minimum packages needed for framebuffer

vrillusions · 03-11-2005, 10:49 PM

I am doing a very slim install of slackware and can't figure out which packages and libraries I need for the vesa framebuffer stuff to work in the console. Do I need a certain library package? was really skimping on those as well. Thanks

Oliv' · 03-12-2005, 08:03 AM

Hello,

you just need Linux kernel compiled with vesa framebuffer support. And then add vga=xxx to your kernel parameters. for xxx value see: /usr/sc/linux/Documentation/fb/vesafb.txt

Oliv'

chbin · 03-12-2005, 08:28 AM

build frame buffer support into the kernel. then see if there is a framebuffer driver for your specific video card if not use the generic frame buffer. You can build it into the kernel but then you will always have a framebuffer at boot (at least for the i810 driver), not sure about others. Or do like I did and build it as a module and then make an initrd image and a second boot option so you can choose at boot if you want to use framebuffer or not. use video=whatever,mode,mode,etc as a kernel option.

then go get directfb and compile it, as that is most likely the reason you want a frame buffer because that penguin is only cool for a day or so.

vrillusions · 03-12-2005, 01:13 PM

That's what I thought, which was why I was so frugal on the packages I installed

Although there must at least be a setting or something somewhere. The card definately supports framebuffer because I've had slackware on it before (installed a lot more stuff then) and framebuffer worked fine. Is there a setting I need to set somewhere or change some config? I'm going to put the 2.6 kernel on it and try that, although when I put slack on the laptop the framebuffer was working with the default kernel, but I also installed a lot more stuff on there, including kde and stuff.

Maybe I'll just try a more liberal install and remove packages afterwards. Any other ideas?

keefaz · 03-12-2005, 01:38 PM

That depends on the video card, for a nvidia you have to recompile the default 2.6 kernel
because it does not work if CONFIG_FB_VGA16 is set

For nvidia card you have to enable these options as built-in :

CONFIG_VIDEO_SELECT=y
CONFIG_VGA_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_FB_VESA=y
CONFIG_FONTS=y
CONFIG_FONT_8x8=y
CONFIG_FONT_8x16=y

#optional
CONFIG_LOGO=y
CONFIG_LOGO_LINUX_MONO=y
CONFIG_LOGO_LINUX_VGA16=y
CONFIG_LOGO_LINUX_CLUT224=y

vrillusions · 03-12-2005, 02:45 PM

I take back my previous statement, THIS specific machine I haven't ever put linux on it, so have no clue. I tried doing a more liberal install and still nothing. This is a really old IBM PC330 computer (I had to use an EIDE card since the bios only sees up to like 8gig, had to get special ram that only maxes at 128meg, etc). It's going to be used as a backup machine so it will be headless after the initial setup, and most of that will be done through ssh, although that's mainly because the resolution is low

Here's the lspci -v output (only showing the video card):

Code:

00:08.0 VGA compatible controller: Cirrus Logic GD 5446 (prog-if 00 [VGA])
        Flags: VGA palette snoop, medium devsel
        Memory at 40000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=16M]
        Expansion ROM at <unassigned> [disabled] [size=32K]

I did some searching around and I guess there are problems with the cirrus logic cards and frame buffer. It wasn't a requirement here, but on a newer system this happened and reinstalling slack fixed it, initially wanted to know what the packages were so if I ever ran into this again. I'll play with the kernel options when I get to that and let you know if that does anything. Thanks for everyone's help, though.