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

[bogdanbiv]

*** Note: This is a short guide for people in a hurry. For a more authoritative guide, or if you run into errors, please read the guide at http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Gutsy_Installation_Guide ***

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 lineStep 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-makedkms 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_fileGenerate 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 – contains tools to change graphic settings
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 – part of the kernel that talks to the driver
xorg-driver-fglrx_8.443.1-1_i386.deb – the driver itself
xorg-driver-fglrx-dev_8.443.1-1_i386.deb – not really needed

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 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 --initialfollowed 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.
--taking the suggestion from d2kx and after reading cchtml.com I removed from the guide the line containing
"sudo dpkg -i xorg-driver-fglrx-dev_8.443.1-1_i386.deb"

[d2kx]

Nice sticky. This should help many people. But one thing:

"sudo dpkg -i xorg-driver-fglrx-dev_8.443.1-1_i386.deb"

isn't needed.

[Spydr4590]

This is old info from http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Gutsy_Installation_Guide#Method_2:_Install_ the_Catalyst_7.12_Driver_Manually

[bogdanbiv]

This is old info from http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Gutsy_Installation_Guide#Method_2:_Install_ the_Catalyst_7.12_Driver_Manually


I read the link you provided and I agree folks at cchtml.com got a better guide. It is more extensive, provides links to the Ubuntu Wiki explaining how to enable universe and multiverse repositories.

I also agree this is a duplication of work and we should have a single point of documentation, not to confuse the potential user.
Yet I am proud someone found my post good enough to make it sticky! Yay!

Please let me know if there are requests for a screenshot guide out of this.

[d2kx]

There are tons of good howtos, but do all Phoronix users (and readers, because many readers don't register an account on the forums) know about them? So this sticky will help people that only know Phoronix.

[DoDoENT]

Hello! Following this guide, I've made a script which automates the process.

http://www.box.net/shared/olkfdvyscg

Since I'm very new to BASH, I don't know how to edit text files with it, so this script doesn't edit some config files which are needed to be editet in guide. Therefore I encourage BASH experts to modify this script so it would be able to modify the required config files :D.

[Kano]

What a great script. You will win a price for it, I am sure. Little hint: usually no reboot is required when you do it correctly...

[DoDoENT]

What a great script. You will win a price for it, I am sure. Little hint: usually no reboot is required when you do it correctly...

I know, but if you say newbies that it is only necessary to restart X server, that sounds very complicated to them (although it isn't), because they are used to having a lot of system restarts (assuming they have moved from windows to linux :D:D).
And restarting ubuntu doesn't take long after all.

[Kano]

Well restarting the X server is not enough you need to unload some kernel modules.

[DoDoENT]

Well restarting the X server is not enough you need to unload some kernel modules.
Yes, indeed. Therefore I find the machine restart the simplest :D

[Kano]

Well you never tested my script ;) Maybe I will add dkms support, I am playing with that for some time now and find always new bugs...

[siggma]

*** Note: This is a short guide for people in a hurry. For a more authoritative guide, or if you run into errors, please read the guide at http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Gutsy_Installation_Guide ***

Step 1) Install packages need to install the driver ...

sudo apt-get install dkms libstdc++5 dpkg-dev fakeroot debhelper dh-make

It might help to note that amd-64 will require ia32-libs and it's a good idea to update kernel headers on a fresh install.

linux-kernel-headers-2.6.22-14-generic

might as well install it here rather than later, like this:

sudo apt-get install dkms libstdc++5 dpkg-dev fakeroot debhelper dh-make ia32-libs linux-headers-2.6.22-14-generic:)

[DoDoENT]

Well you never tested my script ;) Maybe I will add dkms support, I am playing with that for some time now and find always new bugs...

I'll be happy to try it out :). Can you provide me with link?

[Kano]

Well still without dkms support:

http://kanotix.com/files/install-fglrx-debian.sh

But with -v option to try any older driver release (with integrated patching if possible).

[mal13]

I have tried that Kano's script and works nicely.
Kano... last time i used it it mentioned something about Ubuntu/edgy... could you fix that to ubuntu/gutsy.

