ATI Radeon Xpress

From openSUSE

You can try this on other Radeon XPRESS cards and post results!

openSUSE 11.0

This procedure worked for openSUSE 11.0 x86_64 (64 bits) installed on Averatec 7155 EH1 (7100 series). It worked also on Dell Inspiron 1501 with the mentioned ATI Radeon Xpress200.

Problem

One click install mentioned on ATI page didn't work as described on ATI page.

Typing glxinfo on the terminal found direct rendering: No OpenGL vendor string: Mesa

Solution

First, install using the 1 click installer mentioned at the top of ATI, package ati-fglrxG01-kmp-default and x11-video-fglrxG01 will be installed if you want ensure by yast installation software and restart X11 by typing the key combination ctrl+alt+backspace twice within two seconds. You will notice by typing

glxinfo 

into a konsole will report that you are still not using direct acceleration or the fglrx driver.

As root do

init 3

After logging in as root do

mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf-001
sax2 -r -m 0=radeon
aticonfig --initial --input=/etc/X11/xorg.conf
sax2 -r -m 0=fglrx

Adjust the screen settings as desired, and after you're finished type

init 5

to start up X again.

You may verify the configuration with glxinfo/glxgears to ensure that fglrx is working properly.

openSUSE 10.3

This procedure is for openSUSE 10.3 x86 (32 bits) installed on HP zv6230 (zv6000 series). Note that laptop has 64 bit AMD CPU.
Procedure also worked for openSUSE 10.3 x86 (32 bit) installed on DELL Inspiron 6000 running a Mobility Radeon X300.

Problem

One click install mentioned on ATI page didn't work.

The /etc/X11/xorg.conf was still configured with radeon, the open source driver, no sign of fglrx ATI driver. Just as notice, the radeon open source driver worked too, just with lower frame rates.

Attempt with

sax2 -m 0=fglrx 

blacked out screen and froze computer and only power off button helped. Replacing manually radeon with fglrx ended with the same result, and change was reverted , back to radeon driver.

Solution

First switch to text terminal with CTRL-ALT-F1 and login as root and run:

 init 3

to stop X server (GUI), otherwise sax2 will refuse to run.

 mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf-001

to save current configuration, just in case.

After clean openSUSE 10.3 installation and installation of ATI driver with one click install, you can go direct to aticonfig line. but if you already changed configuration /etc/X11/xorg.conf than run:

 sax2 -r -m 0=radeon 

to create new clean configuration with open source radeon driver.

Now run:

 aticonfig --initial --input=/etc/X11/xorg.conf

It should give you usable screen, with glxgears reporting good frame rates.

The only remain problem was that 3D was not recognized by 3Ddiag program, probably because of missing dri module. Running

 sax2 -r -m 0=fglrx

this time didn't froze computer, and it was possible to save configuration, but instead to go back to text mode screen went black. Pressing power button shortly (something about 1 second) produced regular shutdown. After boot notebook was again in graphic 3D mode.

It is probably easier to add dri module by editing /etc/X11/xorg.conf as described in next section, but sax2 worked too. Checking /var/log/Xorg.0.log shows that driver doesn't use a lot of sax2 created options in Section "Device".

openSUSE 10.2

Use YaST / Zypper / Smart to install ati-fglrx drivers from http://www2.ati.com/suse/10.2

 # init 3
 # fglrx-kernel-build.sh
 # ldconfig
 # aticonfig --initial --input=/etc/X11/xorg.conf
 # sax2 -r -m 0=fglrx

log onto your window manager, then install Compiz, Beryl, and opensuse-xgl-settings. Edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf to include:

 Section "Module"
   Load         "dbe"
   Load         "type1"
   Load         "freetype"
   Load         "extmod"
   Load         "glx"
   Load         "v4l"      <---- Video 4 Linux, may not be pertinent
   Load         "dri"
   Load         "vbe"
 EndSection

 Section "Extensions"
   Option       "Composite" "Disabled"
   Option       "Damage" "False"
 EndSection

 Section "DRI"
   Group      "0"
   Mode       0666
 EndSection

under "Module" you'll notice Load "vbe" - a Ubuntu forum said to use it, I don't know why. It seemed to have no effect, but I left it because it worked.

Beryl & KDE

Steps may seem a little odd, but this is the only way it worked!

1. run opensuse-xgl-settings (KDE Menu > System > Configuration)
2. Enable Compiz and restart KDE
3. run from Konsole: beryl-manager --no-force-window-manager
4. right click on ruby icon to change Beryl's advanced settings to:

  Rendering Path: Automatic (not sure which option it uses, but auto works)
  Composite Overlay Window: Don't use COW
  Rendering Platform: Force XGL
  Binding: XGL Binding
  Rendering: XGL Rendering

Now you'll be able to run Beryl / Emerald, but KDE will start with Compiz by default. You can run Beryl from the shortcut after the above settings were changed and there won't be an error on the startup of Beryl. Strangely enough, even with the fglrx driver, fgl_glxgears will not work because of something with XFree86. But the standard glxgears runs far better, and most everything else works.