Linux on Dell Alienware m15x (PM55,i7)

[mjbommar]

Has anyone tested Linux on one of these machines yet? I returned an HP dv6t because its quirky BIOS made Linux worthless and was hoping to get confirmation from someone that these machines work without too much trouble. Current EDD for mine is early December, so if not, I'll make sure to update the thread when I do receive it.

Note that this is not the old Alienware m15 - it's the newer line with the i7 and the PM55 chipset.

[mjbommar]

My m15x will be delivered on Wednesday.

The only other source of information about Linux on this machine is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzot3B94iCk

The uploader claims "the driver are not compatible (video driver) it keep on restart for no reason, and there for i have to removed it.. "

Unclear whether they were installing i386 or x64 and whether or not they tried the alternate install method from the console...

[uncon]

Cool. I'm currently waiting on my M15x and should have it in a few weeks. Let me know how it goes. I'd also like to see the output of 'lspci -v' and 'lsusb -v' (maybe 'dmesg' too), if you get a chance.

[mjbommar]

Cool. I'm currently waiting on my M15x and should have it in a few weeks. Let me know how it goes. I'd also like to see the output of 'lspci -v' and 'lsusb -v' (maybe 'dmesg' too), if you get a chance.

Sure, anything in particular you're worried about?

[uncon]

Sure, anything in particular you're worried about?

I wouldn't say I'm worried. I just want to look into the hardware and how well it's supported. I'm also curious about how to interface with the RGB LEDs.

[mjbommar]

I'm writing this message from Win7, as there seems to be some significant performance differences between Linux native and Linux under VirtualBox.

I'm not sure whether this has to do with ACPI or scheduling, but the results are an enormous difference in phoronix scores...Ubuntu/VirtualBox has TWICE the scimark2 score as Ubuntu/Native.

[uncon]

I'm writing this message from Win7, as there seems to be some significant performance differences between Linux native and Linux under VirtualBox.

I'm not sure whether this has to do with ACPI or scheduling, but the results are an enormous difference in phoronix scores...Ubuntu/VirtualBox has TWICE the scimark2 score as Ubuntu/Native.

Might be related to this bug (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/429036). Where you able to get the lspci and lsusb outputs while you were running it native?

[HeadHunter00]

You're so lucky to get such an awesome computer

[AutumnStone]

I'm also in the market for a new laptop, and since I have had the one I'm typing this on for the past 6 years (Thankyou linux!) I can afford something shiny.

I'm looking at the m15x with eyes besotted by all the shiny, but would really like to know if ubuntu installs well on it.

I've been windows free at home for years now, and spend the work days where I'm in the office cursing the windows box they've foisted on us. So I really don't want a laptop - especially an expensive one - that fails to install ubuntu.

Please let us know how the install goes, whether there are any hiccough with the hardware (I know the old m15x pre dell had sound issues, and there's a rumour this one has video issues)

Thanks so much to all people testing this for us.

Cheers - AutumnStone

[mjbommar]

RE: Install
I'm running 64-bit 9.1. There weren't any issues when I installed - either through the default install path or within the Live CD. I'm not sure what issue that YouTube poster was suffering from.

RE: Hardware Support
I've uploaded the following output:

dmesg
lspci
lsusb
lshw


For the following configs:

tb: factory defaults, turboboost enabled, virt enabled
no-tb: factory defaults, turboboost disabled, virt enabled


You can find them in the corresponding directories here:
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mjbommar/m15x/

[mjbommar]

URL: http://global.phoronix-test-suite.com/index.php?k=profile&u=mjbommar-10157-25021-1778

I've also been running benchmarks on the machine with various BIOS settings:
* With and without turbo boost
* With stock Ubuntu 9.1 kernel and latest linus git kernel (2.6.32-rc8)
* Native and virtualized under VirtualBox

You can see that native significantly underperforms virtualized, regardless of TurboBoost and even with the latest kernel. I'm excited by the virtualized results but still disappointed by the

The rightmost column is my current machine, a Precision M4400 with an X9100 and DDR2 RAM.

