ThinkWiki - User contributions [en]

How to make use of IrDA

2006-10-12T22:34:39Z

Ardent: /* Known problems */

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
<div style="margin: 0; margin-right:10px; border: 1px solid #dfdfdf; padding: 0em 1em 1em 1em; background-color:#efefef; align:right;">
The purpose of this document is to get the [[IrDA]] hardware in your ThinkPad operational, setting up communication to other devices is not covered. However, the external links section can prove useful for this.
</div>
|}

== Serial IR (SIR) ==
SIR is limited to serial datarates up to 115.2Kb/s

To use it, run {{cmdroot|irattach /dev/ttyS1 -s; modprobe ircomm-tty}} (on {{Fedora}} 5 just run {{cmdroot|service irda start}}). Then turn on your IrDA-capable device and put it within range, and point your software (e.g., <tt>minicom</tt>) to {{path|/dev/irda0}}.

===Kernel configuration===

Some distributions (e.g., {{Fedora}} 5) already include the equvialent of the following.

==== Linux 2.4 kernel config ====
Edit {{path|/etc/modules.conf}} and add the following lines
alias tty-ldisc-11 irtty
alias char-major-161 ircomm-tty

==== Linux 2.6 kernel config ====
Edit {{path|/etc/modprobe.conf}} and add the following lines
alias tty-ldisc-11 irtty-sir
alias char-major-161 ircomm-tty

== Fast IR (FIR) ==
FIR is the preferred mode of IrDA operation and operates at a bandwidth of 4 Mbps

The chips FIR mode first needs to be activated using the ISA PnP or BIOS method.

{{HINT|Regardless of which method you use, you will still have to set the dongle_id and run setserial as shown further below}}
=== ISA PnP support for nsc-ircc ===

ISA PnP support is '''necessary''' in some cases, as without it the kernel doesn't manage to enable the device by itself in many ThinkPads.

Starting with the 2.6.17-rc1 kernel, the nsc-ircc driver has ISA PnP support. For older kernels you will need patches to allow the loading of the driver without the below BIOS change.

* [http://steffenpingel.de/patches/nsc-ircc-pnp.diff 2.6.10 patch]
* [http://shamrock.dyndns.org/~ln/linux/nsc-ircc-pnp.2.6.12-rc6.diff 2.6.12-rc6 patch]
* [http://shamrock.dyndns.org/~ln/linux/nsc-ircc-pnp.2.6.12.diff 2.6.12 patch (applies cleanly to 2.6.12 through 2.6.15)]

=== NS PC8394T support ===

Thinkpads {{T43}}, {{T43p}} and {{R52}} [http://bugzilla.kernel.org/attachment.cgi?id=8247 needed an extra patch] to detect their [[NS PC8394T]]-based FIR device on kernels before 2.6.18. They also require ISA PnP support in the driver to work, which is available since 2.6.17 (and can be added to 2.6.16 with the patches above).

=== Changing BIOS settings ===
For older kernels (prior to 2.6.17-rc1), the easiest way to activate FIR mode is by entering BIOS setup during boot-up by pressing {{key|F1}} when prompted.
Then, selecting 'Config' followed by 'Infrared' will allow you to control the IrDA operation. Here you will need to select the option to Enable the infra-red port, and ensure the proper resources are set (typically: IO 0x2f8 and IRQ 3). Be sure to save the changes, and then Exit.

{{NOTE|Changing these BIOS settings does not affect Windows 2000 or XP operating systems, but may cause resource issues in older windows versions, or other legacy operating systems.}}

{{WARN|If you change the BIOS settings for IO, IRQ or DMA of the IrDA port, remember to do so accordingly on all examples in this page when applying them to your ThinkPad.}}

===Kernel configuration===
==== Linux 2.4 kernel config ====
Edit {{path|/etc/modules.conf}} and add the following lines

alias irda0 nsc-ircc
options nsc-ircc dongle_id=0x09 io=0x2f8 irq=3 dma=3
pre-install nsc-ircc setserial /dev/ttyS1 uart none port 0 irq 0

==== Linux 2.6 kernel config ====
Edit {{path|/etc/modprobe.conf}} and add the following lines

alias irda0 nsc-ircc
options nsc-ircc dongle_id=0x09 io=0x2f8 irq=3 dma=3
install nsc-ircc /bin/setserial /dev/ttyS1 uart none port 0 irq 0; /sbin/modprobe --ignore-install nsc-ircc

The install line is a work-around for the 8250 serial driver taking over the device, and may not be needed in certain distributions.
Another way to do this is to set this kernel config option:

1. {{kernelconf|CONFIG_SERIAL_8250_RUNTIME_UARTS|(1)|Number of 8250/16550 serial ports to register at runtime|Serial drivers|Character devices|Device Drivers|}}

2. {{kernelconf|CONFIG_SERIAL_8250_NR_UARTS|(4)|Maximum number of 8250/16550 serial ports|Serial drivers|Character devices|Device Drivers|}}

This will prevent the 8250 driver from grabbing any other than the first serial port at boot time or when the module is loaded. You can still add more ports later for example from PC-Card modems, up to CONFIG_SERIAL_8250_NR_UARTS.

