Broken Ati website?

[bogdanbiv]

I wanted to play some 3d accelerated games, so I tried to install the latest fglrx driver (8.44.3.1), but I had no success.
I have a AMD ATI Radeon 2600XT card and Kubuntu 7.10 Gutsy 32bit as OS.

I went to the ATI web page for downloading drivers for Linux x86, 32 bit - the link should be http://ati.amd.com/support/drivers/linux/linux-radeon.html

However this page only links to Linux x86, 64bit version: https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/674/9206/0/www2.ati.com/drivers/linux/ati-driver-installer-8.443.1-x86.x86_64.run

I tried installing the provided version anyway, but it doesn't help a bit!

If anyone has the link to the right driver, please post it here.
Should I try the Radeon open source driver?

[teroedni]

It is the right version

The installer works for both 64 bit and 32 bit systems

How did you install the driver?
And which distro are you using?

[Dandel]

I agree with teroedni on this, ATI changed it's drivers heavily a few versions ago, and reduced the size and number of drivers they had to provide by simply only requiring 1 download... and yes, that is the current driver for linux... at least until sometime in the middle of January.

[werdz]

I wanted to play some 3d accelerated games, so I tried to install the latest fglrx driver (8.44.3.1), but I had no success.
I have a AMD ATI Radeon 2600XT card and Kubuntu 7.10 Gutsy 32bit as OS.

I went to the ATI web page for downloading drivers for Linux x86, 32 bit - the link should be http://ati.amd.com/support/drivers/linux/linux-radeon.html

However this page only links to Linux x86, 64bit version: https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/674/9206/0/www2.ati.com/drivers/linux/ati-driver-installer-8.443.1-x86.x86_64.run

I tried installing the provided version anyway, but it doesn't help a bit!

If anyone has the link to the right driver, please post it here.
Should I try the Radeon open source driver?

Hi,

If you want to use the latest fglrx driver, you'll have to first stop ubuntu from managing it itself via its restricted drivers manager. Do this by adding fglrx to the DISABLED_MODULES list at the bottom of /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules-common.

Next, install dkms (makes the kernel module easier to install) with sudo apt-get install dkms

finally, download the file from the AMD website, and generate ubuntu packages:

sh ati-(press tab to get file name) --buildpkg Ubuntu/7.10

(Ubuntu and Kubuntu are the same from a driver standpoint)

Next, install all of the packages you've just generated:

sudo dpkg -i package_name.deb

(do this for all the .deb files generated by the ati installer)

You have to do the xorg driver first, followed then by amdcccle and the kernel source (which compiles automatically if you have dkms set up)

Finally, try sudo modprobe fglrx (this seems to only be needed some of the time :/), followed by aticonfig --initial, followed by a reboot.

Hope that helps,
-Andrew

[bogdanbiv]

1) I had put DISABLED_MODULES="fglrx" in /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules-common

2) DKMS installed successfully with sudo apt-get install dkms, here is the output:
Selecting previously deselected package gawk.
(Reading database ... 84366 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking gawk (from .../gawk_1%3a3.1.5.dfsg-4ubuntu1_i386.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package dkms.
Unpacking dkms (from .../dkms_2.0.17.4-0ubuntu2_all.deb) ...
Setting up gawk (1:3.1.5.dfsg-4ubuntu1) ...

Setting up dkms (2.0.17.4-0ubuntu2) ...

3) When I call
sudo sh ati-driver-installer-8.443.1-x86.x86_64.run --buildpkg Ubuntu/gutsy
or
sudo sh ati-driver-installer-8.443.1-x86.x86_64.run --buildpkg Ubuntu/7.10

I get this:
Created directory fglrx-install.z11111
Verifying archive integrity... All good.
Uncompressing ATI Proprietary Linux Driver-8.443.1
.........
==================================================
ATI Technologies Linux Driver Installer/Packager
==================================================
Generating package: Ubuntu/gutsy
./packages/Ubuntu/ati-packager.sh: 176: dpkg-architecture: not found
Error: unsupported architecture:
Removing temporary directory: fglrx-install.z11111

dpkg is - as far as I know - a central piece in the package management system.

When i search for executables starting with dpkg, here's what I get:
dpkg dpkg-preconfigure dpkg-split
dpkg-deb dpkg-query dpkg-statoverride
dpkg-divert dpkg-reconfigure dpkg-trigger

Also `which dpkg` returns:
/usr/bin/dpkg

Any ideas?

[bogdanbiv]

1) I had put DISABLED_MODULES="fglrx" in /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules-common

2) DKMS installed successfully with sudo apt-get install dkms, here is the output:


3) When I call
sudo sh ati-driver-installer-8.443.1-x86.x86_64.run --buildpkg Ubuntu/gutsy
or
sudo sh ati-driver-installer-8.443.1-x86.x86_64.run --buildpkg Ubuntu/7.10

I get this:

Created directory fglrx-install.z11111
Verifying archive integrity... All good.
Uncompressing ATI Proprietary Linux Driver-8.443.1
.........
==================================================
ATI Technologies Linux Driver Installer/Packager
==================================================
Generating package: Ubuntu/gutsy
./packages/Ubuntu/ati-packager.sh: 176: dpkg-architecture: not found
Error: unsupported architecture:
Removing temporary directory: fglrx-install.z11111

dpkg is - as far as I know - a central piece in the package management system.

