~ubuntu-branches/ubuntu/trusty/xserver-xorg-video-mach64-lts-xenial/trusty-proposed : revision 1

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ATI Adapters README file

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Marc Aurele La France

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2002 February 12

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This is the README for the ATI Mach64 driver included in this release.

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______________________________________________________________________

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Table of Contents

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1. Statement of intent

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2. A note on acceleration

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3. Current implementation for ATI adapters

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4. Current implementation of generic VGA support for non-ATI adapters

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5. xorg.conf specifications

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5.1 Driver ``ati''

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5.2 ChipSet ``name''

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5.3 ChipID & ChipRev specifications

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5.4 IOBase

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5.5 BusID

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5.6 Clocks

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5.6.1 Clocks for supported programmable clock generators

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5.6.2 Clocks for unsupported programmable clock generators

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5.6.3 Clocks for fixed clock generators on ATI adapters

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5.6.4 Clocks for non-ATI adapters

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5.7 Option ``nopanel_display''

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5.8 Option ``crt_display''

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5.9 Option ``noaccel''

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5.10 Option ``nolinear''

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5.11 Option ``HWCursor'' and Option ``SWCursor''

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5.12 Option ``SilkenMouse''

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5.13 Option ``shadowfb''

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5.14 Option ``dpms''

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5.15 Option ``backingstore''

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5.16 MemBase address

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5.17 Option ``ReferenceClock'' ``frequency''

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5.18 ClockChip ``name''

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6. Video modes

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7. Known problems and limitations

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8. Reporting problems

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9. Driver history

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10. Driver versions

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______________________________________________________________________

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1. Statement of intent

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Generally speaking, the driver is intended for all ATI video adapters

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based on the Mach64 series or older chipsets, providing maximum video

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function within hardware limitations. The driver is also intended to

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optionally provide the same level of support for generic VGA or 8514/A

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adapters. The newer Rage 128 and Radeon chips are not supported

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by this driver. Rage 128's and Radeon's are, however, supported by

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separate drivers, and owners of such adapters should consult the

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documentation provided with these drivers. This driver will also

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invoke the appropriate driver if it finds Rage 128 and/or Radeon

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adapter(s) in the system. This driver is still being actively

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developed, meaning that it currently does not yet fully meet these

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goals.

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The driver will provide

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o accelerated support if an ATI accelerator is detected and the user

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has not requested that this support be disabled; otherwise

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o accelerated support if a non-ATI 8514/A-capable adapter is detected

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and the user has requested such support; otherwise

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o unaccelerated SuperVGA support if an ATI VGA-capable adapter is

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detected; otherwise

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o generic VGA support if a non-ATI VGA-capable adapter is detected

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and the user has requested such support.

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Thus, the level of support provided not only depends on what the

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driver detects in the system, but also, on what the user specifies

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in the xorg.conf file. See the ``xorg.conf specifications''

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section below for details.

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If none of the above conditions are met, the ATI driver will

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essentially disable itself to allow other drivers to examine the

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system.

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2. A note on acceleration

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The meaning of ``acceleration'', as used in this document, needs to be

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clarified. Two of the many components in an accelerator are the CRT

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controller (CRTC) and the Draw Engine. This is in addition to another

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CRTC that, generally, is also present in the system (often in the same

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chip) and typically provides EGA, VGA or SuperVGA functionality.

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A CRTC is the component of a graphics controller that is responsible

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for reading video memory for output to the screen. A Draw Engine is

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an accelerator component that can be programmed to manipulate video

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memory contents, thus freeing the CPU for other tasks.

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When the VGA CRTC is used, all drawing operations into video memory

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are the responsibility of the system's CPU, i.e. no Draw Engine can be

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used. On the other hand, if the accelerator's CRTC is chosen to drive

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the screen, the Draw Engine can also be used for drawing operations,

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although the CPU can still be used for this purpose if it can access

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the accelerator's video memory.

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Video acceleration refers to the programming of an accelerator's Draw

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Engine to offload drawing operations from the CPU, and thus also

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implies the use of the accelerator's CRTC.

