| 7.4. Hardware | ||
|---|---|---|
 | Chapter 7. System Configuration with YaST |  |
| 7.4. Hardware | ||
|---|---|---|
| | Chapter 7. System Configuration with YaST | |
New hardware must first be installed or connected as directed by the vendor. Turn on external devices and start the appropriate YaST module. Most devices are automatically detected by YaST and the technical data is displayed. If the automatic detection fails, YaST offers a list of devices (model, vendor, etc.) from which to select the suitable device. Consult the documentation enclosed with your hardware for more information.
![[Important]](admon/important.png) | Model Designations |
|---|---|
If your model is not included in the device list, try a model with a similar designation. However, in some cases the model must match exactly, because similar designations do not always indicate compatibility. | |
Configure graphics cards and monitors with +. It uses the the SaX2 interface, described in Section 7.13, “SaX2”.
Configure a printer with +. If a printer is properly connected to the system, it should be detected automatically. Find detailed instructions for configuring printers with YaST in Section 24.4, “Configuring the Printer”.
Normally, the hard disk controller of your system is configured during the installation. If you add controllers, integrate these into the system with +. You can also modify the existing configuration, but this is generally not necessary.
The dialog presents a list of detected hard disk controllers and enables assignment of the suitable kernel module with specific parameters. Use to check if the current settings work before they are saved permanently in the system.
![[Warning]](admon/warning.png) | Configuration of the Hard Disk Controller |
|---|---|
It is advised to test the settings before making them permanent in the system. Incorrect settings can prevent the system from booting. | |
Display detected hardware and technical data using +. Click any node of the tree for more information about a device. This module is especially useful, for example, when submitting a support request for which you need information about your hardware.
Save the hardware information displayed to a file by clicking . Select the desired directory and filename then click to create the file.
Activate and deactivate the DMA mode for your IDE hard disks and your IDE CD and DVD drives in the installed system with +. This module does not have any effect on SCSI devices. DMA modes can substantially increase the performance and data transfer speed in your system.
During installation, the current SUSE Linux Enterprise kernel automatically activates DMA for hard disks but not for CD drives, because default DMA activation for all drives often causes problems with CD drives. Use the DMA module to activate DMA for your drives. If the drive supports the DMA mode without any problems, the data transfer rate of your drive can be increased by activating DMA.
![[Note]](admon/note.png) | Note |
|---|---|
DMA (direct memory access) means that your data can be transferred directly to the RAM, bypassing the processor control. | |
Configure a joystick connected to the sound card with +. Select your joystick type in the list provided. If your joystick is not listed, select . After selecting your joystick, make sure that it is connected then click to test the functionality. Click and YaST installs the required files. After the window appears, test the joystick by moving it in all directions and pressing all buttons. Each movement should be displayed in the window. If you are satisfied with the settings, click to return to the module and to complete configuration.
If you have a USB device, this configuration is not necessary. Plug in the joystick and start using it.
To configure the keyboard for the console, run YaST in text mode then use +. After clicking the module, the current layout is displayed. To choose another keyboard layout, select the desired layout from the list provided. Test the layout in by pressing keys on the keyboard.
Fine-tune the settings by clicking . You can adjust the key repeat rate and delay and configure the start-up state by choosing the desired settings in . For , enter a space-separated list of devices to which to apply the Scroll Lock, Num Lock, and Caps Lock settings. Click to complete the fine-tuning. Finally, after all selections have been made, click for your changes to take effect.
To set up the keyboard for the graphical environment, run the graphical YaST then select . Find information about the graphical configuration in Section 7.13.3, “Keyboard Properties”.
When configuring the mouse for the graphical environment, click to access the SaX2 mouse configuration. Refer to Section 7.13.2, “Mouse Properties” for details.
To configure your mouse for the text environment, use YaST in text mode. After entering text mode and selecting +, use the keyboard arrow keys to choose your mouse from the provided list. Then click to save the settings and exit the module.
Use +
to configure a sound card.
Most sound cards are detected automatically and listed. Select the one to
configure or modify then click .
Use to remove a sound card. This deactivates
existing entries of configured sound cards in
/etc/modprobe.d/sound.
Click to open a dialog in which to customize the sound module options manually. With , configure additional sound cards. If YaST detects another sound card, select it then use .
The volume and configuration of all sound cards installed are saved
when you click . The mixer settings are saved
to the file /etc/asound.conf and the ALSA
configuration data
is appended at the end of the files
/etc/modprobe.d/sound and
/etc/sysconfig/hardware.
If YaST is unable to detect your sound card automatically, proceed as follows:
Click
to open a dialog in which to select a sound card
vendor and model. Refer to your sound card documentation for the information
required. Find a reference list of sound cards supported by ALSA with their
corresponding sound modules in
/usr/share/doc/packages/alsa/cards.txt and at
http://www.alsa-project.org/~goemon/. After making
your selection, click .
In , choose the configuration level in the first setup screen. With , you are not required to go through any of the further configuration steps and no sound test is performed. The sound card is configured automatically. With , you can adjust the output volume and play a test sound. allows you to customize the sound card options manually.
In this dialog, there is also a shortcut to joystick configuration. Click it and select the joystick type in the following dialog. Click to continue.
In , test your sound configuration and make adjustments to the volume. You should start at about ten percent to avoid damage to your speakers or hearing. A test sound should be audible when you click . If you cannot hear anything, increase the volume. Press to complete the sound configuration. The volume setting is then saved.
If you use a Creative Soundblaster Live or
AWE sound card, copy SF2 sound fonts to your
hard disk from the original Soundblaster driver CD-ROM with
. The sound fonts are saved in
the directory /usr/share/sfbank/creative/.
For playback of MIDI files, check . This way, the modules for sequencer support are loaded along with the sound modules.
To add a DASD to the installed system, there are two possibilities:
To add a DASD to an installed system, use the YaST DASD module (+). In the first screen, select the disks to make available to your Linux installation and click . Select then leave the dialog with .
Issue the following command:
dasd_configure 0.0.0150 1 0
Replace 0.0.0150 with the actual channel
number to which the
DASD is attached. The last zero of the command line should be
1 if the DASD should be accessed in DIAG mode.
| Note |
|---|---|
In either case, you must run the commands mkinitrd zipl to make the changes persistent. | |
To add further FCP-attached SCSI devices to the installed system, use
the YaST ZFCP module (+). Select
to add an additional device. Select the
(adapter) from the list and specify
both and .
Finalize the setup by selecting and
. Verify that the device has been added by
checking the output of
cat /proc/scsi/scsi.
| Note |
|---|---|
To make the changes persistent through a reboot, run the following commands: mkinitrd zipl | |
| |  | |
| 7.3. Software |  | 7.5. System |