http://global.phoronix-test-suite.com/global-graph.php?g=BAR_GRAPH&t=SciMark&s=Computational%20Test:%20Composite&n=2.0&u=Mflops&i=mjb-tb-ss;mjb-tb-ss1;mjb-tb-ss-2.6.32-rc8;mjb-notb-ss-2.6.32-rc8;mjb-vbox-tb-ss;m4400-x9100;&v=526.29;530.07;529.16;463.36;669.14;550.99;&p=HIB&x=2.0.0

http://global.phoronix-test-suite.com/global-graph.php?g=BAR_GRAPH&t=RAMspeed&s=Type:%20Average%20-%20Benchmark:%20Integer%20-%20Length:%203%20Times&n=2.5.2&u=MB/s&i=mjb-tb-ss1;mjb-tb-ss-2.6.32-rc8;mjb-notb-ss-2.6.32-rc8;mjb-vbox-tb-ss;m4400-x9100;&v=6680.69;6956.85;6803.51;7005.00;2973.50;&p=HIB&x=2.0.0

[mjbommar]

I also just built a fresh kernel without ACPI, SMP, or SMT in response to the bug #429036 - https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/429036?comments=all .

The takeaway is still that the kernel is not where it needs to be for the i7's.

[AutumnStone]

Thankyou again for being test guinea pigs. It's greatly appreciated.

-Autumnstone

[paulchinnz]

I'm considering this beast myself in the near future. Some questions for those with 9.10 on it:
1) Anyone have a SSD with it?
2) What's the battery time with a 6 (or 9 cell) with 9.10, not gaming, just surfing/emailing/using OOo/playing music or videos? (PS - I find setting the screen to negative using Compiz makes a big difference to battery endurance with my current Inspiron)
3) Any trouble with the 260M GPU?
4) Does the multi-card reader work? (this is like a final frontier for my Inspiron, still doesn't do it in Ubuntu!)

Thanks!

[uncon]

I'm considering this beast myself in the near future. Some questions for those with 9.10 on it:
I can highly recommend this laptop. I've very pleased with it so far. I've been running Linux exclusively on it since I received it.

1) Anyone have a SSD with it?
Yes, and I'm very happy with it. If you want more information on it, it's a "SAMSUNG SSD PM800 Series 2.5" 256GB, VBM19D1Q".

2) What's the battery time with a 6 (or 9 cell) with 9.10, not gaming, just surfing/emailing/using OOo/playing music or videos? (PS - I find setting the screen to negative using Compiz makes a big difference to battery endurance with my current Inspiron)
I have the 9-cell battery and I get about 2.5 hours doing standard desktop activities (not gaming) and leaving compiz as is.

3) Any trouble with the 260M GPU?
I got the GeForce GT 240M GPU, but I have no issues whatsoever. Also, while Dell's site specifically says this card has 512MB, it actually has 1GB of memory.

4) Does the multi-card reader work? (this is like a final frontier for my Inspiron, still doesn't do it in Ubuntu!)
I've only tested with SD, and it works fine.

One thing to note is that the Turbo mode on the CPU doesn't appear to be working at all on the current kernel (2.6.31-16-generic x86_64).

[paulchinnz]

Cheers for the quick reply.

Hopefully the 128GB I'll be getting is from the same Samsung lineup.

Turbo mode doesn't matter too much as I suspect I'll only need the Turbo mode with Windows playing Crysis etc.

By the way, is this virtual/native performance difference for real? It'd be great justification for running 9.10 (where I do 95% of my stuff) in Win7 (for gaming/some pesky applications Ubuntu hasn't quite got sorted out yet).

[uncon]

Cheers for the quick reply.

Hopefully the 128GB I'll be getting is from the same Samsung lineup.

Turbo mode doesn't matter too much as I suspect I'll only need the Turbo mode with Windows playing Crysis etc.

By the way, is this virtual/native performance difference for real? It'd be great justification for running 9.10 (where I do 95% of my stuff) in Win7 (for gaming/some pesky applications Ubuntu hasn't quite got sorted out yet).

As far as I can tell, the benchmark that indicates this is actually only single threaded, and the difference we see here is due to the CPU not going into Turbo. However, I have not extensively researched this.

[Sum Guy]

It looks like Intel's virtualisation hardware is helping with this bug, as it appears the virtual Ubuntu machine is outpacing the native Windows install it's running on.

[paulchinnz]

I don't really understand any of this. However, like any good layperson, what I really want to know is: do these benchmarking figures translate to real-world differences i.e. has anyone actually noticed a significant difference between using 9.10 on one of these machines virtualised (on Windows 7 preferably) vs. native?

[uncon]

I don't really understand any of this. However, like any good layperson, what I really want to know is: do these benchmarking figures translate to real-world differences i.e. has anyone actually noticed a significant difference between using 9.10 on one of these machines virtualised (on Windows 7 preferably) vs. native?

