Use Ati drivers with SIS 648 Chipset

[paul.muad.dib]

Hi,
I hope anyone here can help me with this Problem. I have tried to install the latest fglrx drivers from the ati homepage.
Although there where no problems or errors on the installation I can't use the hardware accelarated 3d support, my system still uses the mesa drivers. What can I do to get hardware open GL?

My System:

Microstar(Medion) Motherboard with SIS 648 Chipset - 8x AGP
Ati Radeon 9600 TX
Suse 8.2
Kernel 2.4.22-4GB
Xfree 4.3
fglrx 3.25

[wedgey__]

You may need to set your AGP rate to 4x, or use a 2.6 kernel, which have better AGP 8x support. I think you may also need to use the kernel AGP support (UseInternalAGPGART should be "no").

[schoett]

Originally posted by wedgey__
You may need to set your AGP rate to 4x, or use a 2.6 kernel, which have better AGP 8x support. I think you may also need to use the kernel AGP support (UseInternalAGPGART should be "no").

I have the same machine (a lot were sold by ALDI around Germany), and found that this setting causes a total system hang with the 3.2.5 driver and the 2.6.0-test5 kernel. What worked for me was UseInternalAGPGART "yes" with no agpgart module available to the kernel.

I used the ati-drivers-3.2.5.ebuild to install the driver in my gentoo GNU/Linux system. It applies patches that are needed to compile the driver with the 2.6.x kernels.

Previously, I used the 2.9.13 driver successfully with a 2.4.x kernel (again with UseInternalAGPGART "yes").

See here: http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?p=524856#524856

[wedgey__]

I remember all the trouble you had getting it working, so it'd definitely be a good idea to try it that way

[schoett]

Too bad, the 3.2.5 driver is broken again for me under 2.6.0-test6. For details see http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?p=555579#555579

[paul.muad.dib]

To Schoett or other Users of the Medion Aldi-PC

Can you post your .config file here or send me a mail with it. I tried to compile and install Kernel 2.6 but my system didn't boot after that anymore.
As I am not very familiar with the kernel configuaration maybe I could use your's since you got the same hardware.

I made a mistake in my upper post. Unfortunately my Kernel Version's only 2.4.20-4GB. I am a bit confused with all these numbers

I was told that my Kernel version doesn't support 8x AGP so I would need at least 2.4.22

[schoett]

Originally posted by paul.muad.dib
I was told that my Kernel version doesn't support 8x AGP so I would need at least 2.4.22

You can stick with your kernel, because the 2.9.13 driver works with 2.4.x and contains built-in 8x AGP support (Option "UseInternalAGPGART" "yes" in XF86Config). It is also faster than the 3.2.5 driver.

[paul.muad.dib]

Thank you, Schoett, I finally got it working after several hours of trying. Acctually I've been trying to to install the driver for 2 months but as I started Linux at this time I had to learn a lot more before I succeded.

Since there should be more people who use the Aldi PC, I decided to write a step by step HOWTO here, to install the driver. Of course I must state that i'm still a Linux newbie so some of these steps might be wrong or obsolete. Futhermore I only testet it on my system, so I don't know wether it will work on others.

My System, again:

PC-name: Medion Titanium 8008: Solled by Aldi
Motherboard: MSI MS-6701 (Medion OEM)
Chipset: SiS 648
Graphics-Card: Ati Radeon 9600 TX
or: Medion Radeon 9600 TX (with NF300 chip)

Suse Linux 8.2, patched by YOU (Yast online update)
Kernel 2.4.20-4GB
XFree 4.3

Getting started:

1. Get fglrx
Download the fglrx driver either from www.ati.com or www.schneider-digital.de. Unfortunatly I used the 2.9.13 version of it, which is no more available on both sites.

It seemes, that you can only use the old driver version, you can get this from ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/sup.../suse82/fglrx. I don't know, if this driver only works on SuSE Systems or also on others.

