Re: rawhide xfree 4.2.0 rpm's specfile

["Mike A. Harris" <mharris redhat com>]

On Sun, 28 Apr 2002, Michal Jaegermann wrote:

>Date: Sun, 28 Apr 2002 14:35:09 -0600
>From: Michal Jaegermann <michal@ellpspace.math.ualberta.ca>
>To: axp-list@redhat.com
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>List-Id: Linux and Red Hat on Alpha processors <axp-list.redhat.com>
>Subject: Re: rawhide xfree 4.2.0 rpm's specfile
>
>On Sun, Apr 28, 2002 at 12:49:08PM -0700, Stephen Williams wrote:
>> 
>> mharris@redhat.com said:
>> > I've got XFree86-4.2.0-8 built for Alpha on my ftp space in the
>> > testing/bleeding-edge directory if you'd like to snag a copy. 
>> 
>> These something one would likely be able to install on an up to
>> date 7.1 system?
>
>This is really installable on an up to date 7.1 systems.  Or at least
>XFree86-4.2.0-7 from "rawhide" has this property for sure (I know
>because I did that :-) and I strongly suspect that Mike has not done
>such drastic changes in an environment between 0-7 and 0-8.
>
>If you will try to do that then either you have to tell rpm not to
>bother with missing "provides" of 'kernel-drm = 4.2.0' or redo your
>own rpm with this.  Actually a kernel from updates does provide
>needed versions of modules and simply a corresponding "Provides" line
>is missing from specs.
>
>You will also need to install or update freetype, Glide, glut,
>Xconfigurator with its hwdata and maybe xinit (IIRC).
>
>A bit of convincing rpm that you know what you are doing also may be
>needed as a split between packages is different and things may be tad
>unhappy until everything is in its place; but all of this is doable with
>a pinch of a forethought and some gentle persuasion.  Providing rpm with
>a list of all packages you are going to install in one go may be the
>easiest but check first what you really need.  Due to this business with
>'kernel-drm' you require '--nodeps' so you have to ensure yourself that
>real dependencies are satisfied.
>
>Keep in mind that 'rpm' has a nasty habit of making _some_ options
>position dependent.  'rpm -Uvh --nodeps ...' is ok but
>'rpm --nodeps -Uvh ...' will have '--nodeps' ignored.
>
>Installing 4.2.0 was not only an exercise in making updates.  At least
>with some graphic cards variants of 4.1.0 from current Red Hat updates
>have a nasty habit of clobbering text consoles while 4.2.0 builds work
>just fine.

If one avoids the kernel dep with --nodeps, DRI (3D acceleration) 
will not work at all.  Just so everyone knows...

Using old kernel with new X, and enabling DRI, will result in 
system crashes, which are expected, and not bugs.  For 3D, you 
must have the rawhide kernel, or compile DRM modules from the X 
source (which is not bugfixed like our kernel source is, since we 
don't build DRM in the XFree86 packaging, but in our kernel 
instead).

Also, all Linus Torvalds and other kernels out there do not have 
the proper 4.2.0 DRM, so if you roll your own, no 3D unless you 
patch it in.  No idea if/when DRM 4.2.0 will make it into the 
official Torvaldian kernel.  :o/



-- 
Mike A. Harris                  Shipping/mailing address:
OS Systems Engineer             190 Pittsburgh Ave., Sault Ste. Marie,
XFree86 maintainer              Ontario, Canada, P6C 5B3
Red Hat Inc.
http://www.redhat.com           ftp://people.redhat.com/mharris