It's doubtful that you will notice this unless you are running one single threaded app (e.g., audio/video encoder). In this case, under Windows, the CPU would over clock one core and slow down the other cores (Turbo mode). However, in Linux (at this point in time) no core will over clock, and the other cores will not change. Thusly, the single threaded app will appear to preform better in Windows than in Linux.

Short answer: You'll probably never notice.

[Sum Guy]

How's the graphics card run with Ubuntu? Also, is there any sign of an i7 kernel in the future (to enable its new features)?

Also, since this is the only tech forum I'm a member of, and it relates to this unit, I'll ask it here:
Would you say this laptop justifies the additional cost over the XPS 16? I'd like to mess around with a few random high end games, but above all I'd like something with enough kick now in all of its faculties to last at least 2-3 years, preferably more.

[uncon]

How's the graphics card run with Ubuntu? Also, is there any sign of an i7 kernel in the future (to enable its new features)?

Also, since this is the only tech forum I'm a member of, and it relates to this unit, I'll ask it here:
Would you say this laptop justifies the additional cost over the XPS 16? I'd like to mess around with a few random high end games, but above all I'd like something with enough kick now in all of its faculties to last at least 2-3 years, preferably more.

Your GPU question has already been answered in this thread. As for i7 support, we should already have it. From what I can tell, it's in the kernel version that we're running, but not working in Ubuntu.

I don't use this system for gaming at all. The reviews I read about the structural integrity, the cooling system and the display are what won me over.

[Sum Guy]

That's great to know! Sorry I missed ther bit about the GPU, should have paid more attention. Anyway, thanks for the info, looks like this will be my new system (eventually)!

[paulchinnz]

The touchpad has been a notorious problem, which unfortunately I didn't notice much improvement with 9.10 on my Inspiron. Is the experience with the M15x any different? (admittedly only really an issue when flying economy class!)

[uncon]

The touchpad has been a notorious problem, which unfortunately I didn't notice much improvement with 9.10 on my Inspiron. Is the experience with the M15x any different? (admittedly only really an issue when flying economy class!)

I'm not familiar with the issues with the touch pad on the Inspirons. The Windows driver that is preinstalled on the M15x is very crappy. I'm not even sure how they managed past QA like that, but it doesn't matter. In Windows you can just remove the driver and use the MS one. In Linux this isn't an issue at all. My touch pad behaves about as good as any other I've used.

[paulchinnz]

MS as in M$ or some other MS?

I think the touchpad is an issue on lots of different laptops with Ubuntu and has been for some iterations of (at least 7.xx from memory).

[uncon]

MS as in M$ or some other MS?

I think the touchpad is an issue on lots of different laptops with Ubuntu and has been for some iterations of (at least 7.xx from memory).

MS, as in Microsoft.

I've been using Ubuntu on laptops for a long time and never had an issue. *shrug*

[paulchinnz]

Thanks for the advice re: Microsoft drivers for the touchpad. I'll google them when my M15x arrives.

[uncon]

Thanks for the advice re: Microsoft drivers for the touchpad. I'll google them when my M15x arrives.

These are the drivers included with the Windows... You'll already have them.

[paulchinnz]

I'm not familiar with the issues with the touch pad on the Inspirons. The Windows driver that is preinstalled on the M15x is very crappy. I'm not even sure how they managed past QA like that, but it doesn't matter. In Windows you can just remove the driver and use the MS one. In Linux this isn't an issue at all. My touch pad behaves about as good as any other I've used.

I see. Did you mean the Alienware driver rather than Windows driver (above)? Or are you implying that there was a better Windows driver available than the preinstalled one also from Windows?

[uncon]

I see. Did you mean the Alienware driver rather than Windows driver (above)? Or are you implying that there was a better Windows driver available than the preinstalled one also from Windows?

The driver that is installed from the factory (from Synaptics, IIRC) is nearly useless. If you remove this driver and use the standard Windows driver, the touch pad works as well as can be expected from a touch pad.

[paulchinnz]

Cool thanks for clearing that up. The touchpad, even in Windows, has been one of the issues that some M15x reviewers have nitpicked on, which may be because of the driver issues you note. Now for the big wait for the box to arrive...

[danilius]

I have just installed 9.10 64-bit, and so far everything runs just dandy - graphics card, trackpad, webcam and sound.

