Hardware-Specific Information and Troubleshooting

DRI User Guide : Hardware-Specific Information and Troubleshooting
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10. Hardware-Specific Information and Troubleshooting

This section presents hardware-specific information for normal use and troubleshooting.

10.1. 3dfx Voodoo3 Series

10.1.1. Dependencies

The Voodoo3 DRI driver requires a special versions of the 3dfx Glide library. It can be downloaded from the DRI website.

10.1.2. Configuration

Your XF86Config file's device section must specify the tdfx device:

        Section "Device"
            Identifier  "Voodoo3"
            VendorName  "3dfx"
            Driver      "tdfx"
        EndSection

The Screen section should then reference the Voodoo3 device:

	Section "Screen"
	    Identifier  "Screen 1"
	    Device      "Voodoo3"
	    Monitor     "High Res Monitor"
	    DefaultDepth 16
	    Subsection "Display"
		Depth       16
		Modes       "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
		ViewPort    0 0
	    EndSubsection
        EndSection

The kernel module for the Voodoo3 is named tdfx.o and should be installed in /lib/modules/2.4.x/kernel/driver/char/drm/. It will be automatically loaded by the Xserver if needed.

The DRI 3D driver for the Voodoo3 should be in /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri/tdfx_dri.so. This will be automatically loaded by libGL.so.

10.1.3. Troubleshooting

If you try to run an OpenGL application and see an error message similar to

      gd error (glide): gd error (glide): grSstSelect:  non-existent SSTgd error (glide): grSstSelect:  non-existent SSTS

it means that you have the wrong version of the Glide library for your hardware.

3D acceleration for Voodoo3 is only supported in the 16 bit/pixel screen mode. Use xdpyinfo to verify that all your visuals are depth 16. Edit your XF86Config file if needed.
The /dev/3dfx device is not used for DRI; it's only for Glide on older 3dfx hardware.

10.1.4. Performance

Normally, buffer swapping in double-buffered applications is synchronized to your monitor's refresh rate. This may be overridden by setting the FX_GLIDE_SWAPINTERNVAL environment variable. The value of this variable indicates the maximum number of swap buffer commands can be buffered. Zero allows maximum frame rate.
The glTexEnv mode GL_BLEND is not directly supported by the Voodoo3 hardware. It can be accomplished with a multipass algorithm but it's not implemented at this time. Applications which use that mode, such as the Performer Town demo, may become sluggish when falling back to software rendering to render in that mode.
The Voodoo3/Banshee driver reverts to software rendering under the following conditions:
- Setting GL_LIGHT_MODEL_COLOR_CONTROL to GL_SEPARATE_SPECULAR_COLOR.
- Enabling line stippling or polygon stippling.
- Enabling point smoothing or polygon smoothing.
- Enabling line smoothing when line width is not 1.0. That is, antialiased lines are done in hardware only when the line width is 1.0.
- Using 1-D or 3-D texture maps.
- Using the GL_BLEND texture environment.
- Using stencil operations.
- Using the accumulation buffer.
- Using glBlendEquation(GL_LOGIC_OP).
- Using glDrawBuffer(GL_FRONT_AND_BACK).
- Using glPolygonMode(face, GL_POINT) or glPolygonMode(face, GL_LINE).
- Using point size attenuation (i.e. GL_DISTANCE_ATTENUATION_EXT).
- Using glColorMask(r, g, b, a) when r!=g or g!=b.

10.1.5. Known Problems

The Glide library cannot be used directly; it's only meant to be used via the tdfx DRI driver.
SSystem has problems because of poorly set near and far clipping planes. The office.unc Performer model also suffers from this problem.
The lowest mipmap level is sometimes miscolored in trilinear- sampled polygons.

10.2. 3dfx Voodoo5 Series

10.2.1. Dependencies

The Voodoo5 DRI driver requires a special versions of the 3dfx Glide library, different than that used for Voodoo3 hardware. It can be downloaded from the DRI website.

10.2.2. Configuration

Your XF86Config file's device section must specify the tdfx device:

        Section "Device"
            Identifier  "Voodoo5"
            VendorName  "3dfx"
            Driver      "tdfx"
        EndSection

The Screen section should then reference the Voodoo3 device:

	Section "Screen"
	    Identifier  "Screen 1"
	    Device      "Voodoo5"
	    Monitor     "High Res Monitor"
	    DefaultDepth 24
	    Subsection "Display"
		Depth       16
		Modes       "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
		ViewPort    0 0
	    EndSubsection
	    Subsection "Display"
		Depth       24
		Modes       "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
		ViewPort    0 0
	    EndSubsection
        EndSection

The kernel module for the Voodoo5 is named tdfx.o and should be installed in /lib/modules/2.4.x/kernel/driver/char/drm/. It will be automatically loaded by the Xserver if needed.

