Mailing List Archive: Gentoo: Alpha

Xorg installation

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bodhisattva at gt

May 10, 2013, 1:51 PM

Post #1 of 14 (343 views)
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Xorg installation

Dear alpha list,

Seems pretty quiet, but I'll try anyway.

I installed Gentoo a few days ago on a PWS500a. (says au)
I told it to emerge xorg-x11.
A simple "startx" made an effort to auto-configure. Now it goes
directly to a black screen with a cursor and some yellow artifacts, but
the computer is locked up.
Xorg -configure reports failure, but it does write xorg.conf.new in the
home directory. Xorg -config with that file gives a black screen and
locks up.
Either way doesn't leave any messages in the log file.

There were some "warnings" after emerge finished, but I didn't write
them down. I thought I'd see something on a google search, but that was
a mistake.

FWIW, the video card is a PCI nVidia GeForce FX 5200 with 256MB. It
worked a couple years ago with Debian and FreeBSD alpha Xorg installations.

Gentoo packages reports xorg 1.13.4 is stable for alpha. Any advice is
appreciated.

Adios, DW

brianp at spamcop

May 10, 2013, 2:18 PM

Post #2 of 14 (334 views)
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Re: Xorg installation [In reply to]

what CFLAGS did you use during emerge?

On 5/10/2013 13:51, Don Wilburn wrote:
> Dear alpha list,
>
> Seems pretty quiet, but I'll try anyway.
>
> I installed Gentoo a few days ago on a PWS500a. (says au)
> I told it to emerge xorg-x11.
> A simple "startx" made an effort to auto-configure. Now it goes
> directly to a black screen with a cursor and some yellow artifacts, but
> the computer is locked up.
> Xorg -configure reports failure, but it does write xorg.conf.new in the
> home directory. Xorg -config with that file gives a black screen and
> locks up.
> Either way doesn't leave any messages in the log file.
>
> There were some "warnings" after emerge finished, but I didn't write
> them down. I thought I'd see something on a google search, but that was
> a mistake.
>
> FWIW, the video card is a PCI nVidia GeForce FX 5200 with 256MB. It
> worked a couple years ago with Debian and FreeBSD alpha Xorg installations.
>
> Gentoo packages reports xorg 1.13.4 is stable for alpha. Any advice is
> appreciated.
>
> Adios, DW
>
>

bodhisattva at gt

May 10, 2013, 3:30 PM

Post #3 of 14 (336 views)
Permalink

Re: Xorg installation [In reply to]

>>what CFLAGS did you use during emerge?
I left make.conf alone after installation. Whatever the installation
guide said to use for CFLAGS and CXXFLAGS.
emerge complained the first time about some python problem. So, I did a
single time USE flag with that exact info and tried again. It didn't
complain any more.

CFLAGS and USE flags are new to me. That makes it a bit tougher, but I
can keep trying.

adios, DW

brianp at spamcop

May 10, 2013, 3:55 PM

Post #4 of 14 (336 views)
Permalink

Re: Xorg installation [In reply to]

run
emerge --info

You should get something similar to the following, but specific to your
system.

