From owner-freebsd-mobile@FreeBSD.ORG  Thu May 15 15:52:33 2003
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-mobile@FreeBSD.ORG>
Delivered-To: freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125])
	by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1131437B404
	for <freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org>;
	Thu, 15 May 2003 15:52:33 -0700 (PDT)
Received: from postal1.es.net (postal1.es.net [198.128.3.205])
	by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5498743F75
	for <freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org>;
	Thu, 15 May 2003 15:52:32 -0700 (PDT)	(envelope-from oberman@es.net)
Received: from ptavv.es.net ([198.128.4.29])
        by postal1.es.net (Postal Node 1) with ESMTP id MUA74016;
        Thu, 15 May 2003 15:52:30 -0700
Received: from ptavv (localhost [127.0.0.1])
	by ptavv.es.net (Tachyon Server) with ESMTP
	id AC4045D04; Thu, 15 May 2003 15:52:30 -0700 (PDT)
To: "Jesse D. Guardiani" <jesse@wingnet.net>
In-Reply-To: Message from "Jesse D. Guardiani" <jesse@wingnet.net> 
   of "Thu, 15 May 2003 18:40:17 EDT." <ba14tc$bh$1@main.gmane.org> 
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 15:52:30 -0700
From: "Kevin Oberman" <oberman@es.net>
Message-Id: <20030515225230.AC4045D04@ptavv.es.net>
cc: freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org
Subject: Re: A30p BIOS updates? 
X-BeenThere: freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1
Precedence: list
List-Id: Mobile computing with FreeBSD <freebsd-mobile.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-mobile>,
	<mailto:freebsd-mobile-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-mobile>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-mobile-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-mobile>,
	<mailto:freebsd-mobile-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 22:52:33 -0000

> From: "Jesse D. Guardiani" <jesse@wingnet.net>
> Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 18:40:17 -0400
> Sender: owner-freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org
> 
> Howdy list,
> 
> I know a bunch of you have IBM Thinkpads. I just bought an A30p myself.
> Before I put FreeBSD on it, I have the option to download a butt-load of
> updates, including a BIOS update.
> 
> Should I go for it? I heard the most recent BIOS update doesn't do much for
> ACPI support under FreeBSD... but is the BIOS version I have right now
> broken too?

Jesse,

Yes. There are a number of problems that are fixed in more recent BIOSes
from IBM, especially the APM stuff works much better with a recent
BIOS. I have seen no regression with the latest BIOS, but YMMV.

You probably also want to get the latest PCDoctorDOS update. It does
hardware diagnostics and comes as a group of floppy images.

R. Kevin Oberman, Network Engineer
Energy Sciences Network (ESnet)
Ernest O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab)
E-mail: oberman@es.net			Phone: +1 510 486-8634