Attansic atl1e eeePC 1000 LAN Driver Compile Install

To install the the lan driver for the eeePC 1000 you need build dependencies. If you are using a usb cd then after installation just use:

sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r) unrar

If you don’t have anything you need to get the build dependencies onto your system the hard way. Luckily I spent 2 hours downloading every single package and associated dependencies from the Hardy repositories. The packages are for a default Hardy kernel 2.6.24 series straight off the CD. I also included the packages rerquired to build a kernel if you want to build the eeePC kernel provided at eeepc.asus.com.

hardy_i386_build_dep_with_Kernel_build_support.tar.bz2

Unzip the  package and use dpkg to take care of everything. Change to the directory:

cd Desktop/hardy_i386_build_dep_with_kernel_build_support

sudo dpkg -i *

You will have to flip back and forth with the following command:

sudo dpkg –configure -a

Lots of files require configuration prior to installation of subsequent files. This took some time, but most of the time was because the packages were bad downloads and I had to keep downloading them form different sources till they all worked. The folder contains the default kernel headers requires, and basically its an all in 1 package with everything you’ll need.

Now download the driver source direct from ASUS:

http://dlsvr04.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/socket775/P5KPL-CM/LinuxDrivers.zip

Unzip, and cd to the directory. Then cd to the src directory. Compile:

sudo KBUILD_NOPEDANTIC=1 make
sudo KBUILD_NOPEDANTIC=1 make install

After compilation and installation:

cd /lib/modules/2.6.24-19-generic/kernel/drivers/net/atl1e/atl1e.ko
sudo insmod ./atl1e.ko

Then run:

sudo depmod so modprobe knows the driver exists. If for some reason the driver
dousn't load automatically you can manually add it to /etc/modules.

eeePC 1000 Intel® 945G Express Chipset

[Not anymore with the new kernels that have been released recently!! I still like installing the drivers manually tho!!!!!]

The eeePC is a sleek little machine that comes with a linux based os designed for kids. There is no desktop, but a reduced graphical interface with limited modification capabilities. To compensate you can install basically any linux distribution. Most linux distros will require substantial modification, and compilation of various drivers. Ubuntu, and other debian based distros have such a following that many people are making optimized kernel that can be downloaded. One example is array.org that provides a pre-built kernel, but there are some issues with the graphics driver that causes a massive instability on eeePC version 1000. Because of this if you want to use Ubuntu with eeePC v.1000 you either should wait for further development of the custom kernel, or a more well rounded version of eeeBuntu. Frankly I think Intrepid Ibex will have support out of the box for all eeePC versions, but in the mean time I will take the route of a default Hardy kernel with associated custom compiled drivers.

Stability rules, and the only way to achieve this 100% is doing everything yourself. One compilation at a time.

The new eeePCs will come with the Intel® 945G Express Chipset therefore you want a distribution that has a reasonable level of stability. You should definitely take a look at the following page which specifically deals with various linux distros and their compatibility with the Intel driver.

http://www.intellinuxgraphics.org/user.html