subject: RX2600: built in VGA as X screen on IA64/HP-UX 11.23 ?

[Robert Kirchgesler_1]

I am having problems with VGA display on rx2600's running HPUX 11.23. Although VGA settings are correct in EFI and output does go to VGA monitor - it still acts like a console and CDE will not start. I am using the onboard VGA graphics port.
Anybody else with this problem who may have the solution is my hero.
Thanks,
Bob Kirchgesler

[Glenn N Wuenstel]

Bob,
I'm not sure if this is the same issue, but I just ran into this issue this week...
In the EFI the console output was directed to a serial port and one VGA port. Each time I tried to install HP-UX the install would start and the say go to the console for output. Finally, someone said he always removes all other output paths except the VGA. I have been installing Windows 64-Bit and Linux 64-Bit on RX2600s for over a year and never had to do that before so I thought he was way off. But I tried it anyway to placate him. Lo and behold, it worked fine with only the VGA output selected.
Hope this helps,
Glenn

[Robert Kirchgesler_1]

Glenn,
Thanks for your response. I have since learned that the built in VGA port on the back of the rx2600's is a maintenance port only, and is there in the event someone does not have a serial console lying around. The VGA port still treats the monitor like a console and so CDE (or any other X11 GUI) won't run. If you are running hpux 11.23, and if you are using the onboard VGA MP port, and getting CDE to run please let me know - I suspect that an additional graphics card has to be added to the system to truly run X11 apps. Finally, I believe that EFI only allows for selection of one VGA device in the menu list but items in the list itself cannot be edited out. Thanks again for your reply.
Bob

[Ted Buis]

The zx6000 is very similar to the rx2600, except that the management card is an option, and one of the PCI slots is AGP, so that it can accomodate a graphics card in that slot.

[Glenn N Wuenstel]

Bob,
Sorry to take so long in my response.
The VGA port on the management card is perfectly usable as the output for all console information including CDE. The AGP port on the workstation model is because if you spend the money on that kind of workstation you probably need a high-end graphics card and the management card won't meet that need.
Back to the issue you are having. When you select where the standard output is going in the EFI what you need to do is look at what items have an asterik and highlight them and press enter. This will deselect that line item. For HP-UX you can only have the one VGA output selected and all other outputs should be de-selected (ie only one asterik on the page). The VGA out put is usually the last entry.
NOTE: For Windows and Linux on this box you can have the VGA and other serial outputs selected and still get the output to the VGA.

Let me know if this works,
Glenn

[Robert Kirchgesler_1]

Hi Glenn,
Thanks for your reply, but I had already selected only the one vga entry in EFI at the beginning of my adventure and although that port will output to a vga monitor it still treats it like a console - no CDE. I had actually found my answer from someone else's post in this forum that stated that the VGA management port will not support Graphical output (at least not for HP-UX).
Another indication of this is that the VGA monitor, when in use on that port also displays the normal config function keys that you would expect to see for serial console configuration at the bottom of the screen. The folks who are using the rx2600 system are actually doing testing and so CDE is not an absolute need for them.

[Ted Buis]

Very interesting, two different resonses to the same issue. I wonder if there is a difference depending on whether the Technical OE is used or the Foundation OE or other "server only" HP-UX OE are used. Something that I would like to test if I can find the time.

[Remote Services]

I have the same problem. It won't work yet. If anybody know how it must be configured, please tell me how !

Rein van Klompenburg
email: reink@simac.nl

[Zygmunt Krawczyk]

Hi,

the build in VGA graphics on rx2600 is working as console only (together with USB keyboard). This port cannot act as display for local X server.

Regards,
Zygmunt

[Zygmunt Krawczyk]

If you want to use CDE on rx2600, you cannot run it on the local X server, but you can run it on remote X server (for example on HP-UX workstation, Linux workstation, or Windows with Reflection X or X other X server for Windows). To use CDE from rx2600 on the remote X server, you must run remote X server with XDMCP query to rx2600.

Regards,
Zygmunt