Acer Chromebook 14 CB3-431 (Edgar)
The following article briefly explains all necessary procedures to install a fully-functional Arch Linux configuration on the Acer Chromebook 14 cb3-431 (Edgar).
Contents
Write Protection
Write Protection does not have to be voided to follow this guideline.
Developer Mode
Prior to the installation, certain actions must be taken to grant bios reading permission on unsigned installation mediums. This includes enabling Developer Mode, and flashing a custom SeaBios.
Enabling Developer Mode:
- Power off your machine.
- Enter recovery mode by holding down
Esc+F3
(Refresh) during boot. - Once greeted in recovery mode (large yellow exclamation mark) press
Ctrl+d
. - You will be prompted for confirmation, press enter to confirm developer mode.
- The device will reset and greet the user with a warning screen on every boot, that can be skipped by pressing
Ctrl+d
.
Flashing a custom SeaBios
A custom SeaBios is required to load unsigned or self-signed installation mediums, in our case, being the Arch Linux Installation Media.
In ChromeOS, estasblish internet connection and enter the superuser shell with Ctrl+Alt+F2
using the chronos
username. Then obtain MrChromeBox's SeaBios utility:
# curl -L -O https://mrchromebox.tech/firmware-util.sh
Execute the firmware utility:
# sudo bash firmware-util.sh
Select option 1 to Install RW_LEGACY, permitting booting from an external installation media from SeaBios.
Before selecting the reboot option and proceeding to the next part, ensure an Arch Linux Installation Media is inserted.
Installation
Booting the Installation Media
During the white "OS verification disabled" screen, toggle Ctrl+l
to enter SeaBios.
Then press the Esc
key to load the boot menu, and select your external installation media.
Unless the installation media runs on a Linux version 4.8.14 or prior, the internal keyboard, sound, and trackpad will not function during the installation. From this point on, proceed with the official Arch Linux Installation Guide.
Esc
key boot menu request, the device has been fully shut down prior to the SeaBios load. SeaBios must be entered on reboot from ChromeOS to enter the Boot MenuPost installation
Unless RW protection has been voided and SeaBios has been set to boot as default, booting into grub is only possible by toggling Ctrl+l
during the white "OS verification disabled" screen on boot.
Fixes
Due to the recentness and unpopularity of the new Intel Braswell Chipset, a fair amount of issues must be fixed manually.
The following features are not expected to work out of box :
- Internal Keyboard
- Trackpad
- Sound/Audio
Fixing those issues will require the user to compile and apply the patched linux-galliumos-braswellAUR[broken link: package not found] kernel and follow the proceeding steps below:
Internal Keyboard
The internal keyboard becomes fully functional after the kernel has been patched, with the exception of hotkeys, which must be configured trough the xkeyboard-config-chromebookAUR package.
Sound
To fix audio/sound output, install the galliumos-braswell-configAUR package using the pacman --force
parameter.
Trackpad
To fix trackpad pressure sensitivity issues for the xf86-input-synaptics driver, add the following configuration file under /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-synaptics.conf
/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-synaptics.conf
Section "InputClass" Identifier "touchpad catchall" Driver "synaptics" MatchIsTouchpad "on" MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*" Option "FingerLow" "1" Option "FingerHigh" "5" EndSection
For libinput support, add the following hwdb configuration under /etc/udev/hwdb.d/99-touchpad-pressure.hwdb
/etc/udev/hwdb.d/99-touchpad-pressure.hwdb
libinput:name:*Elan Touchpad:dmi:*svnGOOGLE:*pnEdgar* LIBINPUT_ATTR_PRESSURE_RANGE=1:15
After the XServer has been restarted, the changes will take place