The DRI 3D driver for the Voodoo5 should be in /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri/tdfx_dri.so. This will be automatically loaded by libGL.so.

The Voodoo5 supports 3D rendering in 16 and 32 bpp modes. When running in 32bpp mode an 8-bit stencil buffer and 24-bit Z (depth) buffer are offered. When running in 16bpp mode only a 16-bit Z (depth) buffer is offered and stencil is implemented in software.

A software-based accumulation buffer is available in both 16 and 32bpp modes.

10.2.3. Troubleshooting

The /dev/3dfx device is not used for DRI; it's only for Glide on older 3dfx hardware.
Different versions of Glide are needed for Voodoo3 and Voodoo5. See the DRI website's resources page to download the right version of Glide.

10.2.4. Performance

Normally, buffer swapping in double-buffered applications is synchronized to your monitor's refresh rate. This may be overridden by setting the FX_GLIDE_SWAPINTERNVAL environment variable. The value of this variable indicates the maximum number of swap buffer commands can be buffered. Zero allows maximum frame rate.
Rendering with 16-bit per texel textures is faster than using 32-bit per texel textures. The internalFormat parameter to glTexImage2D can be used to control texel size.
The Voodoo5 driver reverts to software rendering under the same conditions Voodoo3 with three exceptions. First, stencil operations are implemented in hardware when the screen is configured for 32 bits/pixel. Second, the GL_BLEND texture env mode is fully supported in hardware. Third, glColorMask is fully supported in hardware when the screen is configured for 32 bits/pixel.

10.2.5. Known Problems

The Glide library cannot be used directly; it's only meant to be used via the tdfx DRI driver.
24bpp screen modes are supported by the hardware but not by the current driver. 32bpp is fully supported.
As of October, 2000 the second VSA-100 chip on the Voodoo5 is not yet operational. Therefore, the board isn't being used to its full capacity. The second VSA-100 chip will allow Scan-Line Interleave (SLI) mode for full-screen applications and games, potentially doubling the system's fill rate.

10.3. Intel i810

10.3.1. Dependencies

A Linux kernel with AGP GART support is required. The 2.2.x kernel series does not have AGP GART support. The 2.4.x test kernels have AGP GART and have been tested with the i810.

10.3.2. Configuration

Your XF86Config file's device section must specify the i810 device, and specify a usable amount of video ram to reserve.

        Section "Device"
            Identifier  "i810"
            VendorName  "Intel"
            Driver      "i810"
	    VideoRam    10000
        EndSection

The Screen section should then reference the i810 device:

	Section "Screen"
	    Identifier  "Screen 1"
	    Device      "i810"
	    Monitor     "High Res Monitor"
	    DefaultDepth 16
	    Subsection "Display"
		Depth       16
		Modes       "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
		ViewPort    0 0
	    EndSubsection
        EndSection

The kernel module for the i810 is named i810.o and should be installed in /lib/modules/2.4.x/kernel/driver/char/drm/. It will be automatically loaded by the Xserver if needed.

The DRI 3D driver for the i810 should be in /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri/i810_dri.so. This will be automatically loaded by libGL.so.

10.3.3. Troubleshooting

3D acceleration for the i810 is only available in the 16 bit/pixel screen mode at this time. 32bpp acceleration is not supported by this hardware. Use xdpyinfo to verify that all your visuals are depth 16. Edit your XF86Config file if needed.
The i810 uses system ram for video and 3d graphics. The X server will ordinarily reserve 4mb of ram for graphics, which is too little for an effective 3d setup. To tell the driver to use a larger amount, specify a VideoRam option in the Device section of your XF86Config file. A number between 10000 and 16384 seems adequate for most requirements. If too little memory is available for DMA buffers, back and depth buffers and textures, direct rendering will be disabled.

10.4. Matrox G200 and G400

10.4.1. Dependencies

A Linux kernel with AGP GART support (such as the 2.4.x test kernels) is needed.

