Nvidia Driver AGP FastWrite and Side Band Addressing

Message

TheCoop · Post by **TheCoop** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 8:37 pm

theres a howto i wrote last year on the docs forum about getting the nvidia driver working with fastwrite and sba, search for it

DrWoland · Post by **DrWoland** » Sat Jan 08, 2005 10:38 pm

DarkJedi9 wrote:I just got mine working. I compiled /dev/agpgart support as a module and put a line in my vid card section of XF86Config that reads Option "NvAGP" "3" which tells X to use agpgart and then NvAGP if agpgart isn't available. Also, and this was key, I had to do a little source editing. Here's a copy-and-paste from my post at Linuxnewbie.org

Here's how I did it. I did emerge -C on nvidia-kernel and nvidia-glx (that's gentoo talk for uninstalled my nvidia "stuff"). Then I downloaded the tarballs from Nvidia's site. Now, I can't take credit for this. A friend of my brothers at college (that's university for our friends across the pond ) told me what to do next.

Change into the directory created by unzipping the nvidia_kernel-blahblahblah tarball. Open the file os-registry.c, and go down to line 228 (I believe), and change "static int NVreg_EnableAGPSBA = 0;" so that the 0 is a 1. Do the same for line 254 (again that should be it). The only difference is it's going to say FW instead of SBA. Either way, it needs to be 1, not 0. The SBA stands for side band addressing, and the fw for fast writing, by the way. Save the file, and do make install, then change to the nvidia_glx- blahblahblah, and do make install again.

In /etc/modules.conf (or whatever file is necessary to edit said file, with gentoo changes are made to /etc/modules.d/nvidia) I need the line options agp_try_unsupported=1 because my MOBO is very new. Then in the Device section of XF86Config that applies to your vid card, add the line Option "NvAGP" "3". According to nvidia's readme, this will use NvAGP if possible, otherwise it will use AGPGART.

I set /dev/agpgart to a module in my kernel config, and I'm pretty sure I don't have it loading. The chipset on my card (VIA Apollo KT266) works with NvAGP, so I'm pretty sure I don't need agpgart anyway. I think that should be all that's needed.

Here's the full post: http://www.linuxnewbie.org/forum/showth ... adid=75077

Hope it helps.

:ugh: Overkill, I didn't have to do any of this...

seank · Post by **seank** » Sun Jan 09, 2005 3:14 am

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[~] $ cat /proc/driver/nvidia/agp/card   
Fast Writes: 	 Supported
SBA: 		 Supported
AGP Rates: 	 4x 2x 1x 
Registers: 	 0x1f000217:0x1f000304
[~] $

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[~] $ cat /proc/driver/nvidia/agp/status 
Status: 	 Enabled
Driver: 	 NVIDIA
AGP Rate: 	 4x
Fast Writes: 	 Disabled
SBA: 		 Enabled
[~] $

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[~] $ grep -v '^#' /etc/modules.d/nvidia
alias char-major-195 nvidia
alias /dev/nvidiactl char-major-195

options nvidia NVreg_EnableAGPSBA=1 NVreg_EnableAGPFW=1

[~] $

Anyone know why Fast Writes isn't being enabled?

Deep-VI · Post by **Deep-VI** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 6:25 pm

Check your host bridge capabilities as well:

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cat /proc/driver/nvidia/agp/host-bridge

seank · Post by **seank** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 8:08 pm

Deep-VI wrote:Check your host bridge capabilities as well:
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cat /proc/driver/nvidia/agp/host-bridge

Ah, well that explains it. Thanks.