Portage 2.1.11.63 (default/linux/alpha/13.0, gcc-4.5.4, glibc-2.15-r3,
3.7.9-gentoo alpha)
=================================================================
System uname: Linux-3.7.9-gentoo-alpha-EV67-with-gentoo-2.2
KiB Mem: 4148360 total, 1398192 free
KiB Swap: 7302840 total, 7302656 free
Timestamp of tree: Fri, 10 May 2013 15:00:01 +0000
ld GNU ld (GNU Binutils) 2.22
app-shells/bash: 4.2_p45
dev-lang/python: 2.6.8-r1, 2.7.3-r3, 3.1.5-r1, 3.2.3-r2
dev-util/cmake: 2.8.10.2-r1
dev-util/pkgconfig: 0.28
sys-apps/baselayout: 2.2
sys-apps/openrc: 0.11.8
sys-apps/sandbox: 2.6
sys-devel/autoconf: 2.13, 2.69
sys-devel/automake: 1.10.3, 1.11.6, 1.12.6, 1.13.1
sys-devel/binutils: 2.23.1
sys-devel/gcc: 4.3.6-r1, 4.4.7, 4.5.4, 4.6.3, 4.7.2-r1
sys-devel/gcc-config: 1.8
sys-devel/libtool: 2.4.2
sys-devel/make: 3.82-r4
sys-kernel/linux-headers: 3.9 (virtual/os-headers)
sys-libs/glibc: 2.15-r3
Repositories: gentoo
ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="alpha ~alpha"
ACCEPT_LICENSE="* - [at] EUL PUEL"
CBUILD="alpha-unknown-linux-gnu"
CFLAGS="-O2 -pipe -mcpu=ev67 -mno-soft-float -mfp-regs -mieee"
CHOST="alpha-unknown-linux-gnu"
CONFIG_PROTECT="/etc /usr/share/gnupg/qualified.txt"
CONFIG_PROTECT_MASK="/etc/ca-certificates.conf /etc/dconf /etc/env.d /etc/fonts/fonts.conf /etc/gconf /etc/gentoo-release /etc/php/apache2-php5.3/ext-active/ /etc/php/apache2-php5.4/ext-active/ /etc/php/cgi-php5.3/ext-active/ /etc/php/cgi-php5.4/ext-active/ /etc/php/cli-php5.3/ext-active/ /etc/php/cli-php5.4/ext-active/ /etc/revdep-rebuild /etc/sandbox.d /etc/terminfo /etc/texmf/language.dat.d /etc/texmf/language.def.d /etc/texmf/updmap.d /etc/texmf/web2c"
CXXFLAGS="-O2 -pipe -mcpu=ev67 -mno-soft-float -mfp-regs -mieee"
DISTDIR="/usr/portage/distfiles"
EMERGE_DEFAULT_OPTS="--autounmask=y"
FCFLAGS="-O2 -pipe"
FEATURES="assume-digests binpkg-logs config-protect-if-modified
distlocks ebuild-locks fixlafiles merge-sync news parallel-fetch
protect-owned sandbox sfperms strict unknown-features-warn unmerge-logs
unmerge-orphans userfetch"
FFLAGS="-O2 -pipe"
GENTOO_MIRRORS="http://gentoo.gossamerhost.com
http://gentoo.mirrors.tera-byte.com/
ftp://mirrors.tera-byte.com/pub/gentoo"
LANG="en_US.UTF-8"
LDFLAGS="-Wl,-O1 -Wl,--as-needed"
MAKEOPTS="-j3"
PKGDIR="/usr/portage/packages"
PORTAGE_CONFIGROOT="/"
PORTAGE_RSYNC_OPTS="--recursive --links --safe-links --perms --times
--compress --force --whole-file --delete --stats --human-readable
--timeout=180 --exclude=/distfiles --exclude=/local --exclude=/packages"
PORTAGE_TMPDIR="/var/tmp"
PORTDIR="/usr/portage"
PORTDIR_OVERLAY=""
SYNC="rsync://rsync.gentoo.org/gentoo-portage"
USE="X acl ads alpha alsa apache2 apng bash-completion berkdb blas
