ATI Linux HowTo

[WhO_KnOwS]

Installing the ATI Drivers in Linux can be confusing at times, especially for someone new to Linux. To help you install them, we, the members of this forum with some help from ATI put together a HowTo, which gives detailed instructions on installing and configuring the driver.

The HowTo can be found here.

You can find patches here, along with the instructions on how to apply them. AMD users should check this out.

Also, you can download a pdf of the howto here.

For those wanting to either translate the howto, use bits of it or change it in any way, there is a TeX file availible here.

[Mythos]

Good work WhO_KnOwS!

[Mythos]

May I suggest the addition of a more general section about kernel configuration, because there are so many different kernels even in only one distribution!
So that people know what is needed to have the driver working and how they could set up an appropriate kernel...
For example in the Slackware section, in the "Steps to take before installing the drivers", the instructions ( a bit more detailed ) could be used for the building of a general fglrx friendly kernel.

What do you think?

Also could we have in it and an Nvidia to ATI section?
I think this should help many people.

[WhO_KnOwS]

Ok. I will try and add it in the next version. Thanks for the feedback.

[evilchickenking]

could you add some more info for fedora. i attemped to compile the kernel but when i install the source using kernel-2.4.22-1.2129.nptl.src.rpm it doesn't put it in /usr/src/linux and so thats where i get stuck.

[Mythos]

Originally posted by evilchickenking
could you add some more info for fedora. i attemped to compile the kernel but when i install the source using kernel-2.4.22-1.2129.nptl.src.rpm it doesn't put it in /usr/src/linux and so thats where i get stuck.

/usr/src/linux is a link to where the source of your kernel is, for example /usr/src/kernel-2.4.22-1.2129.
So you just have to type ln -s /usr/src/kernel-2.4.22-1.2129 /usr/src/linux.

[WhO_KnOwS]

Hmm. This looks like something I will have to add to the howto. I'm thinking of adding an extra section about kernel configuration.

[evilchickenking]

Originally posted by Mythos
/usr/src/linux is a link to where the source of your kernel is, for example /usr/src/kernel-2.4.22-1.2129.
So you just have to type ln -s /usr/src/kernel-2.4.22-1.2129 /usr/src/linux.

i think i found my kernel source in /usr/src/redhat/SOURCES

so i would type in ./make.sh -s /usr/src/redhat/SOURCES /usr/src/linux ? keep in mind that there is no /usr/src/linux in my installation.

[WhO_KnOwS]

Do this:

ln -s /usr/src/redhat/SOURCES/kernel_directory /usr/src/linux

This way you will create a symbolic link to your sources in the directory /usr/src/linux

EDIT: corrected a wrong directory...

[Kombatant]

Excellent job I am sure everyone is grateful for the effort you put in this, so once again, thx

[evilchickenking]

Originally posted by WhO_KnOwS
Do this:

ln -s /usr/src/redhat/SOURCES/kernel_directory /usr/src/linux

This way you will create a symbolic link to your sources in the directory /usr/src/linux

thanks, that placed the link like you said it would but i have realized that i should have said that i was trying to build the ati driver module in step seven. i suppose i would have had to do this anyway though. anyway even though that created the link when i type in sh make.sh from /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod it tells me :

ATI module generator V 2.0
==========================
initializing...
kernel includes at /usr/src/linux/include not found or incomplete
file: /usr/src/linux/include/linux/version.h

[WhO_KnOwS]

Originally posted by evilchickenking
thanks, that placed the link like you said it would but i have realized that i should have said that i was trying to build the ati driver module in step seven. i suppose i would have had to do this anyway though. anyway even though that created the link when i type in sh make.sh from /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod it tells me :

ATI module generator V 2.0
==========================
initializing...
kernel includes at /usr/src/linux/include not found or incomplete
file: /usr/src/linux/include/linux/version.h

Are you sure you linked the kernel sources and not the SOURCES directory IN WHICH the kernel sources are? You can always repeat the link sequence, just remove /usr/src/linux/ first:

rm /usr/src/linux

[evilchickenking]

Originally posted by WhO_KnOwS
Are you sure you linked the kernel sources and not the SOURCES directory IN WHICH the kernel sources are? You can always repeat the link sequence, just remove /usr/src/linux/ first:

rm /usr/src/linux

im fairly sure, but upon closer inspection im not so sure that the files are the sources. they are the mostly .config and .patch files but also there are no subfolders.