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3. Current implementation for ATI adapters

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The driver currently supports the SuperVGA capabilities of all ATI

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adapters except some early Mach8 and Mach32 adapters that do not

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provide the required functionality. This support works for

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monochrome, 16-colour and 256-colour video modes, if one of the

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following ATI graphics controller chips is present:

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VGAWonder series: 18800, 18800-1, 28800-2, 28800-4, 28800-5, 28800-6

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Mach32 series: 68800-3, 68800-6, 68800AX, 68800LX

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Mach64 series: 88800GX-C, 88800GX-D, 88800GX-E, 88800GX-F, 88800CX,

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264CT, 264ET, 264VT, 264GT (3D Rage), 264VT-B, 264VT3,

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264VT4, 264GT-B (3D Rage II), 3D Rage IIc, 3D Rage Pro,

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3D Rage LT, 3D Rage LT Pro, 3D Rage XL, 3D Rage XC,

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3D Rage Mobility (including the -M and -P variants)

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The driver also supports 32K, 64K and 16M-colour modes on the 264xT

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and 3D Rage series of adapters using the accelerator CRTC (but not the

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VGA CRTC).

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The newer Rage 128 and Radeon chips are not supported by this

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driver. Rage 128's and Radeon's are, however, supported by separate

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drivers, and owners of such adapters should consult the documentation

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provided with these drivers. This driver will also invoke the

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appropriate driver if it finds Rage 128 and/or Radeon adapter(s) in

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the system.

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Adapters based on the above chips have been marketed under a rather

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large number of names over the years. Among them are:

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VGAWonder series: VGAWonder V3, VGAWonder V4, VGAWonder V5, VGAWonder+,

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VGAWonder XL, VGAWonder XL24, VGAWonder VLB, VGA Basic,

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VGA Basic 16, VGA Edge, VGA Edge 16, VGA Integra,

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VGA Charger, VGAStereo F/X, VGA 640, VGA 800, VGA 1024,

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VGA 1024D, VGA 1024 XL, VGA 1024 DXL, VGA 1024 VLB

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Mach8 series: Graphics Ultra, Graphics Vantage, VGAWonder GT

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(None of the 8514/Ultra and 8514 Vantage series is

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supported at this time)

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Mach32 series: Graphics Ultra+, Graphics Ultra Pro, Graphics Wonder,

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Graphics Ultra XLR, Graphics Ultra AXO, VLB mach32-D,

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PCI mach32-D, ISA mach32

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Mach64 series: Graphics Xpression, Graphics Pro Turbo, WinBoost,

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WinTurbo, Graphics Pro Turbo 1600, Video Xpression,

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3D Xpression, Video Xpression+, 3D Xpression+,

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3D Charger, Video Charger, WinCharger, All-In-Wonder,

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All-In-Wonder PRO, 3D Pro Turbo, XPERT@Play,

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XPERT@Play 98, XPERT@Work, XPERT 98, XPERT LCD,

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XPERT XL

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Also, a number of mainboards, laptops and notebooks harbour a Mach32

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or Mach64 controller.

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VGAWonder, Mach8 and Mach32 ISA adapters are available with or without

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a mouse.

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These adapters are available with a variety of clock generators and

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RAMDACs. The 264xT and 3D Rage series of chips are integrated

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controllers, meaning that they include a programmable clock generator

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and a RAMDAC.

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For all but Mach64 adapters, this driver still does not provide

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support for accelerated drawing to the screen. This means that all

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drawing is done by the CPU, rather than by any accelerator present in

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the system. This can make opaque moves, for example, quite ``jerky''.

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Also, given that IBM 8514/A and ATI Mach8 do not allow CPU access to

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their frame buffer, the driver will currently ignore these

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accelerators. Most Mach32 adapters provide both accelerated function

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and SuperVGA functionality, but the driver currently only uses the

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VGA.

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The driver does however support the accelerator CRTC present in all

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ATI Mach64 adapters. For 256-colour, and higher depth modes, this

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support will be used by default, although an xorg.conf option can be

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specified to use the SuperVGA CRTC instead. A linear video memory

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aperture is also available in 256-colour and higher depth modes and

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enabled by default if a 264xT or 3D Rage controller is detected or, on

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88800 controllers, if the accelerator CRTC is used. xorg.conf options

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are available to disable this aperture, or (for non-PCI adapters)

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enable it or move it to some other address.

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By default, the driver provides some acceleration for Mach64 if the

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accelerator CRTC is used, and modes whose colour depth greater than or

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equal to 8 are to be used. This support is as yet incomplete and can

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be disabled entirely with an xorg.conf option.

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On non-Intel platforms, the driver can, currently, only support PCI

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Mach64 adapters.