==== {{Gentoo}} kernel config ====
Edit / Create {{path|/etc/modules.d/nsc-irrc}} and add the following lines

alias irda0 nsc-ircc
options nsc-ircc dongle_id=0x09 io=0x2f8 irq=3 dma=3

Edit {{path|/etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6}} and add the following lines

nsc-ircc

If you have serial support build in the kernel, switch it to a module and add it after nsc-ircc to advoid io base and irq conflict. For kernel 2.4, same as 2.6 changing the path to modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.4.

==== {{Debian}} Sarge/Etch kernel config ====
Install irda-utils and set it up for serial port emulation. Edit {{path|/etc/modprobe.d/irda-utils}} and add/change the following lines:

alias irda0 nsc-ircc
options nsc-ircc dongle_id=0x09 io=0x2f8 irq=3 dma=3

Edit / create {{path|/etc/modules.conf}} and add the following line before any references to 8250*, if any:

nsc-ircc

Make sure that module-init-tools has a chance to iterate over {{path|/etc/modules.conf}} before udev does the initial pci hotplug (this is a problem at least in Debian Sarge, when using backported udev packages):

{{cmdroot|cp /etc/rcS.d/S20module-init-tools /etc/rcS.d/S03module-init-tools}}

Note that at S03, module-init-tools cannot run depmod for you, so either do it manually before you reboot into a new kernel, or reboot twice to get it to work right. This is also the reason for using cp instead of mv.

If you have the regular serial port drivers as modules, that's it. Otherwise, try adding the install line described in the Linux 2.6 kernel config section, above, or compile them as modules instead of built-in.

== Known problems ==
* If the FIR mode is not activated, attempts to load the <tt>nsc-ircc</tt> module will result in an error in syslog of "Wrong chip version ff".
* After suspend the <tt>nsc-ircc</tt> module needs to be manually reloaded
* If module reloading does not work after a suspend, try reactivating the IrDA port as well:
rmmod nsc_ircc
echo disable > /sys/devices/pnp0/00\:0d/resources
echo activate > /sys/devices/pnp0/00\:0d/resources
modprobe nsc_ircc
:The value <tt>pnp0/00\:0d</tt> can vary - look for a id file containing IBM0071 or PNP0511, or for a resources file containing the appropriate irq/dma/io values, e.g., using {{cmdroot|grep 0x2f8 /sys/devices/pnp*/*/resources}} .
{{NOTE|The power management issues should be resolved starting with the 2.6.17-rc1 kernel.}}

{{NOTE|Don't understand after inserting modules use irattach irda0 -s and after this you can use eg. minicom over /dev/ircomm0 and test link with irdadump with this I get working FIR on A21m with 2.6.18}}

== Some other things you might want to do with IrDA ==
* add fast PPP support:
:{{cmdroot|modprobe irnet}}
* if needed, limit further the size of the transmit window
:{{cmdroot|echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/irda/max_tx_window}}
* set the connection speed to 4Mbit in FIR mode:
:{{cmdroot|echo 4000000 > /proc/sys/net/irda/max_baud_rate}}

==LIRC and IrDA==
Usually, IrDA ports are not compatible with LIRC, but you may have luck using lirc_sir.

If loading the <tt>lirc_sir</tt> module shows something like the following in {{cmdroot|dmesg}} output, you are lucky and can use LIRC with the IrDA port to remote control your ThinkPad.
lirc_sir: I/O port 0x02f8, IRQ 3.
lirc_sir: Installed.

If it fails with "Device or resource busy", you may want to install the setserial tool and run it with {{cmdroot|setserial /dev/ttyS1 uart none}}. After that lirc_sir should be loadable.