Now, can anyone tell me ho to change the backlighting LEDs for the keyboard, alien head and so on?

As for the build quality, it is quite frankly the finest piece of kit I have laid my hands on for a while.

[Sum Guy]

I don't think anyone has any idea how the LED controller works. The big things will be finding the interface, and then finding out how to use it (obviously). Try using dmesg and looking for anything weird.

[paulchinnz]

Anyone have any thoughts on how best to play Crysis (PC version) on this machine while minimising Windows 7's footprint? VM W7 or dual-boot?

[Sum Guy]

Dual boot for sure. Ubuntu currently does not utilise the Core i7 correctly, and so W7 would not only run faster, but Ubuntu would run faster in a Virtual Machine, until this is fixed (look at earlier pages in the thread).

[paulchinnz]

I guess that's the third option isn't it, to VM 9.10 as noted earlier in this thread. Given how secure W7 is meant to be, and using Shadow Defender and VM W7 and 9.10 within W7, life might be almost as secure as 9.10 alone, but more functional. However, VMing 9.10 within W7 just doesn't seem right.

I'll probably ultimately dual boot: 9.10 with VM W7 to use some work apps (still having issues with Wine) and native W7 for gaming.

[HunterThomson]

This thread is just fantastic :) Thanks guys

I do technically "Have" enough money to buy this new M15x with the i7-720QM.(AKA I really shouldn't spend this money but Awe the hell with it I want a Core i7 Quad Core :)

It seems the Turbo Mode IS working, At lest in the New Linux Kernel. It is just that the real speed is not being properly reported by the Kernel. There is this tool that will tell you the Real clock speed as it Over clocks it self. I don't know about Ubuntu though. But they guy said that it will only do the Single Core Over Clocking not the Dule or Quad. I would guess that this will be all worked out vary soon anyway. Here is the thread on the Arch Linux forums that I got this info from.

http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=86343

I've been thinking the VB speed increase sounds kind of fishy ever sens I first read that. The bench marks don't lie but some times they can be misleading.

As for Win7 being "More" secure then XP. Sure, ya it is. But, it is VARY VARY far from "Secure". It is still windows. Also, the benchmarks on Win7 are Without running Anti-Virus software that has to scan every bit of everything read off of the HHD, CD, Every Web Page, Every download, And then just run in the background all the time scanning every bit of the HDD. Then When your not using it for a Sec it has to start building backups of the Win system files and stuff. Using every spare CPU clock cycle scanning for more Viruses and checking for Key-loggers and Spy-ware... This list go's on and on. Also the NTFS Unbelievable problem with fragmentation. Then Win7 downloading and installing updates taking up all your bandwith and CPU and RAM.... Really in real life Win7 runs WAY slower on this laptop then Linux even if Turbo Boost is not working. Hell in Linux you still get 8 Logical CPU cores to work with and NO Ani-Virus taking up All the CPU making up for a crazy insecure Windows OS.

With all that running I am fairly certen that you will get a large performance DROP running Linux in a VM under a Win7 Host. In the real world.

-----------
Wow I got off topic sorry.... preaching to the quire

Any way, So it sounds like this is a vary good Linux laptop. I am going to buy it. It seem like Just Don't flash the BIOS to A03 and everyone has written glowing reviews of this laptop. Everyone seems to love the build quality. I'm stoked. And if the one I get has 1GB of Video RAM on the 240 WOW I would be stoked :)

[uncon]

This issue we are seeing with turbo boost not kicking in is fixed in 2.6.33-rc5 (Kernel Bug 15064 (http://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=15064)). Karmic is currently on 2.6.31... You can also read more on this i7z thread (http://code.google.com/p/i7z/issues/detail?id=1).

[paulchinnz]

Well there may have been some major improvements in the last fortnight since I moved from native to Windows 7 hosted Ubuntu, but at the time, native Ubuntu 9.10 simply slowed to a crawl once I had a few programs going (Evolution, Firefox, Pidgin, OOo and maybe one or two others), whereas hosted it's fine.

A bit off topic HunterThomson, but I'll make one reply, and promise to say no more on this thread about it: on Windows 7, using Standard User Account (which superficially works similarly to Linux requirement for password any time admin/root type changes are intended) and despite Microsoft Security Essentials in the background I can play Crysis on high settings very smoothly. Let me know when you can do this in Ubuntu.

