayPort-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

Here's a dump of my Xorg.0.log:  http://sprunge.us/TPdc

aaron235

Member

Registered: 2015-04-30

Posts: 4

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

Hi! New Chromebook Pixel 2015 owner here. Thanks for all this information!

I was thinking of arching my chromebook. I know all about the screw you have to deal with or face battery wipe, but I have a few other questions before I go through with it.

First off, how many of you are using this repo? https://github.com/tsowell/linux-samus

it looks nice, but I want to know if there are any hiccups that might arise.

First of all, how hard is it to get audio working? That looks like the biggest stopping block listed by the repo.

Second, when they say lights can be controlled through `/sys/class/leds/chromeos::kbd_backlight.`, what does that mean? Is there just a file there, that when written, changes the color of the lights?

And third, how does battery life look? I'm a little worried that I'm gonna have to give up my 12 hours.

I'd also like to add this little Broadwell power saving patch I found. Not sure how effective it is but it looks noce, and I'd like to contribute something instead of just asking questions and expecting answers.

Thanks!

Hideaki

Member

From: Seattle, WA

Registered: 2009-01-19

Posts: 37

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

Hi, I've had my Pixel 2 running smoothly on Arch for the last few days. At work I have it connected to an external DisplayPort monitor using the adapter from Google. It's been working great, until today when I plug it in and the monitor doesn't wake up. Xorg detects the monitor just fine, and even extends the desktop (I can drag windows off the screen). But the monitor is not waking up (keeps entering powersave mode). 

When I boot into ChromeOS, the monitor works fine. Any ideas what could be causing this?

Here's my xrandr -q output:

Here's a dump of my Xorg.0.log:  http://sprunge.us/TPdc

Have you tried reversing the type-C connector? I've found that the adapters will sometimes not output any video in one direction, but you flip it over and it works fine.

Hi! New Chromebook Pixel 2015 owner here. Thanks for all this information!

I was thinking of arching my chromebook. I know all about the screw you have to deal with or face battery wipe, but I have a few other questions before I go through with it.

First off, how many of you are using this repo? https://github.com/tsowell/linux-samus

it looks nice, but I want to know if there are any hiccups that might arise.

First of all, how hard is it to get audio working? That looks like the biggest stopping block listed by the repo.

Second, when they say lights can be controlled through `/sys/class/leds/chromeos::kbd_backlight.`, what does that mean? Is there just a file there, that when written, changes the color of the lights?

And third, how does battery life look? I'm a little worried that I'm gonna have to give up my 12 hours.

I'd also like to add this little Broadwell power saving patch I found. Not sure how effective it is but it looks noce, and I'd like to contribute something instead of just asking questions and expecting answers.

Thanks!

Everyone is using linux-samus, it's the only way to get the touchpad, touchscreen and audio to work at the moment. It's fairly easy to set up, tsowell has done all the heavy lifting for us.

/sys/class/leds/chromeos::kbd_backlight controls the keyboard backlight, the lightbar is not controllable at the moment, however Linux 4.1(currently going through the RC phase) has merged support for the Pixel 2 and it includes support for controlling the lightbar.

Battery Life is fine. I haven't benchmarked it, but I can easily get 8-10 hours.

bendavis78

Member

Registered: 2014-06-21

Posts: 41

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

Have you tried reversing the type-C connector? I've found that the adapters will sometimes not output any video in one direction, but you flip it over and it works fine.

Wow. That fixed it. Unbelievable :-P   I thought the whole point of type-C was that you didn't have to worry about that kind of thing. Oh well, I'm happy it's working now!

opticron

Member

Registered: 2011-08-18

Posts: 2

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

Wow. That fixed it. Unbelievable :-P   I thought the whole point of type-C was that you didn't have to worry about that kind of thing. Oh well, I'm happy it's working now!

I noticed in your xrandr output that while there was a preferred mode detected (not sure if it was accurate), there was not a currently selected mode for the external display. Did you try telling xrandr to force a particular mode when the adapter is inserted "upside down"? I ran "xrandr --output ... --off" on my current system and it produces similar results to your xrandr output.

Hideaki

Member

From: Seattle, WA

Registered: 2009-01-19

Posts: 37

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

Have you tried reversing the type-C connector? I've found that the adapters will sometimes not output any video in one direction, but you flip it over and it works fine.