== External Sources ==
*[http://irda.sourceforge.net/ Linux-IrDA Project] (External)
*[http://pcmcia-cs.sourceforge.net/ Linux PCMCIA Project] (External)
*[http://tpctl.sourceforge.net/ tpctl homepage] (External)
*[http://www.lirc.org/ Linux Infrared Remote Control] (External)

How to make use of IrDA

2006-10-12T22:30:56Z

Ardent: /* Known problems */

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
<div style="margin: 0; margin-right:10px; border: 1px solid #dfdfdf; padding: 0em 1em 1em 1em; background-color:#efefef; align:right;">
The purpose of this document is to get the [[IrDA]] hardware in your ThinkPad operational, setting up communication to other devices is not covered. However, the external links section can prove useful for this.
</div>
|}

== Serial IR (SIR) ==
SIR is limited to serial datarates up to 115.2Kb/s

To use it, run {{cmdroot|irattach /dev/ttyS1 -s; modprobe ircomm-tty}} (on {{Fedora}} 5 just run {{cmdroot|service irda start}}). Then turn on your IrDA-capable device and put it within range, and point your software (e.g., <tt>minicom</tt>) to {{path|/dev/irda0}}.

===Kernel configuration===

Some distributions (e.g., {{Fedora}} 5) already include the equvialent of the following.

==== Linux 2.4 kernel config ====
Edit {{path|/etc/modules.conf}} and add the following lines
alias tty-ldisc-11 irtty
alias char-major-161 ircomm-tty

==== Linux 2.6 kernel config ====
Edit {{path|/etc/modprobe.conf}} and add the following lines
alias tty-ldisc-11 irtty-sir
alias char-major-161 ircomm-tty

== Fast IR (FIR) ==
FIR is the preferred mode of IrDA operation and operates at a bandwidth of 4 Mbps

The chips FIR mode first needs to be activated using the ISA PnP or BIOS method.

{{HINT|Regardless of which method you use, you will still have to set the dongle_id and run setserial as shown further below}}
=== ISA PnP support for nsc-ircc ===

ISA PnP support is '''necessary''' in some cases, as without it the kernel doesn't manage to enable the device by itself in many ThinkPads.

Starting with the 2.6.17-rc1 kernel, the nsc-ircc driver has ISA PnP support. For older kernels you will need patches to allow the loading of the driver without the below BIOS change.

* [http://steffenpingel.de/patches/nsc-ircc-pnp.diff 2.6.10 patch]
* [http://shamrock.dyndns.org/~ln/linux/nsc-ircc-pnp.2.6.12-rc6.diff 2.6.12-rc6 patch]
* [http://shamrock.dyndns.org/~ln/linux/nsc-ircc-pnp.2.6.12.diff 2.6.12 patch (applies cleanly to 2.6.12 through 2.6.15)]

=== NS PC8394T support ===

Thinkpads {{T43}}, {{T43p}} and {{R52}} [http://bugzilla.kernel.org/attachment.cgi?id=8247 needed an extra patch] to detect their [[NS PC8394T]]-based FIR device on kernels before 2.6.18. They also require ISA PnP support in the driver to work, which is available since 2.6.17 (and can be added to 2.6.16 with the patches above).

=== Changing BIOS settings ===
For older kernels (prior to 2.6.17-rc1), the easiest way to activate FIR mode is by entering BIOS setup during boot-up by pressing {{key|F1}} when prompted.
Then, selecting 'Config' followed by 'Infrared' will allow you to control the IrDA operation. Here you will need to select the option to Enable the infra-red port, and ensure the proper resources are set (typically: IO 0x2f8 and IRQ 3). Be sure to save the changes, and then Exit.

{{NOTE|Changing these BIOS settings does not affect Windows 2000 or XP operating systems, but may cause resource issues in older windows versions, or other legacy operating systems.}}

{{WARN|If you change the BIOS settings for IO, IRQ or DMA of the IrDA port, remember to do so accordingly on all examples in this page when applying them to your ThinkPad.}}

===Kernel configuration===
==== Linux 2.4 kernel config ====
Edit {{path|/etc/modules.conf}} and add the following lines

alias irda0 nsc-ircc
options nsc-ircc dongle_id=0x09 io=0x2f8 irq=3 dma=3
pre-install nsc-ircc setserial /dev/ttyS1 uart none port 0 irq 0

==== Linux 2.6 kernel config ====
Edit {{path|/etc/modprobe.conf}} and add the following lines

alias irda0 nsc-ircc
options nsc-ircc dongle_id=0x09 io=0x2f8 irq=3 dma=3
install nsc-ircc /bin/setserial /dev/ttyS1 uart none port 0 irq 0; /sbin/modprobe --ignore-install nsc-ircc

The install line is a work-around for the 8250 serial driver taking over the device, and may not be needed in certain distributions.
Another way to do this is to set this kernel config option:

1. {{kernelconf|CONFIG_SERIAL_8250_RUNTIME_UARTS|(1)|Number of 8250/16550 serial ports to register at runtime|Serial drivers|Character devices|Device Drivers|}}

2. {{kernelconf|CONFIG_SERIAL_8250_NR_UARTS|(4)|Maximum number of 8250/16550 serial ports|Serial drivers|Character devices|Device Drivers|}}

This will prevent the 8250 driver from grabbing any other than the first serial port at boot time or when the module is loaded. You can still add more ports later for example from PC-Card modems, up to CONFIG_SERIAL_8250_NR_UARTS.