10.4.2. Configuration

Your XF86Config file's device section must specify the mga device:

        Section "Device"
            Identifier  "MGA"
            VendorName  "Matrox"
            Driver      "mga"
	    VideoRam    32768
        EndSection

The Screen section should then reference the MGA device:

	Section "Screen"
	    Identifier  "Screen 1"
	    Device      "MGA"
	    Monitor     "High Res Monitor"
	    DefaultDepth 16
	    Subsection "Display"
		Depth       16
		Modes       "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
		ViewPort    0 0
	    EndSubsection
        EndSection

To use a 32bpp screen mode, use this Screen section instead:

	Section "Screen"
	    Identifier  "Screen 1"
	    Device      "MGA"
	    Monitor     "High Res Monitor"
	    DefaultDepth 24
            DefaultFbBpp 32
	    Subsection "Display"
		Depth       24
		Modes       "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
		ViewPort    0 0
	    EndSubsection
        EndSection

The kernel module for the G200/G400 is named mga.o and should be installed in /lib/modules/2.4.x/kernel/driver/char/drm/. It will be automatically loaded by the Xserver if needed.

The DRI 3D driver for the G200/G400 should be in /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri/mga_dri.so. This will be automatically loaded by libGL.so.

10.4.3. Performance

Software rendering will be used under any of the following conditions:

Using glDrawBuffer(GL_FRONT_AND_BACK).
Using point, line, or triangle smoothing.
Using glLogicOp.
Using glPolygonStipple or glLineStipple.
Using 1D or 3D textures.
Using the accumulation buffer.

10.4.4. IRQ Assignment

There have been problems in the past with the MGA driver being very sluggish when the DRI is enabled (to the point of being unusable.) This is caused by the graphics card not having an interrupt assigned to it. The current DRI trunk will attempt to detect this condition and bail out gracefully.

The solution to the above problem is to assign an interrupt to your graphics card. This is something you must turn on in your system BIOS configuration. Please consult your system BIOS manual for instructions on how to enable an interrupt for your graphics card.

10.4.5. MGA HAL lib

MGAHALlib.a is a binary library Matrox has provided for use under Linux to expose functionality for which they can not provide documentation. (For example TV-Out requires MacroVision be enabled on the output.) This binary library also sets the pixel/memory clocks to the optimal settings for your Matrox card.

Currently the MGAHAL library is required for the G450 to work. You can download this from the driver section on Matrox's website: www.matrox.com/mga

Here modifications to the DRI build instructions which make the mga ddx driver use the MGAHAL library:

	  1.Put the following define in your host.def file
		  #define UseMatroxHal YES
	  2. Place mgaHALlib.a in the following directory
		  xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/drivers/mga/HALlib/

You can use DualHead on the G400/G450 DH cards by creating two device sections which both point to the same BusID. For most AGP devices the BusID will be "PCI:1:0:0". Configure your screen section as you would normally configure XFree86 4.x Multihead. It should be noted that currently the second head does not support direct rendering.

10.4.6. Known Problems

None.

10.5. ATI Rage 128

10.5.1. Dependencies

A Linux kernel with AGP GART support (such as the 2.4.x test kernels) is needed.

10.5.2. Configuration

Your XF86Config file's device section must specify the r128 device:

        Section "Device"
            Identifier  "Rage128"
            VendorName  "ATI"
            Driver      "r128"
        EndSection

The Screen section should then reference the Rage 128 device:

	Section "Screen"
	    Identifier  "Screen 1"
	    Device      "Rage128"
	    Monitor     "High Res Monitor"
	    DefaultDepth 16
	    Subsection "Display"
		Depth       16
		Modes       "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
		ViewPort    0 0
	    EndSubsection
	    Subsection "Display"
		Depth       32
		Modes       "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
		ViewPort    0 0
	    EndSubsection
        EndSection

The kernel module for the Rage 128 is named r128.o and should be installed in /lib/modules/2.4.x/kernel/driver/char/drm/. It will be automatically loaded by the Xserver if needed.

The DRI 3D driver for the Rage 128 should be in /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri/r128_dri.so. This will be automatically loaded by libGL.so.

You may also set your screen depth to 32 for 32bpp mode.

10.5.3. Performance

While PCI Rage 128 based cards are supported, they do not yet support PCI GART, so they will not perform as well as their AGP counterparts.

10.5.4. Known Problems

DGA is not yet supported in the ATI Rage 128 X server. This feature will be added in a future release.

10.6. 3DLabs Oxygen GMX 2000

The driver for this hardware was experimental and is no longer being developed or supported.

DRI User Guide : Hardware-Specific Information and Troubleshooting
Previous: General Trouble Shooting
Next: General Limitations and Known Bugs