bonobo bzip2 cairo cdda cgi cli consolekit cracklib crypt cups cxx dba
dbus device-mapper dga dlloader dri ev56 extras fftw fontconfig fortran
gd gdbm gdu gentoo geoloc gif gmp gnome gnutls gpg gpm gsl gstreamer gtk
gtk2 gtk3 gudev hwdb iconv imap imaps imlib introspection introspection?
ipv6 jpeg kdrive kerberos kerberosV lapack ldap libg++ libwww maildir
mailwrapper modules motif mpfr mudflap ncurses nls nptl nptlonly
nsplugins openmp pam pcre pdf perl php pic png policykit pulseaudio
python qt qt3support qt4 readline samba sasl session smb sound sqlite
ssh ssl static-libs symlink tcpd telepathy threads tk tls truetype udev
unicode vhosts webgl winbind wxwindows xml zlib" ALSA_CARDS="ali5451
als4000 bt87x ca0106 cmipci emu10k1 ens1370 ens1371 es1938 es1968 fm801
hda-intel intel8x0 maestro3 trident usb-audio via82xx ymfpci"
ALSA_PCM_PLUGINS="adpcm alaw asym copy dmix dshare dsnoop empty extplug
file hooks iec958 ioplug ladspa lfloat linear meter mmap_emul mulaw
multi null plug rate route share shm softvol" APACHE2_MODULES="cgi
actions alias auth_basic auth_digest authn_anon authn_dbd authn_dbm
authn_default authn_file authz_dbm authz_default authz_groupfile
authz_host authz_owner authz_user autoindex cache dav dav_fs dav_lock
dbd deflate dir disk_cache env expires ext_filter file_cache filter
headers ident imagemap include info log_config logio mem_cache mime
mime_magic negotiation proxy proxy_ajp proxy_balancer proxy_connect
proxy_http rewrite setenvif so speling status unique_id userdir
usertrack vhost_alias" CALLIGRA_FEATURES="kexi words flow plan sheets
stage tables krita karbon braindump author" CAMERAS="ptp2"
COLLECTD_PLUGINS="df interface irq load memory rrdtool swap syslog"
ELIBC="glibc" GPSD_PROTOCOLS="ashtech aivdm earthmate evermore fv18
garmin garmintxt gpsclock itrax mtk3301 nmea ntrip navcom oceanserver
oldstyle oncore rtcm104v2 rtcm104v3 sirf superstar2 timing tsip tripmate
tnt ubx" INPUT_DEVICES="keyboard mouse evdev" KERNEL="linux"
LCD_DEVICES="bayrad cfontz cfontz633 glk hd44780 lb216 lcdm001 mtxorb
ncurses text" LIBREOFFICE_EXTENSIONS="presenter-console
presenter-minimizer" OFFICE_IMPLEMENTATION="libreoffice"
PHP_TARGETS="php5-3" PYTHON_SINGLE_TARGET="python2_7"
PYTHON_TARGETS="python2_7 python3_2" RUBY_TARGETS="ruby18 ruby19"
USERLAND="GNU" VIDEO_CARDS="vga glint pm2 tga ati atimisc fbdev"
XTABLES_ADDONS="quota2 psd pknock lscan length2 ipv4options ipset ipp2p
iface geoip fuzzy condition tee tarpit sysrq steal rawnat logmark ipmark
dhcpmac delude chaos account"
Unset: CPPFLAGS, CTARGET, INSTALL_MASK, LC_ALL,
PORTAGE_BUNZIP2_COMMAND, PORTAGE_COMPRESS, PORTAGE_COMPRESS_FLAGS,
PORTAGE_RSYNC_EXTRA_OPTS, USE_PYTHON

