discuss: Setup your PCI display adapters (SiS 6215, etc..) as frame buffer devices during Red Hat 7.1 out of the box installation
Subject:
Setup your PCI display adapters (SiS 6215, etc..) as frame buffer devices during Red Hat 7.1 out of the box installation
From:
"Jaybrata Bhattacharyya" ####@####.####
Date:
3 Aug 2001 12:23:06 -0000
Message-Id: <087e01c11c16$eda5aa40$1ace38ca@cal.vsnl.net.in>
How to setup your PCI display adapters (SiS 6215, etc..) as frame buffer devices at higher resolution and color depth during Red Hat 7.1 out of the box installation
The purpose of this information is to make non-expert users able to setup their Unlisted PCI Non-Accelerated SVGA adapters (SiS 6215 etc...) as frame buffer devices at higher resolution and color depth, during Red Hat Linux 7.1 out of box installation; with out any hassle of manually editing the configuration files.
While installing Red Hat 7.1 do the following things:
Step 1: During the installation, in the lilo configuration dialog enter "vga=xxx", (where 'xxx' is a three digit number. look at the table for codes of different resolutions and color depths bellow and choose a suitable one) as extra kernel parameter .
Step 2: Choose "select individual packages" in package selection dialog.
Step 3: Select the package Xf86_fbdev (spelling may be a little different, look at the description) for installation from the package group "X Hardware Support".
Step 4: In the display adapter configuration section choose the card type as "Generic Frame Buffer Device" and in the next screen choose the screen resolution and color depth same to the values you chose while entering 'xxx' at first step.
Step 5: Complete the installation.
Step 6: Reboot from hard disk, don't use boot floppy.
Step 7. At the lilo screen choose linux. While loading linux look for the small picture of "Tux" on top-left corner. If it is there then every thing should be ok. Now your Xserver will run at higher resolution and color depth.
The table of frame buffer modes and their corresponding codes:
Resolution Color Depth Code ('xxx')
640x480 256 769
640x480 32767 784
640x480 65536 785
640x480 16.7M
786
800x600 256 771
800x600 32767 787
800x600 65536 788
800x600 16.7M
789
1024x768 256 773
1024x768 32767 790
1024x768 65536 791
1024x768 16.7M
792
1280x1024 256 775
1280x1024 32767 793
1280x1024 65536 794
1280x1024 16.7M
795
Note: If you are using NT dual boot menu you should install lilo on the first sector of ext2fs partition. After completing installation reboot from installation cd. Type "linux rescue" at the boot prompt and enter the rescue console. At the shell prompt of that rescue console issue the following commands:
mkdir /mnt/hda1
mount -t vfat /dev/hda1 /mnt/hda1
dd if=/dev/hdxy of=/mnt/hda1/lilo.bin bs=512 count=1
umount /dev/hda1
Where 'x' and 'y' of hdxy are to be determined from lilo configuration dialog during installation. It is the partition, in the first sector of which you have installed lilo. To avoid forgetting and getting lost note it down immediately.
Now reboot into window and add the following entry in the boot.ini file on your c: drive:
C:\lilo.bin="Red Hat Linux 7.1"
and save boot.ini with this modification. The next time you boot, you will get the option "Red Hat Linux 7.1" in your boot menu.
Jaybrata Bhattacharyya
####@####.####
