Laptop Graphic Card Resolution

[Thomas Laus]

I tried to install the latest NetBSD 8.0 on an older i386 HP Pavilion
laptop. The default screen resolution puts the console display into
the weeds. I tried all of the vesa modes in the boot menu and none
of them work with this laptop. Some do work with an external monitor.
The last version that I could successfully boot and install was NetBSD
6.1.5.

What was the default console display resolution for that one? How can
I make this work with NetBSD 8.0 i386?

Tom

[Yannick Duchêne]

Hello,

I may be too naive, but have you looked at `dmesg` messages?

Just after you boot, save the messages like this:

dmesg >dmesg.txt

Then grep in these:

grep -iE "monitor|framebuffer|display|graphic" dmesg.txt

For me, it returns this:

acpivga0 at acpi0 (VID): ACPI Display Adapter
acpiout0 at acpivga0 (TV, 0x0200): ACPI Display Output Device
acpiout1 at acpivga0 (CRT, 0x0100): ACPI Display Output Device
acpiout2 at acpivga0 (LCD, 0x0400): ACPI Display Output Device
acpiout3 at acpivga0 (DVI, 0x0300): ACPI Display Output Device
acpivga0: 0x0100 (acpiout1): Ext. Monitor, head 0, bios detect
acpivga1 at acpi0 (VID2): ACPI Display Adapter
drm: Memory usable by graphics device = 256M
intelfb0: framebuffer at 0xdc2ea000, size 1440x900, depth 32, stride 5760
wsdisplay0 at intelfb0 kbdmux 1: console (default, vt100 emulation), using wskbd0
wsmux1: connecting to wsdisplay0
vendor 8086 product 27a6 (miscellaneous display, revision 0x03) at pci0 dev 2 function 1 not configured
wsdisplay0: screen 1 added (default, vt100 emulation)
wsdisplay0: screen 2 added (default, vt100 emulation)
wsdisplay0: screen 3 added (default, vt100 emulation)
wsdisplay0: screen 4 added (default, vt100 emulation)

It may provide a first overview of the situation.

Post by Thomas Laus
I tried to install the latest NetBSD 8.0 on an older i386 HP Pavilion
laptop. The default screen resolution puts the console display into
the weeds. I tried all of the vesa modes in the boot menu and none
of them work with this laptop. Some do work with an external monitor.
The last version that I could successfully boot and install was NetBSD
6.1.5.
What was the default console display resolution for that one? How can
I make this work with NetBSD 8.0 i386?
Tom
--
PGP KeyID = 0x5F22FDC1
GnuPG KeyID = 0x620836CF

[Thomas Laus]

Post by Yannick Duchêne
I may be too naive, but have you looked at `dmesg` messages?
dmesg >dmesg.txt
grep -iE "monitor|framebuffer|display|graphic" dmesg.txt
acpivga0 at acpi0 (VID): ACPI Display Adapter
acpiout0 at acpivga0 (TV, 0x0200): ACPI Display Output Device
acpiout1 at acpivga0 (CRT, 0x0100): ACPI Display Output Device
acpiout2 at acpivga0 (LCD, 0x0400): ACPI Display Output Device
acpiout3 at acpivga0 (DVI, 0x0300): ACPI Display Output Device
acpivga0: 0x0100 (acpiout1): Ext. Monitor, head 0, bios detect
acpivga1 at acpi0 (VID2): ACPI Display Adapter
drm: Memory usable by graphics device = 256M
intelfb0: framebuffer at 0xdc2ea000, size 1440x900, depth 32, stride 5760
wsdisplay0 at intelfb0 kbdmux 1: console (default, vt100 emulation), using wskbd0
wsmux1: connecting to wsdisplay0
vendor 8086 product 27a6 (miscellaneous display, revision 0x03) at pci0 dev 2 function 1 not configured
wsdisplay0: screen 1 added (default, vt100 emulation)
wsdisplay0: screen 2 added (default, vt100 emulation)
wsdisplay0: screen 3 added (default, vt100 emulation)
wsdisplay0: screen 4 added (default, vt100 emulation)
It may provide a first overview of the situation.

My problem comes a very long way before the laptop gets to the point
of being able to read a dmesg from the boot process. I can't even
do an install from the cdrom because the laptop video goes into the
weeds at the point that the video changes from green. I am able to use
an external monitor and change the vesa resolution and then boot to
the install screen. The native laptop monitor does not like any of
the choices and it is useless for anything.

This laptop started having this issue after NetBSD 6.1.5. Everything
worked OK up until then. Installing 8.0 with an external monitor and
starting X works OK. Xrandr reports 1024x768 60Hz on both the builtin
and the external monitor. The builtin screen washes out and turns
black whenever I boot the install CD with any release after 6.1.5.
I have not tried using xdm and testing whether the builtin screen
comes back to life once Xorg has started. I don't rememember the
Intel Graphic chip name off-hand but can look it up if needed. When
I exit the X server, the screen turns black with white stripes running
from top to bottom.

Tom

[Yannick Duchêne]

I see, it really mess up …

As much naively as in my previous comment, what I would: install NetBSD 8 with the external monitor, add something in `/etc/rc.d` so that it dump `demsg` to some file. Test this work. Unplug the external monitor to boot with the laptop monitor, wait enough time, then reboot with the external monitor to inspect the dumped `dmesg`.

I must confess I’m a newbie with NetBSD.

