From Gentoo Linux Wiki

[edit] Hardware spec.

• Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 1.60GH
• Intel 915 graphics card (DualHead, 64 MB)
• Broadcom Wireless Lan card
• Broadcom Ethernet card
• AC/MC 97 soundcard and modem (Intel 8x0)
• 40 GB HDD
• 256 RAM
• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• Dual layer DVD+/-RW

or if you like the hardcore way:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 82852/82855 GM/GME/PM/GMV Processor to I/O Controller (rev 02)
00:00.1 System peripheral: Intel Corporation 82852/82855 GM/GME/PM/GMV Processor to I/O Controller (rev 02)
00:00.3 System peripheral: Intel Corporation 82852/82855 GM/GME/PM/GMV Processor to I/O Controller (rev 02)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 82852/855GM Integrated Graphics Device (rev 02)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation 82852/855GM Integrated Graphics Device (rev 02)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 03)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 03)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 03)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-M) USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 03)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev 83)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801DBM (ICH4-M) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 03)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801DBM (ICH4-M) IDE Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) SMBus Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.6 Modem: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) AC'97 Modem Controller (rev 03)
01:00.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): VIA Technologies, Inc. IEEE 1394 Host Controller (rev 80)
01:01.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ (rev 10)
01:02.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 2200BG (rev 05)
01:04.0 CardBus bridge: ENE Technology Inc CB1410 Cardbus Controller (rev 01)

[edit] Installing Gentoo

First of all you need to download a minimal or univeral boot cd from the gentoo homepage, how to do this is documented in the Gentoo-Installation Manual. Boot from the CD, partition the harddrive, mount the / partition,... come on, you know all that ;-)

I have choosen stage 3 for i686 CPU. First thing was the upgrade of gcc to 3.4.4 version, then setting -march=pentium-m in the CFLAGS then emerge -e system.

[edit] Graphic Card

works with vesa and by enabling the intel graphics driver from kernel

Device Drivers ->
     Graphics->
          <*> Support for frame buffer devices
          ---   Enable Video Mode Handling Helpers
          [ ]   Enable Tile Blitting Support
          < >   VGA 16-color graphics support
          <*>   VESA VGA graphics support
                  VESA driver type (vesafb-tng)  --->
          (1024x768@60) VESA default mode
          <*> Intel 830M/845G/852GM/855GM/865G support (EXPERIMENTAL)
          [ ]   Intel driver Debug Messages

Now Let's get straight to the X server configuration.

Intel 915 card requires recent version of kernel ( >=2.6.12 - correct me if I am wrong! ) to be able to use direct rendering in Xorg. I am using version 2.6.14-gentoo-r5.

The i915 module is not supported yet by the xorg (I think) so when u configure the xorg choose the module i810 instead

Section "Device"
    Driver      "i810"

[edit] Sound

First enable it in the kernel:

Linux Kernel Configuration --->
   Device Drivers --->
      Sound --->
         <*> Sound card support
             Advanced Linux Sound Architecture --->
                <*> Advanced Linux Sound Architecture
                    PCI devices --->
                       <M> Intel/SiS/ nVidia/AMD/ALi AC97 Controller

If you build the intel-8x0 card support as a module, you'll have to remember to make sure that /etc/modules.d/alsa contains:

alias snd-card-0 snd-intel8x0
alias sound-slot-0 snd-card-0

There are similar lines in that file, so just change them to correct values and uncomment.

A good idea is to add the alsa flag in your USE variables, and append a line to /etc/modules.autoload/kernel-2.6

[edit] Keyboard

There are some additional keys, I assume they come handy to run web browser or mail client. xev does not display events when those keys are pressed. There is an ebuild called acerhk u MUST install this if u want to get your (bluetooth - wireless - special keyboard keys) to function properly this will be discussed later

[edit] DVD read/write

Recording CD's with k3b works perfectly. Make sure that cdrecord does *not* run with root set-user-ID, and the user who wants to use the recorder is in the "cdrom" group (check permissions).

I haven't tried it with DVD's yet...

