Re: VESA VGA Frame Buffer

Paul (PELaufer@CSUPomona.edu)
Mon, 27 Jul 1998 16:31:31 +0000

Sid,
You seem to have both vgafb and vesafb compiled into the kernel. That shouldn't
be a problem. Whacha gotta do here is read the linux/Documentation/fb/vesafb.txt
file, then make sure that you have the "/dev/fb0" device (and if not make it per
instructions given in the vesafb.txt doc file). Then put just "vga=ask" in your
lilo config for booting this kernel. Next time you reboot, when presented with the
video mode selection menu, do not select any of the modes presented on that menu
as they are text only modes. You have to enter the number "301" for a 640x480
console at 256 colors, "303" for 800x600 and "305" for 1024x768. Forget the one
part in the vesafb.txt file where it tells you to convert the hex number into
decimal, that doesn't work. As long as none of the video mode numbers contain
letters in them it will work (and none of the graphics modes do, afaik).

Hope that helped
~Paul Laufer

Sid Boyce wrote:
>
> I'm afraid this stuff is still in the realms of a mystery and I've had a good
> read of the docs and this list.
> On VGA=ask, I get 2 modes that are VESA (7) 0308 (128x25) and (8) 030A
> (132x43). With VGA_CONSOLE I get the old stream of message output and I've given
> the lilo prompt ...
> vga="ask,mode=0778"
> vga=vesa:redraw
> vga=ask
> Next try, I compiled a kernel without VGA_CONSOLE and gave it the command line
> vga=0778, at this point it goes to "Loading Linux......", I next get
> "Uncompressing Linux", then a black screen below, no logo and I can log in blind
> and fire up X. If I use "fbset -s", it reports "open /dev/fb0: Operation not
> supported by device", issued from an xterm, but I get the same on my other
> machine in VC mode, both cards report VESA VGA for vga=ask, this one is a
> stealth 3D 3000 4 Meg and a CL-5446 2 Meg on the other.
> dmesg gives .........
> Linux version 2.1.111 (root@barrabas) (gcc version egcs-2.90.29 980515 (egcs-1.0
> .3 release)) #4 Mon Jul 27 09:39:49 GMT 1998
> Console: colour dummy device 80x25
> But it doesn't look like an 80x25 screen, the font is quite small. The latest
> config I have set............

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