[Jebus]

ive followed it all and managed to install every thing but i cant seem to open the control center ?

is there something im missing?

[Vantskruv]

Why doesn't the automatic installation of the binary driver package work? Why should we compile and do everything ourselves? Doesn't the binary compile and automatically install itself? I don't understand. Actually the previous driver before 8.3 worked to automatically install. But now the 8.3 doesn't.

[bridgman]

As I understand it, you are just compiling the very bottom end of the driver -- the part that hooks into all the kernel bits. That part is delivered in source form - the rest of the driver is delivered in binary form.

[siggma]

Why doesn't the automatic installation of the binary driver package work? Why should we compile and do everything ourselves? Doesn't the binary compile and automatically install itself? I don't understand. Actually the previous driver before 8.3 worked to automatically install. But now the 8.3 doesn't.

As I understand it, you are just compiling the very bottom end of the driver -- the part that hooks into all the kernel bits. That part is delivered in source form - the rest of the driver is delivered in binary form.AND... you need to install custom header source code for your specific kernel before you can compile the driver module, the "bottom" source part.

I have installed and tested 8.3 on Deb Lenny and it's much better than before. Smoother, a bit faster and it feels more stable. I write my install experience in the ATI Wiki if someone who knows more about editing is interested in taking it from there.

http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Category:Installation_Documentation

The Debian Lenny driver install was quite simple.
Install linux-headers
Download driver
Run install
aticonfig --initial
REBOOTCompiz is a bit more complicated. The repository for lenny apparently does not have a complete compiz meta so you have to install compiz plugins and the backend explicitly. See link above for specific details. I don't know who maintains the wiki but hopefully this will be tested and posted ASAP.

Oops, wrong thread for Deb Lenny... It should be very similar. I'll go update my Gutsy install and see if it's the same.
-Tom

[siggma]

ive followed it all and managed to install every thing but i cant seem to open the control center ?

is there something im missing?

The FGLRX driver?
What doe sit say when you enter:
#amdcccle
or
#fglrxinfo

;)

[Vantskruv]

I got the driver working now. Actually there wasn't any problem with the install, which I thought it was. I had to execute the line:

aticonfig max-gart-size=512.

in terminal. (I have a 512MB graphicscard).

So the auto-install from the binary-file seems to work now.

Anyway, I'm very pleased with the new drivers. It seems Compiz works very fine now and the slow performance of Firefox is gone now. *JIPPI* Now I can use Compiz almost all the time. Though videoplaying is a problem. The videooutput is flickering (can it be because Compiz runs in "Indirect Rendering" mode?).

[siggma]

I got the driver working now. Actually there wasn't any problem with the install, which I thought it was. I had to execute the line:

aticonfig max-gart-size=512.

in terminal. (I have a 512MB graphicscard).

Which card?

I have an X1650 256 DDR2 that uses the same setting. The driver and card support virtual RAM. Extending the video storage size using system RAM so the card can store more "stuff".

So the auto-install from the binary-file seems to work now.

Anyway, I'm very pleased with the new drivers. It seems Compiz works very fine now and the slow performance of Firefox is gone now. *JIPPI* Now I can use Compiz almost all the time. Though videoplaying is a problem. The videooutput is flickering (can it be because Compiz runs in "Indirect Rendering" mode?).Video is an ongoing issue. YOu need to run
#gstreamer-properties
Set video to X11 No Xv

In VLC you need to change the default video output to X11
Settings -> Preferences -> Video (open menu)
Check "advanced" box
Select "output modules"
Set to X11
SAVE

I haven't got xine to work at all, it just crashes X

You might read more on the xgl and aiglx compositing extentions and make sure you don't have xserver-xgl installed.
-Tom

[bridgman]

I have an X1650 256 DDR2 that uses the same setting. The driver and card support virtual RAM. Extending the video storage size using system RAM so the card can store more "stuff".

I don't *think* we have HyperMemory support in the Linux driver but will check.

[siggma]

I don't *think* we have HyperMemory support in the Linux driver but will check.