[WhO_KnOwS]

That doesn't sound like your sources. The sources are usually in /usr/src/

P.S.: Start a new thread about this issue so we won't go off topic here.

[palo alto]

i posted this in the other thread but just in case you didnt read it here is my thanks

[Steltek]

Nice work. Being a Debian user, here are some comments I'd like to make:

First of all, you have to convert the RPM from www.ati.com to a format Slackware understands. This can be done with the utility rpm2targz (in debian you can get it with the help of apt-get).

Nope, you can't get the driver with apt-get (not unless you'd edit your sources.list and I'm not aware of an apt-gettable source either). You need to convert it from .rpm to .deb using alien and then install the resulting Debian package with 'dpkg -i <filename.deb>'

Also note that by default, Debian kernels come with agpgart and MTRR enabled (at least 2.4.22-1 does).

And is it really required to disable DRI support? As far as I know, not loading one of those drivers should be sufficient or am I missing something here? (I'm asking because that would remove the 'recompile your kernel' step completely, significantly reducing the difficulty of installing the drivers)

Basically this is what I did to install the drivers on my Debian testing/sarge machine:

- Download the ATI driver for XFree 4.2.x
- Install the kernel-sources-2.4.22 package (running kernel 2.4.22 here) and alien (can all be done with aptitude or apt-get)
- alien <filename.rpm> (make a Debian package out of the ATI supplied RPM one)
- dpkg -i <filename.deb> (you may have to use some of the --force- options here if it complains about conflicts with libglx....)
- cd /usr/src
- tar xjvf kernel-source-2.4.22.tar.bz2 (installing the sources package doesn't unpack this)
- ln -s kernel-source-2.4.22 linux
- cd linux
- cp /boot/config-2.4.22-1-686 .config (notice the '.' in front of config)
- make oldconfig
- make dep
- ln -s /usr/src/linux /lib/modules/2.4.22-1-686/build (not sure whether this one is needed but it can't hurt)
- cd /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod
- ./make.sh
- cd ..
- ./make_install.sh
- run fglrxconfig and setup the card
- Restart X

By biggest problem is still running fglrxconfig because it basically ****s up my whole XF86 configuration (why can't it just replace the display and screen parts in my current config and leave stuff like input, mice, ... alone?) but fortunately that only needs to be done once. (These days I simply reuse the working config)

[WhO_KnOwS]

Thanks for the input.
Also, in the future I'll be adding a part about fglrxconfig and changes to XF86Config-4. If you have any other requests just post them here.

[Mythos]

Originally posted by Steltek
And is it really required to disable DRI support? As far as I know, not loading one of those drivers should be sufficient or am I missing something here?

I think you are right, as long as the drivers are compiled as modules and not in the kernel.
But in order to avoid loading a wrong module, maybe it is better to have DRI disabled, unless you have another PCI card

[WhO_KnOwS]

Version 0.2 of the HowTo will be availible soon. Changes from 0.1 are:
-Added Debian and SuSE installation instructions
-Some small fixes

Next on the todo list is:
-Kernel configuration
-XFree86 and fglrx configuration

EDIT: 0.2 is availible. Also a downloadable pdf is now availible as well.

[Zao]

Under step 5.3 you have the command "cp / *" to copy everything to /. Shouldn't that be "cp * /" =)

[Mythos]

Originally posted by Zao
Under step 5.3 you have the command "cp / *" to copy everything to /. Shouldn't that be "cp * /" =)

You are right. And if we want to eliminate a warning it should be cp -r * /, because /usr/src/ATI directory doesn't exist.

[Mythos]

WhO_KnOwS maybe we should also note clearly that if someone enables agpgart support, this should not be build in the kernel but only as a module. See my post here.

P.S. Not sure if that was the real problem in that thread...

[WhO_KnOwS]

Ok. Corrected for the next version.

[Thetargos]

Originally posted by WhO_KnOwS
The 0.2 version of the HowTo is complete. You can view it here. Additional information will be added to it per request or if I see that an issue is causing several users problems.

Thanks to all who have given me information to make this HowTo even possible.

