X server will not start

[Capt J S McKenzie]

Ahh we are getting somewhere although I am going to keep trying to get an ECU working.

I added the driver line and rebuilt the kernel then put in the args as suggested and got the following errors in /var/dt/Xerrors (the errors in xdm-errors were the same)

Illegal -depth option: using default 4
Illegal -screen0 option; using default 640x480
Illegal -vsync0 option; using default 60
Permedia-2 on screen 1: visual class -3404696 is not supported
Permedia-2 on screen 1: only TrueColor available for depth 24
Screen 1 Unknown (4D10T assumed) (Permedia-2 8MB) - TrueColor, 24 bpp, 1024x768, 75Hz X
connection to :0.0 broken (explicit kill or server shutdown).


Illegal -depth option: using default 4
Illegal -screen0 option; using default 640x480
Illegal -vsync0 option; using default 60
Permedia-2 on screen 1: visual class -3404696 is not supported
Permedia-2 on screen 1: only TrueColor available for depth 24
Screen 1 Unknown (4D10T assumed) (Permedia-2 8MB) - TrueColor, 24 bpp, 1024x768, 75Hz X
connection to :0.0 broken (explicit kill or server shutdown).


Illegal -depth option: using default 4
Illegal -screen0 option; using default 640x480
Illegal -vsync0 option; using default 60
Permedia-2 on screen 1: visual class -3404696 is not supported
Permedia-2 on screen 1: only TrueColor available for depth 24
Screen 1 Unknown (4D10T assumed) (Permedia-2 8MB) - TrueColor, 24 bpp, 1024x768, 75Hz X
connection to :0.0 broken (explicit kill or server shutdown).


Illegal -depth option: using default 4
Illegal -screen0 option; using default 640x480
Illegal -vsync0 option; using default 60
Permedia-2 on screen 1: visual class -3404696 is not supported
Permedia-2 on screen 1: only TrueColor available for depth 24
Screen 1 Unknown (4D10T assumed) (Permedia-2 8MB) - TrueColor, 24 bpp, 1024x768, 75Hz X
connection to :0.0 broken (explicit kill or server shutdown).



Fri Dec 1 16:46:55 2006
error (pid 1053): Server for display :0 can't be started.


This is surely more hopeful. How does it think there are two screens? And I wonder how to get the Elsa card clone properly recognised.

[Capt J S McKenzie]

Hurray, success!!
The output from the Xerrors suggested that the system was working with two screens. That indicated to me that the ECU HAD to be run to disable VGA on the Cirrus. The problem was that the ECU just froze.
The answer is the circular nature of the procedure.

What you do is this once you have a valid working ECU diskette:-

1) remove any new graphics card
2) enable vga on j27 jumper
3) plug monitor into vga port
4) load the ECU and follow instructions above by Xman to disable VGA in firmware.
5) do NOT exit by rebooting but instead switch off computer
6) move J27 jumper to disable
7) refit the graphics PCI card
8) boot
9) Bingo


All you need to do now is to tailor your card in Xserver.conf so that it works with the monitor and you should have a working GUI.


Thanks to all who have contributed and it shows that perseverance pays.

[Steven Schweda]

Does the ECU stuff say "disable VGA" or
"disable Cirrus (completely)"?

I'd guess that the jumper disables the VGA
part for the console, but not the whole chip
(so the X server still sees it), while the
ECU can disable the whole chip (so that even
the X server won't see it). But that's only
a guess.

In any case, thanks for adding the how-to
summary to the archives. (And I'm glad that
you finally got it to go. But, hey. What
could go wrong?)

[Capt J S McKenzie]

Yes it appears that is the case. The J27 disables the hardware but not the firmware so to really, really disable vga you have to do both. The ECU said disabling vga not disabling Cirrus.
Next trick is to get card working at proper resolution.

[Steven Schweda]

> [...] to get card working at proper resolution.

For my Radeon 7500, I added this to
/var/X11/Xserver.conf :

args <
-pn -depth 24 -screen0 1280x1024 -vsync0 75 -vclass TrueColor
>

A stop-start is needed for these things to
take effect.

"man Xserver" offers details.

[Ajay Agarwal]

It looks like the last thing you need is to set the card to the desired depth, resolution, refresh rate, and visual class. I would suggest removing these settings from Xserver.conf and letting the card come up with its defaults:

8-bit, 1024x768, 70 Hz, PseudoColor

If that works, then add any options to Xserver.conf that you want to change.