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4. Current implementation of generic VGA support for non-ATI adapters

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Support for generic VGA with non-ATI adapters is also implemented, but

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has undergone only limited testing. The driver will intentionally

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disallow the use of this support with ATI adapters. This support must

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be explicitly requested through an xorg.conf ChipSet specification.

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This prevents the current VGA generic driver from being disabled.

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This driver's generic VGA support is intended as an extension of that

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provided by the current generic driver. Specifically, within the

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architectural bounds defined by IBM's VGA standard, this driver will

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allow the use of any 256-colour mode, and any dot clock frequencies

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both of which allow for many more mode possibilities.

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The driver will enforce the following limitations derived from IBM's

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original VGA implementation:

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o There can only be a set of four (non-programmable) clocks to choose

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from.

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o Video memory is limited to 256kB in monochrome and 16-colour modes.

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o Video memory is limited to 64kB in 256-colour modes.

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o Interlaced modes are not available.

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o Colour depths higher than 8 are not available.

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5. xorg.conf specifications

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The driver recognises a number of xorg.conf options. In general, all

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such options should be specified in a ``Device'' section, and affect

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only that ``Device'' section.

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Those options that affect how the driver associates adapters with

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``Device'' sections are described first. The driver will ignore (with

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a message) a ``Device'' section if the section cannot be associated

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with exactly one adapter in the system. Similarly, the driver will

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ignore, or disable, (with a message) any adapter that cannot be

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associated with exactly one ``Device'' section. Thus, these options

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will be required in those uncommon cases where such unique

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associations cannot automatically be made by the driver.

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Other options affect the driver's operation once an adapter has been

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assigned to the ``Device'' section which contains them.

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5.1. Driver ``ati''

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The use of this specification is highly recommended if the ``Device''

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section is to be recognised by the driver. In fact, it is almost (but

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not quite) mandatory, particularly when using the loader server as it

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indicates what driver is to be loaded and associated with the

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``Device'' section.

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5.2. ChipSet ``name''

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The default ChipSet name for this driver is ``ati''. In this case,

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any ATI adapter can be associated with the ``Device'' section. If an

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ATI accelerator is detected and the driver supports it, the

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accelerator's CRTC will be used to drive the screen. Otherwise, the

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driver will programme the adapter's SuperVGA CRTC.

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If ``ativga'' is specified instead, the driver will ignore any ATI

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accelerator it detects, but otherwise operate as if ``ati'' had been

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specified. This specification ensures the VGA CRTC is used.

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A ChipSet name of ``ibmvga'' causes any VGA-capable adapter in the

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system to be associated with the ``Device'' section. It enables the

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driver's generic VGA support, but only for non-ATI adapters. If an

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ATI adapter is associated with the ``Device'' section, the driver will

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operate as if ``ativga'' had been specified instead.

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A ChipSet name of ``vgawonder'' is equivalent to ``ativga'', except

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that only VGAWonder-capable adapters can be assigned to the ``Device''

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section. This specifically excludes the newer integrated Mach64

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controllers.

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In some PCI or AGP systems, the driver will not, by default, probe for

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non-PCI Mach32's or Mach64's. This is because, before doing any such

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probe, the driver attempts to determine if the probe can cause a

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lockup. If the driver has enough information to determine that a

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lockup would occur, it will skip the probe. In some situations, this

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determination cannot be accurate, and the driver will err on the side

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of caution, skipping the probe. Specifying a ChipSet name of

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``mach32'' or ``mach64'', as appropriate, will force the driver to

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probe for the non-PCI adapter. These ChipSet names should, therefore,

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only be used when there is in fact such an adapter in the system.

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They are otherwise equivalent to ``ati''.

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On non-Intel platforms, only ``ati'' and ``mach64'' ChipSet values are

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operative.

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5.3. ChipID & ChipRev specifications

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These specifications will cause the driver to associate the ``Device''

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section only with an adapter having the same attributes, or an adapter

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whose PCI device ID the driver does not recognise. In the second

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case, these options cause the driver to treat the adapter as if it was

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one with the specified PCI device ID or revision. ChipID can only be

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used with Mach32 or Mach64 adapters, and, thus, specifically excludes

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any other adapter from matching the ``Device'' section. ChipRev is

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meaningful only with Mach64 adapters, and then only if ChipID is also

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specified in the same ``Device'' section.

