Q: SVGA X Server Fails w/16bpp

["Orn E. Hansen" <oe.hansen@oehansen.pp.se>]

Dean C. Sullinger writes:
 > I just installed debian on my home PC.  I mirrored
 > almost everything from debian on my Laptop.  I
 > couldn't mirror the X Server Config because of diff
 > graphic cards.  The SVGA X Server works for 8bpp,
 > but fails for 16bpp.  My cirrus logic card will support
 > 16bpp colors.
 > 
 > Here's the scoop.  The PC is a Compaq 486/50 with
 > 32MB RAM, Cirrus Logic GD-CL5428 w/1MB DRAM.
 > I used XF86Config and selected all the standard inputs.
 > I think the card uses a intergrated RAMDAK, so I selected
 > a "normal" RAMDAK.  I selected the following options:
 > linear, fast_dram and no_bitblt.  I tried setting the MemBase
 > as recommended in the cirrus docs, but it caused my PC
 > to lockup and I couldn't reboot it.  I had to turn it off and
 > it hosed the file system.  I have to run fsck everytime and
 > I've gotten scared to continue trying to get it to work.
 > 

  I have the same GD-CL5428 graphics card.  In the directory tree
/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/doc there is a README file for cirrus cards.  It
tells you to look at the card, and see if pins 25-27 are blank on
upper side of the card.  If these pins are blank (which they are on my 
card), you can't use 'linear' mode.  The point is, the card only knows 
about 16MByte adressing space, so you are unable to tell the card to
map the graphics ram outside the computers memory.  So, the card will
map it's memory inside the 16MByte range, which conflicts with the
other memory... bummer.

  To be able to use 16bpp, you must therefore use maximum 800x600
resolution and disable linear mode... here is a copy of the "Device"
for the cirrus card in my XF86Config file

Section "Device"
   Identifier      "Cirrus Alpaline"
   VendorName      "Cirrus Logic"
   BoardName       "VLB CL-5428"
   Chipset         "clgd5428"
   VideoRam        1024
   #MemBase        0x02000000
   Clocks  25.23 28.32 41.16 36.08 31.50 39.99 45.08 49.87
   Clocks  64.98 72.16 75.00 80.01 85.23
EndSection

Hope that helps...


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