[9fans] no frame buffer

[9fans] no frame buffer

[frank]

Hello,

I tried to boot an AMD Geode LX400 system ("mini PC") using PXE but,
after logging in as a normal user, always got complaints from rio that
it couldn't open a display, more specifically: "initdisplay:
/dev/draw/new: no frame buffer".

As my cpu/auth server is running on a Via Epia ESP5000 and doesn't
have any issues regarding graphics, rio... and as I had an identical
box lying around, I decided to try it with that one.

However, when this box boots via PXE, it has the same issue... Any
idea what might be wrong?


Kind regards,

--
Frank Lenaerts ---------------------------------------- frank@inua.be

Re: [9fans] no frame buffer

[erik quanstrom]

> However, when this box boots via PXE, it has the same issue... Any
> idea what might be wrong?

perhaps vgasize or monitor is unset.  try

	vgasize=1280x1024x16	# adjust as appropriate.  cf. vga(8)
	monitor=vesa
	aux/vga -l $vgasize

- erik

Re: [9fans] no frame buffer

[frank]

On Sat, May 22, 2010 at 08:01:40PM -0400, erik quanstrom wrote:
> > However, when this box boots via PXE, it has the same issue... Any
> > idea what might be wrong?
>
> perhaps vgasize or monitor is unset.  try
>
> 	vgasize=1280x1024x16	# adjust as appropriate.  cf. vga(8)
> 	monitor=vesa

These values were not the problem.

> 	aux/vga -l $vgasize

This was the missing piece. Apparently, /sys/lib/newuser creates an
"incorrect" /usr/<user>/lib/profile. In case of a terminal, it tries
to start rio without first configuring the vga card. Why is it like
that?

Kind regards,

> - erik

--
Frank Lenaerts ---------------------------------------- frank@inua.be

Re: [9fans] no frame buffer

[Richard Miller]

> Apparently, /sys/lib/newuser creates an
> "incorrect" /usr/<user>/lib/profile. In case of a terminal, it tries
> to start rio without first configuring the vga card. Why is it like
> that?

Because /rc/bin/termrc does 'aux/vga -l $vgasize'

But only if all these are true:
  test -f /dev/mousectl
  ~ $mouseport ps2 ps2intellimouse 0 1 2
  ! ~ $"monitor ''
  ! ~ `{cat /dev/user} none

Re: [9fans] no frame buffer

[frank]

On Sun, May 23, 2010 at 12:26:07PM +0100, Richard Miller wrote:
> > Apparently, /sys/lib/newuser creates an
> > "incorrect" /usr/<user>/lib/profile. In case of a terminal, it tries
> > to start rio without first configuring the vga card. Why is it like
> > that?
>
> Because /rc/bin/termrc does 'aux/vga -l $vgasize'
>
> But only if all these are true:
>   test -f /dev/mousectl
>   ~ $mouseport ps2 ps2intellimouse 0 1 2
>   ! ~ $"monitor ''
>   ! ~ `{cat /dev/user} none

Ok, I found out that mouseport was empty. As the mouse (USB) worked in
rio after I ran aux/vga manually, I would never have thought that it
would be the reason why aux/vga didn't run. I added "mouseport=ps2" to
the plan9.ini style file in /cfg/pxe and now aux/vga configures the
video card and rio starts fine.


Kind regards,

--
Frank Lenaerts ---------------------------------------- frank@inua.be

Re: [9fans] no frame buffer

[frank]

On Sat, May 22, 2010 at 08:01:40PM -0400, erik quanstrom wrote:
> > However, when this box boots via PXE, it has the same issue... Any
> > idea what might be wrong?
>
> perhaps vgasize or monitor is unset.  try
>
> 	vgasize=1280x1024x16	# adjust as appropriate.  cf. vga(8)
> 	monitor=vesa
> 	aux/vga -l $vgasize

Since the issue is solved on the Via Epia system, I turned back to the
AMD Geode system but for some reason, I can't get that box in
graphical mode. Whatever I use for monitor (vesa, vga) or vgasize, the
screen just turns black and the led of the monitor is blinking.