EDIT: 0.2 is availible. Also, a pdf of the howto is now availible to download.

Hey! the PDF file is such an awesome idea!

BTW you did not provide [specific] information for building the driver with a 2.6 kernel (your kernel ). Nontheless congratulations!

[WhO_KnOwS]

I did not include it as it is quite a big thing. It will be included however, when I add the kernel setup part.

[Steltek]

Another quick note for the Debian part:

"cp /boot/config-2.X.X-1-686 .config"

Actually the -1-686 part can vary too (I've got -1 but the 2.4.21 kernel was at -3 when I last checked and I'm using a P IV which is why my kernel binary is -686, AMD users will have -k7 instead)

[WhO_KnOwS]

Ok. Will correct it.
Also, if you think something is missing in the HowTo go ahead and tell me (2.6 kernel guide is counted out of this as I am doing it at the moment).

[siberian_laika]

In 9.2 Configuration of X Windows:
s/In Gentoo however, you have to either run/In Gentoo and Debian however, you have to either run/

And for /etc/init.d/xdm stop I think need little description of case, when used alternative display manager like gdm, kdm or another - /etc/init.d/{xdm|gdm|kdm} stop

...and of course, correct syntax is X Window, not X Windows, because it X Window System not MS Windows (see http://www.x.org/X11.html )

[WhO_KnOwS]

Fixed. Thanks for the info.

0.2.1 is online. Just a few fixes.
0.3 will be availible in about a week. It will include a kernel setup guide. Any info on 2.6 will be apriciated.

[gentooalex]

It would be cool if it were a wiki. Also include text of or link to this howto from the gentoo website:




The purpose of this document is to summarize the discussion on http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=54793 as well as be a reference for those trying to get their radeons working on Gentoo system using Ati Binary Drivers.

This document is on its earlier stages of development so expect it to be changed/updated rather quickly.

Index

• What are the binary drivers and why to use them?
  
• Where to get the drivers?
  
• Know Issues
  
• Supported Cards
  
• Setup Guides
  
  • Quick Setup Guide
    
  • Unofficial ebuilds for 3.2.0 and 3.2.4 drivers
    
  • Dual Monitor Setup Guide
    
  • TV-Out Setup Guide
    
  • FSAA Setup Guide
    
  • Hidden Options(use at your own risk)
    
• Where to get more information
  
• Troubleshooting
  
• Acknowledgments

[list=1]
[*] What are the binary drivers and why to use them
The ATI binary drivers are the linux device drivers provided by ATI. They are the only ones(nowadays) that support OpenGl acceleration for the R300 based cards.

[*]Where to get the drivers:

• 2.9.12 -> from portage
  
• 2.9.13 -> from portage
  
• 3.2.0 -> from portage
  
• 3.2.4 -> from portage
  

IMPORTANT :
Currently only driver versions 2.9.13-r1 and above will work on 2.6 kernels.

NOTE :
The performance of the 3.2.x drivers is slightly worse than the 2.9.x series. You can find some tips on how to increase their performance on the "Hidden Options" section.
[*] Know Issues

• Drivers 3.2.4 don't work with DGA enabled
  You have to set:
  

  			# This loads the miscellaneous extensions module, and disables
  			# initialisation of the XFree86-DGA extension within that module.
  			SubSection  "extmod"
     				Option    "omit xfree86-dga"   # don't initialise the DGA extension
  			EndSubSection

  In the beginning of your XF86Config file
  
  
• Xinerama and 3D acceleration does not work togheter. You can have 3D acceleration, or Xinerama (one screen on multiple monitors), but not both. It is a limitation of the drivers. (There are another way of doing that that is supported by the drivers, wait for the Dual Monitor Setup Guide or play with the fglrxconfig).
  
• Option "BlockSignalsOnLock" should always be set to "on" unless you are debugging a multithreaded OpenGL app. Turning it off can lead to memory leaks. (from the readme on schneider.de).
  

