Tails

#3 Updated by hellodolly 2015-03-23 17:03:30

I can test Tails/Jessie ISO tonight. Report straight after that. However, I doubt that upgraded grub / kernel is there.

New input:

> https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/grub-devel/2013-12/msg00442.html
>> https://www.marc.info/?l=grub-deavel&m=141586614924917&w=2
>>> https://github.com/0xbb/gpu-switch

Possible solution direction:
apple_set_os command

Basically Macbook Pros detect system that is being loaded isn’t OS X and the hardware recognization differs. Which results into internal GPU powered down.

> (from the link above) This prevents the firmware from powering down the integrated graphics
> card on some recent 2013 Macbook Pro laptops.

Unfortunately my experiences with Debian / Linux is far far away from average and therefore I have no idea what steps to take to upgrade grub / kernel of Tails via instructions provided in the links above.

#4 Updated by BitingBird 2015-04-10 16:16:21

Any news on that?

#5 Updated by loefa 2015-04-15 17:50:24

Trying Tails/Jessie resulted into NOTHING. Tried few versions, downloads. None of them booted.
Laptop (Macbook Pro Retina) started overheating while trying to process through boot but Tails didn’t load.

Current version of Tails still does not provide support for integrated gpu.

Maybe helpful answer on this issue:
https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/193425/enabling-intel-iris-pro-syslinux-tails-system-macbook-pro-15-retina-late-2013

#6 Updated by intrigeri 2015-04-15 21:36:48

> […] while trying to process through boot but Tails didn’t load.

What do you mean exactly by this?

> Maybe helpful answer on this issue:
> https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/193425/enabling-intel-iris-pro-syslinux-tails-system-macbook-pro-15-retina-late-2013

Thanks, that’s useful. So basically, we’ll get these fixes when the patches have been upstreamed into Linux and/or GRUB. Sadly, I doubt we’ll have the skills + time to work on it ourselves.

#7 Updated by eripwoip 2015-04-28 11:03:02

command itself: https://github.com/0xbb/gpu-switch
>> (tested, works. however still only black screen. since igp is powered down.)

patch (chained with grub, refind and hopefully even syslinux)
>> https://github.com/0xbb/gpu-switch

Any dev that could confirm it is / how is it possible to insert this patch above (.efi) into Tails device.
And insert line into syslinux config that would consider .efi file before boot.

This MAY SOLVE the issue with some hardware on newer Macbooks powered down in Tails.

#8 Updated by eripwoip 2015-04-28 11:03:50

target: enabling igp on newer Macbooks.

#9 Updated by intrigeri 2015-04-29 07:55:30

> command itself: https://github.com/0xbb/gpu-switch

Thanks. So a workaround exists and can already be used by affected users, even without modifying Tails. Good!
If you want to see that program included in Tails, next step is to have it part of Debian.

>>> (tested, works. however still only black screen. since igp is powered down.)

I don’t understand how it can “work” but still display a black screen. Does running gpu-switch -i lead to a working Tails system on next boot, or not?

> patch (chained with grub, refind and hopefully even syslinux)
>>> https://github.com/0xbb/gpu-switch

I’ll assume you mean https://github.com/0xbb/apple_set_os.efi instead.

> Any dev that could confirm it is / how is it possible to insert this patch above (.efi) into Tails device.

Next steps to make this happen:

1. research/discuss what the default should be, and how Tails users could choose whether they want to use the integrated or dedicated graphics adapter (I suspect some users will want to use the more powerful NVidia chip, while some others will want to save battery life)
2. include that apple_set_os.efi EFI program in Debian
3. adjusts Tails’ syslinux configuration to load that EFI program
4. implement/document whatever was decided regarding users choosing their preferred graphics adapter
5. make sure it doesn’t break anything for non-Mac systems

#10 Updated by intrigeri 2015-04-29 07:56:32

loefa wrote:
> Trying Tails/Jessie resulted into NOTHING. Tried few versions, downloads. None of them booted.
> Laptop (Macbook Pro Retina) started overheating while trying to process through boot but Tails didn’t load.

What did you see happen exactly?