Any ideas?

UPDATE: 1) dpkg-architecture is part of dpkg-dev, installing dpkg-dev solves the problem with dpkg-architecture: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-desktop-74/ubuntu-dpkg-architecture-not-found...-501592/

2) I had hit another wall/show stopper:
dpkg-buildpackage: host architecture i386
dpkg-buildpackage: source version without epoch 8.443.1-1
debian/rules build
echo "Using architecture: i386"
Using architecture: i386
if [ -f /tmp/fglrx.Q12142/debian/control.template ]; then \
cat /tmp/fglrx.Q12142/debian/control.template > /tmp/fglrx.Q12142/debian/control; \
fi
for i in preinst postinst postrm shlibs atieventsd.init ; do \
if [ -f /tmp/fglrx.Q12142/debian/driver.$i ]; then \
sed -e "s/#PKGNAME#/xorg-driver-fglrx/" \
-e "s/#DISTRO#/gutsy/" /tmp/fglrx.Q12142/debian/driver.$i > \
/tmp/fglrx.Q12142/debian/xorg-driver-fglrx.$i; \
fi; \
done
if [ -f /tmp/fglrx.Q12142/debian/10fglrx.template ]; then \
sed -e "s|#XMODDIR#|usr/lib|" -e "s|#XMODDIR32#|usr/lib32|" \
/tmp/fglrx.Q12142/debian/10fglrx.template > /tmp/fglrx.Q12142/debian/10fglrx; \
fi
if [ -f /tmp/fglrx.Q12142/debian/fglrx.default ]; then \
mv /tmp/fglrx.Q12142/debian/fglrx.default /tmp/fglrx.Q12142/debian/fglrx; \
fi
dh_testdir
make: dh_testdir: Command not found
make: *** [configure] Error 127
Removing temporary directory: fglrx-install.X12064

3) I understand AMD can not make this driver open source, but can't they make the installer opensource?

[bogdanbiv]

1) I had put DISABLED_MODULES="fglrx" in /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules-common

2) DKMS installed successfully with sudo apt-get install dkms, here is the output:


3) When I call
sudo sh ati-driver-installer-8.443.1-x86.x86_64.run --buildpkg Ubuntu/gutsy
or
sudo sh ati-driver-installer-8.443.1-x86.x86_64.run --buildpkg Ubuntu/7.10

I get this:

Created directory fglrx-install.z11111
Verifying archive integrity... All good.
Uncompressing ATI Proprietary Linux Driver-8.443.1
.........
==================================================
ATI Technologies Linux Driver Installer/Packager
==================================================
Generating package: Ubuntu/gutsy
./packages/Ubuntu/ati-packager.sh: 176: dpkg-architecture: not found
Error: unsupported architecture:
Removing temporary directory: fglrx-install.z11111

dpkg is - as far as I know - a central piece in the package management system.
I installed dpkg-dev, which contains dpkg-architecture executable and solved that problem.

4) But, I get another show stopper bug:
dpkg-buildpackage: host architecture i386
dpkg-buildpackage: source version without epoch 8.443.1-1
debian/rules build
echo "Using architecture: i386"
Using architecture: i386
if [ -f /tmp/fglrx.D12442/debian/control.template ]; then \
cat /tmp/fglrx.D12442/debian/control.template > /tmp/fglrx.D12442/debian/control; \
fi
for i in preinst postinst postrm shlibs atieventsd.init ; do \
if [ -f /tmp/fglrx.D12442/debian/driver.$i ]; then \
sed -e "s/#PKGNAME#/xorg-driver-fglrx/" \
-e "s/#DISTRO#/gutsy/" /tmp/fglrx.D12442/debian/driver.$i > \
/tmp/fglrx.D12442/debian/xorg-driver-fglrx.$i; \
fi; \
done
if [ -f /tmp/fglrx.D12442/debian/10fglrx.template ]; then \
sed -e "s|#XMODDIR#|usr/lib|" -e "s|#XMODDIR32#|usr/lib32|" \
/tmp/fglrx.D12442/debian/10fglrx.template > /tmp/fglrx.D12442/debian/10fglrx; \
fi
if [ -f /tmp/fglrx.D12442/debian/fglrx.default ]; then \
mv /tmp/fglrx.D12442/debian/fglrx.default /tmp/fglrx.D12442/debian/fglrx; \
fi
dh_testdir
make: dh_testdir: Command not found
make: *** [configure] Error 127
Removing temporary directory: fglrx-install.B12364


The missing dh_testdir is, I think, an error in the installer script itself

[werdz]

Ah, sorry I forgot about that. The issue isn't that your system is missing dpkg, but its missing the tools needed to build dpkg (deb) packages.

