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Jahoviah
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 5:58 pm    Post subject: amd64 vesafb problem Reply with quote

Hi,

1. I don't know if this topic belongs in AMD64 specific questions,
2. and yes, I have read the other posts on vesafb And the Gentoo handbook

A couple of kernels (think it was 2.6.12) and one bios flash ago (I have AwardBIOS1.7 now) I had my vesafb up and running very nice.
I wanted to do a clean install now with kernel 2.6.16-r1 and forgot to back up my grub.conf.
I CANNOT get any vesafb graphics modes to work except for 640x480-8 and it bothers me since last time I used 1024x768x16.
Because I'm using amd64 I can't switch to vesafb-tng so this question is about getting vesafb to work.

I've tried ALL vga modes mentioned in the handbook both as hexadecimal and decimal values but I only get unknown/unsupported mode.

on the kernel line I started with video=vesafb:mtrr:X,ywrap,MODE1 vga=MODE2
where I tried 1,2,3,4 on X, and all corresponding values found in the handbook on MODE1 and MODE2, e.g., 640x480-8 and 0x301 .
I've tried removing ywrap and I've tried removing the whole video parameter.

I usually search everywhere and try to read everything on the topic before posing a question but now I feel hopeless :(

Can anyone guide me through this? I've configured the kernel as instructed by the handbook and as I said, I have had this working before.

I've got an MSI board with nforce4 but have configured the kernel for vesafb since I don't want conflicts with the gfxcard drivers for X.

Thank you for reading this Long post.

/JAHoviah
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niskel
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 6:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

what does this say:
Code:
dmesg | grep vesafb
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Jahoviah
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 6:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nothing.

IF I go with the vga option for 640x480-8 then vesafb will show up with the normal stuff in dmesg (I dual boot, so I can't check at the moment but I'm pretty sure nothing unusual is printed), however if I choose another mode I just get the unknown mode after grub and then I have to select a mode or scan, and I can only choose between 5-6 "compatible" crappy textmodes and vesafb doesn't show up in dmesg at all.
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longship
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 11:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My kernel line for Grub:

kernel /boot/kernel-2.6.15-gentoo-r1 root=/dev/md1 vga=795 video=vesafb:ywrap,mtrr

"vga=795" where 795 is one of the following:

Code:
Colours   640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x1024 1600x1200
  --------+---------------------------------------------
  256     |   769     771      773      775       796
  32,768  |   784     787      790      793       797
  65,536  |   785     788      791      794       798
  16.8M   |   786     789      792      795       799


N.B., I have a very hi-res display and a high end card. But I could not get any of the 1600x1200 modes to work. However, 1280x1024 works fine.
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Headrush
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 11:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

niskel wrote:
what does this say:
Code:
dmesg | grep vesafb

This won't show anything, even if working. Try
Code:
dmesg | grep fb

My kernel line in GRUB
Code:
kernel /boot/kernel-2.6.16-gentoo-r1 root=/dev/sda2 vga=0x31a splash=silent,theme:livecd-2005.1 CONSOLE=/dev/tty1 quiet

Works perfect.
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Infohawk
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 11:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had the same problem. I came to the understanding that I would need vesafb-tng and that vesafb-tng was not available for AMD64. Alternatively, I could have used the nvidiafb driver but that doesn't work with the binary 3d drivers. Now I'm waiting for vesatng to be available for AMD64.
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wuzzerd
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 1:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jahoviah:

Did you set all the fb stuff in your kernel .config file? I forgot last time and was confused for quite awhile. lol.
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longship
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 3:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Infohawk wrote:
I had the same problem. I came to the understanding that I would need vesafb-tng and that vesafb-tng was not available for AMD64. Alternatively, I could have used the nvidiafb driver but that doesn't work with the binary 3d drivers. Now I'm waiting for vesatng to be available for AMD64.


No, just enble standard vesafb in your kernel, enable fb console and put in a font or two.
Then, use the Grub kernel line similar to the one above (in my previous post).
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Jahoviah
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 7:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

wuzzerd wrote:
Jahoviah:

Did you set all the fb stuff in your kernel .config file? I forgot last time and was confused for quite awhile. lol.


Yes.

Infohawk wrote:

I had the same problem. I came to the understanding that I would need vesafb-tng and that vesafb-tng was not available for AMD64. Alternatively, I could have used the nvidiafb driver but that doesn't work with the binary 3d drivers. Now I'm waiting for vesatng to be available for AMD64.


As I wrote at the top, I have had this working a couple of kernels ago on vesafb (notvesafb-tng). So, what I am trying to do
is to get vesafb to work again.
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jonnevers
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 1:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Headrush wrote:
niskel wrote:
what does this say:
Code:
dmesg | grep vesafb

This won't show anything, even if working. Try
Code:
dmesg | grep fb

My kernel line in GRUB
Code:
kernel /boot/kernel-2.6.16-gentoo-r1 root=/dev/sda2 vga=0x31a splash=silent,theme:livecd-2005.1 CONSOLE=/dev/tty1 quiet

Works perfect.


i've been using vga=0x31B for awhile no with no problems. (i wish vesafb-tng worked on amd64)
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Jahoviah
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 1:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jonnevers wrote:


i've been using vga=0x31B for awhile no with no problems. (i wish vesafb-tng worked on amd64)


It worked for me too on my previous kernel before the bios flash. But now only 640x480-8 works.
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niskel
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 2:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Headrush wrote:
niskel wrote:
what does this say:
Code:
dmesg | grep vesafb

