FreeBSD on Lenovo ThinkPad X270

Last modified: 2021/06/01

Most features of the ThinkPad X270 laptop are supported by FreeBSD 12. You can find some hints regarding the system configuration here. For further information, see the FreeBSD wiki.

Hardware Specifications
Overview
Trackpoint
Power Management
Suspend/Resume
Audio
Volume Keys
Screen
Screen Brightness
Wi-Fi
SD-Card-Reader

Hardware Specifications

12.5" IPS, 176 dpi, 1920×1080
Intel Core i5-7200U (Kaby Lake), 2 × 2,5 GHz
16 GiB DDR4 RAM
Samsung PM981, 512 GiB SSD (M.2)
Intel HD Graphics 620
Realtek ALC298 HD audio controller
Intel Ethernet Connection I219-V
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
Realtek RTS522A SD card reader
Bluetooth 4.2
1 × Mini DisplayPort
2 × USB 3.0, 1 × USB 3.1 (Type-C)
1 × HDMI

Overview

Name	Comment	Status
Audio	`snd_hda(4)` driver	works
Bluetooth		unsupported
Camera		untested
Docking station		untested
Ethernet	`em(4)` driver	works
Finger print sensor		untested
Fn keys	with `acpi_ibm(4)`	works
HDMI	use `xrandr(1)`	works
Hibernate		unsupported
SD card reader	`sysutils/rtsx-kmod` driver	works
Suspend/resume	`acpiconf(8)`	works
Touchpad		works
TrackPoint		works
USB-C		untested
USB		works
Wi-Fi	`iwm(4)` driver	works

TrackPoint

You may want to disable the Touchpad in BIOS in order to use the TrackPoint of the X270. Install x11-servers/xorg-server with udev support and x11-drivers/xf86-input-libinput. For evdev support, add:

# echo 'kern.evdev.rcpt_mask="12"' >> /etc/sysctl.conf

Also, enable the TrackPoint by:

# echo 'hw.psm.trackpoint_support="1"' >> /boot/loader.conf

If desired, enable the Trackpad with (should be the default since FreeBSD 12.2):

# echo 'hw.psm.synaptics_support="1"' >> /boot/loader.conf

You can change the mouse acceleration with x11/xinput (values between [-1.0, 1.0]):

$ xinput set-prop 9 "libinput Accel Speed" 0.05

Add the line to your ~/.xsession to make the changes permanent.

Power Management

For power management, you can either use powerd(8) or sysutils/powerdxx. To enable powerd, edit /etc/rc.conf and add:

powerd_enable="YES"
powerd_flags="-a hiadaptive -b adaptive"
performance_cx_lowest="C2"

Or, install powerd++ with:

# pkg install powerdxx
# sysrc powerdxx_enabled="YES"

Suspend/Resume

While hibernate fails, suspend/resume works on the X270. You can test the power management with:

# acpiconf -s 3

This should perform a suspend to RAM. Press the power button to resume. Install security/doas to suspend with non-root privileges. Edit /usr/local/etc/doas.conf and add:

permit nopass <username> as root cmd /usr/sbin/zzz

Edit your .cshrc and define a new alias:

alias zzz /usr/local/bin/doas /usr/sbin/zzz

You can now suspend as a user by running zzz. Execute zzz from your Window Manager by calling tcsh -c zzz.

Audio

Audio output is provided by the snd_hda(4) driver. Load the kernel module at boot time by editing /boot/loader.conf and adding:

snd_hda_load="YES"

Change between speakers and headphones manually:

# sysctl hw.snd.default_unit=1
hw.snd.default_unit: 0 -> 1

Since FreeBSD 12.2, headphones are detected automatically once plugged in.

Volume Keys

Load the acpi_ibm(4) kernel module to use the Fn volume keys. Edit /boot/loader.conf and add:

acpi_ibm_load="YES"

Or, add kld_list+="acpi_ibm" to /etc/rc.conf:

# sysrc kld_list+="acpi_ibm"

Raising and lowering the volume using the volume keys will work now in applications such as VLC. You have to configure your Window Manager to map keypress events. For FVWM, add to ~/.fvwm/config:

Key XF86AudioRaiseVolume A A Exec exec mixer vol +10
Key XF86AudioLowerVolume A A Exec exec mixer vol -10

After restarting FVWM, the volume keys can be used to change the mixer values.

Screen

Install and enable graphics/drm-kmod:

# pkg install graphics/drm-kmod
# sysrc kld_list+="/boot/modules/i915.kms.ko"

You can connect an external screen through HDMI or USB-C (DisplayPort). Use x11/xrandr to change the video output and set display resolutions. The default output is eDP-1. List all outputs with:

$ xrandr
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1920 x 1080, maximum 8192 x 8192
eDP-1 connected 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 276mm x 155mm
   1920x1080     60.00*+
   1400x1050     59.98
   1280x1024     60.02
   1280x960      60.00
   1024x768      60.04    60.00
   960x720       60.00
   928x696       60.05
   896x672       60.01
   800x600       60.00    60.32    56.25
   700x525       59.98
   640x512       60.02
   640x480       60.00    59.94
   512x384       60.00
   400x300       60.32    56.34
   320x240       60.05
DP-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP-2 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI-2 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

Set the resolution of the HDMI output with:

$ xrandr --output HDMI-1 --mode 1920x1080

Screen Brightness

Set the screen brightness with:

# sysctl hw.acpi.video.lcd0.brightness=80

You can use the Fn keys to increase/decrease the screen brightness by loading acpi_ibm(4). Add to /boot/loader.conf:

acpi_ibm_load="YES"

Or, add kld_list+="acpi_ibm" to /etc/rc.conf.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is supported by the iwm(4) driver. Add the following lines to /boot/loader.conf:

if_iwm_load="YES"
wlan_ccmp_load="YES"
wlan_tkip_load="YES"

Assumed your Wi-Fi uses the WPA2 protocol, add the network to /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf:

network={
    ssid="Your Wi-Fi"
    psk="correcthorsebatterystaple"
    key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
}

Create a new Wi-Fi device with:

# ifconfig wlan0 create wlandev iwm0

You may want to add the device to /etc/rc.conf:

# sysrc wlans_iwm0="wlan0"

Scan for networks with:

# ifconfig wlan0 up scan

For better signal quality, add your country code, for instance:

# ifconfig wlan0 country DE

Connect to your Wi-Fi network:

# wpa_supplicant -i wlan0 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf -B

Obtain an IP address with:

# dhclient wlan0

Optionally, set a custom DNS:

# echo "nameserver 8.8.8.8" > /etc/resolv.conf

You should be connected now. For more information on Wi-Fi networks, see the FreeBSD online handbook.

SD-Card Reader

Install the (experimental) kernel module sysutils/rtsx-kmod that has been ported from OpenBSD, and supports the Realtek RTS522A:

# pkg install sysutils/rtsx-kmod

Then, add the module to your kld_list entry in /etc/rc.conf:

kld_list+="/boot/modules/rtsx.ko"

Restart the system, or load the module manually with:

# kldload rtsx

Mount a FAT32-formatted SD card with, for example:

# mount_msdosfs /dev/mmcsd0s1 /mnt