STI text console for ATI FireGL cards?

STI text console for ATI FireGL cards?

[Helge Deller]

Hi all,

Maybe some people here on the list know the answer to this question?

Does the ATI FireGL cards (in e.g. a C8000) have a STI ROM?

I'm asking, because I noticed that with a 64bit kernel the
sticon driver (the Linux 8-color text console driver for STI) does 
crash while it worked nicely with a 32bit kernel.
I was able to fix this bug (patch is coming soon), but while
I was working on the driver, I found that it doesn't support
the ATI FireGL X1/X3 cards (e.g. in my C8000) either.
Now, as long as the Linux aty framebuffer drivers don't work reliable,
sticon would be at least a nice option for the text console.

Nevertheless, on the C8000 I do see the boot screen, e.g. for IPL.
So I'm wondering if with the ATI cards in general STI is used
for the boot screen or not.  

I did looked in the ATI cards PCI ROM for a secondary/third ROM,
but the things I found didn't looked like a STI-ROM either.

Any help/ideas would be appreciated.

Helge

Re: STI text console for ATI FireGL cards?

[Thomas Bogendoerfer]

On Thu, Oct 31, 2013 at 10:26:00PM +0100, Helge Deller wrote:
> Does the ATI FireGL cards (in e.g. a C8000) have a STI ROM?

I wonder how many times I need to write that. They don't have STI ROMs.
The C8000 PDC must have an x86 emulator, which is used for POSTing
VGA cards. 

I've successfully installed normal Nvidia and AMD cards (both PCI and
AGP cards). For me radeonfb is working as console, but without any
acceleration (ring test failure problem). 

Thomas.

-- 
Crap can work. Given enough thrust pigs will fly, but it's not necessarily a
good idea.                                                [ RFC1925, 2.3 ]

Re: STI text console for ATI FireGL cards?

[Helge Deller]

Hi Thomas,

On 11/01/2013 01:01 AM, Thomas Bogendoerfer wrote:
> On Thu, Oct 31, 2013 at 10:26:00PM +0100, Helge Deller wrote:
>> Does the ATI FireGL cards (in e.g. a C8000) have a STI ROM?
> 
> I wonder how many times I need to write that. They don't have STI ROMs.
> The C8000 PDC must have an x86 emulator, which is used for POSTing
> VGA cards.

Yeah, I remember you mentioned that earlier....
 
> I've successfully installed normal Nvidia and AMD cards (both PCI and
> AGP cards). For me radeonfb is working as console, but without any
> acceleration (ring test failure problem).

At least unaccelerated radeonfb is still much better than STI console.

Thanks!
Helge

Re: STI text console for ATI FireGL cards?

[Alex]

Thomas Bogendoerfer <tsbogend <at> alpha.franken.de> writes:

> 
> On Thu, Oct 31, 2013 at 10:26:00PM +0100, Helge Deller wrote:
> > Does the ATI FireGL cards (in e.g. a C8000) have a STI ROM?
> 
> I wonder how many times I need to write that. They don't have STI ROMs.
> The C8000 PDC must have an x86 emulator, which is used for POSTing
> VGA cards. 
> 
> I've successfully installed normal Nvidia and AMD cards (both PCI and
> AGP cards). For me radeonfb is working as console, but without any
> acceleration (ring test failure problem). 

Had you tried to use Nvidia or other non-AMD card as framebuffer? How about 
Xorg?
Thanks

> 
> Thomas.
>