[HOWTO] ATI Radeon Binary Drivers on Gentoo

[gralves]

ATI Radeon Binary Drivers on Gentoo

The purpose of this document is to summarize the discussion on http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=54793 as well as be a reference for those trying to get their radeons working on Gentoo system using Ati Binary Drivers.

This document is on its earlier stages of development so expect it to be changed/updated rather quickly.

Index

• What are the binary drivers and why to use them?
• Where to get the drivers?
• Know Issues
• Supported Cards
• Setup Guides
  • Quick Setup Guide
  • Unofficial ebuilds for 3.2.0 and 3.2.4 drivers
  • Dual Monitor Setup Guide
  • TV-Out Setup Guide
  • FSAA Setup Guide
  • Hidden Options(use at your own risk)
• Where to get more information
• Troubleshooting
• Acknowledgments

1. What are the binary drivers and why to use them
   The ATI binary drivers are the linux device drivers provided by ATI. They are the only ones(nowadays) that support OpenGl acceleration for the R300 based cards.
2. Where to get the drivers:
   • 2.9.12 -> from portage
   • 2.9.13 -> from portage
   • 3.2.0 -> from portage
   • 3.2.4 -> from portage
   IMPORTANT :
   Currently only driver versions 2.9.13-r1 and above will work on 2.6 kernels.
   
   NOTE :
   The performance of the 3.2.x drivers is slightly worse than the 2.9.x series. You can find some tips on how to increase their performance on the "Hidden Options" section.
3. Know Issues
   • Drivers 3.2.4 don't work with DGA enabled
     You have to set:

     Code: Select all

     			# This loads the miscellaneous extensions module, and disables
     			# initialisation of the XFree86-DGA extension within that module.
     			SubSection  "extmod"
        				Option    "omit xfree86-dga"   # don't initialise the DGA extension
     			EndSubSection		
     		

     In the beginning of your XF86Config file
   • Xinerama and 3D acceleration does not work togheter. You can have 3D acceleration, or Xinerama (one screen on multiple monitors), but not both. It is a limitation of the drivers. (There are another way of doing that that is supported by the drivers, wait for the Dual Monitor Setup Guide or play with the fglrxconfig).
   • Option "BlockSignalsOnLock" should always be set to "on" unless you are debugging a multithreaded OpenGL app. Turning it off can lead to memory leaks. (from the readme on schneider.de).
4. Supported Cards
   • Official List (for version 3.2.03 - source www.schneider-digital.de):
     • Graphics Accelerators:
       • ATI Radeon 8500, 9100, 9200, 9500, 9600, 9700, 9800, M9, M9+, M10
       • ATI FireGL 8700, 8800, E1, E2, X1, X2, Z1
     • Video Driver for Linux:
       • Driver Version 4.1.0-3.2.0
       • Driver Version 4.2.0-3.2.0
       • Driver Version 4.3.0-3.2.0
   • Unofficial List, but know that it works:
5. Setup Guides
   1. Quick Setup Guide
      • For kernels 2.2.*
      • For kernels 2.4.*

        Code: Select all

        				emerge <kernel-type>-sources
        				cd /usr/src/linux
        				make menuconfig
        				(configure your kernel, read gentoo docs for that. You should disable the DRI on the kernel otherwise the ati driver will not work.)
        				make dep
        				make clean
        				make bzImage
        				make modules
        				make modules_install
        				emerge ati-drivers
        				emerge alsa-driver (if you want to use alsa, read the gentoo docs on the subject)
        				mount /boot
        				cp /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/<your kernel boot name>
        				nano /boot/grub/grub.conf(if you are using grub)
        				(change grub.conf to load your new bzImage)
        				reboot
        				/opt/ati/bin/fglrxconfig
        				(answer as you see fit)
        				opengl-update ati
        				cd /etc/X11/
        				nano XF86Config-4
        				(edit as you see fit)
        				mv XF86Config-4 XF86Config 
        			

      • For kernels-2.6.*

        Code: Select all

        				emerge <kernel-type>-sources
        				cd /usr/src/linux
        				make menuconfig
        				(configure your kernel, read gentoo docs for that. You should disable the DRI on the kernel otherwise the ati driver will not work.)
        				make 
        				make modules_install
        				emerge ati-drivers
        				mount /boot
        				cp /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/<your kernel boot name>
        				nano /boot/grub/grub.conf(if you are using grub)
        				(change grub.conf to load your new bzImage)
        				reboot
        				/opt/ati/bin/fglrxconfig
        				(answer as you see fit)
        				opengl-update ati
        				cd /etc/X11/
        				nano XF86Config-4
        				(edit as you see fit)
        				mv XF86Config-4 XF86Config 
        			

   2. Unofficial ebuilds for 3.2.0 and 3.2.4 drivers:
      
      These are beta-drivers, use them at your own risk.
      To install these ebuilds:
      1. Create the directory media-video/ati-drivers inside your portage overlay directory. This can be set in /etc/make.conf by the PORTDIR_OVERLAY setting. /usr/local/portage is fine in most cases.