Wow. That fixed it. Unbelievable :-P   I thought the whole point of type-C was that you didn't have to worry about that kind of thing. Oh well, I'm happy it's working now!

It certainly shouldn't be happening, Type-C is supposed to be reversible. I was able to repo the issue on ChromeOS originally, but now I can't any more. It's possible that there is a software component to Type-C 's reversible switch that isn't yet implemented upstream, but has been fixed in some ChromeOS update.

Last edited by Hideaki (2015-04-30 21:32:04)

colemickens

Member

Registered: 2013-05-16

Posts: 24

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

Have you tried reversing the type-C connector? I've found that the adapters will sometimes not output any video in one direction, but you flip it over and it works fine.

Wow. That fixed it. Unbelievable :-P   I thought the whole point of type-C was that you didn't have to worry about that kind of thing. Oh well, I'm happy it's working now!

It certainly shouldn't be happening, Type-C is supposed to be reversible. I was able to repo the issue on ChromeOS originally, but now I can't any more. It's possible that there is a software component to Type-C 's reversible switch that isn't yet implemented upstream, but has been fixed in some ChromeOS updated.

Also the adapter is rather "active" and actually receives firmware updates from ChromeOS.

I hope that MST is coming at some point, but then I may have to reinstall ChromeOS just to get the updated firmware on the adapter.

aaron235

Member

Registered: 2015-04-30

Posts: 4

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

So, I got it to work. Mostly. I took out the screw, and from there, I managed to get it to dual-boot ChromeOS without having to press buttons to make it boot into Arch. Except, it doesn't really boot into arch...

I'm geting a bit of an issue when booting Arch. The install went great, no issues, and I know there's a working system on it because I've chrooted into it for maintainence several times. But it won't boot right. I get a blue pixely line when I try to boot. Looks like this:

http://i.imgur.com/WwNcJT5.jpg

I have a feeling it has to do with EFI booting, that seems to be the consensus on similar boot issues.

So, how did you guys (the ones who have it working) set up your bootloaders/boot managers? I'm using gummiboot, followed the standard EFI instructions in the beginners guide.

Or, if anyone knows what else could be causing this, I'd love to hear it.

Thanks.

Moderator edit [ewaller] changed img tags for over sized picture to url tags.  Original link is preserved here: [ img=I would take a better picture but I don't see it as necessary]http://i.imgur.com/WwNcJT5.jpg[ /img]
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fo … s_and_code

And, that picture screams of the reason I dislike touch screens

Last edited by ewaller (2015-05-02 16:17:12)

colemickens

Member

Registered: 2013-05-16

Posts: 24

Re: Google Chromebook Pixel 2

So, I got it to work. Mostly. I took out the screw, and from there, I managed to get it to dual-boot ChromeOS without having to press buttons to make it boot into Arch. Except, it doesn't really boot into arch...

I'm geting a bit of an issue when booting Arch. The install went great, no issues, and I know there's a working system on it because I've chrooted into it for maintainence several times. But it won't boot right. I get a blue pixely line when I try to boot. Looks like this:

http://i.imgur.com/WwNcJT5.jpg

I have a feeling it has to do with EFI booting, that seems to be the consensus on similar boot issues.

So, how did you guys (the ones who have it working) set up your bootloaders/boot managers? I'm using gummiboot, followed the standard EFI instructions in the beginners guide.

Or, if anyone knows what else could be causing this, I'd love to hear it.

Thanks. :)

Moderator edit [ewaller] changed img tags for over sized picture to url tags.  Original link is preserved here: [ img=I would take a better picture but I don't see it as necessary]http://i.imgur.com/WwNcJT5.jpg[ /img]
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fo … s_and_code

And, that picture screams of the reason I dislike touch screens :)

I'm betting that most of us are leaving the screw in and thus doing a traditional mbr/grub setup via SeaBIOS. (And in fact, you're the only data point I know of for EFI install, and I'm now dissuaded against trying)

How did you manage dual booting with stock ChromeOS? Did you shrink the existing ChromeOS partitions to make room for your own?

As for graphical corruption, I assume you have a DE configured to start during your boot? I'm not sure, installing X, xorg-intel drivers and that was sufficient. Adding i915 to mkinitcpio just fixed some early boot graphical corruption.

Last edited by colemickens (2015-05-02 20:35:19)