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5.4. IOBase

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This option limits the adapters that can be associated with the

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``Device'' section to the one with the specified I/O base. This

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option only applies to Mach64 adapters and specifically excludes other

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adapters.

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5.5. BusID

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This option limits the adapters that can be associated with the

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``Device'' section to the one with the specified PCI Bus ID. This

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specification excludes non-PCI adapters.

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5.6. Clocks

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For the purpose of specifying a clock line in your xorg.conf, one of

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four different situations can occur, as follows.

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Those configuring the driver's generic VGA support for a non-ATI

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adapter, can skip ahead to the ``Clocks for non-ATI adapters'' section

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below. Those not trying to configure the driver for a Mach64 adapter,

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can skip ahead to the ``Clocks for fixed clock generators on ATI

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adapters'' section below.

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The very earliest Mach64 adapters use fixed (i.e. non-programmable)

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clock generators. Very few of these (mostly prototypes) are known to

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exist, but if you have one of these, you can also skip ahead to the

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``Clocks for fixed clock generators on ATI adapters'' section below.

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The two cases that are left deal with programmable clock generators,

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which are used on the great majority of Mach64 adapters.

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If you are uncertain which situation applies to your adapter, you can

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run a clock probe with the command ``X -probeonly''.

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5.6.1. Clocks for supported programmable clock generators

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At bootup, video BIOS initialisation programmes an initial set of

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frequencies. Two of these are reserved to allow the setting of modes

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that do not use a frequency from this initial set. One of these

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reserved slots is used by the BIOS mode set routine, the other by the

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particular driver used (e.g. MS-Windows, AutoCAD, X, etc.). The clock

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numbers reserved in this way are dependent on the particular clock

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generator used by the adapter.

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The driver currently supports all programmable clock generators known

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to exist on Mach64 adapters. In this case, the driver will completely

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ignore any xorg.conf clock specification, and programme the clock

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generator as needed by the modes used during the X session.

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5.6.2. Clocks for unsupported programmable clock generators

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This case is unlikely to occur, but is documented for the sake of

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completeness.

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In this situation, the driver will probe the adapter for clock

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frequencies unless xorg.conf clocks are already specified. In either

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case, the driver will then attempt to normalise the clocks to one of

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the following specifications:

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BIOS setting 1:

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Clocks 0.000 110.000 126.000 135.000 50.350 56.640 63.000 72.000

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0.000 80.000 75.000 65.000 40.000 44.900 49.500 50.000

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0.000 55.000 63.000 67.500 25.180 28.320 31.500 36.000

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0.000 40.000 37.500 32.500 20.000 22.450 24.750 25.000

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BIOS setting 2:

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Clocks 0.000 110.000 126.000 135.000 25.180 28.320 31.500 36.000

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0.000 80.000 75.000 65.000 40.000 44.900 49.500 50.000

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0.000 55.000 63.000 67.500 12.590 14.160 15.750 18.000

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0.000 40.000 37.500 32.500 20.000 22.450 24.750 25.000

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BIOS setting 3:

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Clocks 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 25.180 28.320 0.000 0.000

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0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

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0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 12.590 14.160 0.000 0.000

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0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

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If the driver matches the clocks to the third setting above, function-

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ality will be extremely limited (assuming the driver works at all).

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5.6.3. Clocks for fixed clock generators on ATI adapters

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This section applies to all VGAWonder and Mach32 adapters, and to

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early Mach64 prototypes.

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One of the following clocks specifications (or an initial subset

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thereof) can be used depending on what the adapter uses to generate

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dot clocks:

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Crystals (VGA Wonder V3 and V4 adapters only):

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Clocks 50.000 56.644 0.000 44.900 44.900 50.000 0.000 36.000

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25.000 28.322 0.000 22.450 22.450 25.000 0.000 18.000

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16.667 18.881 0.000 14.967 14.967 16.667 0.000 12.000

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12.500 14.161 0.000 11.225 11.225 12.500 0.000 9.000

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ATI 18810 clock generator:

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Clocks 30.240 32.000 37.500 39.000 42.954 48.771 0.000 36.000

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40.000 0.000 75.000 65.000 50.350 56.640 0.000 44.900

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15.120 16.000 18.750 19.500 21.477 24.386 0.000 18.000

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20.000 0.000 37.500 32.500 25.175 28.320 0.000 22.450

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10.080 10.667 12.500 13.000 14.318 16.257 0.000 12.000

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13.333 0.000 25.000 21.667 16.783 18.880 0.000 14.967

