[9fans] some installation problems (was "panic: vmap")

[9fans] some installation problems (was "panic: vmap")

[Matt Stewart]

The fix worked wonderfully!  (see thread "panic: vmap")  I was able to
install it from a graphical environment using VESA.  However, there
are some more issues that should be dealt with.

The wiki gives the following instructions to modify /lib/vgadb:
ramfs
ed /lib/vgadb
28683
/Stealth/
	0xC0045="Stealth 64 Vers. 1.05"
a
	0xC0045="Stealth 64 Vers. 2.03"
.
w
28712
q

If you select Boot at startup, you aren't given write permission to
/lib/vgadb, and as a result, these instructions can't be followed.  If
you select Install at startup, you can do this just fine.  However,
executing "ramfs" produces the following output: '/bin/boot' file does
not exist.  Luckily you don't even need the temporary filesystem,
because a write to /lib/vgadb works just fine.  If this behavior is
how it should be, the wiki should be changed, but I will wait on that
until it's decided what the desired behavior is.

The following is just a suggestion.  When Install is selected, a few
files are missing from /bin.  One of them is p.  If a user is forced
to exist in a pre-install text screen, this would be a big help in
reading files.

The last is in regards to my video card.  When I boot and select the
vga monitor, I am taken to a vga screen running an extremely slowly
printing and responding terminal, and the mouse cursor is a distorted
image.  When started by answering vga as the monitor, the vga terminal
(slowly) prints messages resembling "idle stat 172 put 177 scr
f02f18a4 F0162156".  I can instead pick none for the monitor and start
the vga screen with aux/vga, the result being the same slow terminal,
but without the idle messages.  The output of "aux/vga -p" indicated
that it was (correctly) using the nvidia driver, so I take this to
mean that it doesn't work for my model ("Geforce FX 5700LE VGA BIOS
XDN1" in the BIOS).  Adding this name to vgadb did not help.

Matthew Stewart

Re: [9fans] some installation problems (was "panic: vmap")

[Russ Cox]

> The wiki gives the following instructions to modify /lib/vgadb:
> ramfs
> ed /lib/vgadb

> If you select Boot at startup, you aren't given write permission to
> /lib/vgadb, and as a result, these instructions can't be followed.  If
> you select Install at startup, you can do this just fine.  However,
> executing "ramfs" produces the following output: '/bin/boot' file does
> not exist.  Luckily you don't even need the temporary filesystem,
> because a write to /lib/vgadb works just fine.  If this behavior is
> how it should be, the wiki should be changed, but I will wait on that
> until it's decided what the desired behavior is.

The ramfs is for ed's /tmp files, not /lib/vgadb.
I think on the boot floppy /tmp is not writable.

> The following is just a suggestion.  When Install is selected, a few
> files are missing from /bin.  One of them is p.  If a user is forced
> to exist in a pre-install text screen, this would be a big help in
> reading files.

There are a lot of files missing from bin.  It's hard to get them all
onto a floppy image, which is what you're booting off of when you
choose install.

> The last is in regards to my video card.  When I boot and select the
> vga monitor, I am taken to a vga screen running an extremely slowly
> printing and responding terminal, and the mouse cursor is a distorted
> image.  When started by answering vga as the monitor, the vga terminal
> (slowly) prints messages resembling "idle stat 172 put 177 scr
> f02f18a4 F0162156".  I can instead pick none for the monitor and start
> the vga screen with aux/vga, the result being the same slow terminal,
> but without the idle messages.

This means that the video acceleration in the kernel isn't
driving your card quite right and is timing out.
If you echo hwaccel off >/dev/vgactl this will go away.
Doing it before running aux/vga is easiest.

Another solution should be to run with monitor=vesa.

I doubt your cursor shows up either, but that's not related.
I fixed the cursor code in the native nvidia driver just
now (I think).  Running with monitor=vesa will avoid this
bug too.

Russ

Re: [9fans] some installation problems (was "panic: vmap")

[Matt Stewart]

It seems the fix that was made that took away the "panic: vmap" error
only applied to the boot disc.  Now I get the same result from my
installation: when using VGA (that message) and when using VESA (a
distorted screen).

Matthew Stewart

Re: [9fans] some installation problems (was "panic: vmap")

[Russ Cox]

> It seems the fix that was made that took away the "panic: vmap" error
> only applied to the boot disc.  Now I get the same result from my
> installation: when using VGA (that message) and when using VESA (a
> distorted screen).

Try typing none at the mouseport prompt and then run

    9fs sources
    pull

to get a new kernel.  Then you'll have to install it in your 9fat partition:

    9fat:
    cp /386/9pcf /n/9fat/9pcf

The new kernel should both fix the panic: vmap and give you a
working cursor.

You'll still have to arrange to run echo hwaccel off >/dev/vgactl
before running aux/vga, or you will get the (very slow) timeout prints.
Those are due to the nvidia driver not knowing how to drive your
card, and there is nothing I can do about that.  If someone else
wants to fiddle with the nvidia driver, have fun.  I've reached my
lifetime limit for vga hacking.

Russ