I still really like Ubuntu though, which is why I'm VMing it and doing most of my non-gaming in it.

[HunterThomson]

Right on, ya it was late at night I went a little overboard.

But, Win7 is not a Secure system. Ubuntu is Not a secure system ether. Though still far more secure then Win7.

OpenBSD, NetBSD,... Hardened-Gentoo, RedHat, SUSE... These are secure as long as they are administered properly. Hardened-Gentoo being one of the most secure. I don't know much about Solaris and I am sure there are other secure systems too. If your interested you should start learning how to crack into Linux systems. You will learn that the vanilla Linux Kernel is actually vary insecure.

There is far more to security then the sudo password. There is memory management, How the software was compiled, other internal Kernel processes, the file system ACL... loads of stuff. The network stack....

All of this is on a scale of...
Imposable to crack dream system<--------------to---------------->Win98
---------------------

Right on. Well at lest the new 2.6.33 Kernel will support the i7 Turbo Mode.

[paulchinnz]

You make some valid comments about security.

Anyway, let us know your experience when you've got your M15x running with some flavour of Linux HunterThomson.

Has anyone got Face recognition working in Ubuntu?

[HunterThomson]

Right on ya I am still going a little over board about that sorry...
Honestly, I'll be Dule-booting Win7. I hate windows but Ahe, you can't have an Alianware Laptop and not run cool new games on it like Left 4 Dead :)

I'll post. I'll use the new 2.6.33 Kernel. I bet it will be in the Stable Archlinux repo by the time I get my M15x.

Owe, also I read someone asking about the Dell XPS 16 with the i7-720QM
I was reading a lot of forums and it seems that the XPS 16 has Over Heating problems with the Core i7. Also, there was a report of a Linux user having lots of problems with the BIOS on it and it causing lots of problem in Linux. He even returned it to Dell because it didn't run Linux well at all. So, I'd spend the extra money and get the M15x. If for no other reason then the better cooling system in the M15x.
((of course the guy may not have really known what he was talking about..))
The XPS 16 is a much better deal though... maybe read more about it on Linux. And get a nice cooling pad.

------------

Also, I have yet to find anyone that has gotten the "Changing" of the Alianware lighing to work under Linux. Maybe there is. Maybe no one has really tried. It makes sents to me that there should be a way I'd look in /proc/acpi for the stuff.

The Facial Recognition is all in the software. So, there needs to be that software written for Linux.

However, Facial Recognition is Insecure. There is only ONE camera so it can't tell Depth. SO, you can just hold up a picture of the persons face and the system will let you in. Even if it did have 2 camras to get Depth. Your showing your password (your face) to the world all the time. One could make a sculpture of your face and it would work.

[paulchinnz]

I've had similar thoughts regarding depth with face recognition. Novelty's wearing off now; will be returning to typed passwords!

[HunterThomson]

I've had similar thoughts regarding depth with face recognition. Novelty's wearing off now; will be returning to typed passwords!

If you have a nice printer try it out. I cracked my finger print reader with tape and crushed up pencil lead. It did take several tries though.

Ya, check out this quick page on beating biometric sensors
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/05/23/biometric_sensors_beaten_senseless/

Really though clicking a link is a big secure risk too.... but that link is all clean.
It is VARY, vary hard to stay secure. Linus Torvalds said that his production computer is not even connected to the Internet. He said that he takes security vary seriously. He's worked for banks and stuff. So you know, he has had to be secure.

[svrep]

However, Facial Recognition is Insecure. There is only ONE camera so it can't tell Depth. SO, you can just hold up a picture of the persons face and the system will let you in. Even if it did have 2 camras to get Depth. Your showing your password (your face) to the world all the time. One could make a sculpture of your face and it would work.

Although certainly true for most implementations of facial recognition, in this case AlienSense (also called FastAccess in the Dell version) has extremely robust photo rejection. It intentionally takes into consideration many evironmental variables such as lighting and face positioning. This makes a standard photo of a user very unlikely to grant access.

In a future version, AlienSense will also have a feature that FastAccess already does...called "Face + Password". By periodically prompting for just a few characters from your password in addition to a recognition, all questions of photographic access are virtually eliminated.

Keep in mind too that all security is balance. AlienSense/FastAccess uniquely can fill in a security gap that almost no other software can...an unattended, wide open computer. It can be set to automatically lock your desktop when your face is no longer visible. For most users, an open desktop is a far more common and easily exploited issue than photographic access that is, in reality, quite difficult.