Would it show up in Catalyst control center?
I see 256 meg
405 Mhz memory
601 Core Mhz
But no virtual ram.

I suspect the reason for the "hypermemory" is to move static textures and pixmaps out of expensive vram?

For my card there is damn little in there. Just some 3D settings that seem to have no effect and verification. But, things change... :)

[bridgman]

If it's not in CCC-LE that's a pretty good indication. Not 100% conclusive (sometimes the CCC support might come a release after the underlying support) but in this case I think it's pretty safe to conclude that we aren't doing any HyperMemory stuff in Linux.

[Vantskruv]

Which card?

My card is an ATI X1950XTX PCIe


Video is an ongoing issue. YOu need to run
#gstreamer-properties
Set video to X11 No Xv

I'm running Kubuntu, not Ubuntu. I don't exactly know what gstreamer-properties do, but maybe there is some equal software for KDE?


I haven't got xine to work at all, it just crashes X

Xine works fine for me in Kaffeine.


You might read more on the xgl and aiglx compositing extentions and make sure you don't have xserver-xgl installed.
-Tom
I don't have XGL installed, because I didn't like it. When ATI released the new drivers with AIGLX support, I started testing Compiz.



For the rest, I'm using KPlayer as the standard video player. It's a frontend of mplayer, and I'm very pleased with it. MPlayer and Xine gives the same reactions with the flickering video, though, for now, it works without flickering in fullscreen, but not in window mode. VLC works fine without flickering in window mode, though the performance is bad with poor FPS (but it works fine in fullscreen mode :)). Reasons why I'm not using VLC is because of the awkard GUI, problems with subs and no S/PDIF sound, but that's another story.

Edit: It seems I'm going a little offtopic here, because most of the problems is caused by Compiz...everything works well without Compiz.

[siggma]

My card is an ATI X1950XTX PCIe

Shameless ATI Plug
I have a similar card. Mine is a Visiontek implementation. I got it repackaged for $139. :) Not bad for this level of performance, considering the next real step up in performance is three times that cost (DDR3, faster chipset). I've seen and heard things about Nvidia and I purchased one just before I acquired this card but returned it for the X1650. I think it was a GEForce 75xx or 78xx? The ATI card is so much smoother and faster. I'm not sure what it is about Nvidia cards, they seem like a foreign country when it comes to common sense.

I'm running Kubuntu, not Ubuntu. I don't exactly know what gstreamer-properties do, but maybe there is some equal software for KDE?There should be a similar program. It sets the default video mode for the gstreamer engine, which is used by default in all Ubuntu and derivitive installations.


Xine works fine for me in Kaffeine.Are you sure it's using the xine engine?
Kaffeine, Totem, KPlayer, GMplayer etc., are all front ends for engines. There are several available. Mplayer, Xine, Gstreamer, MythTV and probably others as well. Both totem and kaffeine will use either xine or gstreamer. Kaffeine does them both in a single package. With totem you need to reinstall the package depending on the engine.

I don't have XGL installed, because I didn't like it. When ATI released the new drivers with AIGLX support, I started testing Compiz.No need to have it installed was my point. It's a duplicate and competing product. I think it has priority if it IS installed so with a working ATI setup, it should not be there.


For the rest, I'm using KPlayer as the standard video player. It's a frontend of mplayer, and I'm very pleased with it. MPlayer and Xine gives the same reactions with the flickering video, though, for now, it works without flickering in fullscreen, but not in window mode. Mplayer can be configured using the properties. If my surmise is correct you don't have accelerated video playback either, yet. The best way to get acceptable performance is to set them all to just plain X11 or X11-noXv.

VLC works fine without flickering in window mode, though the performance is bad with poor FPS (but it works fine in fullscreen mode :)). Reasons why I'm not using VLC is because of the awkard GUI, problems with subs and no S/PDIF sound, but that's another story.VLC can be made to look very nice if you set the default video output to X11. It's even fairly efficient. I see 12% cpu on a 2140 Core Duo. HIGH considering the processor but not devastating.