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7.560 8.000 9.375 9.750 10.739 12.193 0.000 9.000

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10.000 0.000 18.750 16.250 12.586 14.160 0.000 11.225

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ATI 18811-0 and ATI 18812-0 clock generators:

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Clocks 30.240 32.000 110.000 80.000 42.954 48.771 92.400 36.000

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39.910 44.900 75.000 65.000 50.350 56.640 0.000 44.900

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15.120 16.000 55.000 40.000 21.477 24.386 46.200 18.000

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19.955 22.450 37.500 32.500 25.175 28.320 0.000 22.450

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10.080 10.667 36.667 26.667 14.318 16.257 30.800 12.000

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13.303 14.967 25.000 21.667 16.783 18.880 0.000 14.967

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7.560 8.000 27.500 20.000 10.739 12.193 23.100 9.000

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9.978 11.225 18.750 16.250 12.588 14.160 0.000 11.225

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ATI 18811-1 and ATI 18811-2 clock generators:

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Clocks 135.000 32.000 110.000 80.000 100.000 126.000 92.400 36.000

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39.910 44.900 75.000 65.000 50.350 56.640 0.000 44.900

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67.500 16.000 55.000 40.000 50.000 63.000 46.200 18.000

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19.955 22.450 37.500 32.500 25.175 28.320 0.000 22.450

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45.000 10.667 36.667 26.667 33.333 42.000 30.800 12.000

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13.303 14.967 25.000 21.667 16.783 18.880 0.000 14.967

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33.750 8.000 27.500 20.000 25.000 31.500 23.100 9.000

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9.978 11.225 18.750 16.250 12.588 14.160 0.000 11.225

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ICS 2494-AM clock generators (found on some Dell motherboards):

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Clocks 75.000 77.500 80.000 90.000 25.175 28.322 31.500 36.000

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100.000 110.000 126.000 135.000 40.000 44.900 50.000 65.000

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37.500 38.750 40.000 45.000 12.588 14.161 15.750 18.000

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50.000 55.000 63.000 67.500 20.000 22.450 25.000 32.500

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25.000 25.833 26.667 30.000 8.392 9.441 10.500 12.000

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33.333 36.667 42.000 45.000 13.333 14.767 16.667 21.667

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18.750 19.375 20.000 22.500 6.294 7.081 7.875 9.000

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25.000 27.500 31.500 33.750 10.000 11.225 12.500 16.250

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VGAWonder VLB, VGA 1024 VLB, Mach32 and Mach64 owners should only

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specify up to the first 32 frequencies. Any more will be ignored.

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Other clock generators that have been used on ATI adapters (which can

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all be said to be clones of one of the above) might generate non-zero

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frequencies for those that are zero above, or vice-versa.

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The order of the clocks is very important, although the driver will

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reorder the specified clocks if it deems it appropriate to do so.

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Mach32 and Mach64 owners should note that this order is different than

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what they would use for previous accelerated servers.

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5.6.4. Clocks for non-ATI adapters

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If no clocks are specified in the xorg.conf, the driver will probe for

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four clocks, the second of which will be assumed to be 28.322 MHz.

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The first clock will typically be 25.175 MHz, but there are

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exceptions. You can include up to four clock frequencies in your

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xorg.conf to specify the actual values used by the adapter. Any more

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will be ignored.

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5.7. Option ``nopanel_display''

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This specification is only effective when the driver detects that the

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adapter's BIOS has initialised both the digital flat panel and CRT

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interfaces. In such a situation, the driver will normally drive both

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the panel and the CRT. This specification causes the driver to

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disable the digital flat panel and display the screen image on the CRT

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instead, which could potentially allow for larger physical resolutions

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than the panel can handle.

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5.8. Option ``crt_display''

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This specification is only effective when the driver detects that the

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adapter's BIOS has initialised the digital flat panel interface, but

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has disabled the CRT interface. In such a situation the driver will

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normally drive only the panel. This specification causes the driver

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to instead display the same image on both the panel and the CRT.

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5.9. Option ``noaccel''

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By default, the driver will accelerate draw operations if a Mach64

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CRTC is used to drive the display. As implemented in this driver,

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acceleration does not require a linear video memory aperture. This

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option disables this acceleration.

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5.10. Option ``nolinear''

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By default, the driver will enable a linear video memory aperture for

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256-colour and higher depth modes if it is also using a Mach64

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accelerator CRTC or an integrated Mach64 graphics chip. This option

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disables this linear aperture.

