AMD Catalyst 15.9 and Slackware Linux 14.1 current x86_64
 

Recently "upgraded" to current, after I had to reinstall slackware 14.1 due to new hardware.

With 3.10.17 kernel, I had no problem with installing AMD Catalyst 15.9
But with 4.1.6 it won't work.

Thought all I needed was the kernel-headers, so I installed that. But still no go.

Install log:
Under /usr/src/
all I have is linux (pointing at linux-3.10.17), and a few other things not related...

Questions:
1. Where do kernel-headers being installed to?
2. Is /lib/modules/4.1.6/build/include/linux/version.h ending up somewhere else, and if so, how to I make a symbolic link to it?
3. Other suggestions?

I don't mind compiling my own kernel if that is what it takes :)

Thanks in advance!

/Jorgen

I don't know about the compatibility of latest catalyst drivers over kernel-4.1.x, but as for your error you most probably have to upgrade the kernel-source package too with the one of current.

The kernel headers are never updated unless glibc is updated. As far as the sources, the Catalyst drivers are very picky as to which kernel they support. A lot of reports have stated the Free driver is often better to use.

Which video card do you have anyway? This will answer more questions.

Thanks for the quick reply ponce!

Sounds obvious enough, so I am doing so now...

Thanks for your quick reply ReaperX7!
I did notice something rel. to kernel versions supported (short memory so don't remember the exact versions), in the README

Sorry! Should of course have mentioned that in my OP...

It is AMD Radeon HD 8470D (Yes, onboard GPU)

/J

Edit:
Release Note...
Linux kernel 2.6 or above (up to 3.19)
glibc version 2.2 or 2.3
Xorg/Xserver 7.4 and above (up to 1.17)
POSIX Shared Memory (/dev/shm) support is required for 3D applications

Edit2:
And this...

Done, but still same result as in OP (.log file rel part).

FYI, the Catalyst drivers currently do NOT support Linux 4.x. They support up to 3.19. When I switched to current, it was at 3.18, so when Pat upgraded current to 4.1, I had to set 3.18 as my default kernel. Some distros, like Ubuntu, have their own custom build of Catalyst that will work on Linux 4.x, but from what I gather, they aren't totally stable, and don't perform quite up to par. The expectation is that AMD should be releasing a new Catalyst version for Linux 4.x soon, since a lot of big distros have put out releases with that kernel version.

In the meantime, I suggest you roll back to 3.18, if possible.

You should be able to work the Free driver with Mesa-11.0.3 and the current X.org server and driver set.

The listing given on AMD's website is from the Ubuntu/Debian methodology of package labeling. All of those should be included with Slackware as-is out-of-the-box but are labeled differently.

Because you're running an 8x00 series, you may want to use the Free driver with -Current until either a new driver is released by AMD. If you need help setting it up, and it should work without issue, let us know. Also, you may wish to grab SlackBuilds.org packages "driconf" and "libtxc_dxtn" to round out support vectors if you use games and give you a configuration tool.

The only benefit of anything newer would be a newer kernel, like the 4.2 series, to test if you have any timing and fan control issues, otherwise 4.1.6 is fine.

Thanks a mill!

I had a feeling 4.1.6 wouldn't work, but gave it a try (and failure) anyway :)

3.18 I don't have atm, I'll continue the use of 3.10.17 for now and keep an eye open for any updates from AMD

/J

Thank you!
I'll def try that out as well as keep the 3.10.17 as it is working OK to my needs.

Thank you very much!
I'll def look into that :)

/J

I'm in the same boat as the OP. I would be content with using the open-source radeon driver if only I didn't get massive screen tearing with it. CCC has an option that eliminates screen tearing.

It is possible to get the 15.9 Catalyst driver to work even with the latest kernel (and yes, I do mean latest; as I write, my system is running the 4.2.4 kernel with patched Catalyst driver). I am a bit cramped for time, so if the OP is interested, I am willing to post the procedure.

Regards,

Matt

Not trying to hijack this thread, but I would certainly like to know.

Did you try driconf and enable vertical sync to lock the refresh rate at 60Hz (or whatever your monitor supports)?

WARNING: Please read the post in total before following the steps outlined herein! This will save much grief & heartache.

Download the attached patches-4.2.tar.gz.txt, and remove the .txt extension and untar it as follows:

If you don't already have it, download the AMD Catalyst driver from AMD's website. I'd post the link here, but AMD likes you to download the file directly from their site. Just Google for 'AMD Catalyst linux driver', and follow the most appropriate link.

You want to extract the contents of the .run file after unzipping it:

Patch the Catalyst source as follows:

This assumes you have the catalyst/ & patches-4.2/ subdirectories in the same parent directory; it will patch the source file (firegl_public.c) to accept the changes in 4.2.x.

If you haven't already, soft-link the version.h file in the kernel sources directory, as follows:

The ATI installer looks for the file in that directory, if you wanted to know.

Run the following command:

The installer will then proceed with installation. You should have no errors. Then, run the aticonfig command to generate your xorg.conf file. For example, I have a multi-card configuration. My command is:

Then reboot:

You should be golden.

NOTE! I missed some steps, but for completeness' sake, I urge you to be in console mode for this procedure. When LILO comes up, hit the <TAB> key, and enter the label of your kernel, plus 3. Mine is:

Also, make sure that you remove the previous Catalyst driver (after booting into console mode!), if you had it installed, like so:

Let me know if you need additional assistance.

Regards,

Matt