SVGA mode & the console
 

Hi,

there is a "small" linux distribution (GRML), which I use for rescue
and other purposes. I installed it on a USB-stick.

Furthermore installed in my PC there is a MSI GT430 (nvidia) graphics
card and I use the nvidia-driver in conjunction with xorg 1.9.2.

So far so nice...

The GRML uses the noveau driver as far as I know.

When I boot from my USB-stick I get a very nice high resolution
linux console. It uses vga=791 on the kernel commandline.

When I use the same option with my kernel (2.6.36.2 vanilla) it
ends in a console font/resolution which reminds me at the good
old times when 8bit homecomputers were the dream of many people
and PACMAN was top! ;)

I tried "vga=asK" and then "scan" but the highest resolution I was
offered were 80x60 and only VGA-modes, which again looks like the
"high resolution textmode" of my old ATARI 800...and not like that
nice looking console which I get with the same hardware and the GRML
distro.

I compared both the kernel config of the GRML distro and my
own but I didn't found nay suspicious (or overlooked something?).


Final question after all there words: How can I get such a high
resolution with this hardware and the nvidia-drivers???

Best regards and a happy new 2011!
mcc

SVGA mode & the console
 

On Sunday 02 January 2011 11:28:09 meino.cramer@gmx.de wrote:
> Hi,
>
> there is a "small" linux distribution (GRML), which I use for rescue
> and other purposes. I installed it on a USB-stick.
>
> Furthermore installed in my PC there is a MSI GT430 (nvidia) graphics
> card and I use the nvidia-driver in conjunction with xorg 1.9.2.
>
> So far so nice...
>
> The GRML uses the noveau driver as far as I know.
>
> When I boot from my USB-stick I get a very nice high resolution
> linux console. It uses vga=791 on the kernel commandline.
>
> When I use the same option with my kernel (2.6.36.2 vanilla) it
> ends in a console font/resolution which reminds me at the good
> old times when 8bit homecomputers were the dream of many people
> and PACMAN was top! ;)
>
> I tried "vga=asK" and then "scan" but the highest resolution I was
> offered were 80x60 and only VGA-modes, which again looks like the
> "high resolution textmode" of my old ATARI 800...and not like that
> nice looking console which I get with the same hardware and the GRML
> distro.
>
> I compared both the kernel config of the GRML distro and my
> own but I didn't found nay suspicious (or overlooked something?).
>
>
> Final question after all there words: How can I get such a high
> resolution with this hardware and the nvidia-drivers???

I think that the "nice high resolution" you see with GRML is presented by the
framebuffer. You only get this once the kernel starts to load. Until then
you get a very basic VGA screen, which the GRML may not show at all (in other
words the first visual impression of a LiveCD may be the framebuffer console).

With the latest versions CDs which use KMS (e.g. SystemrescueCD) the two
stages VGA-->framebuffer are visible if I recall correctly.

With regards to your own kernel, are you using KMS? If so, once the kernel
starts loading the KMS will dictate what resolution you get. If this is too
small to read (I think it will render the highest resolution possible) or you
want to set some custom resolution for whatever reason, then add nomodeset to
the kernel line in your grub.conf and also restore the vga=XXX line you had
there previously.

HTH.
--
Regards,
Mick

SVGA mode & the console
 

On 01/02/2011 01:28 PM, meino.cramer@gmx.de wrote:

Hi,

there is a "small" linux distribution (GRML), which I use for rescue
and other purposes. I installed it on a USB-stick.

Furthermore installed in my PC there is a MSI GT430 (nvidia) graphics
card and I use the nvidia-driver in conjunction with xorg 1.9.2.

So far so nice...

The GRML uses the noveau driver as far as I know.

When I boot from my USB-stick I get a very nice high resolution
linux console. It uses vga=791 on the kernel commandline.


Nouveau uses KMS, which means it automatically uses the monitor's native
resolution and supports all resolutions the graphics card is capable of.


On your PC, you're using the VESA fb driver, not Nouveau KMS. That
means you're limited to VESA resolutions for your consoles. You can use
the "vbetest" utility to detect which modes your card's VESA BIOS
supports. To use this tool, emerge the "sys-libs/lrmi" package. Simply
run the tool and it will print a list of modes you can use, and the
resolutions those modes correspond to.


If your desired resolution is not in the list, then there's no way to
use that resolution in a VESA fb; you will need to switch to Nouveau's
KMS fb.