iBook x config

[Stephen Harker]

Hi,

On Sat, Jul 31, 2004 at 12:12:57PM -0400, Ben Brodie wrote:
> I have an iBook 1ghz. The only way for me to get x server to work is in 
> 8 bit with Xautoconfig --safe or with the Generic OF driver option... 
> it is almost impossible to use the machine in 8 bit color. Ive tried 
> everything and can't seem to get a normal screen setting. I went to 
> www.xfree86.org and noticed that they don't support ATI radeon mobility 
> 9200. The yellowdog site says Linux works on the iBook, though. 
> According to yellowdog, all I have to do is Xautconfig --fbdev. I have 
> tried that command many times and it does not work. Neither does 
> Xauconfig. I have no idea how to fix this problem. Will there be an 
> update with a fix? Is there something else I can do? Please help. Also, 
> I'm a newbie so when explaining to me what to do, please be clear about 
> it so I understand.

>From what I have seen it appears to depend on the chipset of the ATI
Radeon 9200, there are multiple revisions.  The XFree86 that comes
with the YDL 3.0.1 (or updates) is 4.3.0 and in /var/log/XFree86.0.log
I find the following chipsets listed (I am using the radeon driver for
the 7500 mobility M7):

     ATI Radeon Mobility M9 Ld (AGP), ATI Radeon Mobility M9 Le (AGP),
     ATI Radeon Mobility M9 Lf (AGP), ATI Radeon Mobility M9 Lg (AGP),

The guy I share an office with is attempting to get YDL 3 to work
under X on a new iBook G4.  It has a later revision of the ATI
chipset: ATI Radeon Mobility M9 Lh (chip ID 0x5c63 from memory).  We
installed kernel 2.6.6 on his machine and, to check the support I used 
strings /boot/vmlinux-2.6.6 | grep -i radeon | more
Amongst other information I find:

Radeon R250 Ld [Radeon Mobility 9000 M9]
Radeon R250 Le [Radeon Mobility 9000 M9]
Radeon R250 Lf [Radeon Mobility 9000 M9]
Radeon R250 Lg [Radeon Mobility 9000 M9]
Radeon R250 Ln [Radeon Mobility 9000 M9] [Secondary]

The 9200 mobility is essentially the same core as the 9000 and is
often identified as a 9000 on that basis.  The important point is that
this does not include the Lh variant.  There have been a range of
reports of success with an iBook G4 and I suspect they have the older
chipsets that are recognised.

There are some webpages that report success by either patching the
kernel to include the Lh variant or by using a chipID argument in the
XF86Config to get X to work thinking it is a different Radeon
version.  This did not help for the guy at work, it gave a `torn'
display that was not usable.  There are reports that kernel 2.6.7 or
later has support for the 5c63 chipset.

-- 
Stephen Harker                           Stephen.Harker@spme.monash.edu.au
School of Physics & Materials Engineering
Monash University                       http://www.ph.adfa.edu.au/s-harker/
                                 Baloney Baffles brains: Eric Frank Russell