         Code: Select all

         				nano /etc/make.conf
         				mkdir -p /usr/local/portage/media-video/ati-drivers
         			

      2. Download the driver packages (links are in the "Where to get the drivers" section.)
      3. Download this file: http://odin.prohosting.com/wedge01/ati-drivers.tar.bz2

      4. Code: Select all

         				mv ati-drivers.tar.bz2 /usr/local/portage/media-video/ati-drivers
         				cd /usr/local/portage/media-video/ati-drivers
         				tar -xvjf ati-drivers.tar.bz2
         				ebuild ati-drivers-3.2.0-r2.ebuild digest
         				ebuild ati-drivers-3.2.4-r2.ebuild digest
         			

      5. Then emerge the drivers as usual. Note that you will need to use ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="~x86". To emerge a particular version, use the following method

         Code: Select all

         				ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="~x86" emerge =ati-drivers-3.2.0-r2
         			

   3. Dual Monitor Setup Guide
   4. TV-Out Setup Guide
   5. FSAA Setup Guide
      
      To enable Full Screen AntiAliasing support, you must upgrade to the 3.2.0 or the 3.2.4 drivers. After generating an XF86Config file via fglrxconfig, you can then control the FSAA mode through the "FSAAScale" driver option.
      
      The values you can set appear to be:
      • 1 (anything <1 gets set to 1)
      • 2 (3 gets set to 2)
      • 4 (5 gets set to 4)
      • 6 (anything >6 gets set to 6)
      As a very rough indicator of performance impact:
      glxgears fps at each FSAA setting:
      • 1 - ~4300fps
      • 2 - ~2300fps
      • 4 - ~1300fps
      • 6 - ~880fps
      For an idea of the visual effect of each setting, there are screenshots from Q3A here taken in each of the FSAA modes. They aren't all taken from exactly the same place, but it's possible to see the differences between the 4 settings.
   6. Hidden options (use at your own risk)
      Hidden options are undisclosed by ATI options that can change the drivers performance or behaviour. They can be enabled/disabled by putting the following lines on the "Device" section of your XF86Config file:

      Code: Select all

      			Option "<Option_Name>" "<Option_Parameters>"
      		

      Here is a list of the knows hidden options:
      • EnablePrivateBackZ
        Know parameters:
        • yes - enable the option
        • no - disable the option
        Effects:
        When enabled it improves the performance of 3.2.x drivers.
        Side-Effects:
        None Know.
      • UseFastTLS
        
        Know parameters:
        • 0 - fast
        • 1 - faster
        • 2 - working with everything
        Effects:
        TLS settings are critical for many apps you may like to use (just to name one: wine). The UseFastTLS should be 2 if you want wine and other apps with wacky threading models working fine.
        Side-Effects:
        When set to something different than 2 some apps might stop working.
6. Where to get more information
7. Troubleshooting
   • Lock-ups on Tux-Racer, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Enemy Territory, Q3A and possible other games/apps.
     Probable Cause: Bug on drivers <3.*
     Solution:
     • Update to newer drivers.
     • On Enemy Territory you can solve the problem by starting the game using the following line:

       Code: Select all

       				et +set r_ext_compiled_vertex_array 0
       			

   • When starting X, an error similar to the following is displayed:

     Code: Select all

     			(EE) fglrx(0): [agp] unable to acquire AGP, error "xf86_ENODEV"
     			(EE) fglrx(0): cannot init AGP
     		

     Probable Cause(s):
     • You have no AGP support compiled into your kernel.
     • You have AGP support compiled as modules but don't have the modules loaded.
     Solutions:
     • Compile support for agpgart and your motherboards AGP chipset into the kernel.
     • If you have AGP support compiled as modules, load those modules before loading the fglrx module.
     • Use the internal AGP support provided by the fglrx driver (NOTE: will not work in all situations). Set the "UseInternalAGPGart" option in your XF86Config to "yes" to enable internal AGP support.
   • During the emerge, fgl_glxgears and fireglcontrol fail to compile with an error similar to:

     Code: Select all

     			/usr/lib/gcc-lib/i686-pc-linux-gnu/3.2.3/../../../../i686-pc-linux-gnu/bin/ld: cannot find -lGL
     			lect2: ld returned 1 exit status
     		

     Probable Cause: Unknow.
     Solution :

     Code: Select all

     			opengl-update xfree
     			(run the emerge again)
     			opengl-update ati
     		

   • On a 2.6 kernel the driver module appears with the name "1" in lsmod instead of "fglrx".
     Probable Cause: Incorrect file headers on the driver.
     Solution :
     Use any of the following driver versions, which should fix this problem:
     • ati-driver-2.9.13-r2
     • ati-driver-3.2.0-r2
     • ati-driver-3.2.4-r2
   • Screen goes black when X starts. Still able to use CTRL-ALT-Fn to change back to the console
     Problable Cause: Misconfigured Monitor Timings.
     Solution :
     Find the correct specs for your monitor VSync and HSync. Update XF86Config
   • Screen goes black when X starts. Not able to use CTRL-ALT-Fn to change back to the console. Servers still working (ex Apache, SSH, etc).
     Problable Cause: FSAA bug on some machines, pattern yet to be determined.
     Solution:
     Turn off FSAA. Post your problem on http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=54793 .
   • Monitor refresh rate stuck at a certain value, X appears to ignore the modeline option.
     Probable Cause: Trouble with EDID.
     Solution:
     Try setting "IgnoreEDID" to "ON", and then specifying a value for the VRefresh2. setting
   • Still having problems after following this guide.
     Probable Cause: Monitor connected to second video slot, computer thinks it is on the first or vice-versa.
     Solutions:
     Change the BusID "PCI:1:0:1" line to BusID "PCI:1:0:0" or vice-versa.
8. Acknowledgments
   Authors (alphabetic order):
   • deurk
   • fca
   • Francis85
   • gralves - Gustavo Ribeiro Alves
   • KillaK
   • lu_zero
   • Wedge_

[Wedge_]

Troubleshooting:
- The lockup problem also affects Q3A.

- When starting X, an error similar to the following is displayed:

Code: Select all

(EE) fglrx(0): [agp] unable to acquire AGP, error "xf86_ENODEV"
(EE) fglrx(0): cannot init AGP

This usually means:
a) You have no AGP support compiled into your kernel
b) You have AGP support compiled as modules but don't have the modules loaded.
Solutions:
1) Compile support for agpgart and your motherboards AGP chipset into the kernel.
2) If you have AGP support compiled as modules, load those modules before loading the fglrx module.
3) Use the internal AGP support provided by the fglrx driver (NOTE: will not work in all situations). Set the "UseInternalAGPGart" option in your XF86Config to "yes" to enable internal AGP support.

[Ian]

This is exactly the kind of thing I wish I had about a year ago, when I started fooling around with Linux. So much pain would have been spared...

In any case, it all looks good, but I'd like to see the documentation on dual monitor setup, as I've tried this before with the ATI drivers but I never got it to work as well as Xinerama.

It's funny, cause this came out at the same time that I've decided to try and enter the world of linux gaming. Maybe I can actually make it all work right, the first time, with the help of this documentation .

[deurk]

Great job.

Maybe you could include a part with tips to increase performance...?

[fca]

The performance of the 3.2.x drivers is less than the 2.9.x series.
Some tips to improve performance with the 3.2.x drivers:
Put the following lines in your XF86Config in the "Device" section:

Code: Select all

Option "EnablePrivateBackZ"	 "yes"
Option "UseFastTLS"				"1"

Also, the 3.2.4 drivers don't work with DGA enabled.
You have to set:

Code: Select all

# This loads the miscellaneous extensions module, and disables
# initialisation of the XFree86-DGA extension within that module.
SubSection  "extmod"
	Option    "omit xfree86-dga"   # don't initialise the DGA extension
EndSubSection

In the beginning of your XF86Config-4

Also Xinerama en 3D acceleration does not work together. You can have 3D acceleration, or Xinerama (one screen on multiple monitors), but not both. It is a limitation of the drivers.

edit: Also, this is just the compilation of a few posts, from different people.