[edit] WiFi

you will need the ipw2200 and its firmware u can use the built in ipw2200 (enable it from kernel) or emerge it emerge ipw2200 in both cases u will need to emerge ipw2200-firmware

[edit] IRDA

not tested

[edit] Modem

Not fully tested yet - I am at the stage of loading modules without errors :-)

First of all make sure that you have proper kernel configuration:

Linux Kernel Configuration --->
   Device Drivers  --->
      Sound  --->
         Advanced Linux Sound Architecture  --->
            PCI devices --->
               <M> Intel/SiS/nVidia/AMD MC97 Modem (EXPERIMENTAL)
      Network device support --->
         [*] Network device support
         <*>   PPP (point-to-point protocol) support
         <*>     PPP support for async serial ports
         <*>     PPP Deflate compression
         <*>     PPP BSD-Compress compression

You'll have to decide whether you want to build the modem support into the kernel or as the modules. My way (shown above) may be confusing - part as a module and part into the kernel. It is because I want to connect my iPAQ via the USB cable, what requires PPP support - I use it much more frequently then MC97 modem...

Notice that you'll have to configure the alsa sound system (as shown above)

Next step is the slmodem package:

$ echo 'net-dialup/slmodem ~x86' >> /etc/portage/package.keywords
$ emerge slmodem

First line is to make sure that you build recent version of the module (in my case it is 2.9.11_pre20051101), compatible with the kernel - otherwise you'll get the messages of unknown symbols.

Next, add the following line to the file /etc/modules.d/alsa:

alias snd-card-1 snd-intel8x0m

Edit the configuration file /etc/conf.d/slmodem to match your counrty, and add the slmodem to startup scripts:

$ rc-update add slmodem default

[edit] Ethernet

Works fine. Just use the b44 kernel module:

Linux Kernel Configuration --->
     Code maturity level options --->
          [*] Prompt for development and/or incomplete code/drivers
     Networking --->
          [*] Networking support
     Device drivers --->
          Network decice support --->
               [*] Network device support
                   Ethernet (10 or 100Mbit) --->
                        [*] EISA, VLB, PCI and on board controllers
                              <*> RealTek RTL-8129/8130/8139 PCI Fast Ethernet Adapter support 

[edit] PCMCIA

work properly on the other linux distro i.e knoppix (never tried to configure it for gentoo)

[edit] Battery & Thermal

Thermal Zones are *NOT* working. However the fan does switch off when unused, and does switch on when compilation or other things which demand CPU's power are in progress - I assume this is done by the BIOS, so damage of CPU due to overheating is not likely. Linux just doesn't have the information on thermal zones.

Battery indicators are working fine when ACPI is compiled into kernel.

Linux Kernel Configuration --->
   Power management options (ACPI, APM) --->
      ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) Support --->
         [*] ACPI Support
         <*> AC Adapter
         <*> Battery

[edit] Optimizing performance

I am using following CFLAGS:

CFLAGS="-O2 -march=pentium-m -pipe"
CHOST="i686-pc-linux-gnu"
CXXFLAGS="${CFLAGS}"

Somebody told me (actually I must have read it somewhere) that -fomit-frame-pointer can cause troubles when used to compile c++ programs. I have no experience to be able to confirm it - all I can tell is that c++ programs work fine without this flag.

You'll have to remember that -march=pentium-m requires >=sys-devel/gcc-3.4

[edit] Bluetooth Device

Depending on you Acer's submodel i.e. (4052, 4051, 5050 ...)
u may have a "bluetooth switch on button" and may have shared button to turn both the wifi and bluetooth on In my case I have a shared button and the bluetooth is turned off by default. U can turn it from windows easly using Acer PowerManager. But how can this be done under LINUX?

emerge acerhk
modprobe acerhk force_series=4050
echo "acerhk force_series=4050" >> /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6

Now u can turn your bluetooth on by the following command:

echo on > /proc/driver/acerhk/blueled

to turn it off:

echo off > /proc/driver/acerhk/blueled

You can turn on / off your wireless lan in the same way
have a look at the /proc/driver/acerhk/ Directory

once you are able to turn your bluetooth on/off you can use the normal bluetooth guide

[edit] IDE controller

The Acer 4051 has an Intel 82801DBM (ICH4-M) IDE Controller. The corresponding kernel option is the following:

Device Drivers ->
     ATA/ATAPI/MFM/RLL support --->
       <*> ATA/ATAPI/MFM/RLL support
       <*>   Enhanced IDE/MFM/RLL disk/cdrom/tape/floppy support
       <*>     Include IDE/ATA-2 DISK support
       [*]     Use multi-mode by default
       <*>     generic/default IDE chipset support
       [*]     PCI IDE chipset support
       [*]       Sharing PCI IDE interrupts support
       <*>       Generic PCI IDE Chipset Support
       [*]       Generic PCI bus-master DMA support
       [*]         Use PCI DMA by default when available
       <*>         Intel PIIXn chipsets support

[edit] Links