96140 · Post by **96140** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 8:41 am

JackDog · Post by **JackDog** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 8:31 pm

Just thought I would chime in...

nforce3 150 on a GB K8N-Pro with an nvidia 6800 works great. No problems at all

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Computer agp # cat card host-bridge status
Fast Writes:     Supported
SBA:             Supported
AGP Rates:       8x 4x
Registers:       0xff000e1b:0x1f004312
Host Bridge:     nVidia Corporation nForce3 Host Bridge
Fast Writes:     Supported
SBA:             Supported
AGP Rates:       8x 4x
Registers:       0x1f00421b:0x00000312
Status:          Enabled
Driver:          AGPGART
AGP Rate:        8x
Fast Writes:     Enabled
SBA:             Enabled

Thanks for the info!

shakti · Post by **shakti** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 4:09 am

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cat card host-bridge status
Fast Writes:     Supported
SBA:             Supported
AGP Rates:       4x 2x 1x
Registers:       0x1f000217:0x1f000104
Host Bridge:     nVidia Corporation nForce2 AGP (different version?)
Fast Writes:     Supported
SBA:             Supported
AGP Rates:       4x 2x 1x
Registers:       0x1f000217:0x00000104
Status:          Enabled
Driver:          NVIDIA
AGP Rate:        4x
Fast Writes:     Disabled
SBA:             Disabled


cat /etc/modules.d/nvidia
# Nvidia drivers support
alias char-major-195 NVdriver
alias /dev/nvidiactl char-major-195

# To tweak the driver the following options can be used, note that
# you should be careful, as it could cause instability!! For more
# option see /usr/share/doc/nvidia-kernel-1.0.7174/README.gz
#
#   To enable Side Band Adressing:  NVreg_EnableAGPSBA=1
#
#   To enable Fast Writes: NVreg_EnableAGPFW=1
#
# To enable both for instance, uncomment following line:
#
options NVdriver NVreg_EnableAGPFW=1 NVreg_EnableAGPSBA=1

I did a modules-update, checked that its enabled in bios, reboot...nope not working. Using nvidia-kernel-1.0.7174.

Fuzzo · Post by **Fuzzo** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 11:15 am

Both my card and host-bridge supports SBA and FW but if I enable these, X hangs at startup

I have AGPGART static compiled on the 2.6.11-r9 but:

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Dell5150 root # cat /proc/driver/nvidia/agp/status
Status:          Enabled
Driver:          NVIDIA
AGP Rate:        4x
Fast Writes:     Disabled
SBA:             Disabled

and

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Dell5150 root # cat /proc/driver/nvidia/registry
VideoMemoryTypeOverride: 1
EnableVia4x: 0
EnableALiAGP: 0
NvAGP: 3
ReqAGPRate: 7
EnableAGPSBA: 0
EnableAGPFW: 0
SoftEDIDs: 1
Mobile: 4294967295
ResmanDebugLevel: 4294967295
FlatPanelMode: 0
DevicesConnected: 0
VideoEnhancement: 0
RmLogonRC: 1
ModifyDeviceFiles: 1
DeviceFileUID: 0
DeviceFileGID: 0
DeviceFileMode: 438

Should I have also intel-agp module to enable FW and SBA?

JustGags · Post by **JustGags** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 9:33 pm

Is this still worth doing? With Xorg modular and latest nVidia drivers?

Fuzzo · Post by **Fuzzo** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 9:40 pm

No, now it works

JustGags · Post by **JustGags** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 9:23 pm

Fuzzo wrote:No, now it works

Could you elaborate?

Fuzzo · Post by **Fuzzo** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 9:34 pm

I've removed agpgart from the kernel and i've uncomment this

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#NVreg_EnableAGPSBA=1
#
#NVreg_EnableAGPFW=1

sliwowitz · Post by **sliwowitz** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:16 pm

I uncommented the suggested line in /etc/modules.d/nvidia, but

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jiri ~ #  cat /proc/driver/nvidia/agp/status
Status:          Disabled

AGP initialization failed, please check the ouput  
of the 'dmesg' command and/or your system log file 
for additional information on this problem.        
jiri ~ # dmesg | grep NVAGP
NVRM: not using NVAGP, an AGPGART backend is loaded!

So I followed the wiki - added agpgart and intel-agp to /etc/hotplug/blacklist and changed /etc/modules.d/aliases, but then udev tries to load intel-agp, but gets unresolved symbols as well as when it tries to load the nvidia module. See the whole dmesg output. Both /proc/driver/nvidia/agp/card and /proc/driver/nvidia/agp/host-bridge show FastWrite ans SBA is supported.