[Wedge_]

• Option "BlockSignalsOnLock" should always be set to "on" unless you are debugging a multithreaded OpenGL app. Turning it off can lead to memory leaks. (from the readme on schneider.de).
• Multiple X sessions don't currently seem to work with any driver version

[Ian]

Also Xinerama en 3D acceleration does not work together. You can have 3D acceleration, or Xinerama (one screen on multiple monitors), but not both. It is a limitation of the drivers.

I've known of this um, problem (?), for a while now, and I believe windows has a similar issue, but they've managed to get 3D acceleration in the primary monitor, I think (or something like that, I don't quite remember).

Is there any way to get around this, either by using the ATI drivers (can't they make one giant screen?) or by creating two Server Layouts that can be called by startx, one for two screens, one for one screen ("gaming mode")?

Looking into the future, is there anyway we can have all the best features at once, if the drivers were to be completely rewritten?

[Wedge_]

can't they make one giant screen?

Have a read through the section of this file called "3. Monitor Configuration". I have no experience at all with dual setups, but would "Big Desktop" mode be any better than dual head?

I believe windows has a similar issue
...
Looking into the future, is there anyway we can have all the best features at once, if the drivers were to be completely rewritten?

If the Windows drivers still have issues with it, I wouldn't expect the Linux drivers to get fixed any time soon

[Wedge_]

Troubleshooting:

• Problem: during the emerge, fgl_glxgears and fireglcontrol fail to compile with an error similar to:

  Code: Select all

  /usr/lib/gcc-lib/i686-pc-linux-gnu/3.2.3/../../../../i686-pc-linux-gnu/bin/ld: cannot find -lGL
  collect2: ld returned 1 exit status

  Solution:

  Code: Select all

  opengl-update xfree
  (run the emerge again)
  opengl-update ati

• Problem: On a 2.6 kernel the driver module appears with the name "1" in lsmod instead of "fglrx".
  Solution: Use any of the following driver versions, which should fix this problem:
  • ati-drivers-2.9.13-r2
  • ati-drivers-3.2.0-r2
  • ati-drivers-3.2.4-r2

[deurk]

Troubleshooting:

• Problem: during the emerge, fgl_glxgears and fireglcontrol fail to compile with an error similar to:

  Code: Select all

  /usr/lib/gcc-lib/i686-pc-linux-gnu/3.2.3/../../../../i686-pc-linux-gnu/bin/ld: cannot find -lGL
  collect2: ld returned 1 exit status

  Solution:

  Code: Select all

  opengl-update xfree
  (run the emerge again)
  opengl-update ati

I should have posted that one, since I ran into a few weeks ago... And it's really annoying when you're stuck on such a little thing

[gralves]

All posts above this are copied into the FAQ.

[Wedge_]

gralves, can you change the link for the ebuilds to: http://odin.prohosting.com/wedge01/ati-drivers.tar.bz2, the other one seems to be dead.

[Francis85]

Very good tips indeed

However, I am unable to get decent refresh rates out of my 9600pro in linux.

My monitor specs are 30-86 and 50-160, yet the refresh in 1024x768 always sticks to 75hz, no matter what modeline I use

Any tips? I can't stand 75hz

[Wedge_]

You could try setting "IgnoreEDID" to "on", and then specifying a value for the VRefresh2 setting. I think that worked for me a while back, but it seems to work fine without it now. Another thing that might work is to change the VertRefresh setting in the Monitor section from a range of values to the refresh rate you want, and see if that forces the monitor to use it.

[Francis85]

Nice Thank you!!! It worked flawlessy.

My modelines are not being ignored anymore and I get 100hz!

Perhaps this should be added in the faq?

[Wedge_]

I'm sure gralves will add it next time he checks the thread

[Wedge_]

The ebuilds for 3.2.0-r2 and 3.2.4-r2 are now in the regular portage tree, as versions 3.2.0 and 3.2.4, so you don't have to do all the stuff with the overlay dir anymore

[deurk]

Cooly!

[Kihaji]

Just a quick note, after emerge the ATI drivers you don't need to reboot, a simple env-update followed by a source /etc/profile will suffice, or you can execute fglrxconfig by full path.

[Wedge_]

Just a quick note, after emerge the ATI drivers you don't need to reboot, a simple env-update followed by a source /etc/profile will suffice, or you can execute fglrxconfig by full path.

