Thinkpad X250 with FreeBSD (Xfce 🐀)

tl;dr https://codeberg.org/mro/x250-freebsd

Recently a refurbished Thinkpad X250 from GreenPanda.de (EUR 160,-) arrived. I plan to use it as my main machine for

• programming (🐫 ocaml)
• writing (txt, html, css)
• reading (documentation, forums etc.)
• graphics editing (gimp & inkscape)
• email, irc, messaging
• video meetings
• minetest :-)

The wishlist

[x] network, Wifi
[x] ocaml, helix, gitui, nnn, fortune, cowsay, fish
[x] tidy, xmllint, xsltproc, raptor2, tinycdb, awk, dash
[x] lynx, ssh, mosh, openssl
[x] firefox, vlc, espeak-ng, minetest, mumble
[x] 😀 emojis
[ ] display brightness & keys
[ ] microphone
[ ] webcam, chromium
[ ] audio volume & keys
[ ] lid close sleep/resume
[ ] finger scanner unlock

Let’s go

At first I got the FreeBSD 13.2 USB image, flashed a thumbdrive and installed it wiping the preinstalled useless Microsoft and Norton software.

On installation I chose the Wifi region APAC2 / DE without bothering much about it.

Then came

$ cat /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant
eapol_version=2
ap_scan=1
fast_reauth=1

network={
  # example closed network
	ssid="<redacted>"
	psk="<redacted>"
	priority=3
}
network={
  # example open network
	ssid="<redacted>"
	scan_ssid=0
	key_mgmt=NONE
	priority=1
}
# more networks
# ...
$ service netif restart

Next

$ freebsd-update fetch
$ freebsd-update install
$ make -C /usr/ports/graphics/drm-510-kmod install

$ pkg install doas portmaster rsync curl fish dash tinycdb mosh nnn ncdu git gitui lynx helix stow tree htop fzf
$ cat /usr/local/etc/doas.conf
permit nopass keepenv :wheel
permit nopass keepenv root as root
$ pkg install mixertui espeak-ng
$ pkg install graphviz mscgen tidy-html5 raptor2 fusefs-sshfs fusefs-curlftpfs
$ ssh-keygen -t ed25519
$ hx /usr/local/etc/doas.conf

$ pkg install gmake gcc ocaml-opam
$ opam init ; opam switch create 4.10.2

$ pkg install xorg-minimal xfce lightdm-gtk-greeter
$ sysrc dbus_enable="YES"
$ sysrc lightdm_enable="YES"

$ pkg install figlet cowsay fortune-mod-freebsd-classic-g20171128
$ pkg-install dillo firefox minetest_game vlc mumble
$ pkg install twemoji-color-font-ttf-14.0.2 noto-emoji-2.034

Hints for hardware compatibility and 101 were in

https://unixcop.com/how-to-install-xfce-in-freebsd-13/#comment-18913, https://forums.freebsd.org/threads/resume-from-suspend-on-thinkpad-x250.84517/ https://forums.freebsd.org/threads/boot-to-mountroot-anyway-to-rescue-it.73244/#post-446760

And always leave the zfs_load="YES" in /boot/loader.conf if you chose zfs on installation.

Rescue boot

• on boot press F12 and choose the thumbdrive to boot from in the BIOS menu

• boot into a shell or live system

  # https://forums.freebsd.org/threads/boot-to-mountroot-anyway-to-rescue-it.73244/#post-446760
  $ mkdir /tmp/root
  $ zpool import -fR /tmp/root zroot
  $ zfs mount zroot/ROOT/default
  $ ...
  $ zpool export zroot
  $ shutdown -p now