Post by Thomas Laus
My problem comes a very long way before the laptop gets to the point
of being able to read a dmesg from the boot process. I can't even
do an install from the cdrom because the laptop video goes into the
weeds at the point that the video changes from green. I am able to use
an external monitor and change the vesa resolution and then boot to
the install screen. The native laptop monitor does not like any of
the choices and it is useless for anything.
This laptop started having this issue after NetBSD 6.1.5. Everything
worked OK up until then. Installing 8.0 with an external monitor and
starting X works OK. Xrandr reports 1024x768 60Hz on both the builtin
and the external monitor. The builtin screen washes out and turns
black whenever I boot the install CD with any release after 6.1.5.
I have not tried using xdm and testing whether the builtin screen
comes back to life once Xorg has started. I don't rememember the
Intel Graphic chip name off-hand but can look it up if needed. When
I exit the X server, the screen turns black with white stripes running
from top to bottom.
Tom
--
PGP KeyID = 0x5F22FDC1
GnuPG KeyID = 0x620836CF

[Thomas Laus]

I see, it really mess up??

It washes the screen to a white slate before turning black.

As much naively as in my previous comment, what I would: install
NetBSD 8 with the external monitor, add something in `/etc/rc.d`
so that it dump `demsg` to some file. Test this work. Unplug the
external monitor to boot with the laptop monitor, wait enough
time, then reboot with the external monitor to inspect the dumped
`dmesg`.
I must confess I?m a newbie with NetBSD.

I generated a dmesg file for both NetBSD 6.1.5 & NetBSD 8.0 on my
HP Pavilian laptop. I posted both files on:

http://dmesgd.nycbug.org/index.cgi

In the NetBSD section. The titles are:

dmesg_6.1.5
dmesg 8.0

It has been a long term problem for me, but probably doesn't affect too
many other people. It is an old laptop that I only use for running a
few amateur radio programs that are only available on NetBSD. I would
like to bring this laptop up to something more recent. There have been
many security fixes since 6.1.5 and editing my programs so that they
will still run is getting to be a chore.

I am a retired VMS programmer and use NetBSD on my MicroVAX 4100 and a
couple of Alpha DS-10's. I use mostly FreeBSD for most of my other
projects. I maintain a couple of OpenBSD instance on Amazon EC2 for
a few friends that own small businesses.

Tom

[Yannick Duchêne]

A document which may be of interest in this context: http://mail-index.netbsd.org/tech-kern/2002/09/13/0002.html

Framebuffers in *BSD operating systems are treated very differently from other
devices like disc controllers, PCI bridge controllers and network cards. Where
all kinds of network cards get their own associated driver, graphic cards in
contrast, especially PCI/ISA devices, generally are only set up by the
computers BIOS or similar part and further neglected.

The document dates from early 2000, but since NetBSD is a lot stable (one of the thing I like with it), may be it’s still relevant.

At least, my own `dmesg` dump shows there are multiple “bios detect”, which seems to confirm the above.

I don’t know if it was already tried, but may something to try is to boot with the faulty monitor and try to enter BIOS setup, to see if it works, first, then, to see if some configuration may change something.

P.S. I don’t pretend this will solve this particular issue, but I feel this may be useful to any people facing issues of the like.

[Thomas Laus]

Post by Yannick Duchêne
http://mail-index.netbsd.org/tech-kern/2002/09/13/0002.html

Framebuffers in *BSD operating systems are treated very differently
from other devices like disc controllers, PCI bridge controllers and
network cards. Where all kinds of network cards get their own associated
driver, graphic cards in contrast, especially PCI/ISA devices, generally
are only set up by the computers BIOS or similar part and further
neglected.

The document dates from early 2000, but since NetBSD is a lot stable
(one of the thing I like with it), may be it?s still relevant.
At least, my own `dmesg` dump shows there are multiple ?bios detect?,
which seems to confirm the above.
I don?t know if it was already tried, but may something to try is to
boot with the faulty monitor and try to enter BIOS setup, to see if
it works, first, then, to see if some configuration may change something.
P.S. I don?t pretend this will solve this particular issue, but I feel
this may be useful to any people facing issues of the like.

I can boot to the BIOS screen on the builtin laptop monitor. There are not
many reconfiguration choices listed for devices. An external monitor will
function if the vesa option in the boot screen is set to a couple of res-
olution choices. None of the choices will allow the builtin screen to
function. Requiring an external monitor to boot a laptop sort of defeats
the purpose of having a laptop. There are error log messages recorded that
list a drm problem and suggest that it is a kernel related issue since the
X server is not involved at this point in the boot process. I think that
something broke in NetBSD after 6.1.5 that keeps this model laptop from
a console based fresh installation because of a graphics chip issue. Maybe
earlier NetBSD versions used something else for the console and switched
to using drm after 6.1.5. This triggered a bug in the laptop device
memory map. Reprogramming the laptop memory map is beyond my skill level.
HP no longer lists any new BIOS for my Pavilian.

To summarize:

NetBSD 6.1.5 boots and runs as expected, but is beyond supported lifetime.

NetBSD kernel after 6.1.5 causes the laptop screen to wash out to a white
on white image before turing completely black. Using an external monitor
with vesa setting of 1024x768 32 bit boots OK and runs the X server. It
also works with a few other vesa settings. Starting X on the external
monitor and switching to the builtin screen will work and xrandr shows
1024x768 60 Hz. Exiting the X server will turn both screens black with
vertical white stripes. Enabling xdm doesn't help the builtin screen to
function.

It looks to me that the boot process on installation CD's > 6.1.5 are
triggering a problem with drm that was not an issue in earlier releases.
This keeps me from having a workable laptop running a recent NetBSD
version.

Tom