Are you talking about the quick setup guides? The reboot is only needed if you have to recompile your kernel (eg to remove DRM).

[Kihaji]

Just a quick note, after emerge the ATI drivers you don't need to reboot, a simple env-update followed by a source /etc/profile will suffice, or you can execute fglrxconfig by full path.

Are you talking about the quick setup guides? The reboot is only needed if you have to recompile your kernel (eg to remove DRM).

Doh, I saw the reboot after the emerge ati drivers stuff and figured that was what it was for. Didn't realize the split up copying the new kernel to /boot until after the ati emerge.

Pay no attention to me, I am stupid.

[bullerei]

Thank you, very nice documentation!
Before I found it, I had been trying to install the ATI Drivers for about 5 hours an it didn't work. Now it works fine, just a little slow. I think I'll try some tuning stuff now.

[KillaK]

If anyone is still having problems after following this guide then I may have an answer. There seems to be a bug in either X or the ATI drivers which causes it not to be detected properly. Where you insmod and it tells you "cannot insert module fglrx".

This is what I did to get my ATI Radeon 9000PRO 128meg to work.

1. Install the ATI drivers. emerge ati-drivers
2. Run fglrxconfig
3. Edit XF86Config or XF86Config-4 (look in /var/log/ XF86.0.log to see which X is using) and look for this line towards the bottom:


Section "Device"
Identifier "ATI Graphics Adapter"
Driver "fglrx"
# === disable PnP Monitor ===
#Option "NoDDC"
# === disable/enable XAA/DRI ===
Option "no_accel" "no"
Option "no_dri" "no"
# === Fire GL DDX driver module specific settings ===
# === Screen Management ===
Option "DesktopSetup" "0x00000000"
Option "Display2" "0"
Option "VRefresh2" "unspecified"
Option "GammaCorrectionI" "0x00000000"
Option "GammaCorrectionII" "0x00000000"
# === OpenGL specific profiles/settings ===
Option "Capabilities" "0x00000000"
# === Video Overlay for the Xv extension ===
Option "VideoOverlay" "on"
# === OpenGL Overlay ===
# Note: When OpenGL Overlay is enabled, Video Overlay
# will be disabled automatically
Option "OpenGLOverlay" "off"
BusID "PCI:1:0:1" # vendor=1002, device=496e <---This line here
Screen 0
EndSection

You need to change it from BusID "PCI:1:0:1" to:

BusID "PCI:1:0:0" so it would look like this:

BusID "PCI:1:0:0"

Save the XF86 File and restart X and it should be working fine for you now.

I found this work around when I was looking in my XFree86.0.log and X would constantly tell me that it could not find my Radeon Video Card, at that specific bus ID.

So I messed around with it, and when I changed it to PCI:1:0:0 lo and behold X started up fine. Again I do not know if this is an X issue or an ATI driver issue, as ATI has yet to respond to any of my bug reports or emails.

Oddly doing a "cat /proc/pci shows the video card twice:

VGA compatible controller: PCI device 1002:4966 (ATI Technologies Inc) (rev 1).
IRQ 11.
Master Capable. Latency=255. Min Gnt=8.
Prefetchable 32 bit memory at 0xd0000000 [0xd7ffffff].
I/O at 0xc000 [0xc0ff].
Non-prefetchable 32 bit memory at 0xe5000000 [0xe500ffff].
Bus 1, device 0, function 1:
Display controller: PCI device 1002:496e (ATI Technologies Inc) (rev 1).
Master Capable. Latency=32. Min Gnt=8.
Prefetchable 32 bit memory at 0xd8000000 [0xdfffffff].
Non-prefetchable 32 bit memory at 0xe5010000 [0xe501ffff].

A very odd bug indeed. Hope my information helps someone.

Regards

KillaK

[lu_zero]

TLS setting are _critical_ for many apps you may like to use ( just to name one wine )


the UseFastTLS should be 2 if you want wine and other apps with wacky threading models work fine.

to sum up:

0 fast
1 faster
2 working with everything

please refer to the fglrxconfig to the full explanation

[gralves]

You need to change it from BusID "PCI:1:0:1" to:

BusID "PCI:1:0:0" so it would look like this:

BusID "PCI:1:0:0"

The BusID options is related to where the card is connected on the system. The PCI:1:0:0 is the first function of the card connected on the AGP port and PCI:1:0:1 is the second function. On ATI cards these functions are the first and the second video connectors respect. .