Lenovo diagnostic software for Linux-safe to use?

[Seeker]

Is anyone acquainted with the (no longer supported) Lenovo Linux diagnostic software 4.31.1? they have an iso for a bootable usb (cd?) available at https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/overview
The iso seems same whether for bootable usb or for cd/dvd.
Would this be dangerous to use on my x220 that is running mx-19, to check it out?

[m_pav]

Most likely OK. Lenovo are great supporters of Linux because they ship many Linux based servers to corporate clients worldwide, so my expectation of this tool is it should respect the Linux methodology and support native Linux Filesystems.

[m_frank]

---

Since I've got a Lenovo Thinkpad T500, this piqued my interest, and I spent some time perusing the web site,
starting with:

Lenovo Diagnostic Solutions: Overview

• I want to check and monitor my system health...
  Solutions to diagnose hardware and monitor my system health.
• I have a problem with my system...
  Help me diagnose and fix a problem with my system
• I'm an IT person managing multiple systems...
  Help me resolve problems with multiple systems

Which only if you picked I'm an IT person managing multiple systems... leads to:

Lenovo Diagnostic Solutions: Downloads

Lenovo Diagnostics Windows Versions:
☆ Lenovo Diagnostics (32-bit)
☆ Lenovo Diagnostics (64-bit)
☆ Read Me Document
☆ Lenovo Diagnostics User Guide

Lenovo Diagnostics Linux Bootable Versions:
☆ Create Bootable USB on Windows OS
☆ Create Bootable CD/DVD
☆ Read Me Document
☆ Lenovo Diagnostics Linux Bootable User Guide

Lenovo UEFI Bootable Diagnostics:
☆ Create Bootable USB on Windows OS
☆ UEFI Diagnostics Read Me
☆ UEFI Diagnostics User's Guide

So, I figure, "Create Bootable USB" sounds good, but NO, wait... Windows?!


Oh well, let's have a look...

Create Bootable USB Flash Drive for Lenovo Linux Diagnostics

You will need a USB flash drive with at least 2GB (Note: contents of the flash drive will be erased as part of this process).
Perform the following steps: (Be sure to remember the location where you save the files on your system).

1. Insert a flash drive
2. Download the Lenovo Linux Diagnostics iso file onto your system, but do not extract any files.
3. Download the Bootable Generator file, and extract its contents to a folder.
4. Run BootableGenerator.exe from the desktop shortcut or startup menu.
5. Select the flash drive that you would like the Lenovo Linux Diagnostics to be written to.
6. Click or tap Search. Find and select the Lenovo Linux bootable file that you downloaded.
7. Select File
8. Click or tap Generate to start the process.

Note: No where on this page is Windows mentioned! And it starts going off the rails with step 3 ...

But, there is one gem buried on this page! Lenovo Linux Diagnostics iso file (step 2)

Turns out, that on the previous page (Lenovo Diagnostic Solutions: Downloads) that the item
☆ Create Bootable CD/DVD is not a procedure to create a bootable CD/DVD at all but a link to the diagnotics ISO!

They sure don't make it easy...
*WHEW*

Well, let's at least put this wander-fest and web-mining to use:

---

Create Bootable USB Flash Drive for Lenovo Linux Diagnostics -- MX-Linux edition

You will need a USB flash drive with at least 2GB (Note: contents of the flash drive will be erased as part of this process).
Perform the following steps: (Be sure to remember the location where you save the files on your system).

1. Download the Lenovo Linux Diagnostics iso file onto your system.
2. Insert a flash drive,
3. Use mxlum (MX Live USB Maker) [cli: mx-live-usb-maker] in Image Mode (since this is a "foreign distro" ISO )

---

All that said, the ISO looks like it has support for UEFI and "legacy" boot, there are grub (x64) and
iso/syslinux (32-bit & 64-bit) components, and appears to be Debian-based, I found this:

Code: Select all

$ cat /media/mfrank/LDiagBootable/.disk/info
Debian GNU/Linux 8 "Jessie" - Official Snapshot amd64 LIVE Binary 20140915-16:12

Code: Select all

$ cat /media/mfrank/LDiagBootable/boot/grub/grub.cfg
:
menuentry "Ldiag" {
    set gfxpayload=1600x900,1440x960,1440x900,1280x1024,1024x768,800x600,640x480
    if [ $root = cd0 -o $root = cd1 -o $root = cd2 -o $root = cd3 ] ; then
        set toram_param=toram
    fi
  linux /live/vmlinuz boot=live union=overlay $toram_param systemd.mask=networking.service blacklist=radeon,nouveau modprobe.blacklist=radeon,nouveau nodmraid i915.preliminary_hw_support=1 amdgpu.exp_hw_support=1 psmouse.elantech_smbus=0 usbcore.autosuspend=-1
  initrd  /live/initrd.img
}

Code: Select all

$ cat /media/mfrank/LDiagBootable/isolinux/isolinux.cfg
:
menu title Ldiag
label ldiag
    kernel /live/vmlinuz
    append cdrom-detect/try-usb=true initrd=/live/initrd.img toram boot=live union=overlay systemd.mask=networking.service blacklist=radeon,nouveau modprobe.blacklist=radeon,nouveau nodmraid i915.preliminary_hw_support=1 amdgpu.exp_hw_support=1 psmouse.elantech_smbus=0 usbcore.autosuspend=-1

So, the ISO should produce a USB stick boot-able on Legacy and UEFI systems, which boots a Linux system.