This is what pci -v shows about the VGA controller:

0.1.1:    vid  03.00.00 100b/0030   0 0:41000000 16777216 1:40ffc000 16384 2:40ff8000 16384 3:40ff4000 16384
          National Semiconductors NSC Geode VGA Compatible Device

This is what aux/vga -m vesa -p displays about the modes:

vesa mode           0x101 640x480x8 m8 packed
vesa mode           0x103 800x600x8 m8 packed
vesa mode           0x105 1024x768x8 m8 packed
vesa mode           0x107 1280x1024x8 m8 packed
vesa mode           0x110 640x480x15 r5g5b5 direct
vesa mode           0x111 640x480x16 r5g6b5 direct
vesa mode           0x112 640x480x32 r8g8b8 direct
vesa mode           0x113 800x600x15 r5g5b5 direct
vesa mode           0x114 800x600x16 r5g6b5 direct
vesa mode           0x115 800x600x32 r8g8b8 direct
vesa mode           0x116 1024x768x15 r5g5b5 direct
vesa mode           0x117 1024x768x16 r5g6b5 direct
vesa mode           0x118 1024x768x32 r8g8b8 direct
vesa mode           0x119 1280x1024x15 r5g5b5 direct
vesa mode           0x11a 1280x1024x16 r5g6b5 direct
vesa mode           0x11b 1280x1024x32 r8g8b8 direct
vesa mode           0x125 1152x864x8 m8 packed
vesa mode           0x126 1152x864x15 r5g5b5 direct
vesa mode           0x127 1152x864x16 r5g6b5 direct
vesa mode           0x128 1152x864x32 r8g8b8 direct
vesa mode           0x131 1600x1200x8 m8 packed
vesa mode           0x132 1600x1200x15 r5g5b5 direct
vesa mode           0x133 1600x1200x16 r5g6b5 direct

I would expect to at least get something like 640x480x8 working...


> - erik

--
Frank Lenaerts ---------------------------------------- frank@inua.be

Re: [9fans] no frame buffer

[Ethan Grammatikidis]

Is it possible to limit the frame rate aux/vga sets? The reason I'm
asking is:

On 23 May 2010, at 22:41, frank@inua.be wrote:
>
> Whatever I use for monitor (vesa, vga) or vgasize, the
> screen just turns black and the led of the monitor is blinking.

I've had quite a lot of CRT monitors in the past. Many of them were
detected as being more capable than they really were, so X would set
the frame rate too high. A black screen with blinking led was a common
symptom of that.

--
Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it. -- Alan Perlis

Re: [9fans] no frame buffer

[frank]

On Mon, May 24, 2010 at 12:00:14AM +0100, Ethan Grammatikidis wrote:
> Is it possible to limit the frame rate aux/vga sets? The reason I'm
> asking is:

No idea.

>> Whatever I use for monitor (vesa, vga) or vgasize, the
>> screen just turns black and the led of the monitor is blinking.
>
> I've had quite a lot of CRT monitors in the past. Many of them were
> detected as being more capable than they really were, so X would set the
> frame rate too high. A black screen with blinking led was a common
> symptom of that.

The same box with the same CRT runs X in 1280x1024x16 (didn't try
1600x1200).

Regarding Plan 9, I also tested it with:

- a plain old VGA monitor: just a blank screen
- a flat panel (vga connector): blank screen, "no signal"

Can it be that this is a driver issue?

I already tried to get more information using the -v and -V options of
aux/vga. With -m vesa, I always got the following, no matter what
resolution I asked:

main->snarf
vesa->snarf
vmf 100 vmdf 0 vf1 0 vbw 0
main->load
+vgactlw type vesa
-vgactlw type vesa

I also thought that I might get around it by using a specific
bios-string (-b option to aux/vga) but I don't know what I could
possibly use.

What can I do to debug this further?


Kind regards,

--
Frank Lenaerts ---------------------------------------- frank@inua.be