[gentoo-user] Kernel setting for frame buffer (2.6.23-r5)

[gentoo-user] Kernel setting for frame buffer (2.6.23-r5)

[reader]

For a good while now I've had a setting like this in grub.conf:

(wrapped for mail)
kernel /kernel-2.6.23-r5 root=/dev/hda5 \
      vga=0x31A video=vesafb:mtrr,ywrap

I'm not sure any more how much of that is necessary.

I have it there to allow console mode to have much larger resolution than
default (The appearance is much smaller text)

I think this setting in kernel config is the one needed for that:
   CONFIG_FB_VESA=y

But I'm trying to build a pared down kernel a console only setup.
Going thru the kernel settings in menuconfig... I'm not finding the one
that creates that `CONFIG_FB_VESA=y' element.

I've gone back and forth through the setting under:
Device drivers/Graphics-support .. checking Support for FrameBuffer
devices (both as module and builtin in different saves).

The only other setting that looks to be about framebuffer is
Userspace VESA VGA graphics support but I think that one is this line
in .config # CONFIG_FB_UVESA is not set

Examining the resulting .config with and without that one set I never
see this CONFIG_FB_VESA=y

That line ends up unset in every way I've thought to try.

However it is in the /usr/share/[...]kernel-2.6 config that genkernel
uses. 

I want to have the ability to have the larger resolution in console
mode but the kernel build is way pared down from what genkernel would
do.   So what settings do I need to have the effect like posted in
grub.conf line above?

  

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Re: [gentoo-user] Kernel setting for frame buffer (2.6.23-r5)

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

On Wednesday 9 January 2008, reader@newsguy.com wrote:

> For a good while now I've had a setting like this in grub.conf:
>
> (wrapped for mail)
> kernel /kernel-2.6.23-r5 root=/dev/hda5 \
>       vga=0x31A video=vesafb:mtrr,ywrap
>
> I'm not sure any more how much of that is necessary.

FWIW, I have only the vga= part (more exactly, I have vga=791, with the 
argument in decimal. Yours would be vga=794, but the base is just a 
matter of habit).

> I have it there to allow console mode to have much larger resolution
> than default (The appearance is much smaller text)
>
> I think this setting in kernel config is the one needed for that:
>    CONFIG_FB_VESA=y

Correct.

>
> But I'm trying to build a pared down kernel a console only setup.
> Going thru the kernel settings in menuconfig... I'm not finding the
> one that creates that `CONFIG_FB_VESA=y' element.

During make menuconfig, hit / and enter the text you want to search for 
(in this case, obviously, it's FB_VESA), and hit enter. It should show 
you where that particular option is found in the configration. In my 
case (vanilla 2.6.23.9), it shows

Symbol: FB_VESA [=y]                                                                                                                                   
Prompt: VESA VGA graphics support                                                                                                                  
  Defined at drivers/video/Kconfig:595
  Depends on: HAS_IOMEM && FB=y && X86
  Location:                                                                                                                                           
    -> Device Drivers
      -> Graphics support
        -> Support for frame buffer devices (FB [=y])
  Selects: FB_CFB_FILLRECT && FB_CFB_COPYAREA && FB_CFB_IMAGEBLIT && 
VIDEO_SELECT                                                                   

Notice the "Location:" bit.

> I've gone back and forth through the setting under:
> Device drivers/Graphics-support .. checking Support for FrameBuffer
> devices (both as module and builtin in different saves).

It should be there. Which kernel sources and release are you using?
Also note, in the above output, that VESA_FB depends on HAS_IOMEM and FB. 
If you don't select either, the VESA_FB option will not be shown.
Since you obviously have FB set (otherwise you would not see the 
Userspace VESA option), you can check the status of HAS_IOMEM. With the 
same / trick described above, search for HAS_IOMEM. It does not give you 
a lot of information this time, but at least it should tell you whether 
the option is enabled. In my case, it just says

Symbol: HAS_IOMEM [=y]

In case you don't have it active (very strange, since it should be part 
of the default configuration and not modifiable), try a "make mrproper" 
and start over with make menuconfig, which should start with the default 
config this time.

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Re: [gentoo-user] Kernel setting for frame buffer (2.6.23-r5)

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

On Wednesday 9 January 2008, Etaoin Shrdlu wrote:

> It should be there. Which kernel sources and release are you using?