Tolstoi · Post by **Tolstoi** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 7:47 pm

sliwowitz wrote:I uncommented the suggested line in /etc/modules.d/nvidia, but

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jiri ~ #  cat /proc/driver/nvidia/agp/status
Status:          Disabled

AGP initialization failed, please check the ouput  
of the 'dmesg' command and/or your system log file 
for additional information on this problem.

Exactly the message I get. I've tried NVAGP, AGPART kompiled in kernel as well as a module. And always that message.

lspci -vv

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01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV34 [GeForce FX 5200] (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA])
        Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B-
        Status: Cap+ 66MHz+ UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR-
        Latency: 248 (1250ns min, 250ns max)
        Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 22
        Region 0: Memory at fd000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16M]
        Region 1: Memory at d0000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=128M]
        [virtual] Expansion ROM at fe8e0000 [disabled] [size=128K]
        Capabilities: [60] Power Management version 2
                Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1- D2- AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
                Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
        Capabilities: [44] AGP version 3.0
                Status: RQ=32 Iso- ArqSz=0 Cal=3 SBA+ ITACoh- GART64- HTrans- 64bit- FW+ AGP3+ Rate=x4,x8
                Command: RQ=1 ArqSz=0 Cal=0 SBA- AGP- GART64- 64bit- FW- Rate=<none>

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cat /proc/driver/nvidia/agp/host-bridge
Host Bridge:     PCI device 1106:0308
Fast Writes:     Supported
SBA:             Supported
AGP Rates:       8x 4x
Registers:       0x1f000a1b:0x00000000

shakti · Post by **shakti** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 8:06 pm

dont build any agp stuff from the kernel, the nvidia drivers agp module should do

Rabbi Hillel · Post by **Rabbi Hillel** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 6:31 pm

Hi!

As there seem to be some nvidia-experts at this place I'd like to ask a question too:

I've got an VIA Intel Pentium III (Coppermine) stepping 06 and a nVidia Corporation NV43 [GeForce 6200] (rev a1) graphic-card.

I had to update my bios to enable 4xagp (per default it didn't even exist) which is supported by my nvidia-card too.

When I force X to use 4xagp via

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options nvidia NVreg_EnableVia4x=1 NVreg_ReqAGPRate=4

in /etc/modules.conf my screen shows awful signs or glxgears let's reset X. It's extremely unstable.

This is regarded to the power I can give to the card via the bios by manipulating two options which can have values from 0-F like 00, 01,02,...FF.

I have tested a few ones but none of them brought up a functioning X.

Any ideas?

Tolstoi · Post by **Tolstoi** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 1:46 pm

awww god, forgot to compile SMB into the kernel. Now it works.

Maybe give it a try, sliwowitz!

sliwowitz · Post by **sliwowitz** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 1:50 pm

I would, but I had too much work lately and now am leaving for weekend. I'll give it a shot next week. BTW, do you see any noticeable speedup?

sliwowitz · Post by **sliwowitz** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 2:08 pm

Yesterday, I compiled a new kernel with AGP related stuff removed, tinkered with some more config options and finally have both FW and SBA enabled. I have around 5-10% FPS increase in UT2004 and glxgears, no problems with stability so far (YMMV). I wouldn't say it's a must-have feature, but it didn't seem to hurt anything either. (as to my deepest hopes for getting rid of the 30% performance drop in GL applications when running compiz - it didn't help at all)

nihues · Post by **nihues** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 4:12 pm

sliwowitz wrote:Yesterday, I compiled a new kernel with AGP related stuff removed, tinkered with some more config options and finally have both FW and SBA enabled. I have around 5-10% FPS increase in UT2004 and glxgears, no problems with stability so far (YMMV). I wouldn't say it's a must-have feature, but it didn't seem to hurt anything either. (as to my deepest hopes for getting rid of the 30% performance drop in GL applications when running compiz - it didn't help at all)

Hi,

Did you saw what I did? I got +-30% increase in 3d games

http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-573443.html

Pajarico · Post by **Pajarico** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:22 pm

Both my card and host-bridge support SBA and FW but:

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# cat /proc/driver/nvidia/agp/status 
Status:          Enabled
Driver:          AGPGART
AGP Rate:        8x
Fast Writes:     Disabled
SBA:             Enabled

Did someone fix this?