Re: Debian hardware certification

[Petter Reinholdtsen <pere@hungry.com>]

[Thomas Goirand]
> The plan would be to test the hardware (probably with a live CD
> using a KVM over IP). If it doesn't work, see what driver isn't
> present, and if the backported kernel has the fix. If it does, in
> some cases, we could add a patch in a Debian point release, if it's
> not too intrusive.

I once wrote this check list to test new machines (quickly translated
from Norwegian).  Perhaps it can be the start of a test framework?

Follow these steps to test a new computer model:

 1) Boot live DVD or install machine via PXE and boot the resulting
    installation (we had PXE set up in the network where this was
    done).

 2) If the KDE desktop show up, then the video card is working with
    X.org.  If a small sound is played when KDE is started, the sound
    card is working.

 3) Start a web browser, and visit a web site, for example
    http://www.skolelinux.org/.  If this is working, the network card
    is working.

 4) Choose "Science & Math->Stellarium" from the K menu, and see if
    the program have quick response.  If this is OK, the accelerated
    3D graphics support is working.

 5) Plug in a USB stick.  If a popup show up after a while, the USB
    subsystem is working.

 6) Run nvram-wakeup as root to see if the motherboard and BIOS
    version is supported.

The last point were included because we wanted the ability to shut
down machines in the evening and turn them automatically on in the
morning.

Checklist:

  [ ] machine boots
  [ ] X.org video driver working
  [ ] X.org 3D acceleration working
  [ ] sound card working
  [ ] network card working
  [ ] usb subsystem working
  [ ] nvram-wakeup supported

This cover the most vital parts of a computer.  It should probably be
extended for laptops and other kinds of hardware.

> Having a hardware certified program would increase adoption of
> Debian among server users. It will also help Debian fans to buy the
> correct hardware they need.

Certification have some risks regarding how people view the
certification and the project doing it, if problems show up after the
test is done (with new versions of the software, or changes to the
hardware), and one need to have a clear plan on who is responsible for
fixing any such problesm.

Happy hacking,
-- 
Petter Reinholdtsen