Ok, I just noticed that you're talking about 2.6.23-r5, which seems to 
imply you're using gentoo-sources. In this case, what I said before is 
still true, but FB_VESA also depends on X86, which should be enabled 
anyway, since it's part of defconfig.
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[gentoo-user] Re: Kernel setting for frame buffer (2.6.23-r5)

[reader]

Etaoin Shrdlu <shrdlu@unlimitedmail.org> writes:

> During make menuconfig, hit / and enter the text you want to search
> for (in this case, obviously, it's FB_VESA), and hit enter. It
> should show you where that particular option is found in the
> configration. In my case (vanilla 2.6.23.9), it shows
>
> Symbol: FB_VESA [=y]                                                                                                                                   
> Prompt: VESA VGA graphics support                                                                                                                  
>   Defined at drivers/video/Kconfig:595
>   Depends on: HAS_IOMEM && FB=y && X86
>   Location:                                                                                                                                           
>     -> Device Drivers
>       -> Graphics support
>         -> Support for frame buffer devices (FB [=y])
>   Selects: FB_CFB_FILLRECT && FB_CFB_COPYAREA && FB_CFB_IMAGEBLIT && 
> VIDEO_SELECT                                                                   
>
> Notice the "Location:" bit.

That was a very nice tip.  I must have known it sometime or at least
seen it but had totally forgotten how to search in make menuconfig
dialog.

I've found the settings and now recompiling... so I'll know soon if it
is done or still needs work.

By the way about the vga= setting.  I grabbed a chart from some where
long ago showing the notation I was using:

 ##    640x480   800x600 1024x768 1280x1024
 ##   256 0x301   0x303   0x305    0x307
 ##   32k 0x310   0x313   0x316    0x319
 ##   64k 0x311   0x314   0x317    0x31A
 ##   16M 0x312   0x315   0x318    0x31B

do you know of a chart that shows the decimal notation like you
posted? (Its not in `man vga')

And I don't recall where I got that from... where ever it was, it
probably also has the decimal equivalents.

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[gentoo-user] Re: Kernel setting for frame buffer (2.6.23-r5)

[reader]

reader@newsguy.com writes:

> do you know of a chart that shows the decimal notation like you
> posted? (Its not in `man vga')
>
> And I don't recall where I got that from... where ever it was, it
> probably also has the decimal equivalents.

You can ignore this request... I found a nifty hex to decimal
converter for vim here:
   http://vim.wikia.com/wiki/VimTip27


function! Hex2Dec()
    let lstr = getline(".")
    let hexstr = matchstr(lstr, '0x[a-fA-F0-9]\+')
    while hexstr != ""
        let hexstr = hexstr + 0
        exe 's#0x[a-fA-F0-9]\+#'.hexstr."#"
        let lstr = substitute(lstr, '0x[a-fA-F0-9]\+', hexstr, "")
        let hexstr = matchstr(lstr, '0x[a-fA-F0-9]\+')
    endwhile
endfunction

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Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Kernel setting for frame buffer (2.6.23-r5)

[Tony Stohne]

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Hash: SHA1

reader@newsguy.com skrev:
> ...
> By the way about the vga= setting.  I grabbed a chart from some where
> long ago showing the notation I was using:
> 
>  ##    640x480   800x600 1024x768 1280x1024
>  ##   256 0x301   0x303   0x305    0x307
>  ##   32k 0x310   0x313   0x316    0x319
>  ##   64k 0x311   0x314   0x317    0x31A
>  ##   16M 0x312   0x315   0x318    0x31B
> 
> do you know of a chart that shows the decimal notation like you
> posted? (Its not in `man vga')
> 
> And I don't recall where I got that from... where ever it was, it
> probably also has the decimal equivalents.
> 

less /usr/src/linux/Documentation/fb/vesafb.txt
should do it, i think.

Regards
//Tony
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Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Kernel setting for frame buffer (2.6.23-r5)

[Tony Stohne]

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Hash: SHA1

Tony Stohne skrev:
>  ...
> less /usr/src/linux/Documentation/fb/vesafb.txt
> should do it, i think.
> 

No, that was not it. Sorry for wasting bandwidth...

> Regards
> //Tony
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Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Kernel setting for frame buffer (2.6.23-r5)

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

On Wednesday 9 January 2008, reader@newsguy.com wrote:

> By the way about the vga= setting.  I grabbed a chart from some where
> long ago showing the notation I was using:
>
>  ##    640x480   800x600 1024x768 1280x1024
>  ##   256 0x301   0x303   0x305    0x307
>  ##   32k 0x310   0x313   0x316    0x319
>  ##   64k 0x311   0x314   0x317    0x31A
>  ##   16M 0x312   0x315   0x318    0x31B

That is correct. You can use the hex values in the config.

