is r128 supposed to be viable still with server 18.0 and 4.3.3 kernel?

[Felix Miata]

Connor Behan composed on 2016-01-02 15:40 (UTC-0500):

> Felix Miata wrote:

>> I'm getting inexplicable web server errors trying to search for r128 bugs on
>> https://bugs.freedesktop.org/query.cgi advanced search, so don't see if
>> there's any bug on point.

>> I don't get why there's any reference to a DVI-0 output on an ancient card
>> that only has VGA output. Server 16.1/kernel 3.16.7 is OK, with no sign of
>> DVI-0 in its Xorg.0.log.

>> I don't see why no screens are being found, whether or not I have an
>> xorg.conf file. Logs with and without, on CRT and WLCD screens:

>> http://fm.no-ip.com/Tmp/Linux/Xorg/R128/xorg.0.log-ostw-r128-WOxconf-crt
>> http://fm.no-ip.com/Tmp/Linux/Xorg/R128/xorg.0.log-ostw-r128-WOxconf-wsxga
>> http://fm.no-ip.com/Tmp/Linux/Xorg/R128/xorg.0.log-ostw-r128-withxconf-wsxga

>> Anyone see what the problem might be, or know? Need I file a bug on
>> freedesktop? openSUSE?

> Bug 91358 is more or less about this.

Thank you! https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=91358

The R128 card in that bug's attached image is virtually identical to mine,
which is also from a Dell (Optiplex GX240 tower), labeled Rage 128 Ultra on
the backside. The white chip sticker has the same R128P 73108, and same
stamped PN 109-73100-02. The differences are: 1: the four yellow chips in
that image are black on mine, 2: the two what looks like surface mount
polymer caps lower right are on mine two chips like replace the four yellow;
3: the inked 56 in the upper missing RAM chip location on mine is S70.

> When the card worked on an older
> "server and kernel", that's probably because it was using a version of
> xf86-video-r128 less than 6.10.0. The change in 6.10.0 that seems to be
> causing a lot of grief is that the driver now gives up when it fails to
> detect a monitor. Older versions just assumed that there was a monitor
> plugged into a VGA port when this happened.

> Of the many cases for monitor detection, these three seem to work:
> * DVI cards.
> * Mobility cards.
> * VGA cards not marked as DFP capable on x86 platforms.

> So far I've met a PPC user with a non-DFP VGA card and he can't get
> monitor detection to work. Your situation seems to be that you have a
> VGA card that the original driver authors (correctly or incorrectly)
> marked as DFP capable. Therefore the driver assumes that it is DVI
> before it reads the BIOS connector table. And something is wrong with
> the BIOS connector tables or my understanding of them because no VGA
> section is being found.

In case it might be useful, hwinfo output on mine:
http://fm.no-ip.com/Tmp/Linux/Xorg/R128/hwinfo-gfx-r128UTF.txt

> Because of all these cards doing undocumented things, it is probably
> best to go back to fallback code similar to what the old driver has. A
> patch I posted for this is
> https://bugs.freedesktop.org/attachment.cgi?id=117325. Let me know if
> you still get server errors and I can attach it.

Still get server errors after doing what? I'm not a programmer, so I don't
build. I only install, and test, binary packages others build, if and when
they do.
-- 
"The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant
words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation)

 Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!

Felix Miata  ***  http://fm.no-ip.com/