2. Install Kernel Source
Log in as root. Start Yast and go the software installing menupoint. (I don't know it's English name) Search for "Kernel". Yast will show you the packages with the kernel sources. Make sure they are installed (There are different ones, depending on your hardware e.g. one for AMD processors, I use the standard kernel)

3. Change Kernel Config
I'm not rather sure if this point is nessesary so you might skip it.

Go to /usr/src/linux
make cloneconfig

for the next step you can either use "make xconfig" if your X-window system is startet or "make menuconfig" if it's not. However you can edit the kernel configuration now.

Select the second option "Loadable Modules" and make sure all three options are enabled. I had to enable the second one.

Leave the menu and save your config file. I you had to change a setting go on here, otherwise resume at point 4.

Enter:

make dep
make clean
make bzImage

This will take a while, because your system now recompiles your kernel with the changed setting.

3a. Install changed kernel:

enter mv ./arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz.new

To make your system boot the new kernel you must add this option to your bootmanager. As Suse usually uses grub I explain it for this one, but it might be simular in LILO. Start yast again and go to the option system-bootloader. Then click on the button at the bottom of the dialog which allows you to edit the config file. In this file, copy the block with the normal Linux boot options and paste it in a blanc space. Then you must change the word vmlinuz to vmlinuz.new. Also change the title of the option.

Save this file and exit yast.

Now you got another option in your boot menu which allows you to boot with your modified kernel, but you can still use your old one, if your system might crash.

4. Reboot your system with the new kernel, then go to the directory where you installed the fglrx driver. Eventually you have to decopress it, before it can be used.
Type "ls" to see the filename. It will be something with fglrx but the end of the file name depends on the version.
Next, txpe

rpm -Uhv --force filename

to install the package. Now you will get a lot of errors and warnings but don't mind about them.
Now you must tell the fglrx agp-driver how to deal with the sis 648 chipset.
Go to /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod
then open the file agpgart_be.c with an editor e.g. "edit agpgart_be.c". Search the end of the file for these lines

"SiS",
"645",
sis_generic_setup },

and insert after it (patch by schoett)

{ 0x0648,
PCI_VENDOR_ID_SI,
SIS_GENERIC,
"SiS",
"645dx",
sis_generic_setup },
{ PCI_DEVICE_ID_SI_650,
PCI_VENDOR_ID_SI,
SIS_GENERIC,

Save the file and execute the following:

./make.sh
cd ..
./make_install.sh

This recompiles the module whith the patch lines.

5. Change to hardware acceleration by running /usr/X11R6/bin/switch2xf86_glx

6. Finally run fglrxconfig and answere the questions.

7. Eventually you must reboot again now (I had to). Try startx, if it doesn't work, reboot and try again.
If your X-Server starts now, hardware Open GL should be working. Try it e.g. by starting GL-Tron.

[TobGod]

I have the same Problems but I'm using Suse Linux 9.1 Prof.
Can somebody help me with my problems too?
I had Install the Drvers but it don't do its work.
The Drivers work but I have no 3D support!
It works with Mesa yet!
(I'm not realy god at English. A German school)

[schoett]

There is a timing problem with the SiS 648 chipsets, which can cause your system to lock up completely. Kernel 2.6.7 has the fix - use it with

Option "UseInternalAGPGART"         "no"

and with the sis-agp kernel module.

[TobGod]

All others say the option must be "yes".
THere is noc SiS-kernelmodule on my hdd or i can not found it.

Can some body give me a Howtoo for this all (the other for the SiS chip does not work)
Kernel 2.6.7?? There is no Kernel with this version in YOU!

[schoett]

Originally Posted by TobGod

All others say the option must be "yes".
THere is noc SiS-kernelmodule on my hdd or i can not found it.

Can some body give me a Howtoo for this all (the other for the SiS chip does not work)
Kernel 2.6.7?? There is no Kernel with this version in YOU!

Yes, with kernels prior to 2.6.7 (including 2.4.x), you should not use the external AGPgart, because it may lock up your computer. The internal AGPgart sometimes works with some patching; see for example the instructions by paul.muad.dib earlier in this thread.

Sorry, it may be that there is no simple solution for you right now. Perhaps you will have to wait until your distribution offers the 2.6.7 kernel.