[*] Supported Cards

• Official List (for version 3.2.03 - source www.schneider-digital.de):
  
  • Graphics Accelerators:
    
    • ATI Radeon 8500, 9100, 9200, 9500, 9600, 9700, 9800, M9, M9+, M10
      
    • ATI FireGL 8700, 8800, E1, E2, X1, X2, Z1
      
  • Video Driver for Linux:
    
    • Driver Version 4.1.0-3.2.0
      
    • Driver Version 4.2.0-3.2.0
      
    • Driver Version 4.3.0-3.2.0
      
• Unofficial List, but know that it works:
  

[*] Setup Guides

1. Quick Setup Guide
   
   • For kernels 2.2.*
     
   • For kernels 2.4.*
     

     				emerge <kernel-type>-sources
     				cd /usr/src/linux
     				make menuconfig
     				(configure your kernel, read gentoo docs for that. You should disable the DRI on the kernel otherwise the ati driver will not work.)
     				make dep
     				make clean
     				make bzImage
     				make modules
     				make modules_install
     				emerge ati-drivers
     				emerge alsa-driver (if you want to use alsa, read the gentoo docs on the subject)
     				mount /boot
     				cp /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/<your kernel boot name>
     				nano /boot/grub/grub.conf(if you are using grub)
     				(change grub.conf to load your new bzImage)
     				reboot
     				/opt/ati/bin/fglrxconfig
     				(answer as you see fit)
     				opengl-update ati
     				cd /etc/X11/
     				nano XF86Config-4
     				(edit as you see fit)
     				mv XF86Config-4 XF86Config

   • For kernels-2.6.*
     

     				emerge <kernel-type>-sources
     				cd /usr/src/linux
     				make menuconfig
     				(configure your kernel, read gentoo docs for that. You should disable the DRI on the kernel otherwise the ati driver will not work.)
     				make 
     				make modules_install
     				emerge ati-drivers
     				mount /boot
     				cp /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/<your kernel boot name>
     				nano /boot/grub/grub.conf(if you are using grub)
     				(change grub.conf to load your new bzImage)
     				reboot
     				/opt/ati/bin/fglrxconfig
     				(answer as you see fit)
     				opengl-update ati
     				cd /etc/X11/
     				nano XF86Config-4
     				(edit as you see fit)
     				mv XF86Config-4 XF86Config

2. Unofficial ebuilds for 3.2.0 and 3.2.4 drivers:
   
   These are beta-drivers, use them at your own risk.
   To install these ebuilds:
   
   1. Create the directory media-video/ati-drivers inside your portage overlay directory. This can be set in /etc/make.conf by the PORTDIR_OVERLAY setting. /usr/local/portage is fine in most cases.
      

      				nano /etc/make.conf
      				mkdir -p /usr/local/portage/media-video/ati-drivers

   2. Download the driver packages (links are in the "Where to get the drivers" section.)
      
   3. Download this file: http://odin.prohosting.com/wedge01/ati-drivers.tar.bz2
      
   4. 
      

      				mv ati-drivers.tar.bz2 /usr/local/portage/media-video/ati-drivers
      				cd /usr/local/portage/media-video/ati-drivers
      				tar -xvjf ati-drivers.tar.bz2
      				ebuild ati-drivers-3.2.0-r2.ebuild digest
      				ebuild ati-drivers-3.2.4-r2.ebuild digest

   5. Then emerge the drivers as usual. Note that you will need to use ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="~x86". To emerge a particular version, use the following method
      

      				ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="~x86" emerge =ati-drivers-3.2.0-r2

3. Dual Monitor Setup Guide
   
4. TV-Out Setup Guide
   
   
5. FSAA Setup Guide
   
   To enable Full Screen AntiAliasing support, you must upgrade to the 3.2.0 or the 3.2.4 drivers. After generating an XF86Config file via fglrxconfig, you can then control the FSAA mode through the "FSAAScale" driver option.
   
   The values you can set appear to be:
   
   • 1 (anything <1 gets set to 1)
     
   • 2 (3 gets set to 2)
     
   • 4 (5 gets set to 4)
     
   • 6 (anything >6 gets set to 6)
     
   
   As a very rough indicator of performance impact:
   glxgears fps at each FSAA setting:
   
   • 1 - ~4300fps
     
   • 2 - ~2300fps
     
   • 4 - ~1300fps
     
   • 6 - ~880fps
     
   For an idea of the visual effect of each setting, there are screenshots from Q3A here taken in each of the FSAA modes. They aren't all taken from exactly the same place, but it's possible to see the differences between the 4 settings.
   