Thanks,
Ajay

[Capt J S McKenzie]

Sorry that did not work at all. Removing the entry in args I had in at the moment which is:-
-pn -nice -2 -screen0 1280x1024 -depth 24

does not allow Xserver to satrt at all!

At least with the entry as above it does start up because it has defaulted to 800x600
with a message in /var/dt/Xerrors of

" Screen 0 Unknown (4D10T assumed) (Permedia-2 8mb) - TrueColor 24 bpp, 800x600, 70Hz"

I have asked the supplier to mail me copies of working sysconfigtab and Xserver.conf and am awaiting this at present.

[Steven Schweda]

I certainly wouldn't bet on it, but perhaps
you need to specify a valid "-vsync0 XX", to
go with the "-screen0 1280x1024". Of course,
I don't know what's valid for the ELSA (or
ELSE-like) card at 1280x1024 on Tru64, but I
know that I used 75 Hz on my VMS system.

From my
SYS$MANAGER:DECW$PRIVATE_SERVER_SETUP.COM:

$!
$! GZ (ELSA GLoria Synergy in PWS) currently uses high-res display.
$!
$ if (dwd0 .eqs. "GZ")
$ then
$!
$! Low-res settings:
$!
$!!! decw$xsize_in_pixels == "1024"
$!!! decw$ysize_in_pixels == "768"
$!!! define /system /executive_mode decw$server_refresh_rate 60
$!
$! Hgh-res settings:
$!
$ decw$xsize_in_pixels == "1280"
$ decw$ysize_in_pixels == "1024"
$!
$! Override defaults of 8-bit depth and 70Hz refresh.
$!
$ define /system /executive_mode decw$server_pixel_depth 24
$ define /system /executive_mode decw$server_refresh_rate 75
$!
$ endif

[Ajay Agarwal]

What is the error you are getting when you remove entries from args?

Usually, Xserver comes up with default settings when no arguments are specified ing args section. When no arguments are specified, it should look like this:

args <
-pn
>

Thanks,
Ajay

[Capt J S McKenzie]

Minor change to the error noted in my last post after adding a -vsync0 75 is that the error has changed to

"Screen 0 unknown (4D10T assumed) (Permedia-2 8mb) - TrueColor, 24bpp, 800x600, 75Hz"

so default has recognised the vsync arg

I have also tried leaving the vsync at 75 and reducing the resolution to 1024x768 which made no difference to the error as stated above

[Steven Schweda]

> When no arguments are specified, it should
> look like this:
>
> args <
> -pn
> >

Perhaps you meant "no arguments other than
'-pn'", but you wrote "I would suggest
removing these settings", with no further
explanation.

[Capt J S McKenzie]

Yes, I apologise I assumed you meant no args which resulted in no start! I have now tried with -pn only and error is now

"Screen 0 Unknown (4D10T assumed) (Permedia-2 8mb) - PseudoColor, 8bpp, 800x600, 70Hz"

Does that tell you anything in conjunction with the other attempts?

[Ajay Agarwal]

> "Screen 0 Unknown (4D10T assumed)(Permedia-2 8mb) - PseudoColor, 8bpp, 800x600, 70Hz"

This message is Xerrors file tells us that the default for this card is:

8-bit, 800x600, 70 Hz, PseudoColor

There are no error messages, so I am assuming that your Xserver is now running with this default setting. The next step would be to add any options to Xserver.conf that you want to change and check if the your graphics card supports that setting.

-Ajay

[Capt J S McKenzie]

Yes, that is what I have been doing. Once it started at all (about 7 posts back!) I have been trying to change the Xserver.conf args to give me a better resolution. 1280 is supported by this card but only 800x600 can be achieved with any settings so far.

[Ajay Agarwal]

Any luck in setting desired resolution?

If not, can you please provide the exact arguments that you are using and the exact error messages that the X server is printing when you tried different
resolutions?

