fbset, doesn't do anything... does yours work?

spikeygg · 08-13-2005, 11:54 PM

I've been trying like the dickens to figure out how to set my console resolution using fbset. It seems easy enough from the manpage, and it looks like it's working, but it doesn't actually do anything. I'm currently using VESA framebuffers on my console (no X) at 1024x768 at 76Hz (0x318 in lilo.conf/menu.lst). I want to modify it but when I do using fbset, the screens resolution doesn't change. Here's an example:

Code:

# fbset -v
Linux Frame Buffer Device Configuration Version 2.1 (23/06/1999)
(C) Copyright 1995-1999 by Geert Uytterhoeven

Opening frame buffer device `/dev/fb0'
Using current video mode from `/dev/fb0'

mode "1024x768-76"
    # D: 78.653 MHz, H: 59.949 kHz, V: 75.694 Hz
    geometry 1024 768 1024 768 32
    timings 12714 128 32 16 4 128 4
    rgba 8/16,8/8,8/0,8/24
endmode

... so I ran it with verbose. Currently running 1024x768. Good, now I try to change the resolution...

Code:

# fbset -v 800x600-75
Linux Frame Buffer Device Configuration Version 2.1 (23/06/1999)
(C) Copyright 1995-1999 by Geert Uytterhoeven

Opening frame buffer device `/dev/fb0'
Reading mode database from file `/etc/fb.modes'
Using video mode `800x600-75'
Setting video mode to `/dev/fb0'

... it looks like it's all good from the text. Found the correct settings in fb.modes and is "setting" the video mode, but I can tell you that the screen doesn't change. And if I run 'fbset -v' again, it spits out 'mode "1024x768-76"' just like it did BEFORE I tried to set it to 800x600-75.

Here's the thing, I have three Linux machines (two Debian and one Slackware) and they all have very unique hardware and software and they all run the VESA framebuffer but I can't get any of them changing resolutions with fbset. I can't even change the refresh rate of 1024x768. The fb.modes file looks correct as far as the timings are concerned.

Let me know if your fbset works... cause I can't get mine working.

Thanks,
-Greg

infinity42 · 08-14-2005, 03:45 AM

I never got mine working here either.

spikeygg · 08-14-2005, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by infinity42
I never got mine working here either.

What kernel version are you running? I'm running 2.6.11+ on all three of my machines... maybe that's why it doesn't work.

-Greg

infinity42 · 08-14-2005, 03:34 PM

I'm running 2.6.11.11 atm, I'm pretty sure that I haven't changed since I tried fbset. So maybe it is the kernel.. I have an old machine, I'll try and remember to compile an older kernel on there once it's compiled openoffice (so a few days lol) and give it a go. Shall I try something like 2.6.8.x?

spikeygg · 08-14-2005, 04:03 PM

Yeah, I'm gonna try it too... I thought I had it working too in the 2.6.8-2.6.9 days as well but that might just be my horrible memory playing tricks.

-Greg

spikeygg · 08-14-2005, 05:45 PM

I emailed Geert, the author of fbset. He said that fbset cannot change the resolution of the VESA framebuffer. He said this was because it reads the resolution from the video bios at boot time just befor e the kernel loads. However, I have learned of a newer vesafb, called vesafb-tng (http://dev.gentoo.org/~spock/projects/vesafb-tng/). At this website it mentions that resolutions can be changed on the fly and that it is compatible with the nvidia binaries.

I'm gonna try it out tonight.

Thanks,
-Greg

infinity42 · 08-15-2005, 06:27 AM

OK then, good luck