User's Frequently Asked Questions

Installation

1. The software sounds interesting, but I don't have a 64-bit computer (yet). Is there any way I can use this software, or help with testing?

We also produce 32-bit x86 builds of the 64 Studio distribution for legacy hardware and embedded devices - see the Downloads page. The package selection is exactly the same as the 64-bit version, so when you do replace your PC hardware, you should have a smooth upgrade path.

2. I've tried to burn the ISO image to DVD-R in Nero 6 for Windows XP, but it fails with the error: "Sorry, your compilation cannot be written on this kind of disc". Is there something wrong with the iso image?

No, it's just that Nero 6's default settings don't seem to be compatible with ISO images which are too large for CD-R, i.e. greater than 700MB. Here's what to do:

1. Open the "Nero Burning Rom" application. This is the main application, not the smartstart dialogue box.
2. Select the Menu items: Recorder -> Burn image
3. Select your 64 Studio ISO, from the directory where you saved it after the download.
4. In the drop-down list in the top left of the "Burn Compilation" dialog that opens, select DVD, and then DVD image below that.
5. Click Burn
6. Wait for the burn to complete
7. Enjoy!

If you do not have access to a Linux box to burn the DVD, or a copy of Nero for Windows, we've had a report that MagicISO for Windows can burn 64 Studio DVD images correctly.

3. Which packages are included in 64 Studio?

You can browse the latest default package list directly on our development site.

4. What are the minimum system requirements?

Even quite old PCs will work with the 32-bit version, but we believe less than 256MB RAM and a Pentium II would be a false economy. Something like a Pentium IV with 512MB RAM works well enough for most tasks. If you need high performance, we would recommend the 64-bit version and an AMD64 dual core or dual processor system with at least 1GB RAM.

5. My system freezes up during installation of the flashplugin-nonfree package, or during other network activity. Is there a work-around?

The flashplugin-nonfree package downloads a copy of the Flash player from Adobe. Normally this isn't a problem, but it may be triggering a network chipset driver bug in the 2.6.21-RT kernel. Try disconnecting the network cable during installation, so that the install can complete. Then install a standard Debian kernel package from a USB key or other media, and see if the freeze-up problem goes away.

6. Synaptic messed up my repositories, where can I find a list

Here are the most important repositories for 64studio

Stable 64 Studio repository
deb http://apt.64studio.com/64studio/stable/ 64studio main

Debian etch
deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ etch main contrib non-free

Security updates
deb http://security.debian.org/ etch/updates main

Bleeding edge 64 Studio repository, only for testers!
deb http://apt.64studio.com/64studio/testing/ 64studio main

Backports repository, needed to get -dev packages
deb http://apt.64studio.com/backports/ etch-backports main

Debian compatibility

7. Can I use a Debian repository to get more packages for 64 Studio?

Yes indeed, that's part of the design of the distro. For versions up to and including 2.0, you need to enable a repository like the following:

deb ftp://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ stable main

in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/64studio.list where 'uk' is your local Debian mirror, listed here: http://www.debian.org/mirror/list

Of course you can use a secondary or local Debian mirror instead, which could be even faster.

8. Is it possible to upgrade from a plain Debian Etch install to 64 Studio?

Yes, by changing your apt sources to the 64 Studio stable or testing branches - see the upgrade page for details. You'll also need to import the 64 Studio key into your keyring:

wget -q -O - http://trac.64studio.com/64studio/browser/64studio/trunk/apt/key?format=raw|apt-key add -

9. sshd is installed but I can't log in to the box - what's wrong?

Unlike typical desktop installs of Debian, the SSH daemon is installed by default. However, sshd is not actually running unless you activate it, under Desktop -> Administration -> Services on the Gnome 'footprint' menu.

Codec questions

10. Why isn't there support for MP3 in some of the applications?

Like many multimedia codecs, MP3 and other MPEG formats are patent-encumbered and subject to royalties - even when the encoder or decoder are free software. In addition, the GPL says you cannot take out a patent licence for GPL'd code unless the patent licence is fully GPL compatible (this is very unlikely to be the case). So far, it seems like the best solution to this thorny problem is to use the LGPL Gstreamer framework with Fluendo's patent-licenced plugins. We include a licenced copy of Fluendo's MP3 plugin in 64 Studio, which allows MP3 playback in the Totem media player. However, not all Linux applications support GStreamer plugins. Now you know why we like the free Ogg family of codecs produced by http://www.xiph.org so much.

11. I installed some extra audio applications from Debian, but MP3 playback doesn't work, giving me strange errors. Why is this?