Edit: It seems I'm going a little offtopic here, because most of the problems is caused by Compiz...everything works well without Compiz.It's not compiz that's the issue, it's that the driver doesn't support hardware accelerated video playback yet.

Plus, keep in mind that until recently most video playback was done using an "overlay", a separate hardware accelerated "window " mixed into the output via an chromatic overlay "map", a pure color written to the video playback window that's replaced with the video contents. I think a playback overlay is "mixed" by the monitor drive hardware at the output rather than in RAM. The problem is there's only ONE of me...if you try to watch video with a browser open in the background, the browser typically "locks" the overlay, even if it's not using it forcing your DVD program to use non hardware accelerated output, HIGH Cpu and possibly poor playback. On a slower processor (PIII) you get doggy page loads and choppy, torn poor playback. Now that both Windows and Linux support a composite 3D desktop a new approach to video playback needs to be "developed", and that's what's happening as we banter.

I suspect the ultimate solution will be to do away with video playback overlays and pack the video card with one, or more, of the following solutions:
a reentrant, on chip, firmware driven software video decoder. Expensive because it requires a fast, possibly dual core on-chip proprietary video processor. It basically simulates a software decoder like ffmpeg and outputs to a hardware bounded (gate blocked) VRAM buffer, just like drawing a jpg. Has the advantage that it can decode multiple video streams is VERY flexible and can be easily upgraded.
an LSI, programmable hardware gate array decoder which is basically a huge bank of programmable, unclocked logic gates. Expensive to build and tyrannical to program but VERY useful for on-the-fly hardware decoding of both audio and video bit streams. Operates at speeds >= any input stream making it a very forward thinking solution. Usually programmed as a fall-through (as-in write raw stream to port XXXX and it appears in VRAM, all decoded and ready to process for display) decoder. Audio would be sent to an output queue with frame-syc markers embedded. By far the most difficult to implement yet ultimately the most pleasing solution because it basically plays a video for you and can't jam or lock up. Also very secure since you can write a gate program code to the register(s) and only that code will decode the input stream. Can also be used for compression and decompression of a quantized composite media stream.
LSI Gate Array Trivia:
Ever heard of a "perplexing register"?
It's the name of a combination I/O register used to select one of millions of gates and read or write it's contents as a choice "state' such as; AND, OR, NOR, XOR,NOT, IGNOR, PASS, LOCK, UNLOCK, KEEP, etc.
in the short term, duplicated hardware decoding similar to the current overlay decoding that supports 4, 8,16, 32 etc video "windows". Limited in how many can be implemented, wasteful of resources, easy to make, expensive. A "patch" while video playback is in transition.That's my $1.3134756 worth.
-Tom

[bridgman]

Textured Video is hardware accelerated, in the sense that we use GPU hardware (shaders) to perform colour space conversion and scaling and put the result directly into the main framebuffer.

On older chips the overlay hardware includes CSC and scaling, but the image was kept separate from the main framebuffer and only merged in the display logic.

The issue here is getting Compiz to pick up the video image generated by the Textured Video shader code and composite it properly. I think that's where the mplayer patch comes in but I'm not sure yet.

[siggma]

Textured Video is hardware accelerated, in the sense that we use GPU hardware (shaders) to perform colour space conversion and scaling and put the result directly into the main framebuffer.

On older chips the overlay hardware includes CSC and scaling, but the image was kept separate from the main framebuffer and only merged in the display logic.

The issue here is getting Compiz to pick up the video image generated by the Textured Video shader code and composite it properly. I think that's where the mplayer patch comes in but I'm not sure yet.

Cool, thanks for that explanation. I always keep in mind that my children will see a very different world than I do or will. I suspected the overlay on older cards was mixed at the output since it shows up as a chromatic box if the decoder is jammed. I have an older All in Wonder Rage128 like that. Still plays TV just fine! If only it had pixel shaders...

As you were saying in earlier posts though, the next generation of hardware is based on current video "viewpoints". Widening and deepening that viewpoint can be very helpful in developing a better working system for the next generation.

