Kernel 2.6.6 and consoles problem

[tijn_sol]

Hi, ive just upgraded my kernel to 2.6.6 (the debian way)

i can boot from it, although i see an black screen
i can login into X but my consoles are gone
when i pres alt-ctrl F2 i get a messed up X screen, thats al.
i can work on my new kernel with Xterminals

i also installed devfsd but i dont know how work with it

can anyone help me???

[orangedi]

sounds lie you could have a framebuffer problem.

Is it possible that you specify one in the bootoader ( a la vga=xxx) but do not have the proper support in the kernel?

[je_fro]

You'll find tons of threads about it here and all over the web.

[mdwatts]

Could it be you are missing any of these?

#
# Character devices
#
CONFIG_VT=y
CONFIG_VT_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_HW_CONSOLE=y

#
# Non-8250 serial port support
#
CONFIG_SERIAL_CORE=y
CONFIG_SERIAL_CORE_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_UNIX98_PTYS=y
CONFIG_LEGACY_PTYS=y
CONFIG_LEGACY_PTY_COUNT=256

#
# Console display driver support
#
CONFIG_VGA_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_MDA_CONSOLE=m
CONFIG_DUMMY_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_PCI_CONSOLE=y

I'm sure Bryan will be around to correct me. :D

[cybertron]

There's another section in the config which includes VESA and a bunch of vendor specific options where you need to make sure that VESA is the only one selected. I'll be darned if I can remember the exact name because I'm away from my computer right now but I've had that problem myself when I had the wrong options selected. I think it may be under Virtual Framebuffer support or something but I'll try to remember to look it up when I get home.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by je_fro
You'll find tons of threads about it here and all over the web. He'd probably settle for a 1/4 .oz about now.:D

[tijn_sol]

thnx for the help, i changed vga=788 in my lilo.conf
to vga=NORMAL it WORKS! :)

thnx all

[MMYoung]

Originally posted by tijn_sol
thnx for the help, i changed vga=788 in my lilo.conf
to vga=NORMAL it WORKS! :)

thnx all
This leads me to believe that mdwatts is on the right "track" so to speak.

Here is a couple of sections from my .config file that I have found relevant to the "vga=788" line in lilo.conf
#
# Graphics support
#
CONFIG_FB=y
CONFIG_FB_VGA16=m
CONFIG_FB_VESA=y
CONFIG_VIDEO_SELECT=y
CONFIG_FB_RADEON=m
CONFIG_FB_RADEON_I2C=y

#
# Console display driver support
#
CONFIG_VGA_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_DUMMY_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_PCI_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_FONTS=y
CONFIG_FONT_8x8=y
CONFIG_FONT_8x16=y

#
# Logo configuration
#
CONFIG_LOGO=y
CONFIG_LOGO_LINUX_MONO=y
CONFIG_LOGO_LINUX_VGA16=y
CONFIG_LOGO_LINUX_CLUT224=y

BTW, if you don't see it listed that means it's commented out. Also in order to get the "vga=xxx" in lilo.conf to work I *had* to enable the logo configuration stuff. With this configuration I am able to to specify "vga=773" which is a 1024x768x256 console.

Side note:
I have a AIW Radeon 9200 so that's why all the "radeon" stuff in the graphics support section. Oh and, as always, your mileage my vary :D!

HTH,
MMYoung

[cybertron]

Originally posted by MMYoung

#
# Graphics support
#
CONFIG_FB=y
CONFIG_FB_VGA16=m
CONFIG_FB_VESA=y
CONFIG_VIDEO_SELECT=y
CONFIG_FB_RADEON=m
CONFIG_FB_RADEON_I2C=y


That was the section i was referring to above. I've heard that you can have problems if you enable NVidia Riva and VESA at the same time because they fight over the graphics card. I think that if you just enable VESA it should work and would at least eliminate that as a possible cause of the problem.

[MMYoung]

Originally posted by cybertron
That was the section i was referring to above. I've heard that you can have problems if you enable NVidia Riva and VESA at the same time because they fight over the graphics card. I think that if you just enable VESA it should work and would at least eliminate that as a possible cause of the problem.
That may be true, but before I had my AIW Radeon I had a GeForce FX 5200 and below are the settings for the same section and same kernel (2.6.6). I always save my kernel configs cause you just never know when you might need them again ;).

#
# Graphics support
#
CONFIG_FB=y
CONFIG_FB_VGA16=m
CONFIG_FB_VESA=y
CONFIG_VIDEO_SELECT=y
CONFIG_FB_RIVA=m

Of course this is just for frame buffer support. The nVidia driver would handle things from there.

Later,
MMYoung

[cybertron]

Yeah, I'm mostly going on second hand knowledge. I had so much trouble compiling my kernels at first that I just removed anything that I thought might cause a conflict, and that was one possible culprit that I heard about.

[MMYoung]

Looking at it now with a "critical eye" if I have fb_vesa compiled into the kernel and fb_riva compiled as a module wouldn't the vesa driver be used before the riva module? If that is so would it not be redundant?

Just wondering,
MMYoung

[cybertron]

Good question:confused::)

[bwkaz]

Yes, if you don't load the fb_riva module, you are using the VESA framebuffer.

cat /proc/fb to find out for sure.

I have heard (from the nVidia README) that rivafb and the nVidia X driver do not cooperate well. If your machine works, I highly doubt that you're actually using rivafb...

[cybertron]

Originally posted by bwkaz
I have heard (from the nVidia README) that rivafb and the nVidia X driver do not cooperate well. If your machine works, I highly doubt that you're actually using rivafb...

Aha. That's where I heard that rivafb causes problems (or at least one place).

[MMYoung]

Originally posted by bwkaz
Yes, if you don't load the fb_riva module, you are using the VESA framebuffer.
That's what I figured.
Originally posted by bwkaz
cat /proc/fb to find out for sure.[/b]
cat /proc/fb output is VESA VGA

Later,
MMYoung

[JohnT]

Originally posted by cybertron
Aha. That's where I heard that rivafb causes problems (or at least one place). You heard it here...now that's two.:D