I can't quite remember the name of the package that has them... I *think* it's dpkg-dev (you also need fakeroot iirc)

So try..

sudo apt-get install dpkg-dev fakeroot

(edit) Damnit, sorry didn't see the message you just posted. Try fakeroot though.. does that help anything?
(edit again) dh_testdir is part of debhelper. Try apt-get install debhelper :)

[bogdanbiv]

Not yet, I still get

dh_testdir
make: dh_testdir: Command not found
make: *** [configure] Error 127

I'll keep trying though! Maybe it'll tire to death :-).

[Bigon]

you also need the debhelper package

[d2kx]

Not yet, I still get

dh_testdir
make: dh_testdir: Command not found
make: *** [configure] Error 127

I'll keep trying though! Maybe it'll tire to death :-).

apt-get install dh-make

[bogdanbiv]

yay! It works!!! fglrx works!!
Thanks for your quick support!

Will write a guide out of this thread and post it back here.
To install the generated packages one needs to also install libstdc++5 using a dependency management tool.

Since fglrx now works, my card is now more than a coffee heater! I can finally play in Linux, on my new PC!

[bogdanbiv]

How to install Ati Catalyst driver on Ubuntu 7.10 “Gutsy Gibbon”
Prerequisites:

you should know how to use a console
you should know how to install packages from the command line


Step 1) Install packages need to install the driver using your favourite package management tool (Synaptic, Adept, or apt-get from the command line):
sudo apt-get install dkms libstdc++5 dpkg-dev fakeroot debhelper dh-make build-essential

dkms makes the kernel modules easier to install
dpkg-dev provides tools necessary to build packages
not sure what the other packages do exactly

You will need these packages only later, so while these packages download and install, you can safely go to the next step!


Step 2) If you want to use the latest fglrx driver, you'll have to first stop Ubuntu from managing it itself via its restricted drivers manager. First you backup the current configuration file:
sudo cp /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules-common /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules- common.original

Now you open the restricted software manager configuration file by using
sudo kate /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules-common.
Do this by adding fglrx to the DISABLED_MODULES list at the bottom of the file
Following the example given in that file, add fglrx between the quotes “”. If you have other module names in the string between the quotes, just add the word fglrx somewhere and make sure you keep a space between words.
Example:
# ...
# DISABLED_MODULES="ath_hal fc fglrx ltm nv"
# ...
DISABLED_MODULES=”fglrx”

download the file from the AMD website http://ati.amd.com/support/drivers/linux/linux-radeon.html


Time to check if those packages at step 1 had installed. If done, close the package management program and proceed to the next step.
The next steps are to be made in a console window (Konsole, Gterm, basically anything has a prompt and executes shell commands):

Step 3) Go to the directory where you saved the downloaded drivers:
cd /path_to_where_you_saved_the_file

Generate ubuntu packages for fglrx:
sh ati-(press tab to get file name) --buildpkg Ubuntu/7.10

You should get this before pressing Enter:
sh ati-driver-installer-8.443.1-x86.x86_64.run --buildpkg Ubuntu/7.10

(Ubuntu and Kubuntu are the same from a driver standpoint). You should obtain these files:
fglrx-amdcccle_8.443.1-1_i386.deb
fglrx-installer_8.443.1-1_i386.changes – this is a textfile describing the changes to the packages, not really needed
fglrx-kernel-source_8.443.1-1_i386.deb
xorg-driver-fglrx_8.443.1-1_i386.deb
xorg-driver-fglrx-dev_8.443.1-1_i386.deb

Step 4) Next, install all of the packages you've just generated: sudo dpkg -i package_name.deb (do this for all the .deb files generated by the ati installer) You have to do the xorg driver first, followed then by amdcccle and the kernel source (which compiles automatically if you have dkms set up)
sudo dpkg -i xorg-driver-fglrx_8.443.1-1_i386.deb
sudo dpkg -i xorg-driver-fglrx-dev_8.443.1-1_i386.deb
sudo dpkg -i fglrx-amdcccle_8.443.1-1_i386.deb
sudo dpkg -i fglrx-kernel-source_8.443.1-1_i386.deb

Step 5) Finally, try
# this seems to only be needed some of the time
sudo modprobe fglrx
# this configures X server to use fglrx module
# on the second run of this command it says X.org server is already configured
aticonfig --initial
followed by a reboot.

Step 6) To test if everything is fine open the ATI Catalyst Control Center (if you do not see the shortcut you can call amdcccle from the command line). Here you should be able to change settings like Anisotropic Filtering, AntiAliasing.

That's it!


P.S.:-)
Step 7) Please let me know what you think of this guide and how can I improve it!

One more thing:
I apologize to AMD for calling their site "broken" in the thread name and the first post.
--edit: added build-essential to the helper tool packages.

[Dandel]

Those directions should work, but i would add build-essential to the list of packages just as a precaution in case some of the required dependencies change.