Can you also provide us the output of the following to verify the version of the driver and ddx that you are running and the command line options specified with Xserver:

what /vmunix | grep comet
what /usr/shlib/X11/lib_dec_comet.so | grep comet
ps auxww | grep '/usr/bin/X11/X'

Thanks,
Ajay

[Steven Schweda]

As a guide to what you might expect, on my
system:

urtx# what /usr/sys/URTX/vmunix.URTX | grep comet
$RCSfile: comet.c,v $ $Revision: 1.1.37.1 $ (DEC) $Date: 2001/09/17 14:46:39 $

(It's not my active kernel since I installed
the Radeon 7500 card.)


urtx# what /usr/shlib/X11/lib_dec_comet.so | grep comet
/usr/shlib/X11/lib_dec_comet.so:
$RCSfile: cometrect.c,v $ $Revision: 1.1.25.1 $ (DEC) $Date: 2000/10/26 20:34:31 $
$RCSfile: cometpoint.c,v $ $Revision: 1.1.3.3 $ (DEC) $Date: 2000/04/12 14:16:33 $
$RCSfile: cometfillsp.c,v $ $Revision: 1.1.3.3 $ (DEC) $Date: 2000/04/12 14:16:25 $
$RCSfile: cometglblt.c,v $ $Revision: 1.1.3.3 $ (DEC) $Date: 2000/04/12 14:16:29 $


urtx# ps auxww | grep '/usr/bin/X11/X'
root 1182 0.0 0.0 2.43M 224K pts/0 S + 16:22:56 0:00.01 grep /usr/bin/X11/X
root 1023 0.0 0.1 9.96M 2.5M ?? I 16:03:00 0:02.00 /usr/bin/X11/X :0 -auth /var/dt/authdir/authfiles/A:0-NJ3ZUP

[Capt J S McKenzie]

No improvement on resolution Ajay. The Xserver.conf arg I am using at moment (and I appreciate I should get 1078 or 1280 if everything was in order) is:-

args <
-pn -screen0 1280x1024 -vclass0 TrueColor -vsync0 75 -depth 24
>

The output of the three commands is exactly (and I mean EXACTLY to the . ) as Steven got for the first two but different for the ps which I put to file and was:-

# ps auxww | grep '/usr/bin/X11/X'
root 33968 1.1 0.2 2.43M 224K pts/1 S + 13:11:57 0:00.03 grep /usr/bin/X11/X
root 1114 0.3 7.9 19.4M 10.0 ?? S Dec 05 2:23.49 /usr/bin/X11/X :0 -screen0 800x600 -auth /var/dt/authdir/authfiles/A:0-MHkdWf
#

AS I have not had copies of sysconfigtab and Xserver.conf from the supplier yet could you post the extract from sysconfigtab that covers the comet and the last part of the conf file? You could email the whole files to demo@mcb.net if you would like.

[jim owens_1]

A couple of suggestions:

1) It shouldn't matter, but I prefer to set my Xserver.conf without specifying the screen number. As in use "-screen" not "-screen0", and the same for all other args. That way X uses the same setting for all graphics devices.

2) Check your kernel doconfig file in /sys/conf again and if you find any lines of the form:
controller cirrus at *
for any graphics besides comet0, remove them (full list in my earlier post) and rebuild the kernel.

3) Check (and post) your boot messages from /var/adm/messages. Expect something like:
comet0: Card type 'Elsa GLoria' with 8MB framebuffer memory.
comet0 at pci0 slot 1

If it still isn't working, tell us the V5.1 (A,B) and patch kit.

[Ajay Agarwal]

> ps auxww | grep '/usr/bin/X11/X'
root 33968 1.1 0.2 2.43M 224K pts/1 S + 13:11:57 0:00.03 grep /usr/bin/X11/X
root 1114 0.3 7.9 19.4M 10.0 ?? S Dec 05 2:23.49 /usr/bin/X11/X :0 -screen0 800x600 -auth /var/dt/authdir/authfiles/A:0-MHkdWf

The ps output shows that your Xserver is running with command line option "-screen0 800x600". This is causing the Xserver to override the option specified in xserver.conf.

I think one of the configuration files is setting the command line option -screen 800x600. Probably check for 800x600 in /sbin/init.d/xlogin file.

Hope this helps,

-Ajay

[Capt J S McKenzie]

Thankyou to Jim and Ajay for those suggestions. No improvement so far. I think the problem is fundamental to the card not being properly recognised at show config level although the supplier insists that it is effectively identical to the Elsa Gloria. This is an extract from my email to the supplier:-

"As the 1000A says your card is 'unknown' it is defaulting it to an assumed '4D10T' at a resolution of
800x600.

