[sclug] Accelerated graphics on 64 bit linux ?

[Alex Butcher]

On Fri, 25 Feb 2005, Martin Summers wrote:

> On Fri, 25 Feb 2005, Martin Summers wrote:
>> I wonder if anyone can shed any light on this little problem......
>>
>> I have been trying to get the accelerated graphics working on a Dual-Xeon
>> EMT 64, with nvidia Quadro 1300 graphics working with either 64 bit SuSE
>> 9.1 or 64 bit Redhat WS 3 update 4. I have tried 4 different versions of
>> the nvidia x86_64 driver with various SuSE 9.1 kernels (nvidia driver
>> versions 1.0-5332, 1.0-6106, 1.0-6111, 1.0-6629 ). I have only tried
>> Redhat WS 3 update 4, 64 bit default kernel so far.
>
> You might well want the unofficial patches from
> <http://www.minion.de/files/1.0-6629/> or
> <http://www.minion.de/files/1.0-6111/> respectively. Apply all of them to
> the nVidia kernel driver source tree, in alphanumerical order.
>
> (MS) - Sounds good: In fact, all of the stuff above and below give me
> something to try, so I can at least see if I can get it all working. The
> only snag is, the box I am building is intended as a test platform, and
> customers are going to need to duplicate the setup. I am wary of doing too
> many mods from a "out of the tin" Linux distribution or else our tech
> support people end up talking customers through kernel compiles and stuff
> that isn't really their area of expertise (if you get my drift ?)

Get your employer to test their software on machines with ATI Radeon 9250s
(or slower) fitted (these are the fastest cards that are currently supported
by Free drivers). If it works (it should do), tell your customers to use
that. If it doesn't, fix your software, or help X.org to fix their drivers.
;-)

More info:

<http://dri.sourceforge.net/doc/dri_driver_features.phtml>
<http://dri.freedesktop.org/wiki/ATIRadeon>
<http://users.actrix.co.nz/michael/radeon9200.html>

I've wasted entirely too much time on nVidia drivers with 2.6.9/2.6.10
kernels recently, so I'm going to take a much tougher line on hardware with
non-Free drivers from now on. I've always preferred hardware with Free
drivers, but now I'll have to have a damn good reason to buy anything
without. Playing 3D games under Linux would be a suitably good reason, if I
did that much. Similarly, your employer's application, if the Radeon 9200
wasn't fast enough.

> -Martin

Alex.
-- 
Alex Butcher      Brainbench MVP for Internet Security: www.brainbench.com
Bristol, UK                      Need reliable and secure network systems?
PGP/GnuPG ID:0x271fd950                         <http://www.assursys.com/>