MacBookAir (6,2) on Ubuntu 14.04 (Trusty Tahr)



This page aims to describe the steps needed, to fully enable all features of the 6-th Generation MacBookAir (release date: mid 2013) when using Ubuntu 14.04, Trusty Tahr.

IconsPage/terminal.png You can find out, what model you have by typing at the terminal:

sudo dmidecode -s system-product-name


If you have a different model, please go here and find the right wiki.

Overview

Anything not mentioned here probably already works out of the box. If not, please refer to the Ubuntu Apple Users forum.

IconsPage/ok.png (works out-of-the-box)
IconsPage/ok.png IconsPage/info.png (works, with remarks)
IconsPage/warning.png (needs manual install)
IconsPage/dont.png (won't work)
IconsPage/question.png (not yet documented)

Basic Installation Instructions

Common things about installing and maintaining Ubuntu on Intel-based Macs: Intel CPU-based Macintosh Generic Installation Instructions

Prerequisites

1. MacBookAir6,2

2. Apple USB-Ethernet Adapter

3. USB-Stick (1GB at least)

4. ubuntu-14.04-desktop-amd64.iso.

Partition Harddisk

1. Boot Macbook Air into OSX

2. Open Disk Utility

3. Select "Macintosh HD" > (Tab)Partition

Prepare USB-Stick

1. In OSX

2. Download iso image to ~/Downloads

3. Open Terminal (a detailed description can be found here.

Install Ubuntu

1. Restart and press "Alt"-Key on startup.

2. Make sure that the USB-Ethernet Adapter is inserted. (With a network connection the bcmwl-kernel-source module gets downloaded during the installation process.

3. Choose "Something else" for partitioning.

4. The installation process should run through smoothly.

5. Restart with pressed "Alt"-Key.

6. Restart again. Now a Ubuntu labled "/efi/ubuntu/grubx64.efi" should be shown.

Wireless (AirPort)

IconsPage/restricted.png

Requires an Apple USB-Ethernet Adapter or an Apple Thunderbolt-Ethernet Adapter.

1. Log into ubuntu 14.04 and open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+t).

2. Start (Panel) > (Menu)System Settings > (Icon)Software & Updates or from terminal /usr/bin/python3 /usr/bin/software-properties-gtk

3. Now reboot again

Sound

Works. You may want to change default ALSA sound card (needed for Lubuntu) - put this in /etc/asound.conf :

iSight

IconsPage/webcam.png

Patrik Jakobsson wrote a driver for the camera which appears to work, though is still listed as experimental. It depends on kernel 3.19 minimum and you should run

sudo modprobe -r bdc_pci

prior to following the Get started on Debian instructions for Trusty.

Touchpad (appletouch)

Works.

External Monitor

Works via thunderbolt --> DVI out of the box.

Although Apple Displays won't hotplug. Probably will need features coming in kernel 3.15 (or backported)

Note there is a regression in supported resolutions in the kernel that ships with 14.04. On at least some displays, the maximum resolution available is lower on 14.04 than it was on 13.04. (For example, tested on a Samsung display with 2560x1440 resolution on 13.04, but only 1920x1200 on 14.04.)

The regression appears to have been introduced with 13.10 and still exists in 14.10.

One suggested workaround is to load a kernel that came with 13.04 (which exactly?). More information here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2218618 and here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg/+bug/1391984

Bluetooth

Works.

I encountered some initial problems with searching for devices. Simply no devices could be found with using "Set up new device". After some reboots and a kernel update to "3.13.0-30-generic" adding and accessing bluetooth devices is not an issue any longer.

Function Keys

Works. See also AppleKeyboard#Corrections page for fine tuning.

Finetuning Powersave functions

With the procedures enabled below ~10h on battery can be achieved.

1. Install powertop

2. Install TLP

3. Copy tlp config tlp to /etc/default/tlp or adjust (only changes are shown)

!!! Two problems with this part of solution: 1. the tlp file contains

RESTORE_DEVICE_STATE_ON_STARTUP=0

which can be edited in txt. BUT 2. permission is denied when

cp attachment .tlp

and i cannot chmod the tlp file because of permissions even with superuser privilege Please advise, because i think this is the main cause of black screen after suspend/lid close e.g. http://m.helpsforcoder.com/ubuntu/499293-macbook-air-2013-wont-wake-after-opening-lid-14-04.html !!!

4. Enable more powersaving options

5. Run sudo tlp stat

Backlight

There is a strange bug with backlight. All settings (using F1, F2 keys) work great but after suspend your can only get 0% or 100% backlight.

There is no real solution for the moment, but there is now a workaround.

Look at comment 78 in https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=67454#c78

Patrik Jakobsson wrote a kernel module that directly programs the backlight driver and it works!

If you don't want to compile by yourself, follow these steps.

1. Install Build-Essentials and headers

sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-generic

2. Download mba6xbl-dkms_0.0.3_all.deb and install it with

sudo dpkg -i mba6xbl-dkms_0.0.3_all.deb

Note: Repeat this installation step each time you kernel gets updated.

3. Load the module:

sudo modprobe mba6x_bl

4. Log out and log back in. It should load automatically on next boot.

Earlier versions of these instructions suggested editing /etc/X11/xorg.conf as well as adding the module to /etc/modules, but these steps are not necessary as of version 0.0.3 of the driver.

Display

Display colors are not true by default. To have right color profile, you should consider import ICC color profile from your OSX installation, located on your OSX partition at /Library/ColorSync/Profiles/Displays.

You can import this profile from Gnome settings into the Color settings pannel.


CategoryMac




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Please update this page, if you have figured out anything, that is not mentioned here!



IconsPage/users.png
The MactelSupportTeam is about to restructure and reorganize the documentation for Intel-based Macs. If you are interested in helping, please visit our team page for information. For all Mactel wikis, there is a starting place here. There is also a thread about planning the Mactel docummentation going on.




CategoryHardware

MacBookAir6-2/Trusty (last edited 2016-01-02 02:42:49 by ppp118-208-172-116)