This article covers recycling an old MacBook Air by installing Ubuntu Desktop. I assume that your plan is to completely wipe the disk and replace it with Ubuntu Desktop. Setting up a dual-boot is a more complicated subject and beyond the scope of this article. Install Ubuntu on Macbook Air Below are simply my notes on installing Ubuntu on a Macbook Air as I couldn’t find one clear or up-to-date source. My Macbook is a mid-2011 (4,2) so your mileage may vary if you have a different model.
After a Saturday of disk partitioning, a trip to CVS for an emergency thumbdrive, and much Googling, I'm writing this blog post from a MacBookAir running Ubuntu 17.10.
I won't write an entire tutorial on the installation, as some great ones alreadyexist (in particular, I benefitted greatly from thistutorialfrom CalTech and thistutorialfrom Christopher Berner). Instead, I'll share why I installed Ubuntu 17.10 on myMacBook Air, some tips I found helpful during the installation, and theremaining shortcomings I hope to address in the coming weeks.
7, 64-bit.DriverWindows 7, 64-bit.15.12.75.4.64.1930LatestThis download installs Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator Driver version 15.12.75.4.1930 (8.) for the integrated graphics controller of Intel® Chipsets for Windows 7.DriverWindows 7, 32-bit.15.12.75.4.1930Latest10/2/2009. DescriptionTypeOSVersionDateThis downloads and installs Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator version 15.12.75.4.64.1930 (8.) for the integrated graphics controller of Intel® chipsets for Windows. Intel gma x3100 driver for mac.
Why Linux on Mac?
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When people think about a laptop for running Linux, machines like the Lenovo'sThinkpads, Dell XPS 13s, and the System 76 line often come to mind. Though notthe norm, the MacBook Air offered definite advantages for me. Mostimportantly, I already had one. I didn't need to purchase any new hardware tohave a functional, portable laptop running Linux. Additionally, for a smalllightweight machine, it has workable specs. Its got a 4-core i5 CPU and 4GB ofRAM, which is sufficient for the coding and browsing I'll be doing. Finally,I've enjoyed, and grown comfortable with, the MacBook's hardware. Previously I'dinstalled GalliumOS on an Acer C720 Chromebook, butfound myself reluctant to use it regularly because I didn't like the feel.
Similarly, when people think about an operating system for MacBook hardware,they don't often think of Ubuntu. I installed Linux, and most specificallyUbuntu, for a couple of reasons. For a couple of months, I have beenrunning Ubuntu 17.10 on a System 76 Wild DogPro. The more I ran Ubuntu, the moreunsatisfied I became with OSX. I missed the i3 windowmanager. Additionally, I grew frustrated context switching between my desktop and my servers,missing tools like apt and systemd. And of course, Ubuntu andLinux offers considerable advantages in being free and open-source.
Because I already had the machine, was enjoying the Linux experience on myWild Dog, and could retain the option of OSX by dual booting, I hadnothing to loose installing Ubuntu.
Tips for a smooth installation
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Follow a good tutorial
I mentioned a couple of tutorials in the introduction. I consulted themfrequently throughout my install and found them invaluable. I've worked withboot loading, disk partitioning and the other techniques for installing a new OSa little bit, but have not done these types of installs enough times to havetrue familiarity. Additionally, the MacBook hardware works for Linux, but doeshave some rough edges. I benefited from others efforts to identify, and proposefixes for, those tricky components. Finally, dual booting creates its own uniquechallenges, as I had to install Ubuntu without adversely impacting myprevious OSX install. I wanted to be confident each operation I was running wascorrect. It sounds simple, but its important to remember: find agood tutorial(s) and stick to it.
Automate your initial machine provisioning
I've heavily invested in automating my machine provisioning over the past sixmonths. I've been using sheepdoge toprovision my machines with packages, configuration files, etc. through ansible.Additionally, I wrote an additional ansible playbook which I run only once onany new machine. Its responsible for downloading ssh and gpg keys, vpn profiles,etc. Because of this configuration investment, my work was pretty much doneafter I did the initial boot into Ubuntu. I could just run my two playbooks andI had workstation identical to the one I'd enjoyed so much on my Wild Dog Pro.
Get the wifi working
Unfortunately, there's one big gotcha when installing Ubuntu on the MacBook: thewifi does not work after the initial install. Unfortunately, MacBook hardwarerequires non-free wifi drivers, which the base Ubuntu install does not include.Getting these drivers is as simple as sudo apt install bcmwl-kernel-source. However, there's an unfortunate catch-22, as apt installrequires the internet. So we cannot get the wifi working until we perform anaction which requires the internet. On a desktop, I'd recommend just connectingvia Ethernet. However, most MacBook hardware no longer contains an Ethernetport. It is possible to get an “Ethernet to Thunderbolt” converter, but it costsaround $30. Instead, I prefer to use a USB Wifi Adapter, like this one fromRaspberry Pi. They're lessthan $10, and also can be used on Raspberry Pi's, etc.
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Potential future improvements
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As happy as I am with Ubuntu on the MacBook Air, I still am looking to make acouple improvements. First, I've noticed slightly worse battery life when I'mrunning Ubuntu compared to OSX. I'm thinking a tool likepowertop might be helpful inimproving the default configurations. Additionally, the trackpad feelis slightly worse when running Ubuntu,specifically with respect to multi-touch support. From some quick onlinesearches, there are fixes, although I haven't explored them thoroughly.Finally, I haven't even tried the microphone and webcam, but have read theyrequire some work to get running.
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I'll update this post if I make any advances :)
Linux support for the Keyboard & Trackpad, the networking drivers, and the T2 security chip only just recently got merged into the mainline Linux Kernel. I'm fairly sure you need at least kernel version 5.4+ to get some of these features working and I believe v5.6 may be necessary for T2 support. I don't recall which of the post v5.4 releases has T2 support.
Currently you cannot easily install Linux onto an Apple computer which uses the T2 security chip because the Linux Kernel with the T2 support is not included in any of the currently released distributions as a default kernel. If you want to run Linux on this laptop, then you will most likely need to first install Linux to an older Mac or other UEFI booting PC and install the latest v5.6 kernel. I would suggest trying to boot this customized Linux boot disk externally to confirm you use the built-in keyboard, trackpad, and either WiFi or ethernet. Then clone the Linux install to the internal SSD (again you will need a boot disk with support for the T2 security chip).
I do not recommend dual booting this laptop with both macOS and Linux unless you have good backups and are prepared to perform a clean install or restore from backup since you will at some point most likely do something which will prevent either OS from booting and possibly risk losing access to all the data in one or both operating systems.
You cannot disable the T2 chip as it is an integral part of the system. The most you can do is disable some of the security settings to allow a non-Apple OS to boot and to allow booting from an external drive.
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