On Fri, 2013-05-10 at 17:30 -0500, Don Wilburn wrote:
> >>what CFLAGS did you use during emerge?
> I left make.conf alone after installation. Whatever the installation
> guide said to use for CFLAGS and CXXFLAGS.
> emerge complained the first time about some python problem. So, I did a
> single time USE flag with that exact info and tried again. It didn't
> complain any more.
>
> CFLAGS and USE flags are new to me. That makes it a bit tougher, but I
> can keep trying.
>
> adios, DW
>
>
>

--
------------------------
Brian C. Parkhurst
ORCA Technical Lead
Systems Programmer
UW Medicine IT Services
University of Washington
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206-543-7458
brianp-at-u.washington.edu
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bodhisattva at gt

May 10, 2013, 5:43 PM

Post #5 of 14 (334 views)
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Re: Xorg installation [In reply to]

>>what CFLAGS did you use during emerge?

I used the one from the make.conf.example. It is
CFLAGS="-mieee -pipe -O2 -mcpu=ev4"

The gentoo alpha FAQ has a particular question about Xorg locking up.
It says -mcpu is crucial. I don't know what it should exactly be. I
figured the make.conf.example would be safe.

Adios, DW

bodhisattva at gt

May 10, 2013, 7:03 PM

Post #6 of 14 (331 views)
Permalink

Re: Xorg installation [In reply to]

furthermore, I looked at /proc/cpuinfo

cpu : Alpha
cpu model : EV56
cpu variation : 7
cpu revision : 0
cpu serial number :
system type : Miata

just like an example from gentoo's alpha porting guide.
I thought I read that EV56 is a bad one.

Adios, DW

brianp at spamcop

May 10, 2013, 9:57 PM

Post #7 of 14 (335 views)
Permalink

Re: Xorg installation [In reply to]

for ev56 the -mieee CFLAG is essential, (have and old Alpha server 800
ev56 that's collecting dust). My current is a DS20E, dual ev67 with a
Texas Instruments TVP4020 [Permedia 2] (glint driver)

make certain to emerge the Xorg driver for you particular video card

x11-drivers/xf86-video-nv is likely candidate.

might also emerge the generic vga driver to see if basic VGA works.

Also I seem to recall some models require the video card to be in Slot 1.

Would have to research that for yours.

Brian..

bodhisattva at gt

May 11, 2013, 1:11 PM

Post #8 of 14 (335 views)
Permalink

Re: Xorg installation [In reply to]

Now it's different, but not fixed.

I revised make.conf to say -mcpu=ev56
emerge --unmerge xorg-server and the nv,fbdev, and vesa drivers I
installed. After I emerged all that back, Xorg -configure still failed
with a number of screens does not match the number of devices error, but
it does write an xorg.conf.new. That does not work, of course.
Now a simple starx brings up a graphics screen with three terminal
instances started, but the computer is locked up.
For a lark, I --unmerged the keyboard, mouse, and evdev devices. I did
the same to xterm, just in case. Emerged them back, but no difference.

I originally emerged the whole xorg-x11 package. That took so long, I
went directly to xorg-server for uninstall/reinstall. I hoped that
would be enough.
My methods seem relatively brutal and ignorant, but I don't know any
better.

Adios, DW

brianp at spamcop

May 11, 2013, 7:30 PM

Post #9 of 14 (330 views)
Permalink

Re: Xorg installation [In reply to]

What kernel version are you running?

On 5/11/2013 13:11, Don Wilburn wrote:
> Now it's different, but not fixed.
>
> I revised make.conf to say -mcpu=ev56
> emerge --unmerge xorg-server and the nv,fbdev, and vesa drivers I
> installed. After I emerged all that back, Xorg -configure still failed
> with a number of screens does not match the number of devices error, but
> it does write an xorg.conf.new. That does not work, of course.
> Now a simple starx brings up a graphics screen with three terminal
> instances started, but the computer is locked up.
> For a lark, I --unmerged the keyboard, mouse, and evdev devices. I did
> the same to xterm, just in case. Emerged them back, but no difference.
>
> I originally emerged the whole xorg-x11 package. That took so long, I
> went directly to xorg-server for uninstall/reinstall. I hoped that
> would be enough.
> My methods seem relatively brutal and ignorant, but I don't know any
> better.
>
> Adios, DW
>

bodhisattva at gt

May 12, 2013, 11:07 AM

Post #10 of 14 (331 views)
Permalink

Re: Xorg installation [In reply to]

>>What kernel version are you running?

3.7.10-gentoo

That's what the install CD runs. I tried to follow the installation
guide when compiling my own. The make menuconfig choices are a bit
different now.