Show config at SRM >>> gives an entry at slot 13 of 3D07104C/00081227 which is evidently
insufficient to identify the card although the error in /var/dt/Xerrors says "Screen 0 Unknown
(4D10T assumed) (Permedia-2 8MB) - TrueColor, 24bpp, 800x600, 70Hz", so it is getting the name
Permedia from somewhere.

As you say you have this fully tested in alpha running tru64 can you please email me with copies of
/etc/sysconfigtab and /var/X11/Xserver.conf from a system which is running your card under
tru64. That will let me see what entries in these two files are necessary to get your card
recognised.

For the record I put the following entries early on into my sysconfigtab and Xserver.conf
respectively based on the man page for the comet driver. I don't know if they are correct and
perhaps they just need a little tweak for the Permedia2:-

comet0:
PCI_Option = PCI_SE_Rev - 0x210, Vendor_Id - 0x104c, Device_Id -0x3d07, Driver_Name -
comet
"

I then gave him the entry in Xserver we have been discussing.

The kernel does not have any controller for cirrus or indeed anything but comet.

The relevant entries in messages are:-
comet0: card type 'unknown' with 8mb framebuffer memory
comet0 at pci0 slot 13

the system is 1000A v5.1b patch 3

there is no command line option for 800x600 in /sbin/init.d/xlogin but I will dig a little deeper as the startup file does reference several other files. However I think it is confused as to just what carf is present (see above)

Fascinating isn't it?

[jim owens_1]

As far as I know, /etc/sysconfigtab should not contain any comet info. No system I have used has that, it is all done via the config_driver in the /sys/conf/HOSTNAME file.

Check your SRM version with show config, an old version that doesn't know the elsa gloria ident might be the problem.

[Capt J S McKenzie]

You are correct re sysconfigtab. I put the entry in after studying man comet. It seemed correct for the Elsa card.

The firmware for the 1000A peaked out at version V5.7-83 and that is precisely what shows at SRM sho config. Also the DEC supported list at link

http://h18002.www1.hp.com/alphaserver/options/as1000aev5/as1000aev5_7_options_sorted.html#O
ptListHead

as just emailed to me by the supplier.

I accept absolutely that the Gloria card is supported. I just don't know why my card is marked as 'Unknown' and thus downgraded to 800x600.

[Ajay Agarwal · Accepted solution]

When starting the desktop, the display manager (dtlogin or xdm) reads the /etc/dt/config/Xservers or /usr/dt/config/Xservers file and uses the ":0 local" line to spawn the X server on the console. So any command line options specified in the Xservers file will show up in the "ps auxww" output. Since we see the "-screen0 800x600" option in the ps output, there must be a -screen0 option added to the Xservers file. Since you are running CDE, check either /etc/dt/config/Xservers or, more likely, /usr/dt/config/Xservers for -screen0 800x600 and remove that option.

-Ajay

[Capt J S McKenzie]

Final success at last!

The reasoning from Ajay seemed sound so I went digging and found that /usr/dt/config/Xservers is linked through two links eventually to a read only file at /usr/dt/config/Xservers.con.
This is the culprit because whatever you put in /var/X11/Xserver.conf entries in that one override it. The intro specifically states that THIS FILE MUST NOT BE EDITED! To ignore that you need to chmod to +w and I first changed the 800x600 to 1280x1024 and rebooted. This crashed the monitor which is an old CRT and presumably cannot support this resolution. I then reedited to 1024x768 and we are away.
I then changed the monitor for a modern LCD and confirmed OK at 1024. before editing again to 1280. This was unsuccessful so I substituted the monitor again for a brand new HP L1706 acquired a couple of days ago and no problem at 1280.
Thus the card works and all is well.

Thanks a million from the Isle of Man to all who have contributed over a number of months. Obviously I can only persevere like this because I am retired from the daily grind of running an ISP but it still gives a glow to nail a persistent problem.

I will leave this open for a couple of days for anybody to add additional notes then I will finalise points and close the thread.
Stuart McKenzie

[Capt J S McKenzie]

AS there have been no extra submissions I am closing what has proved to be quite an extended thread. I doubt if I would ever have found the answer without the help contained in these suggestions particularly when the OS does not perform in an expected way. Having to manually add the comet driver to the system config file and whacking a read only file to prevent the override are out of the normal way of working.
Thanks again and if I am ever able to help please contact me at demo@mcb.net.
Stuart McKenzie