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On non-Intel platforms, the driver requires a linear aperture and, so,

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this option is ignored.

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5.11. Option ``HWCursor'' and Option ``SWCursor''

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Option ``HWCursor'', which is the default, specifies that hardware

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facilities are to be used to paint the mouse pointer on the screen.

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Option ``SWCursor'' specifies that the mouse pointer is to be drawn by

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software, which is much slower. If both options are specified, option

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``SWCursor'' prevails. Currently, these options are only acted upon

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for 256-colour or higher depth modes, if a Mach64 accelerator CRTC, or

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a Mach64 integrated controller is being used. In all other

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situations, a software cursor will be used, regardless of what these

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options specify.

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5.12. Option ``SilkenMouse''

548

549

This option is only acted upon when a hardware cursor is being used.

550

It specifies that the cursor's position on the screen is to be updated

551

as quickly as possible when the mouse is moved. This is the default

552

behaviour. If this option is negated, the cursor may lag the mouse

553

when the X server is very busy.

554

555

556

5.13. Option ``shadowfb''

557

558

If this option is enabled, the driver will cause the CPU to do each

559

drawing operation first into a shadow frame buffer in system virtual

560

memory and then copy the result into video memory. If this option is

561

not active, the CPU will draw directly into video memory. Enabling

562

this option is beneficial for those systems where reading from video

563

memory is, on average, slower than the corresponding read/modify/write

564

operation in system virtual memory. This is normally the case for PCI

565

or AGP adapters, and, so, this option is enabled by default. For

566

other bus types, the default behaviour is to disable this option.

567

568

Note that, due to various limitations, this option is forcibly

569

disabled when a linear video memory aperture is not enabled, when the

570

frame buffer depth is less than 8, or when acceleration is used.

571

572

573

5.14. Option ``dpms''

574

575

This option enables the driver's support for VESA's Display Power

576

Management Specification.

577

578

579

580

5.15. Option ``backingstore''

581

582

This is not specifically a driver option. It is used to enable the

583

server's support for backing store, a mechanism by which pixel data

584

for occluded window regions is remembered by the server thereby

585

alleviating the need to send expose events to X clients when the data

586

needs to be redisplayed.

587

588

589

5.16. MemBase address

590

591

This specification is only effective for non-PCI Mach64 adapters, and

592

is used to override the CPU address at which the adapter will map its

593

video memory. Normally, for non-PCI adapters, this address is set by

594

a DOS install utility provided with the adapter. The MemBase option

595

can also be used to enable the linear aperture in those cases where

596

ATI's utility was not, or can not be, used.

597

598

For PCI and AGP adapters, this address is determined at system bootup

599

according to the PCI Plug'n'Play specification which arbitrates the

600

resource requirements of most devices in the system. This means the

601

driver can not easily change the linear aperture address.

602

603

604

5.17. Option ``ReferenceClock'' ``frequency''

605

606

This option is only applicable to non-Intel platforms, where an

607

adapter BIOS is not available to the driver. The option specifies the

608

reference frequency used by the adapter's clock generator. The

609

default is 14.318 MHz, and other typical values are 28.636, or 29.5

610

MHz.

611

612

613

5.18. ClockChip ``name''

614

615

This option is only applicable to non-Intel platforms, where an

616

adapter BIOS is not available to the driver, and the driver cannot

617

reliably determine whether the clock generator the adapter uses is a

618

variant of an ATI 18818 (a.k.a. ICS 2595) or an unsupported clock

619

generator. The only values that are acted upon are ``ATI 18818-0'' or

620

``ATI 18818-1''. From this specification, the driver derives a

621

reference divider of 43 or 46 (respectively) for use in clock

622

programming calculations. The driver's default behaviour, in this

623

case, is to assume an unsupported clock generator, which means it will

624

treat it as a fixed-frequency clock generator, as described under the

625

heading ``Clocks for unsupported programmable clock generators''

626

above.

627

628

629

6. Video modes

630

631

Mode timings can be derived from the information in X's doc

632

subdirectory. However, it is no longer required to specify such

633

timings in an xorg.conf's ``Monitor'' section(s), if only standard

634

mode timings are to be used. The server automatically inserts VESA

635

standard mode timings in every ``Monitor'' section, and these modes

636

will be checked first for mode constraints (monitor sync tolerances,

637

video memory size, etc.).