==== {{Gentoo}} kernel config ====
Edit / Create {{path|/etc/modules.d/nsc-irrc}} and add the following lines

alias irda0 nsc-ircc
options nsc-ircc dongle_id=0x09 io=0x2f8 irq=3 dma=3

Edit {{path|/etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6}} and add the following lines

nsc-ircc

If you have serial support build in the kernel, switch it to a module and add it after nsc-ircc to advoid io base and irq conflict. For kernel 2.4, same as 2.6 changing the path to modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.4.

==== {{Debian}} Sarge/Etch kernel config ====
Install irda-utils and set it up for serial port emulation. Edit {{path|/etc/modprobe.d/irda-utils}} and add/change the following lines:

alias irda0 nsc-ircc
options nsc-ircc dongle_id=0x09 io=0x2f8 irq=3 dma=3

Edit / create {{path|/etc/modules.conf}} and add the following line before any references to 8250*, if any:

nsc-ircc

Make sure that module-init-tools has a chance to iterate over {{path|/etc/modules.conf}} before udev does the initial pci hotplug (this is a problem at least in Debian Sarge, when using backported udev packages):

{{cmdroot|cp /etc/rcS.d/S20module-init-tools /etc/rcS.d/S03module-init-tools}}

Note that at S03, module-init-tools cannot run depmod for you, so either do it manually before you reboot into a new kernel, or reboot twice to get it to work right. This is also the reason for using cp instead of mv.

If you have the regular serial port drivers as modules, that's it. Otherwise, try adding the install line described in the Linux 2.6 kernel config section, above, or compile them as modules instead of built-in.

== Known problems ==
* If the FIR mode is not activated, attempts to load the <tt>nsc-ircc</tt> module will result in an error in syslog of "Wrong chip version ff".
* After suspend the <tt>nsc-ircc</tt> module needs to be manually reloaded
* If module reloading does not work after a suspend, try reactivating the IrDA port as well:
rmmod nsc_ircc
echo disable > /sys/devices/pnp0/00\:0d/resources
echo activate > /sys/devices/pnp0/00\:0d/resources
modprobe nsc_ircc
:The value <tt>pnp0/00\:0d</tt> can vary - look for a id file containing IBM0071 or PNP0511, or for a resources file containing the appropriate irq/dma/io values, e.g., using {{cmdroot|grep 0x2f8 /sys/devices/pnp*/*/resources}} .
{{NOTE|The power management issues should be resolved starting with the 2.6.17-rc1 kernel.}}

{{NOTE|Don't understand after inserting modules use irattach irda0 -s and after this you can use eg. minicom over /dev/ircomm0 and test link with irdadump }}

== Some other things you might want to do with IrDA ==
* add fast PPP support:
:{{cmdroot|modprobe irnet}}
* if needed, limit further the size of the transmit window
:{{cmdroot|echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/irda/max_tx_window}}
* set the connection speed to 4Mbit in FIR mode:
:{{cmdroot|echo 4000000 > /proc/sys/net/irda/max_baud_rate}}

==LIRC and IrDA==
Usually, IrDA ports are not compatible with LIRC, but you may have luck using lirc_sir.

If loading the <tt>lirc_sir</tt> module shows something like the following in {{cmdroot|dmesg}} output, you are lucky and can use LIRC with the IrDA port to remote control your ThinkPad.
lirc_sir: I/O port 0x02f8, IRQ 3.
lirc_sir: Installed.

If it fails with "Device or resource busy", you may want to install the setserial tool and run it with {{cmdroot|setserial /dev/ttyS1 uart none}}. After that lirc_sir should be loadable.

== External Sources ==
*[http://irda.sourceforge.net/ Linux-IrDA Project] (External)
*[http://pcmcia-cs.sourceforge.net/ Linux PCMCIA Project] (External)
*[http://tpctl.sourceforge.net/ tpctl homepage] (External)
*[http://www.lirc.org/ Linux Infrared Remote Control] (External)