This won't show anything, even if working. Try
Code:
dmesg | grep fb
Code:
# dmesg | grep vesafb
vesafb: framebuffer at 0xe0000000, mapped to 0xffffc20000080000, using 6144k, total 131072k
vesafb: mode is 1024x768x32, linelength=4096, pages=1
vesafb: scrolling: redraw
vesafb: Truecolor: size=8:8:8:8, shift=24:16:8:0
Works for me... :roll:
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jonnevers
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 2:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

niskel wrote:
Works for me... :roll:

I think what he is saying is that vesafb dosen't load right above 640x480 so its not showing up in dmesg. not that he dosen't know how to grep dmesg...
to be honest, i don't recognize the syntax of 640x480-8 for specifing the vga mode for vesafb. I've only ever see the 0x31B type syntax and then vesafb-tng's more verbose 1280x1024-32.... but on my machine 1280x1024-32 did not work with plain old vesafb so i reverted back to 0x31B when i moved from x86 land to amd64 gentoo-ville.

OP: What kernel version are you at now? for amd64 (and any ARCH really) go for the latest available. I just moved up to 2.6.16.1 (beyond-sources :lol: no more nitro-sources :() and my vesafb with the framebuffer mode specified above working fine.

You said this started after a bios flash. is your bios at the latest available version? did you gain something from the this flash, could you revert? see if that solves the problem. I'm opt to say it won't matter but I don't think it could hurt to experiment.
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niskel
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 3:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jonnevers wrote:
niskel wrote:
Works for me... :roll:

I think what he is saying is that vesafb dosen't load right above 640x480 so its not showing up in dmesg. not that he dosen't know how to grep dmesg...
I said this in regards to Headrush saying that this dmesg would not work, but it does and even shows errors when things go wrong.

Anyways, is this in your kernel:
Code:
Device Drivers  --->
        Graphics support  --->
                Console display driver support  --->
                        <*> Framebuffer Console support
or simply
Code:
FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE
I forgot this once and had the same problem; remembered the framebuffer driver, forgot the framebuffer console driver.
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Jahoviah
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 7:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jonnevers wrote:

I think what he is saying is that vesafb dosen't load right above 640x480 so its not showing up in dmesg. not that he dosen't know how to grep dmesg...
to be honest, i don't recognize the syntax of 640x480-8 for specifing the vga mode for vesafb. I've only ever see the 0x31B type syntax and then vesafb-tng's more verbose 1280x1024-32.... but on my machine 1280x1024-32 did not work with plain old vesafb so i reverted back to 0x31B when i moved from x86 land to amd64 gentoo-ville.


Don't know if this one was aimed at me at all but I just would like to clarify that I am Only using hexadecimal, e.g. 0x31B, or decimal, e.g. 769, for the vga option. I just didn't remembered the code for 640x480-8 so I wrote the this verbose mode instead (here in the forum that is).

jonnevers wrote:

You said this started after a bios flash. is your bios at the latest available version? did you gain something from the this flash, could you revert? see if that solves the problem. I'm opt to say it won't matter but I don't think it could hurt to experiment.


I have the latest version and it did fix some irritating bugs so I would really not like to revert back to the old one.
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 12:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I should perhaps add that I have two monitors connected to my gfxcard now (I did not have that when I had the fb working before) - DFP-0 (my lcd monitor) and DFP-1 (my plasma tv). Could this be a problem? Unfortunately I cannot try myself to disconnect the second monitor for a few days.
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 11:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am having the same problem. I stopped getting decent resolutions on fb when I upgraded to AMD64 from x86.
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 11:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

vesafb-rrc is the answer to your problems
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 22, 2006 12:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

praetorian wrote:
vesafb-rrc is the answer to your problems

Spock wrote:
UPDATE: The old rrc patch is now obsolete!

Taken directly from the developer.

Edit: P.S. praetorian, Go Wings. :wink:
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have 2 amd64 computers both built on the same Asus K8N-E Deluxe motherboards with the same bios.

The oldest one is still running a 2.6.11-r11 gentoo-sources kernel and the 1.0.6629-r4 nvidia-kernel driver. That computer is running a vesafb at 1280x1024x16 with no problem from a GeForce MX 4000 card. I haven't tried any higher resolution because 1280x1024 seems optimal for its monitor.

The newer computer started with a 2.6.13 gentoo-sources kernel and now has a 2.16.17-r1 vanilla-sources kernel, to support a particular ATSC card. It has had both the nv and nvidia drivers for its 6600GT but the vesafb has been elusive. With the present configuration it will get no higher than 1024x768x16. Even then there are problems, when running xdm and using gdm any attempt to go to a vt from X will get me the gdm login page. Without xdm running it causes a loss of signal to the monitor. If I stop xdm and don't start X, switching between vts works as expected. Starting X from the command line causes the same problems as when it boots with gdm into X. What that means is that if I boot with a vesafb into X I have no way of falling back to the console. Killing X with xdm running just brings me back to the gdm login screen no matter which vt I try and if xdm is not running the monitor loses its signal.

Update: I noticed recently that my gcc-config on the problematic computer was not set for the installed compiler, 3.4.5, so I recompiled the toolchain per the gcc upgrade page and then used the emerge -e method to rebuild my install. I have yet to recompile the kernel but now the framebuffer is working as expected. Although with a maximum resolution of 1024x768. As usual, configuration remains the source of most of my problems.
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