638

639

Furthermore, it is also no longer required to specify mode names in

640

``Display'' subsections. Should no mode names be specified (or those

641

specified do not yield a usable mode), the server will automatically

642

select as a default resolution the largest usable mode, whether or not

643

the chosen mode is specified in the corresponding ``Monitor'' section.

644

645

646

For a digital flat panel, any sync tolerances should be removed from

647

the corresponding ``Monitor'' section. The driver will automatically

648

calculate these from the mode that is active on server entry. The

649

driver also inserts timings for a mode called "Native panel mode" that

650

represents the panel's native resolution.

651

652

653

7. Known problems and limitations

654

655

There are several known problems or limitations related to the ATI

656

driver. They include:

657

658

659

o When using a Mach64's accelerator CRTC, the virtual resolution must

660

be less than 8192 pixels wide. The VGA CRTC further limits the

661

virtual resolution width to less than 4096 pixels, or to less than

662

2048 pixels for adapters based on 18800-x's (with 256kB of memory)

663

and on Mach64 integrated controllers. These are hardware limits

664

that cannot be circumvented.

665

666

o Virtual resolutions requiring more than 1MB of video memory (256kB

667

in the monochrome case) are not supported by the VGA CRTC on

668

88800GX and 88800CX adapters. This is a hardware limit that cannot

669

be circumvented.

670

671

o Due to hardware limitations, doublescanned modes are not supported

672

by the accelerator CRTC in 88800GX, 88800CX, 264CT and 264ET

673

adapters.

674

675

o The ``VScan'' modeline parameter is only supported when using the

676

VGA CRTC.

677

678

o Interlaced modes are not supported on 18800-x and 28800-x adapters

679

when using a virtual resolution that is 2048 pixels or wider. When

680

using a 18800-x with 256kB of video memory in 256-colour modes,

681

this limit is reduced to 1024. This is yet another hardware

682

limitation that cannot be circumvented.

683

684

o Video memory banking does not work in monochrome and 16-colour

685

modes on 18800-x adapters. This appears to be another hardware

686

limit, but this conclusion cannot be confirmed at this time. The

687

driver's default behaviour in this case is to limit video memory to

688

256kB.

689

690

o Video memory corruption can still occur during mode switches on

691

18800-x adapters. Symptoms of this problem include garbled fonts

692

on return to text mode, and various effects (snow, dashed lines,

693

etc) on initial entry into a graphics mode. In the first case, the

694

workaround is to use some other means of restoring the text font.

695

On Linux, this can be accomplished with the kbd or svgalib

696

packages. In the second case, xrefresh(1) will usually clean up

697

the image. No complete solution to this problem is currently

698

known. It appears this corruption occurs due to either video

699

memory bandwidth or RAMDAC limitations, and so the driver will

700

limit mode clocks to 40MHz.

701

702

o There is some controversy over what the maximum allowed clock

703

frequency should be on 264xT and 3D Rage adapters. For now, clocks

704

will, by default, be limited to 80MHz, 135MHz, 170MHz, 200MHz or

705

230MHz, depending on the specific controller. This limit can only

706

be increased (up to a driver-calculated absolute maximum) through

707

the DACSpeed specification in xorg.conf. Be aware however that

708

doing so is untested and might damage the adapter.

709

710

o Except as in the previous items, clocks are limited to 80MHz on

711

most adapters, although many are capable of higher frequencies.

712

This will eventually be fixed in a future release.

713

714

o The use of a laptop's hot-keys to switch displays while this driver

715

is active can cause lockups and/or other woes, and is therefore not

716

recommended. It is not currently possible to solve this problem.

717

718

719

o In situations where the driver is to simultaneously display on both

720

a panel and a CRT, the same image will be seen on both. In

721

particular, this means the CRT must be able to synchronise with the

722

timings of the panel's native resolution. This is quite evident

723

when the panel has ``odd-ball'' dimensions, such as 1400x1050, a

724

resolution not commonly possible on CRTs or projection equipment.

725

726

Also, the display of independent images on the panel and CRT is not

727

currently implemented, and might never be, pending resolution of

728

the previous item.

729

730

731

Support for the following will be added in a future release:

732

733

o Mach32's accelerator CRTC. This support is the first step towards

734

accelerated support for Mach32's, Mach8's, 8514/A's and other

735

clones.

736

737

o Colour depth greater than 8 on non-integrated controllers, where

738

permitted by the hardware.