Has there been any talk at all about fully autonomous video adapters?
-Tom

[dmj99]

Thanks for the very clear protocol. I'm a little hesitant to install the ATI catalyst driver for my new HD3850 video card (using ubuntu 7.10, 32 bit). The AMD/ATI site does not list this card as being supported by the newests linux catalyst driver. The HD3850 is listed as being supported by the windows drivers. Any advice on proceeding? Thanks.

[bridgman]

Should work fine with a 3850, assuming you have a PCIE card. We're still working on the support for 3850 AGP.

[SneakyPhil]

Bridgman, what about working drivers for the x1950 Pro AGP? I know there is a group of people here that would like that very much - me included.

[bridgman]

SneakyPhil, which issue are you seeing ? Is there a specific error message during startup or anything ?

[SneakyPhil]

X freezes after the operating system loads. Just gives a black screen.

I'm running Ubuntu gutsy, fresh install, latest xorg

I don't know if you have seen this, but it is all the AGP users with problems such as mine.
http://www.phoronix.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7799&page=2

[Paroxysm]

does this script work? if so how do I use it?
IO am asking becaue I just finished building my comp and installed 64bit gutsy and am having major problems installing the ATI drivers

[legume]

X freezes after the operating system loads. Just gives a black screen.


Try setting the apateur/gart size to 512 in your bios.

[SneakyPhil]

I failed to say that after I enabled open source or closed source drivers to get composite working, X froze up.

My bios does not have an option to change the apateur/gart size.

[legume]

I failed to say that after I enabled open source or closed source drivers to get composite working, X froze up.

My bios does not have an option to change the apateur/gart size.

I can reproduce your problems on my AGP X1600pro

The Open source driver doesn't support 3D yet, although it does in theory do XV. The trouble is that it doesn't work with the AGP cards yet. Depending on whether or not I load my chipset agp module I can get OSS 2D to work but it will crash on trying to use XV - or it will hang on startx (if module loaded). This is a known issue and when I reported it to the list was told they are waiting for more details about the pcie -> agp bridge chip that recent AGP cards use.

As for fglrx the only way I can get 3D to work is to set GART to 512 in bios.

I can avoid hangs on startx with lower sizes by blacklisting my chipset AGP module,agpgart and fglrx in /etc/modprobe.conf (though I don't use ubuntu) - but there is no 3D/xv doing it this way.

I guess if you do the same you may at least get stable 2D support with fglrx - which for me using a CRT was alot better than using VESA because I couldn't get that to set refresh rate to anything other than 60Hz.

It's a shame your bios doesn't have the right settings to try - what mobo/bios is it? If you are lucky it could just be hidden by default or something.

Using an older fglrx like 8.40.4 with chipset-agp blacklisted may get you 3D support, but I don't know if it works with recent kernels and don't think it will work with AIGLX.

[dm0rais]

Hi people, im a Linux user since 1 year ago and I just bought a x1650 PRO PCI-Ex, my second video card since previous 6200 AGP.I installed the last proprietary drivers from AMD/ATI site doing justsh ati-driver-installer-8-3-x86.x86_64.run and it installed fine.Is this method recommended or can I have low performance or any issues? Thanks for your attention.

[SneakyPhil]

You have the PCI-E version so everything should be pretty fine for you. As long as it get installed and works is what matters.

[gengstapo]

hello guys, im new here & seeking for help on my rig. recently ive installed ubuntu gutsy in my machine & i only can set my display to 1600x1200 where im using radeonhd 2900xt 1gb & dell 24" wfp.

after following the guide here : http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=843&num=1, i manage to change my resolution to max 1920x1200@ 60hz. so:-

a. i wonder shall i install the ati catalyst or just used as it?
b. if i were to install latest ati catalyst, will there any problem such blank display etc?

plss advice, thanks

[gengstapo]

my bad, double post

[izual]

If you don't need 3d acceleration and other "fancy stuff" I would stick to radeonhd.

I used it for 4 month without problems. (Doing Office Stuff, www, watching videos)

Unfortunately I'm forced to use a windows notebook until my stay in Copenhagen :(

[tontan]

That's good to know.Thank you for posting that article.
It's very informative.I know it will be a big help.