Console framebuffer for ATI HD3200 and 16/9 screen
 

Hello folks,

Well, I'm quite n00b with Linux and decide to explore further more and thus I'd rather command line tips.

So I'm trying to configure the console framebuffer at boot. You know vesafb...

At this moment I'm able to make it run using the vesafb driver but I doubt that this is optimal configuration because it look a bit slow and don't support the formant and then the resolution of my screen. I found something about 16/9 screens for drivers using modedb like atyfb but I'm not safe with the boot options.

Here is my hardware configuration :
- Radeon HD 3200 with 256mb dedicated memory
- A LCD 16/10 screen capable of maximal resolution of 1280x800

About software :
- Slackware64 13.0 with kernel 2.6.29.6
- LILO as the boot loader
- ATI proprietary driver (fglrx) for 3d acceleration

I read several documents as much on Internet as in kernel docs but nothing seem to fit my needs.

Which one between radeonfb and atyfb, or anything else, do I have to use and how to configure the boot options?

P.S.: Since I'm not a native English speaker and still learning, some sentences may sound a bit odd. Then, don't be shy about asking what I exactly mean or even correcting me. I'm always glad to receive a useful comments.

Thx folks

This may not be helpfull, but I'd forget about the framebuffer and just hope it looks after itself. As you probably know the main reason a framebuffer would be trouble is if you got 'shearing' or 'tearing' of a video picture. This is due to the framebuffer and the monitor screen being out of sync: so that the screen is refreshed from the framebuffer before the framebuffer has got the full new picture, so you get the old picture and then a shear and then the new picture.

Well since you're using Lilo and I use Grub I don't know what configuration file to ask you for I'm just going to ask you to give us the contents of your Lilo boot configuration file. That should have something about vga resolution if you want framebuffer. Also run "fbset" in a console -- not x -- and give us the output of that.

Hi lugoteehalt

Above all, thx for answering my thread. But, it's OK about that.

If I enable vesafg, for example, the listing of big directory is very slow. I'm close to read each file name. That's what I mean by "slow". But the refresh rate seems to be synchronized with the framebuffer since I've no 'shearing', 'tearing', 'flickering' or 'blinking'. I used fdiba, which contains fbgs, to read pdf documents and it's awesome.

I'm just annoyed about the slow listing or anything else that move and want understand more for learning purpose.

Even if you didn't answered my question, your answer wasn't helpless 'cause now I understand a bit more the mechanism.

thx a lot

I think both (LILO and Grub) use the same way for kernel command.

Here is a sample :
As you can see, it's quite similar. Grub take these arguments in kernel while lilo take them in append.

Since every documentation I've seen are "bootloader independant", I think the syntax is always the same.

Gosh, you've completely lost me with all that. The only thing looks familiar to me there is your mention of "ttyS0", which I use /dev/ttyS0 as the serial port to which my dial-up modem is connected. The only reference I use in my grub.conf to implement the framebuffer is an addition to the end of the "kernel" line, that of "vga=0x315" to get an 800x600 resolution frambuffer I can use fbi image viewer, etc.

JonTn, try adding "vga=0x315" to the "append" line in your lilo.conf file. That will give you framebuffer screen resolution of 800x600.

No, lilo does not let you do that.

vesafb will not give you 1280x800 because it's not a vesa mode. Nor does radeonfb or atyfb support your GPU (radeonfb only supports up to the x850, iirc).

You could use KMS (kernel modesetting) following the directions in this thread: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...-works-760963/

You would have to give up the proprietary driver, though, for your GPU and stick to the open source driver.

Adam

Thx for the tip adamk75.

I followed the instructions to enable the kms driver but, unfortunately, I got a black screen during the boot time. Perhaps this experimental driver does not work with a Radeon HD 3200 for now. I will try again in a few time. Until that I will use the vesafb to have graphic in console mode.

Thx to everyone and happy new year.

Radeon KMS definitely supports the HD3200 in kernel 2.6.32. You would need/want to compile the framebuffer console into the kernel, but disable any other framebuffer drivers. Then compile radeon DRM as a module or also into the kernel.

There are paremeters in the command line for optimizing frame buffer output in the console.

Try to read Documentations/fb/*

For example, with NVIDIA, you can add the kernel paramter 'video=nividiafb:1024x768-16@60,mtrr:4,ywrap,pmipal'.

To Konsolebox

Yep! I read a lot in Documentations/fb/* but nothing seems to work with my device (HD 3200) except vesafb.

To adamk75

This week, I'm moving for the university then I'll give some news about it the next week.

Probably it's not supported. vesafb is a generic driver so .. too bad.. Maybe you can check the new kernel source?... Or maybe you need to use the real driver (non-framebuffer) for ATI? If it does exist, it's probably a third party driver like NVIDIA's. You can check it somewhere in the ATI website.
Universities. Wow. Good luck.

As I said, he'll need to use KMS to use the native resolution of his monitor on the framebuffer console. That is the only option for newer radeons.