Meanwhile, I tried editing the xorg.conf file to force different video
drivers. The fbdev won't start at all, so no lockup. The vesa driver
crashes and exits to SRM, which doesn't work and requires a hard reboot.
The nv results were previously described.

Not knowing any better, I may scare up the original Matrox card and
temporarily install it instead. I don't objectively know it's the video
card/driver's fault, but that's my best guess.

Adios, DW

bodhisattva at gt

May 12, 2013, 1:41 PM

Post #11 of 14 (328 views)
Permalink

Re: Xorg installation [In reply to]

Switching to Matrox didn't work. The result was similar to nVidia-
lockup, but the video was at a lower screen resolution.

Adios, DW

bodhisattva at gt

May 14, 2013, 6:56 PM

Post #12 of 14 (316 views)
Permalink

Re: Xorg installation [In reply to]

Now I suspect the problem here is because udev and virtual/udev were
built with keymap support turned off. That's the most terse way I can
describe it. This may be because of the desktop profile.
I'm no developer. I assume keymap support was turned off for a reason.
Can anyone enlighten me about this?

The long story is that I knew saying my alpha was "locked up" was not a
proper description. I enabled login via a serial port. Indeed, linux
was working. So, now I can kill X more gracefully.
After running emerge -tav to reinstall xorg-servers, it told me that
virtual/udev without keymap may cause input device autoconfiguration to
fail.
So, the -keymap flag is definitely set for udev and virtual/udev on my
system. I checked.
My plan is to wait a bit in case someone offers advice. Failing that,
I'll try rebuilding udev and virtual/udev without turning off keymap.
If/when that doesn't work, I'll investigate manual configuration of the
xorg input devices.

Adios, DW

mattst88 at gentoo

May 15, 2013, 9:41 AM

Post #13 of 14 (315 views)
Permalink

Re: Xorg installation [In reply to]

On Tue, May 14, 2013 at 6:56 PM, Don Wilburn <bodhisattva [at] gt> wrote:
> Now I suspect the problem here is because udev and virtual/udev were built
> with keymap support turned off. That's the most terse way I can describe
> it. This may be because of the desktop profile.
> I'm no developer. I assume keymap support was turned off for a reason.
> Can anyone enlighten me about this?
>
> The long story is that I knew saying my alpha was "locked up" was not a
> proper description. I enabled login via a serial port. Indeed, linux was
> working. So, now I can kill X more gracefully.
> After running emerge -tav to reinstall xorg-servers, it told me that
> virtual/udev without keymap may cause input device autoconfiguration to
> fail.
> So, the -keymap flag is definitely set for udev and virtual/udev on my
> system. I checked.
> My plan is to wait a bit in case someone offers advice. Failing that, I'll
> try rebuilding udev and virtual/udev without turning off keymap. If/when
> that doesn't work, I'll investigate manual configuration of the xorg input
> devices.
>
> Adios, DW
>

Enabling keymap support in udev sounds like it's worth a shot.

If you don't get a chance to try it I might soon. I'm updating my alpha now.

Thanks,
Matt

bodhisattva at gt

May 15, 2013, 1:56 PM

Post #14 of 14 (313 views)
Permalink

Re: Xorg installation [In reply to]

Latest attempts:
changed my profile from desktop to desktop/gnome.
rebuilt udev
rebuilt virtual/udev

This fixed the keymap error, but Xorg still failed the same way.

rebuilt xorg-server
rebuilt xorg-drivers

This did nothing too. Again, I'm no developer, just a user. I'm not
that savvy about any of this, or Gentoo in general.
By "rebuilt," I mean emerge -tav <package>. I saw that on a web page
and it seems to be how to uninstall/reinstall stuff.

Looking through the Xorg logfile isn't spelling out the problem to me.
There's no easy way to cut/paste or even dump that whole file here.

I'm contemplating wiping everything and reinstalling Gentoo from
scratch. I'm not sure if that would make a difference. I'll ponder
that for a while.

Adios, DW

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