[Seeker]

sounds good, m_frank. so, will you try it out?

[Seeker]

sounds good, m_frank. so, will you try it out?

[m_frank]

:
The iso seems same whether for bootable usb or for cd/dvd.
Would this be dangerous to use on my x220 that is running mx-19, to check it out?

Probably no more dangerous than trying a flavor-of-the-week/fortnight/month Linux distro's Live CD/DVD/USB.

---

sounds good, m_frank. so, will you try it out?

Yes ...

sounds good, m_frank. so, will you try it out?

Patience ...

---

It's looooong story:

• Down-load was fine,
• First I tried to burn a CD, but the ISO was too big for a CD,
• Then I created 2 "coasters", trying to burn DVDs on my Lenovo Thinkpad T500, failing with an error after ~51K,
• Copied the ISO to my HP Pavilion 500 desktop and succeeded in creating a DVD,
• Shutdown MX-19.1 on the T500,
• Booted the DVD, which took quite while (been spoiled using USB3 sticks),
• Saw a boot menu, which immediately continued, no chance for input,
• Sat through a long scan of the DVD,
• Watched the kernel boot messages scroll by,
• Saw a console login prompt under a Debian 9 banner,
• Finally end up on a X11 startup page with an empty solid Grey background and a mouse pointer cursor,
• So I moved then cursor around the empty screen, waiting...
• Tried switching to VT1 (Ctrl-ALT-F1) ...
• Tried switching to VT2 (Ctrl-ALT-F2) ...
• Tried switching to VT3 (Ctrl-ALT-F3) ...
• Tried switching to VT4 (Ctrl-ALT-F4) ...
• Tried switching to VT5 (Ctrl-ALT-F5) ...
• Tried switching to VT6 (Ctrl-ALT-F6) ...
• Moved the cursor around ...
• Tried ESC ...
• Moved the cursor around ...
• Tried Ctrl-ALT-DEL ...
• Tried Ctrl-ALT-SysRq-R, followed by,
• Tried Ctrl-ALT-SysRq-E
• Tried Ctrl-ALT-SysRq-I
• Tried Ctrl-ALT-SysRq-S
• Tried Ctrl-ALT-SysRq-U
• Tried Ctrl-ALT-SysRq-B
• Moved the cursor around ...
• Tried a short press of the power button,
• Moved the cursor around ...
• Gave up, and held the power button until all the lights went out.
• Powered back on, popped the DVD and put it on the shelf for another day...
• Booted MX-18.3, installed recently accumulated updates,
• Restarted, booting MX-19.1 386 (32-bit), applied accumulated updates,
• Restarted, booting MX-19.1 x64,
• Back to normal ...

So, I can't really tell you much about the diagnostics, as I never got to see and try them.


On a positive note, I didn't notice anything dangerous.

I wonder if it got confused by the dual graphics card setup:

Code: Select all

$ inxi -Gxxa --display
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel Mobile 4 Series Integrated Graphics vendor: Lenovo 
  driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0 chip ID: 8086:2a42 
  Device-2: AMD RV635/M86 [Mobility Radeon HD 3650] vendor: Lenovo 
  driver: radeon v: kernel bus ID: 01:00.0 chip ID: 1002:9591 
  Display: server: X.Org 1.20.4 driver: ati,modesetting,radeon 
  unloaded: fbdev,vesa resolution: 1680x1050~60Hz 
  OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Mobile Intel GM45 Express v: 2.1 Mesa 18.3.6 
  direct render: Yes 

[Redacted]

Same here, except never got a console login prompt.
Just that blank screen with a cursor.

[Head_on_a_Stick]

It's an openbox desktop but I don't know why right-click doesn't produce a root menu (it's defined in rc.xml)

The TTYs are disabled by /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/disableTTY.conf

Bit of a mystery all round really...

[Head_on_a_Stick]

Ha! Got it...

The graphical desktop logs in automatically as root and tries to run the Lenovo diagnostics program in /opt but that fails because the image runs stretch but tries to update some stuff from sid. Because the image is so old there has been a soname bump and the Qt5 dependencies are b0rked.

To get the program running press "e" with the GRUB menu entry highlighted and add this to the end of the line that starts with "linux":

Code: Select all

systemd.unit=multi-user.target

Then press <ctrl>+x (at the same time) to boot to a console.

Login as root, the password is "123".

Then connect to the internet (easiest with a cable), update the package database and install the libqt5core5a package from sid.

The CLI diagnostics program can then be run from /opt, I can't remember the exact path but just type in "/opt" then tab-complete to the final directory and run the "LenovodiagnosticsCLI" program.

EDIT: sorry for the multi-post, I got all excited

[Seeker]

hi head on a stick: trying to understand how you got this thing to run, but I am a newbie and its tough. So, did you actually work from a gui with this or from the command line? What is sid?