framebuffer fails in standard kernel

Matthew Saltzman mjs at CLEMSON.EDU
Wed Jul 25 17:13:46 UTC 2007


On Wed, 2007-07-25 at 09:50 -0400, Bill Davidsen wrote:
> Matthew Saltzman wrote:
> > On Tue, 2007-07-24 at 22:38 -0400, Bill Davidsen wrote:
> >> I generally don't care about using framebuffers, and when I do I have 
> >> been building a kernel from source with the framebuffer built in. 
> >> However, in the last month, I've had three cases where I wanted to boot 
> >> with a stock modular kernel and framebuffer, and it hasn't worked.
> >>
> >> I have built a new initrd with the framebuffer and any needed modules 
> >> added with "--preload" to get them in early. I have put video=<fb> 
> >> information in the boot, and always the kernel boots, reads the boot 
> >> options, and just goes away. Verified using intelfb, radeonfb, and 
> >> atyfb, each with any needed drivers. But if I build these kernels from 
> >> source, changing the default config only by building-in the same 
> >> modules, it works fine.
> >>
> >> The last time I tried this with a post-2.4 kernel, it worked, but that 
> >> was a 2.5 kernel, and I haven't needed any video performance since.
> >>
> >> Is this typical, should it just work, or ??? I have multiple systems to 
> >> try, and all with work fine if I build in the exact same modules.
> > 
> > Not sure if this is your exact issue, but it may help anyway.
> > 
> > To get the FB module inserted whenever you install a distro kernel,
> > create /etc/sysconfig/mkinitrd with contents:
> > 
> >         MODULES="radeonfb"
> > 
> > Put any module options in /etc/modprobe.conf before rebuilding the
> > initrd.
> > 
> > I use the radeonfb on my Thinkpad to deal with a suspend power issue,
> > and those two steps work for me.
> > 
> Thanks for the thought, I have the distro kernel installed, but I can 
> set that and wait, or try to just do a mkinitrd. From the somewhat 
> sparse docs it looks as if this does the same thing as using "--preload" 
> which I was trying, but it certainly won't hurt to try again!

Once the options are in /etc/modprobe.conf, you can go ahead and remake
the current kernel's initrd.  In fact, I think if you
have /etc/sysconfig/mkinitrd set up, you don't even need to specify the
module when you mkinitrd by hand.  That's the implication here, anyway:

        http://www.ces.clemson.edu/linux/fc6_setup.shtml#radeon
> 
-- 
                Matthew Saltzman

Clemson University Math Sciences
mjs AT clemson DOT edu
http://www.math.clemson.edu/~mjs




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