   
6. Hidden options (use at your own risk)
   Hidden options are undisclosed by ATI options that can change the drivers performance or behaviour. They can be enabled/disabled by putting the following lines on the "Device" section of your XF86Config file:
   

   			Option "<Option_Name>" "<Option_Parameters>"

   Here is a list of the knows hidden options:
   
   • EnablePrivateBackZ
     Know parameters:
     
     • yes - enable the option
       
     • no - disable the option
       
     Effects:
     When enabled it improves the performance of 3.2.x drivers.
     Side-Effects:
     None Know.
     
     
   • UseFastTLS
     
     Know parameters:
     
     • 0 - fast
       
     • 1 - faster
       
     • 2 - working with everything
       
     Effects:
     TLS settings are critical for many apps you may like to use (just to name one: wine). The UseFastTLS should be 2 if you want wine and other apps with wacky threading models working fine.
     Side-Effects:
     When set to something different than 2 some apps might stop working.
     

[*] Where to get more information

[*]Troubleshooting

• Lock-ups on Tux-Racer, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Enemy Territory, Q3A and possible other games/apps.
  Probable Cause: Bug on drivers .*
  Solution:
  
  • Update to newer drivers.
    
  • On Enemy Territory you can solve the problem by starting the game using the following line:
    

    				et +set r_ext_compiled_vertex_array 0

  
  
• When starting X, an error similar to the following is displayed:
  

  			(EE) fglrx(0): [agp] unable to acquire AGP, error "xf86_ENODEV"
  			(EE) fglrx(0): cannot init AGP

  Probable Cause(s):
  
  • You have no AGP support compiled into your kernel.
    
  • You have AGP support compiled as modules but don't have the modules loaded.
    
  Solutions:
  
  • Compile support for agpgart and your motherboards AGP chipset into the kernel.
    
  • If you have AGP support compiled as modules, load those modules before loading the fglrx module.
    
  • Use the internal AGP support provided by the fglrx driver (NOTE: will not work in all situations). Set the "UseInternalAGPGart" option in your XF86Config to "yes" to enable internal AGP support.
    
• During the emerge, fgl_glxgears and fireglcontrol fail to compile with an error similar to:
  

  			/usr/lib/gcc-lib/i686-pc-linux-gnu/3.2.3/../../../../i686-pc-linux-gnu/bin/ld: cannot find -lGL
  			lect2: ld returned 1 exit status

  Probable Cause: Unknow.
  Solution :
  

  			opengl-update xfree
  			(run the emerge again)
  			opengl-update ati

• On a 2.6 kernel the driver module appears with the name "1" in lsmod instead of "fglrx".
  Probable Cause: Incorrect file headers on the driver.
  Solution :
  Use any of the following driver versions, which should fix this problem:
  
  • ati-driver-2.9.13-r2
    
  • ati-driver-3.2.0-r2
    
  • ati-driver-3.2.4-r2
    
• Screen goes black when X starts. Still able to use CTRL-ALT-Fn to change back to the console
  Problable Cause: Misconfigured Monitor Timings.
  Solution :
  Find the correct specs for your monitor VSync and HSync. Update XF86Config
  
• Screen goes black when X starts. Not able to use CTRL-ALT-Fn to change back to the console. Servers still working (ex Apache, SSH, etc).
  Problable Cause: FSAA bug on some machines, pattern yet to be determined.
  Solution:
  Turn off FSAA. Post your problem on http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=54793 .
  
• Monitor refresh rate stuck at a certain value, X appears to ignore the modeline option.
  Probable Cause: Trouble with EDID.
  Solution:
  Try setting "IgnoreEDID" to "ON", and then specifying a value for the VRefresh2. setting
  
• Still having problems after following this guide.
  Probable Cause: Monitor connected to second video slot, computer thinks it is on the first or vice-versa.
  Solutions:
  Change the BusID "PCI:1:0:1" line to BusID "PCI:1:0:0" or vice-versa.
  

[*] Acknowledgments
Authors (alphabetic order):

• deurk
  
• fca
  
• Francis85
  
• gralves - Gustavo Ribeiro Alves
  
• KillaK
  
• lu_zero
  
• Wedge_