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cayenne
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 19, 2004 11:21 pm    Post subject: startx causes monitor to shut off (was RAM on video card?) Reply with quote

Hello,
I've got linux up and running...emerged X, and am now about ready to Xconfig. I've run down my monitor, Sony GDM-20E20, but, I need to know what kind of card I have..and how much ram. Is there a command line way to find this out?

The fb I compiled in was cg6.

Thanks in advance!

cayenne
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Last edited by cayenne on Thu Mar 25, 2004 9:33 pm; edited 1 time in total
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ciaranm
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 20, 2004 1:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hrm, you shouldn't specify how much RAM you have for sbus framebuffers...
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cayenne
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 20, 2004 3:59 am    Post subject: hmmm Reply with quote

ciaranm wrote:
Hrm, you shouldn't specify how much RAM you have for sbus framebuffers...


Ok...just new to sparc...and from the x86 Xconfigs I've done..it prompted you for how much ram your video card had....what kind of depth you could do, resolution...etc...

Just was trying to figure out the parameters before I did the Xconfig..
:-)

Any suggestions or links greatly appreciated!!!

C
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ciaranm
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 20, 2004 3:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

this is probably pretty close to what you're after.
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cayenne
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 21, 2004 2:49 pm    Post subject: Thanks!! Reply with quote

ciaranm wrote:
this is probably pretty close to what you're after.


Thank you...this looks great. I put it into my system as the XF86Config. I changed the H an V frequency setting to match my monitor...it is a Sony GDM 20E20.

I did startx...and weirdest thing happened. I saw it about to start X...but, the monitor clicked....and just turned itself off?? I tried hitting alt-f2 to get another term session...nothing. I tried ctl-alt-backspace nothing.

The keyboard isn't locked...I can turn numlock on and off, etc.

This monitor has been strange since I got it. None of the buttons on the front of it work...no lights power on to indicate functioning...but, the monitor turns itself on when I power on the Sun box it is hooked to (Ultra2)...and powers itself when I shutdown the box. But, whenever it is on...none of the controls work (brightness, size..etc). It gives a good picture...but, can't control it.

I'm new to Sun boxes and wasn't sure how it worked with monitors..I'd never seen a monitor on a box turn on/off with the system...the monitor is plugged into the wall...and seems to be controlled via the video cable...but, I figured that this was somehow normal...

Anyway, I know this is a bit different than the original x config question....but, I've been looking all over the net for info on the monitor..and I just don't see much. I got it from eBay..the guy I bought it from has used the adapter to hook it to a normal pc...and said everything worked on it...so, I'm kind of at a loss what to do here.

Any suggestions or links to info on this?

TIA,

cayenne

8O
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cayenne
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 25, 2004 9:34 pm    Post subject: anyone....anyone..Bueller? Reply with quote

anyone....anyone..Bueller?
:-)

cayenne
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Mark Clegg
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 25, 2004 9:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm probably way off here but...

Is your monitor a Sony GDM 20E20 ? or is it a SUN montor that claims to be a rebadged 20E20?

I have a 17E10, which I suspect is the same as yours other than size, - Well actually it's a SUN monitor, and that's the Sony model number the SUN Spec sheet shows it as being.

Now if I connect the 17E10 to an x86 machine, it just powers itself off, but it works fine on my Ultra 5. - This is to be expected because the SUN spec sheet states "This monitor is not PC compatible"

Thing is, I've seen an identical monitor (except badging) that works fine on a PC, so do SUN mod them ? If so the Sony specs might not apply.

So I'm wondering, if you have a genuine SUN monitor, but are getting the specs from SONY, they may be wrong and you need the correct scan rates from SUN...

.... Dunno - just my 2 cents....
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Ferris
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 25, 2004 11:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If the kernel can recognize your card, dmesg should tell you; e.g., here's a
Creator on a U2:

Code:

Console: switching to colour frame buffer device 144x54
fb0: Creator 3D at 000001fc00000000 type 83 DAC 10


I don't know offhand if cg6 runs in a U2; someone else here will tell you that.
If all else fails, you can look at the card or boot solaris and ask it. What kind
of plug does it have on it? (Sun 13W3 or a PC style)

Your /var/log/XFree86.0.log will tell you what xfree thought was going on.

And, yes, xfree can turn your monitor off. (With a GDM-20E20 and working
lights, on=green, standby=orange+green, off=orange.)

Also, if you are actually in X and for some reason are displaying black-on-
black, you would probably want CTL-ALT-F2 to get a terminal session (at
least, that's what works for me.)

I'm just rambling here, but there might be something useful in it.
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Ferris
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 26, 2004 3:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Let me add some more information which might help. Let's assume that
you do have a cg6, so your startx gives control to the suncg6 driver in xfree.

Your XF...log file will confirm this assumption or refute it,

On startup, this driver (like other sun drivers) "blanks the screen for aesthetic reasons."
For cg6, this means that it turns your monitor off. After that it just sets
screen depth, initializes the color map, and turns the monitor back on.

So, if you are set up in your XF86Config file to use the suncg6 driver, and
if you do have a cg6, then you should see the monitor turn off during xfree
startup. But it should turn back on.

Now, for the rest of this, I have to check a couple things later, but if I remember correctly,
depending on how your visuals are defined and on what you are starting,
I think you could come up in X with something that looked like a black-on-black
screen, which would behave a lot like you are describing. But don't hold
me to that.

I am pretty sure, though, that once suncg6 thinks it is in control, it will
briefly switch your monitor off. And I think you want to be using
PseudoColor, but I will check that later if you like.

(Maybe this will give you a further clue. To turn a monitor off, the cg6
driver disables SYNC_ENABLE. To turn it back on, it just reenables it.)
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