For a great many details on photographic access and other security topics as it relates to AlienSense/FastAccess, see this comprehensive FAQ. It's written for the Dell version so some of it won't apply, but the general concepts are all very valid.

http://www.sensiblevision.com/v/dell/faq.pdf

[HunterThomson]

OK, it is settled I am buying one of the bad boys :)

I'v been looking into getting the AlienFX to work in Linux. It seems that the lighting is seen as a USB device so some Linux drivers would need to be written for sure. I was hoping it was just through ACPI (I know ACPI sucks). If it was just ACPI I could have fixed up the BIOS device tables and probably gotten it to work. It mite have just worked anyway with by setting values in the /proc directory. However, this info is from the OLD Area-51 m15x not the new "M15x". So maybe it is deferent in the new M15x.

Do any of you owners see a strange USB device on your computer?

Boy bad naming of their new laptops, bad for googleing. They should have came out with a distinctly new name like N15x or Z15x. Especially sens the Area-51 got kind of bad reviews. But whatever this new one has only gotten grate reviews (as long as you don't flash the BIOS to A03 but all new ones come with it so no problem)

---------
Ya, sure it takes a little/more then a little trickery to get the photo to work for the Facial Recognition but it dose work. Taking advantage of other security weaknesses in Window an Attacker could vary easily take control of the laptop WebCam and take the perfect picture with that. One could even do this remotely with browser based attacks. As for the idea of Facial Recognition + Password. There is no added security. You may as well just use a Password. Also, it is a standard option to lock the desktop when it goes to Screen Saver. Networkmanager also has the option to Lock and Unlock the desktop when your BlueTooth device gets out/in of a predefined range.

Biometrics will never be secure because it is just far to easy to get the needed information i.e. fingerprint, face, even DNA. Then the only thing that needs to be done is to replicate it. Hell, you could even kidnap an employee then cut out his eye and hold it up to the retina scanner. Or Cut off his hand or head. However, there is no way to cut out a Password, as log as the guy is willing to die to keep his secret.

With a long Pass-phrase it is going to take forever to crack no matter what.

Though truth be told, cracking your Windows password it really the last thing I'd try. There are far easier ways to gain administrative access to a Windows box. Certainly if I have physical access to the box i.e. just boot up a Linux live CD or Kon-Boot.

[HunterThomson]

Hum, If the AlienFX are a USB device. Then there is a vary good chance you could pass that device to a Windows VirtualBox and change the lights in there. That would be a vary cool thing.

Hum, looking at your lsusb output it dose seem to have some strange USB device listings.

Bus 002 Device 007: ID 413c:8156 Dell Computer Corp.
Bus 002 Device 006: ID 413c:8158 Dell Computer Corp.
Bus 002 Device 005: ID 413c:8157 Dell Computer Corp.
Bus 002 Device 004: ID 0a5c:4500 Broadcom Corp.
Bus 002 Device 003: ID 187c:0512
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 8087:0020
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0c45:6412 Microdia
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 046d:c52a Logitech, Inc.
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:0020
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub


The ones that don't have any name ...
Bus 002 Device 003: ID 187c:0512
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 8087:0020
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:0020

Or maybe it is the Dell Computer Corp.

They mite be the AlienFX devices. Could you run Virtual-box and see if the AlienFX devices are found? Like if they are listed in the menu of USB devices you can pass to the VM.

[svrep]

---------
Ya, sure it takes a little/more then a little trickery to get the photo to work for the Facial Recognition but it dose work. Taking advantage of other security weaknesses in Window an Attacker could vary easily take control of the laptop WebCam and take the perfect picture with that. One could even do this remotely with browser based attacks. As for the idea of Facial Recognition + Password. There is no added security. You may as well just use a Password. Also, it is a standard option to lock the desktop when it goes to Screen Saver. Networkmanager also has the option to Lock and Unlock the desktop when your BlueTooth device gets out/in of a predefined range.

Biometrics will never be secure because it is just far to easy to get the needed information i.e. fingerprint, face, even DNA. Then the only thing that needs to be done is to replicate it. Hell, you could even kidnap an employee then cut out his eye and hold it up to the retina scanner. Or Cut off his hand or head. However, there is no way to cut out a Password, as log as the guy is willing to die to keep his secret.

With a long Pass-phrase it is going to take forever to crack no matter what.