> do you know of a chart that shows the decimal notation like you
> posted? (Its not in `man vga')

No, I just did the math :-)

> And I don't recall where I got that from... where ever it was, it
> probably also has the decimal equivalents.

I think I found the vga=791 line in some ancient LILO sample config file 
(even before I started using Gentoo) and I stuck with it since then. But 
again, it does not matter whether you use hex or decimal, as long as the 
value you use is the same.
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Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Kernel setting for frame buffer (2.6.23-r5)

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

On Wednesday 9 January 2008, reader@newsguy.com wrote:

> reader@newsguy.com writes:
> > do you know of a chart that shows the decimal notation like you
> > posted? (Its not in `man vga')
> >
> > And I don't recall where I got that from... where ever it was, it
> > probably also has the decimal equivalents.
>
> You can ignore this request... I found a nifty hex to decimal
> converter for vim here:
>    http://vim.wikia.com/wiki/VimTip27

A perhaps simpler way is to use the bc program (which needs to be 
installed for this to work, of course):

$ echo 'obase=10; ibase=16; 31A' | bc
794

(you can do that from inside vim also by using the "!" vim command)
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Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Kernel setting for frame buffer (2.6.23-r5)

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

On Wednesday 9 January 2008, Etaoin Shrdlu wrote:

> then. But again, it does not matter whether you use hex or decimal, as
> long as the value you use is the same.

Sorry, bad wording. I meant: as long as the number you enter (whether hex 
or decimal) represents the video mode you want to get.
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Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Kernel setting for frame buffer (2.6.23-r5)

[Alan McKinnon]

On Wednesday 09 January 2008, Tony Stohne wrote:
> Tony Stohne skrev:
> >  ...
> > less /usr/src/linux/Documentation/fb/vesafb.txt
> > should do it, i think.
>
> No, that was not it. Sorry for wasting bandwidth...
>
> > Regards
> > //Tony


Courtesy of fb/vesa.fb, kcalc hex<->dec and 10 minutes free time ;-)

##        640x480   800x600  1024x768  1280x1024
##   256  769       771      773       775
##   32k  784       787      790       793
##   64k  785       788      791       794
##   16M  786       789      792       795

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alan dot mckinnon at gmail dot com
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Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Kernel setting for frame buffer (2.6.23-r5)

[Renat Golubchyk]

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On Wed, 9 Jan 2008 22:17:37 +0100 Etaoin Shrdlu
<shrdlu@unlimitedmail.org> wrote:
> On Wednesday 9 January 2008, reader@newsguy.com wrote:
> 
> > reader@newsguy.com writes:
> > > do you know of a chart that shows the decimal notation like you
> > > posted? (Its not in `man vga')
> > >
> > > And I don't recall where I got that from... where ever it was, it
> > > probably also has the decimal equivalents.
> >
> > You can ignore this request... I found a nifty hex to decimal
> > converter for vim here:
> >    http://vim.wikia.com/wiki/VimTip27

If you only want to convert one number (or an arithmetic expression) you
can write, e.g. ":echo 0x31a" in vim and be done with it. :-)

> 
> A perhaps simpler way is to use the bc program (which needs to be 
> installed for this to work, of course):
> 
> $ echo 'obase=10; ibase=16; 31A' | bc
> 794

Or an even simpler way would be

$ echo $((0x31a))
794

Bash is really cool. It can understand numbers up to base 64. ;-)


Cheers,
Renat

-- 
Probleme kann man niemals mit derselben Denkweise loesen,
durch die sie entstanden sind.
                                              (Einstein)

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Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Kernel setting for frame buffer (2.6.23-r5)

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

On Wednesday 9 January 2008, Renat Golubchyk wrote:

> If you only want to convert one number (or an arithmetic expression)
> you can write, e.g. ":echo 0x31a" in vim and be done with it. :-)
>[snip]
> Or an even simpler way would be
>
> $ echo $((0x31a))
> 794
>
> Bash is really cool. It can understand numbers up to base 64. ;-)

Great tips! I did not know them. Especially the bash one is really 
useful!

Thanks
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Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Kernel setting for frame buffer (2.6.23-r5)

[Roy Wright]

Howdy,

emerge sys-libs/lrmi

then from a console run:  vbetest

this will display the video modes your graphics card supports.
Note I had differing results running from an xterm, so I suggest
running from a console with X stopped.

You might want to look at using uvesa:

  http://dev.gentoo.org/~spock/projects/uvesafb/


I'm in the middle of getting the new fbsplash stuff installed (didn't
work first try :-) but the higher res console works fine with uvesa
(which is what I really wanted in the first place).


HTH,
Roy


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