Macbook Pro 8,1 + Maverick

[dentifrice]

After some hours parsing this thread, I feel I better comprehend the MBP82 EFI situation, but there's a number of obscure areas still ! Starting with backlight management (for the record, I'm using the IGD thanks to the LVDS dual channel patch, with the radeon switched off at boot through grub's outb commands).

So, I applied the apple_bl patch that was proposed by sloth on http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php...&postcount=259 to Debian's Linux 3.1.1 sources (but didn't "patch" applesmc) and after removing acpi_backlight=vendor from the kernel boot options, got some results by loading apple_bl with the use_gmux=1 option, though it issues an error:

[   13.837906] apple_backlight: host->vendor == 8086 gmux = 1
[   13.837917] apple_backlight: cannot request backlight region 1

...and seconds later a fat warning/error with a trace (see attachment).

Still, I can get backlight readings and set the backlight using the xbacklight program. However, the F1/F2 keys are not working, and pommed refuses to start in EFI mode.

Also, the keyboard backlight is now enabled when X starts, but quickly switches off by itself. F5 doesn't help here either. Here's what the log says:

[   14.117009] Registered led device: smc::kbd_backlight
[...]
[   22.356982] applesmc: light sensor data length set to 10
[   36.577601] applesmc: ALV0: read data fail

Last but not least, suspend to RAM seems to work (I haven't left it sleeping too long yet), but it gets stuck on a text console upon resume, and I have to manually switch back to tty1 and then back to tty7 to get back to Xorg. Before the backlight patch, it worked flawlessly (I left it sleep for a night).

So, some questions to you guys who are booting in EFI mode:

• how are you managing screen backlight? Did you get the F keys working?
• is everyone having such errors upon loading the apple_bl driver? Am I missing some options?
• is there a workaround for the keyboard backlight? I don't need it, but hey, if it's there, I may as well use it sometimes!
• any workaround the suspend/resume bug?

You'll find a full dmesg as an attachment, and specific sections containing the first trace when loading apple_bl, and the sleep/resume log.

Thanks a lot in advance for your input/help!

[hanzomon4]

I would start right here with the first post on this very page we're on: http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php...&postcount=731

Beware though, you'll probably find yourself spending lots of hours going back and forth this thread. I'll try to write a detailed walk-through (Debian specific, but most if not all of it applies to Ubuntu as well I guess) once I get there.

Thanks man. I already have started, I'm taking it real slow

[hanzomon4]

I get an error when I try to apply the lvds patch.

patch: **** malformed patch at line 16: format, 2=24 bit '2.1' format, 3=force older 18 bit format");

Update: I fixed the patch problem but the patch fails to apply. All hunks fail. Should I only be doing this on a 3.1 and up kernel?

[bendavis78]

I'm curious, why don't we have a way to switch between discrete/integrated graphics within the OS? Is it some proprietary mechanism that hasn't yet been reverse-engineered?

[dentifrice]

Thanks man. I already have started, I'm taking it real slow

Okay, here's my ongoing howto : http://dentifrice.poivron.org/laptops/macbookpro8,2/

If anyone has fixes for what I couldn't get to work, please share.

[Zajec5]

Just in case someone didn't notice:

Kernel 3.2-rc3 has support for BCM4331 (WiFi). You have to compile BCMA and B43 including B43_BCMA and B43_PHY_HT.

It auto loads, doesn't need any patches o work. It even reports signal

Problems:
1) It can be not stable... I can not do much about it We got some report about problem after some time of using it. However it should not hang your machine (like ndiswrapper use to AFAIK)
2) No support for HT for 5 GHz (max is 54M and 2.4 GHz only).
3) You have to unload b43 and bcma before suspend

[poppop]

Hi all

Since last update, suspend/resume does not work anymore on my 13" model.
Kernel is 3.0.0-13-generic 64 bits and I am running on BIOS mode.
I installed the last b43 module.

Does somebody have any idea of what's going on ?

Regards.

[andybotting]

Has anybody managed to get the LVDS channels thing working with kernel 3.2?

I tried 3.2-rc3 using my trusty set of patches and config which work fine on 3.1, but I get stuck with a black screen trying to EFI boot and use the Intel graphics.

[joreg]

Thank you for your wonderful information.

[fooblahblah]

Okay, here's my ongoing howto : http://dentifrice.poivron.org/laptops/macbookpro8,2/

If anyone has fixes for what I couldn't get to work, please share.

Nice write up!