Catalyst 8.12 in debian lenny

[Kano]

My script is tested with Debian lenny 64 bit. It uses dkms and standard 2.6.26 and 2.6.28 works - now updated to 9-1. Of course when the card has problems the script can not fix driver issues. But the driver install is 100% correct. Tested with

rm /etc/X11/xorg.conf*
dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

And this script:

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

To check dkms:

dkms status

module-assistant is completely outdated, dkms is what you really want - boot any kernel (with installed headers) and the driver will work.

[00marcus]

Ok;

I hope that if "locate fglrx" remains empty my plain ati installation is fully removed..

Will try;

[00marcus]

OK;

I'm not sure if my other reply came through;

I ran your script, which apparently worked (it built the fglrx-packages, removed the old ones and installed the built ones).

The fglrx module was built but not installed.

When I do
modprobe fglrx
I get only the agpgart installed

Xorg.0.log has copmlaints which follow in excerpts.
Finally my machine locks up and reboots when I press ctrl-alt-f1

(II) fglrx(0): ATI Video BIOS revision 9 or later detected
drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card0
drmOpenDevice: open result is -1, (No such device or address)
drmOpenDevice: open result is -1, (No such device or address)
drmOpenDevice: Open failed
[..]
drmOpenByBusid: drmOpenMinor returns -6
(WW) fglrx(0): Failed to open DRM connection
(EE) fglrx(0): [FB] Can not get FB MC address range.
[..]
(EE) fglrx(0): atiddxDriScreenInit failed, GPS not been initialized.
[..]
(EE) fglrx(0): XMM failed to open CMMQS connection.


Any hint?

[Kano]

Best would be: buy Nvidia card

[Gregor A.]

How to install fglrx on Debian:

mkdir fglrx
cd fglrx
wget https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/674/9206...x86.x86_64.run
$ sh ./ati-driver-installer-9-1-x86.x86_64.run --buildpkg Debian/lenny

dpkg -i *.deb
cd /usr/src

m-a prepare
unp fglrx.tar.bz // or so... look into the directory

cd /usr/src/linux
make-kpkg --append-to-version=-1-686 modules-image

cd /usr/src
dpkg -i *.deb // look into the directory


you are done

[00marcus]

Best would be: buy Nvidia card

Sure, which one would you suggest, if I have the following requirements:
o suspend/resume works reliably
o minimum power consumption
o play lo-res vid
o minimal 3d (googleearth / zatttoo)

Sorry for being offtopic, but I'm desperately frustrated with this new laptop and the shitty ati card.

[00marcus]

How to install fglrx on Debian:

mkdir fglrx
cd fglrx
wget https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/674/9206...x86.x86_64.run
$ sh ./ati-driver-installer-9-1-x86.x86_64.run --buildpkg Debian/lenny

dpkg -i *.deb
cd /usr/src

m-a prepare
unp fglrx.tar.bz // or so... look into the directory

cd /usr/src/linux
make-kpkg --append-to-version=-1-686 modules-image

cd /usr/src
dpkg -i *.deb // look into the directory


you are done

Two questions:
1: 32 or 64 bit version of debian?
2: Which ATI model: Radeon HD 3650?

I suspect this model is not yet supported...

[nbi1]

I recently solved the fglrx driver problem in Ubuntu Intrepid. I now have the 8.561 driver working in Intrepid with the 2.6.28 kernel. The root cause of the problem was that an essential module was not being loaded. I have yet to figure out which one it is, but it isn't one of the obvious ones.

Since I'm seeing the exact same failure mode under lenny I'm guessing the solution might be the same. That solution was to get the list of loaded modules via `lsmod` for the stock Intrepid kernel for which fglrx works. I put that list in /etc/modules and voila the dkms rebuild of the fglrx module resulted in a working system.

A potential wrinkle with lenny is that the X server is much older. It isn't clear to me if the X server needs to be upgraded first. Kano, what do you think? Upgrade server or not? Or don't bother because fglrx won't work on lenny for other reasons?

[Kano]

Please do not use /etc/modules. That's a very bad hack and leads to problems. Let the driver load fglrx module and the rest of the modules let udev load. You can use it for lm-sensors, but that's not critical.

[nbi1]

Please do not use /etc/modules. That's a very bad hack and leads to problems. Let the driver load fglrx module and the rest of the modules let udev load. You can use it for lm-sensors, but that's not critical.

Sorry, but specifying all the modules in /etc/modules solved the mangled X display problem in Intrepid. Something that should have been getting loaded but wasn't now is. Yes, /etc/modules may be a hack but the bottom line is that I now have working fglrx.

And you didn't answer my question. Upgrade X server in lenny or not?