739

740

o Mach32, Mach8 and 8514/A Draw Engines.

741

742

o Hardware cursors where implemented by hardware. This has already

743

been done for Mach64 integrated controllers.

744

745

o TVOut, i.e. the ability to use a television screen as a monitor.

746

747

o Motion Video, i.e. displaying an asynchronous data stream (TV

748

signal, DVD, etc.) in a window or full-screen.

749

750

o 3D operations.

751

752

8. Reporting problems

753

754

If you are experiencing problems that are not already recorded in this

755

document, first ensure that you have the latest current release of

756

this driver and the Xorg X server. Check the server's log (usually

757

found in /var/log/Xorg.0.log) and http://www.x.org/releases/individual/

758

if you are uncertain.

759

760

Secondly, please check Xorg's doc directory for additional

761

information.

762

763

Thirdly, a scan through the comp.windows.x.i386unix and

764

comp.os.linux.x newsgroups, the xorg mailing list archives at

765

http://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/xorg, and the Xorg bug

766

database at https://bugs.freedesktop.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=xorg

767

can also prove useful in resolving problems.

768

769

If you are still experiencing problems, you can send non-HTMLised e-

770

mail to <mailto:xorg@lists.fredesktop.org>. Please be as specific as

771

possible when describing the problem(s), and include an unedited copy

772

of the server's log and the xorg.conf file used.

773

774

775

776

9. Driver history

777

778

The complete history of the driver is rather cloudy. The following is

779

more than likely to be incomplete and inaccurate.

780

781

Apparently, Per Lindqvist first got a driver working with an early ATI

782

adapter under X386 1.1a. This original driver might have actually

783

been based on a non-functional ATI driver written by Thomas Roell

784

(currently of Xi Graphics).

785

786

Then Doug Evans added support for the ATI VGA Wonder XL, trying in the

787

process to make the driver work with all other ATI adapters available

788

at the time.

789

790

Rik Faith obtained the X11R4 driver from Doug Evans in the summer of

791

1992 and ported the code to the X386 part of X11R5. This subsequently

792

became part of XFree86.

793

794

Marc Aurele La France took over development and maintenance of the

795

driver in the fall of 1993 after Rik got rid of his VGA Wonder

796

adapter.

797

798

799

10. Driver versions

800

801

Due to the introduction of loadable drivers in XFree86 4.0, it has

802

become necessary to track driver versions separately. Driver releases

803

use the following version numbering scheme.

804

805

Version 1 of this driver is the one I inherited from Rik Faith. This

806

is the version found in XFree86 2.0 and 2.1.

807

808

Version 2 is my first rewrite of this code which only ended up being a

809

partially unsuccessful attempt at generalising the driver for all VGA

810

Wonder, Mach32, and early Mach64 adapters. Various releases of this

811

version of the driver can be found in XFree86 2.1.1, 3.1, 3.1.1 and

812

3.1.2.

813

814

Version 3 represents my second rewrite (although a rather lame one as

815

rewrites go). Into version 3, I introduced clock programming for

816

Mach64 adapters and merged in the old ati_test debugging tool. This

817

is the version found in XFree86 3.2, 3.3 and 3.3.1.

818

819

Version 4 is a rather major restructuring of version 3, which became

820

larger than I could comfortably handle in one source file. This is

821

the version found in XFree86 3.3.2, 3.3.3, 3.3.3.1, 3.3.3.2, 3.3.4,

822

3.3.5 and 3.3.6.

823

824

Version 5 is an almost complete restructuring of version 4 to fit in

825

the newer driver API of XFree86 4.0 and later.

826

827

The introduction of version 6 is a first swipe at porting the driver

828

to non-Intel architectures.

829

830

All questions regarding this software should be directed at the

831

Xorg mailing list:

832

833

http://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/xorg

834

835

Please submit bug reports to the Xorg bugzilla:

836

837

https://bugs.freedesktop.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=xorg

838

839

The master development code repository can be found at:

840

841

git://anongit.freedesktop.org/git/xorg/driver/xf86-video-mach64

842

843

http://cgit.freedesktop.org/xorg/driver/xf86-video-mach64

844

845

For patch submission instructions, see:

846

847

http://www.x.org/wiki/Development/Documentation/SubmittingPatches

848

849

For more information on the git code manager, see:

850

851

http://wiki.x.org/wiki/GitPage

852

853