xorg fails to start properly DRI/DRM issue

Genn · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 19 Sep 2003 Posts: 98

I know there are quite a few threads devoted to this sort of topic, so let me assure you I've read everyone I can find, and none of them have been able to help. The basic problem is that I can't get into my install without booting into knoppix and chrooting over. When the login manager (entrance in my case) would be coming up the screen is just black instead, or has in the past just been flashing on and off. This all came about when I was playing with a new kernel source and when I rebooted none of my kernels would get me into a workable environment. In the past when this has happened I've usually been able to get to a terminal and recompile a kernel and then everything works again. Nothing has worked this time around.

I reverted back to the latest gentoo-dev-sources (2.6.9-r9) to try and minimize variables. The setup is an Asus A7N8X-E motherboard with a radeon 9100 video card. All of the appropriate drivers are compiled into the kernel including drm with the radeon driver. All of the various files are linked to below.

http://genn.sitesled.com/files/gentoo/.config
http://genn.sitesled.com/files/gentoo/Xorg.0.log
http://genn.sitesled.com/files/gentoo/xorg.conf
http://genn.sitesled.com/files/gentoo/dmesg_output.txt
http://genn.sitesled.com/files/gentoo/emerge.info

If anyone could help me get myself out of knoppix and back into my own install it would be great. I'll provide any additional information.

Titeuf · Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2004 3:56 pm Post subject:

Did you try to copy the Knoppix xorg.conf (or xfree86.conf, don't know) to your gentoo installatation and see if it works ?

Genn · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 19 Sep 2003 Posts: 98

That was a good thought, but unfortunately it didn't work. Knoppix had both XF86Config and XF86Config-4, I tried them both. The second one did exactly the same thing my xorg.conf does, and the first just stopped when startx was called, but it does let me get into a console.

I think the problem is with the kernel module or something dealing with udev. What I forgot to point out in my first post was

Gentree · Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2004 9:15 pm Post subject:

you clearly need to set you system to boot to a command line not straight to X until you get your graphics driver set up correctly.

there is a couple of lines in /etc/rc.conf that you need to knock out,eg.

Genn · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 19 Sep 2003 Posts: 98

A very good idea. Thanks.

Genn · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 19 Sep 2003 Posts: 98

Well, I tried reenabling devfs to see if it was a problem with udev, and nothing changed. So, I guess it really is a problem with the drivers. In light of that I'm going back and setting them as modules and I'm going to try and see if I can get any extra information that way. If that fails I'm going to rebuild xorg with some slightly different use flags and maybe less aggressive cflags. By all accounts my system should be working....this is annoying me that it isn't. Well, back to work...

Cintra · Advocate Joined: 03 Apr 2004 Posts: 2111 Location: Norway

Hei Genn

See if this helps

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=264008&highlight=radeon+9100+dri

mvh
_________________
"I am not bound to please thee with my answers" W.S.

Genn · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 19 Sep 2003 Posts: 98

I got it working finally. Turns out xorg didn't like the drivers being compiled into the kernel, so as soon as I put drm and agpgart in as modules xorg started working again, with direct rendering to boot. Now go figure why it didn't work at the beginning when I had them compiled as modules...

Anyways, thanks for the help and time you all spent.