Re: 2.1.107: frame buffer problems (FYI)

Geert Uytterhoeven (Geert.Uytterhoeven@cs.kuleuven.ac.be)
Fri, 26 Jun 1998 22:50:43 +0200 (MET DST)

On Fri, 26 Jun 1998 kernel@cook.ml.org wrote:
> On Fri, 26 Jun 1998, Adam J. Richter wrote:
> > Setting CONFIG_FB=y and answering "y" to all of the frame buffer
> > questions (and answering "m" to anything that had the option of
> > being a module) resulted in a kernel that would not boot. I would
> > see the message "Uncompressing kernel...ok now booting kernel", and
> > nothing else. The system would completely freeze. The machine I
> > am using has an S3 Virge video card.
>
> I had a similar problem: the output stopped just after '...booting
> kernel', and then I heard my modem dial.
>
> I logged into it from another machine and it was fully function
> (except for the display of course)

Did you all enable vfb (the virtual frame buffer device)? That's meant for
testing only. Basically it allocates a large piece of memory and assumes it is
the frame buffer of a graphics board. Needless to say, this wastes a lot of
unswappable kernel memory if you don't want to use vfb.

I got one report where the first frame buffer (fb0) was vfb, and the second one
(fb1) vesafb. Since Linux will use fb0 for all virtual consoles by default,
you'll get all console output on fb0, the virtual frame buffer device, which
doesn't generate any visual output at all. So you have a fully working system,
but nothing on your screen.

Please don't enable support for vfb if you don't know what you're doing.

Greetings,

Geert

--
Geert Uytterhoeven                     Geert.Uytterhoeven@cs.kuleuven.ac.be
Wavelets, Linux/{m68k~Amiga,PPC~CHRP}  http://www.cs.kuleuven.ac.be/~geert/
Department of Computer Science -- Katholieke Universiteit Leuven -- Belgium




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