Help setting correct driver for ATI Rage 128 in xorg.conf

Meson · 07-25-2009, 09:06 AM

I have this old ATI Rage 128 card and I'm trying to configure x11 to use the correct driver. Among other things I'm hoping this will fix issues like choppy scrolling.

Code:

~$ sudo lspci -vv
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc Rage 128 PF/PRO AGP 4x TMDS
	Subsystem: ATI Technologies Inc Device 0404
	Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping+ SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
	Status: Cap+ 66MHz+ UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
	Latency: 32 (2000ns min), Cache Line Size: 32 bytes
	Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 16
	Region 0: Memory at f8000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=64M]
	Region 1: I/O ports at ee00 [size=256]
	Region 2: Memory at feafc000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
	[virtual] Expansion ROM at fea00000 [disabled] [size=128K]
	Capabilities: [50] AGP version 2.0
		Status: RQ=32 Iso- ArqSz=0 Cal=0 SBA+ ITACoh- GART64- HTrans- 64bit- FW- AGP3- Rate=x1,x2,x4
		Command: RQ=1 ArqSz=0 Cal=0 SBA+ AGP- GART64- 64bit- FW- Rate=<none>
	Capabilities: [5c] 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-
	Kernel modules: aty128fb

Code:

~$ sudo lshw
        *-display UNCLAIMED
             description: VGA compatible controller
             product: Rage 128 PF/PRO AGP 4x TMDS
             vendor: ATI Technologies Inc
             physical id: 0
             bus info: pci@0000:01:00.0
             version: 00
             width: 32 bits
             clock: 66MHz
             capabilities: agp agp-2.0 pm bus_master cap_list
             configuration: latency=32 mingnt=8

Let me know if the full listings of these commands would help. I know the 'r128' driver is installed on the system. If I specify it in the Device section of xorg.conf the computer doesn't boot properly. I also tried including r128 in /etc/modules.

I'm pretty sure that if all things are working correctly, there should be a "Kernel Drivers: r128" line in lspci, and in lshw, display should NOT be UNCLAIMED.

jdkaye · 07-25-2009, 09:47 AM

You should check with

Code:

lsmod |grep r128

and see if you see your driver in the output. The kernel definitely has the driver.
cheers,
jdk

Meson · 07-25-2009, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdkaye

You should check with

Code:

lsmod |grep r128

and see if you see your driver in the output. The kernel definitely has the driver.
cheers,
jdk

As I said, it's there. I've included r128 in /etc/modules. (The used by count is 0 however.)

jdkaye · 07-25-2009, 10:53 PM

So it shows up in the lsmod list?
jdk

Meson · 07-25-2009, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdkaye

So it shows up in the lsmod list?
jdk

Yes, it shows up in the lsmod list, and the third column 'used by' is 0

jdkaye · 07-25-2009, 11:16 PM

And this?

Code:

sudo modprobe -v r128

jdk

Meson · 07-26-2009, 08:06 AM

The driver in use when I run this is vesa (otherwise I can't start X)

Code:

~$ sudo modprobe -v r128
~$

At this point I'm wondering if I need to specify my monitor's refresh rates and such for the r128 driver. This is my current xorg.conf:

Code:

Section "ServerFlags"
	Option     "DontZap"    "false"
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier	"Configured Video Device"
	Driver          "vesa"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier	"Configured Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier	"Default Screen"
	Monitor		"Configured Monitor"
	Device		"Configured Video Device"
EndSection

and all I've done is replaced 'vesa' with 'r128'

Meson · 07-26-2009, 09:01 AM

So I tried adding my monitor's horizontal and vertical ranges, no luck. I also tried using the 'ati' driver instead of the 'r128' driver because I read that the ati driver actually calls the appropriate driver (r128, radeon, etc). The 'ati' driver met the same fate as the 'r128' driver.

jdkaye · 07-26-2009, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Section "Device"
Identifier "Configured Video Device"
Driver "vesa"

Sorry but isn't that where "r128" should go? It looks like the xorg.conf is set to use the vesa driver?

What about this?

Quote:

Driver "r128"

Then stop and restart your x-server.
jdk

Meson · 07-26-2009, 01:01 PM

jdkaye, thanks for sticking with me on this, but you're not reading my posts. I've tried it with the r128 and ati driver. Neither worked. I also tried explicitly setting my monitors refresh rates in the Monitor section - didn't help.

jdkaye · 07-26-2009, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meson

jdkaye, thanks for sticking with me on this, but you're not reading my posts. I've tried it with the r128 and ati driver. Neither worked. I also tried explicitly setting my monitors refresh rates in the Monitor section - didn't help.

Meson, I am reading your posts. Obviously the last one you posted hadn't yet appeared when I wrote mine. I think I'm about out of ideas on this one. Have you managed to get the ATI rage to work on any live CD's?
jdk

Meson · 07-26-2009, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdkaye

Obviously the last one you posted hadn't yet appeared when I wrote mine.

I said it in the same post =P

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdkaye

Have you managed to get the ATI rage to work on any live CD's?

No, I will try.

Unfortunately I think this thread is going to die because I won't be with the machine in question for another 2 weeks or so. Hopefully someone will have a fresh idea in the interim, or I will try the live CD and bump it up with the outcome in a couple weeks.

elprawn · 07-29-2009, 02:37 AM

Should the driver not be "ati" or "fglrx"?

Meson · 07-29-2009, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elprawn

Should the driver not be "ati" or "fglrx"?

Like I said, I tried ati and was met with the same result as r128. I hadn't tried fglrx because I thought ATI released their 3D stuff for older cards and it was merged into ati, or radeon or something...

elprawn · 07-29-2009, 12:58 PM

Yeah I'm pretty sure up to a certain chip it's ati and beyond that it's fglrx. Only really had to deal with it when I was installing the OS, though but can't recall seeing any others.