Though truth be told, cracking your Windows password it really the last thing I'd try. There are far easier ways to gain administrative access to a Windows box. Certainly if I have physical access to the box i.e. just boot up a Linux live CD or Kon-Boot.

Certainly your point that all security measures can be bypassed is correct. With unlimited time and physical access to a machine getting in is just a matter of "when", not "if". Theoretical, extreme security situations are also interesting to think about.

Good real-world security implementation is really not a question of absolutes (or of beheadings), but is one of thoughtfully identifying the most likely vulnerabilities and choosing tools to address them that balance the need to protect a particular set of data with the need to conveniently use the machine. This is no different than choosing the level of security for your house based on where you live and the value of your possessions.

Absolutely long, complex, highly secure passwords are an excellent security measure. The truth is, however, that the average user will choose not to use them because they're difficult to type. AlienSense critically provides convenient login to Windows (actually allowing for more complex passwords) in addition to providing a great way to lock the desktop when the user moves away - a vulnerability that for many people is quite common and also easily exploited with no particular time, effort or expertise. Of course there are other ways to lock the desktop and the use of any of them is better than leaving the desktop open. This simply gives people another choice - and a particularly strong one, IMO, because it relies on the face being visible instead of standard kbd/mouse timers.

No question that if you're willing to use complex passwords and be strict/consistent with their usage that you will have a highly secure system and may not need something like AlienSense. For the vast majority of people, however, having security that's convenient enough to use 100% of the time is far better than the alternative!

[uncon]

There is a Pidgin plugin (Windows only) for notifications via AlienFX here (http://3d.benjamin-thaut.de/?p=11). You can download the source to get an idea of the protocol for communicating with the AlienFX controller.

lsusb shows the AlienFX controller thusly:
Bus 002 Device 003: ID 187c:0512

[HunterThomson]

Owe Uncon that is perfect :)

I've never coded in C I could vary passably be missing something BIG like is it talking to a Driver that is installed on the Windows Box or is it talking to the device firmware?

If it is talking to the device firmware then WOW it would be way easy to write a AlienFX control center for Linux. I'd just need to open one of the 20+ C programing books I downloaded and never looked at :p

Really though I'd start off with just chopping up this code and starting with a command to turn the lights on/off.

----------

SO, if it is in fact just a USB device then I would guess that you can just control it with a Win7 VirtualBox in the meen time.

[uncon]

Owe Uncon that is perfect :)

I've never coded in C I could vary passably be missing something BIG like is it talking to a Driver that is installed on the Windows Box or is it talking to the device firmware?

If it is talking to the device firmware then WOW it would be way easy to write a AlienFX control center for Linux. I'd just need to open one of the 20+ C programing books I downloaded and never looked at :p

Really though I'd start off with just chopping up this code and starting with a command to turn the lights on/off.

----------

SO, if it is in fact just a USB device then I would guess that you can just control it with a Win7 VirtualBox in the meen time.

There is no specific driver per se. Based on the research I've done, it seems the AlienFX controller is based on the TI TUSB3410. I think that it should be fairly trivial to write a command line application to change the settings of the AlienFX controller. However, I haven't really spent much time to this end.

[HunterThomson]

Right on, Well ETA 2/12/2010 for my M15x so I'll see what I can pull off. Would be a fun thing to do. There are a lot of Alienware users and no Linux control panel for the lights. So, I think it would be a good project to get my name out there :p Selfish I know but hay I got to get a job. Feel free to start on a demo. I'll keep reading up on it and C.

[HunterThomson]

Maybe start with some command line stuff to learn how to talk to the device.

Then build the finished application with a Python frame and write C modules to talk to the AlienFX. Then write a GUI with GTKpy.

Ya, like if anyone reading this is a good C programmer. If you could just write all the C stuff to talk to the AlienFX. Like you don't have to write the a whole program just write all the modules. I can then write the program in Python and just call all your C to do all the real work.

[Wattos]

Hi,

I have started working on a hopefully cross platform AlienFX tool. The front end is being done in java with 3 required JNI calls. Right now I can change the lights in Java on windows but am still working on the low level implementation on linux. I have tried libusb both 0.1 and 1.0 and I keep getting timeouts when trying to communicate with the device.

If there are people interested in this, I appreciate any help ^^

[Wattos]

I can finally talk to the device on linux. Thanks to Ingrater (http://3d.benjamin-thaut.de/) I also have the protocol on how to reset and set lights. Since I have done all the hard research now, expect a linux alienFX setting program for the M15x soon. (I hope its this week)

[HunterThomson]

Dude That Is Super Cool ! I just got my M15x and am installing linux on it right now.

