Linux on Chrome Book Pixel

Chrome Book Pixel (Link / 2013) Linux setup with coreboot BIOS, more storage and a light weight WM (XFCE4).

NOTE: Don't mind me if you brick your machine :)

• Linux on Chrome Book Pixel
  • Preparation
    • Remove ChromeOS
    • BIOS
    • Expand your Hard Drive Capacity
      • Remove LTE Dummy Slot
      • Inserd SD Adapter
      • Expand with 2 SD Cards
      • Benchmarks
  • Antergos
    • Kernel parameter
    • libinput-gestures
    • Tweaks
      • Theme & Icons
      • Fonts
      • Cursor
      • Power Management
      • Keyboard
      • Compositor
      • lightdm
      • Backlight Brightness
      • Samba Shares
  • GalliumOS
    • libinput
    • Keyboard
    • Disable bluetooth
    • WIFI
    • Tweaks
      • Font-size at lightdm
  • More

Preparation

Remove ChromeOS

• Set ChromeOS into Dev mode
• Remove existing ChromeOS
• Tutorial: https://mrchromebox.tech/#devmode

BIOS

• Remove BIOS Protection HW Screw
  • https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Remove+the+Write+Protect+Screw/86362
• Replace BIOS
  • https://mrchromebox.tech/#fwscript
  • Install custom coreboot firmware (Full ROM)

Expand your Hard Drive Capacity

Add more storage to the Chromebook Pixel!

• mSATA doesn't work :(
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0_u8bjQFzg

Replace "LTE Dummy Slot" with "Mini PCIe Memory Card Adapter"

• https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01AOVJ456/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Remove LTE Dummy Slot

Inserd SD Adapter

Expand with 2 SD Cards

Benchmarks

sudo hdparm -Tt /dev/sda

• /dev/sda:
  • Timing cached reads: 7618 MB in 2.00 seconds = 3816.76 MB/sec
  • Timing buffered disk reads: 1394 MB in 3.00 seconds = 464.49 MB/sec
• /dev/sdb:
  • Timing cached reads: 8574 MB in 2.00 seconds = 4297.24 MB/sec
  • Timing buffered disk reads: 52 MB in 3.04 seconds = 17.12 MB/sec
• /dev/sdc:
  • Timing cached reads: 8398 MB in 2.00 seconds = 4208.85 MB/sec
  • Timing buffered disk reads: 52 MB in 3.06 seconds = 16.97 MB/sec

Slow, but enough storage!

Antergos

• Install OS: https://antergos.com/
• Boot Manager: systemd-boot

Kernel parameter

• https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Chrome_OS_devices#With_kernel_parameters
• /boot/loader/entries/antergos.conf

# /boot/loader/entries/antergos.conf
options tpm_tis.force=1 tpm_tis.interrupts=0
options pcie_aspm=off pci=noaer libata.noacpi=1

libinput-gestures

• Install "libinput-gestures"
  • libinput-gestures-setup
• Configure
  • conf/libinput-gestures.conf

Tweaks

Theme & Icons

• Appearance
  • Style
    • Adapta-Eta
  • Icons
    • Numix
• Windows Manager
  • Style
    • Adapta
    • Title Font
      • Roboto 8
• qt5ct
  • Style
    • gtk2
  • Fonts
    • Roboto Regular 10
  • Icon Theme
    • Numix

Fonts

• Settings
  • Appearance
    • Default: Roboto 10
      • Mono: Roboto 10
    • Custom DPI Settings: 168

Cursor

• Install
  • capitaine-cursors
• Settings
  • Mouse & Touchpad
    • Theme
      • Capitaine Cursors
      • Cursor Size: 38
      • (a bit large, but... )

Power Management

Install & enable TLP tools:

sudo pacman -S tlp tlp-rdw
sudo systemctl enable tlp
sudo systemctl enable tlp-sleep

Keyboard

"de" for a German keymap, replace with your flavor:

localectl set-x11-keymap de chromebook

Compositor

• Disable XFCE Compositor
  • Settings
  • Window Manager Tweaks
  • Disable
• Install compton
  • Autostart
  • cp conf/compton.desktop ./config/autostart/

lightdm

• Install lightdm-gtk-greeter
• /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf
  • greeter-session=lightdm-gtk-greeter
  • greeter-show-manual-login = true
  • greeter-hide-users = true
  • greeter-allow-guest=false
  • allow-guest = false
• lightdm-gtk-greeter settings
  • Appearance
    • Additional font options
      • DPI: 150
      • Font: Roboto Regular
      • Theme / Icons ...

Backlight Brightness

• Install
  • https://github.com/wavexx/acpilight
• Add user to video group
  • sudo gpasswd -a $USER video
• add udev rule
  • /etc/udev/rules.d/90-backlight.rules
• sudo cp bin/brightness /usr/local/bin
• Settings
  • Keyboard
    • Add Rule for Display
      • /usr/local/bin/brightness up intel_backlight
      • /usr/local/bin/brightness down intel_backlight
    • Add Rule for Keyboard
      • /usr/local/bin/brightness up chromeos::kbd_backlight
      • /usr/local/bin/brightness down chromeos::kbd_backlight

Samba Shares

"gvfs-smb" for Thunar.

GalliumOS

My first try, but I've problems with WIFI.

As describted at https://mrchromebox.tech, I tried 2.2:

• https://galliumos.org/releases/nightly/galliumos-braswell-xenon-20171227T072217Z.iso

libinput

sudo apt install xserver-xorg-input-libinput
sudo mkdir /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/
sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/30-touchpad.conf

Section "InputClass"
  Identifier "MyTouchpad"
  MatchIsTouchpad "on"
  Driver "libinput"
  Option "Tapping" "on"
EndSection

Tmp fix:

• https://github.com/raphael/linux-samus/issues/195

xinput set-prop 11 277 1

Keyboard

Keyboard, Layout, Chromebook (most models), No overlay

Disable bluetooth

sudo apt-get install dconf
dconf-editor
navigate to org.blueman.plugins.powermanager
set "auto-power-on" to "false"

WIFI

GalliumOS lost connectivity :(

• https://github.com/GalliumOS/galliumos-distro/issues/253

At this moment, no fix.

Tweaks

Font-size at lightdm

• dpi setting // font

something like:

# /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf.d/dpi.conf
[SeatDefaults]
xserver-command=X -dpi 168

More

• https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Chrome_OS_devices#With_kernel_parameters
• https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Google_Chromebook_Pixel_LTE
• https://github.com/longsleep/pixel-linux