The libmad package in 64 Studio is a dummy package, due to software patents on the MP3 format (as explained above). You should install the libmad package from Etch if you intend to run applications which need this library.

Audio interfaces

12. Is there support for FireWire audio interfaces, such as the Presonus Firebox?

Yes, some users have FireWire audio working on their 64 Studio boxes. See this page for a list of supported devices:

http://freebob.sourceforge.net/index.php/List_of_Working_Setups

However, we didn't include the FreeBoB driver in the 64 Studio 1.0 release, so you'll need to get the 2.0 release or later to have your FireWire interface working out of the box.

13. I have multiple audio interfaces. How can I make sure they are given consistent device numbers by ALSA?

As root, add lines like these to the end of your /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base file:

alias snd-card-0 snd-emu10k1

options snd-emu10k1 index=0

alias snd-card-1 snd-rme9652

options snd-rme9652 index=1

alias snd-card-2 snd-usb-audio

options snd-usb-audio index=2

In this example, a Creative Labs Audigy is set to card 0 for normal file playback, an RME Hammerfall is card 1 for jackd, and a USB midi connector is card 2.

14. The performance of my USB audio interface with Jack is poor. I can't get low latency without xruns, using the default Jack settings. What do I need to change?

USB audio interfaces can act strangely when set to 2 periods/buffer, the usual default for PCI sound cards or onboard chipsets. In Jack Control, please set Periods/Buffer to 3 and Frames/Period to a fairly high figure, say 256 or 512. Then try lower Frames/Period settings until you reach the lower latency limits of your system. If you don't need full duplex, setting Jack to Playback Only or Capture Only will improve performance.

nVidia driver questions

15. I need 3D acceleration support for my nVidia video card - how do I install the binary drivers?

There are currently three nVidia module packages in the stable APT repository. Which one to use depends on the model of your video card:

• nvidia-kernel-2.6.21-1-multimedia-amd64 (current nVidia cards)
• nvidia-kernel-legacy-96xx-2.6.21-1-multimedia-amd64 (96xx series cards)
• nvidia-kernel-legacy-71xx-2.6.21-1-multimedia-amd64 (71xx series cards)

Replace -amd64 with -486 for the 32-bit versions.

The first is the newest nvidia module (version 1.0.9755), which works on newer hardware but is not backward compatible. The other two are the legacy modules which work with "older" hardware.

You'll have to install the relevant Xorg module as well:

• nvidia-glx
• nvidia-glx-legacy-96xx
• nvidia-glx-legacy-71xx

If you're unsure which legacy driver to use, there's a list of card model numbers which relate to each driver package at http://www.nvidia.com/object/IO_32667.html

Once you've got these packages installed, you need to specify:

   Driver "nvidia"

instead of:

   Driver "nv"

in your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file, otherwise the binary driver won't be loaded.

16. I've been using the nVidia binary drivers from the 64 Studio repository, but my video card no longer works after an upgrade - what's up with that?

As explained above, nVidia has now split its Linux driver so that the default install only supports the newer video cards. Please try the alternative modules:

nvidia-kernel-legacy-96xx
nvidia-glx-legacy-96xx

or

nvidia-kernel-legacy-71xx
nvidia-glx-legacy-71xx

depending on the model number of your card.

17. I used nVidia's own installer before, now I use 64 Studio's nVidia modules. After I rebooted the machine the system fails at loading the GLX module. How do I fix this?

You probably need to delete some out-of-date symlinks for libGL under the /usr/lib/ directory.

Applications

18. Gnome CD Master can't recognise my CD or DVD burner automatically - how do I know what settings to put in the Settings -> Configure Devices window?

Probably you have some kind of permissions, groups or device ownership problem. In a terminal, run:

$ sudo gcdmaster

and check the Configure Devices window again. You should now be able to write down the settings, then manually add them when running Gnome CD Master as a normal user. But check your users and groups too.

Printing

19. My Epson Stylus printer has stopped printing one or more colours, even though the ink levels are OK. Do I need to reinstall or reconfigure the driver?

The most likely cause is a blocked inkjet nozzle. Make sure you have the escputil package installed, then run a nozzle check:

$ sudo escputil -n -r /dev/usb/lp0

...assuming your Epson Stylus printer is the first USB printer. If not, use the appropriate printer device name. Should you discover colours are missing from the nozzle check pattern, run a head clean:

$ sudo escputil -c -r /dev/usb/lp0

Then run the nozzle check again. You may need to do the head clean a couple of times to get printing to work perfectly.