I don't know Java vary well at all but once you release a version I'll read the code and see if I can pick it up a little and start doing some little work.

Would be super cool if you could get out a little program just to do some simple light changing and turn on/off.

Keep up the good work. I'll donate some money to you :)

[Wattos]

Dude That Is Super Cool ! I just got my M15x and am installing linux on it right now.

I don't know Java vary well at all but once you release a version I'll read the code and see if I can pick it up a little and start doing some little work.

Would be super cool if you could get out a little program just to do some simple light changing and turn on/off.

Keep up the good work. I'll donate some money to you :)

Check out http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1403399

No donations needed ^^

[moondy]

just wanted to post to let you know that your work on the AlienFX Lite is much appreciated.

I was about to order this laptop and realised 'hang on, i might not be able to use the fx on ubuntu'...you saved me. :D

i'll order mine this weekend, so i'll let you know when i get mine in 2-3 weeks.

[Wattos]

just wanted to post to let you know that your work on the AlienFX Lite is much appreciated.

I was about to order this laptop and realised 'hang on, i might not be able to use the fx on ubuntu'...you saved me. :D

i'll order mine this weekend, so i'll let you know when i get mine in 2-3 weeks.

youre welcome. Just released version 0.2

[HunterThomson]

Amazing That was fast ! I posted about it on your thread...
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=8819707#post8819707

-----

Just want to post about how well this laptop works with Linux.

Totaly Linux compatable. Everything is Plug & Play.

DVD-rom
eSATA <use scsiadd -s to HotSwap a eSATA drive>
BlueTooth
Media-Keys
AlienFX
SD card reader
Audio < After running alsaconf everything works no problems with headphones or anything>
Intel WiFi 5300 <Don't get the dell it is Broadcom but they do have and Open Source driver now but no monitor mode with it>


Well the whole thing works with out a problem I don't know what more to say about that.

As for the laptop itself. WOW THIS IT THE BEST LAPTOP I HAVE EVER USED !!!
Go Get one ! It is All medal. NO Plastic.... Well the interior is plastic by the keyboard but the whole rest of it is medal. The back of the LCD panel is all one 1/8" thick sheet of Medal. Vary, vary good build quality.

[tstrike]

Amazing That was fast ! I posted about it on your thread...
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=8819707#post8819707

-----

Just want to post about how well this laptop works with Linux.

Totaly Linux compatable. Everything is Plug & Play.

DVD-rom
eSATA <use scsiadd -s to HotSwap a eSATA drive>
BlueTooth
Media-Keys
AlienFX
SD card reader
Audio < After running alsaconf everything works no problems with headphones or anything>
Intel WiFi 5300 <Don't get the dell it is Broadcom but they do have and Open Source driver now but no monitor mode with it>


Well the whole thing works with out a problem I don't know what more to say about that.

As for the laptop itself. WOW THIS IT THE BEST LAPTOP I HAVE EVER USED !!!
Go Get one ! It is All medal. NO Plastic.... Well the interior is plastic by the keyboard but the whole rest of it is medal. The back of the LCD panel is all one 1/8&quot; thick sheet of Medal. Vary, vary good build quality.

I agree FIRMLY... GO GET ONE its ... Ubuntu RUNS this Laptop like a WAR MACHINE... full metal jacket... I have a problem with my microphone... the only thing wrong... I run VMware Server (3 VMs) and it didnt even blink at 90% CPU utilization... Make sure to get 8GB of RAM... This is a darling machine..

[aosmith]

I'm not familiar with the issues with the touch pad on the Inspirons. The Windows driver that is preinstalled on the M15x is very crappy. I'm not even sure how they managed past QA like that, but it doesn't matter. In Windows you can just remove the driver and use the MS one. In Linux this isn't an issue at all. My touch pad behaves about as good as any other I've used.


I avoid them on my m17x... they seem to cause kernel panics for me.

[AndersAA]

I just found a rather interesting bios issue...

Boot the system, run glxgears, the driver I run I get around 3700fps.
I turn stealth mode on with the button, it drops to 3600fps.
I turn stealth mode off again.... and look and behold, 8200fps.


Stealth mode for me doesn't seem to affect cpu scaling at all, but the gpu is defenatly affected.