Mailing List Archive

Older machines no text console video after bootup
I have a couple of older machines kicking around that I'm trying to
revive, a 2008 Dell desktop and a Lenovo laptop. I installed Gentoo
and ended up with the same problem on both machines...

* During the install process, the text console works OK.
* After the install, it starts off fine with the LILO boot menu.
* After it boots, there is no text at all on the text console.
* After much dicking around, I've managed to get my desktop to ssh
into the old Dell after it boots. It appears to be fully functional,
and I can do just about anything via ssh. Still no text on the
monitor.
* I have not gotten anywhere near installing X.


Here's what make menuconfig > Device Drivers > Graphics support
shows on the Dell d530. Any ideas about text console support?

<*> /dev/agpgart (AGP Support) ---> | |
-*- VGA Arbitration | |
(16) Maximum number of GPUs | |
[ ] Laptop Hybrid Graphics - GPU switching support | |
<*> Direct Rendering Manager (XFree86 4.1.0 and higher DRI suppor| |
ARM devices ---- | |
< > ATI Radeon | |
< > AMD GPU | |
< > Nouveau (NVIDIA) cards | |
<*> Intel 8xx/9xx/G3x/G4x/HD Graphics | |
() Force probe driver for selected new Intel hardware | |
[*] Enable capturing GPU state following a hang | |
[*] Compress GPU error state | |
[*] Always enable userptr support | |
[ ] Enable Intel GVT-g graphics virtualization host support | |
< > Virtual GEM provider | |
< > Virtual KMS (EXPERIMENTAL) | |
< > DRM driver for VMware Virtual GPU | |
< > Intel GMA500/600/3600/3650 KMS Framebuffer | |
< > DisplayLink | |
< > AST server chips | |
< > Matrox G200 | |
< > QXL virtual GPU | |
Display Panels ---> | |
Display Interface Bridges ---> | |
< > ETNAVIV (DRM support for Vivante GPU IP cores) | |
< > DRM Support for bochs dispi vga interface (qemu stdvga) | |
< > Cirrus driver for QEMU emulated device | |
< > GM12U320 driver for USB projectors | |
< > Simple framebuffer driver | |
< > Virtual Box Graphics Card | |
< > GUD USB Display | |
[ ] Enable legacy drivers (DANGEROUS) ---- | |
Frame buffer Devices ---> | |
Backlight & LCD device support ---> | |
Console display driver support --->

--
Walter Dnes <waltdnes@waltdnes.org>
I don't run "desktop environments"; I run useful applications
Re: Older machines no text console video after bootup [ In reply to ]
You are missing FrameBuffer configuration:
https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Framebuffer

This is always necessary - even without ...

... I don't run "desktop environments"; I run useful applications




Am Dienstag, 19. April 2022, 22:16:05 CEST schrieb Walter Dnes:
> I have a couple of older machines kicking around that I'm trying to
> revive, a 2008 Dell desktop and a Lenovo laptop. I installed Gentoo
> and ended up with the same problem on both machines...
>
> * During the install process, the text console works OK.
> * After the install, it starts off fine with the LILO boot menu.
> * After it boots, there is no text at all on the text console.
> * After much dicking around, I've managed to get my desktop to ssh
> into the old Dell after it boots. It appears to be fully functional,
> and I can do just about anything via ssh. Still no text on the
> monitor.
> * I have not gotten anywhere near installing X.
>
>
> Here's what make menuconfig > Device Drivers > Graphics support
> shows on the Dell d530. Any ideas about text console support?
>
> <*> /dev/agpgart (AGP Support) ---> | |
> -*- VGA Arbitration | |
> (16) Maximum number of GPUs | |
> [ ] Laptop Hybrid Graphics - GPU switching support | |
> <*> Direct Rendering Manager (XFree86 4.1.0 and higher DRI suppor| |
> ARM devices ---- | |
> < > ATI Radeon | |
> < > AMD GPU | |
> < > Nouveau (NVIDIA) cards | |
> <*> Intel 8xx/9xx/G3x/G4x/HD Graphics | |
> () Force probe driver for selected new Intel hardware | |
> [*] Enable capturing GPU state following a hang | |
> [*] Compress GPU error state | |
> [*] Always enable userptr support | |
> [ ] Enable Intel GVT-g graphics virtualization host support | |
> < > Virtual GEM provider | |
> < > Virtual KMS (EXPERIMENTAL) | |
> < > DRM driver for VMware Virtual GPU | |
> < > Intel GMA500/600/3600/3650 KMS Framebuffer | |
> < > DisplayLink | |
> < > AST server chips | |
> < > Matrox G200 | |
> < > QXL virtual GPU | |
> Display Panels ---> | |
> Display Interface Bridges ---> | |
> < > ETNAVIV (DRM support for Vivante GPU IP cores) | |
> < > DRM Support for bochs dispi vga interface (qemu stdvga) | |
> < > Cirrus driver for QEMU emulated device | |
> < > GM12U320 driver for USB projectors | |
> < > Simple framebuffer driver | |
> < > Virtual Box Graphics Card | |
> < > GUD USB Display | |
> [ ] Enable legacy drivers (DANGEROUS) ---- | |
> Frame buffer Devices ---> | |
> Backlight & LCD device support ---> | |
> Console display driver support --->
Re: Older machines no text console video after bootup [ In reply to ]
On Tue, Apr 19, 2022 at 10:33:43PM +0200, Peter B?hm wrote
> You are missing FrameBuffer configuration:
> https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Framebuffer

Thank you. Now on to the next problem. I made the suggested changes
in the kernel, fired up the kernel compile, and early on got...

HOSTCC scripts/kconfig/conf.o
HOSTLD scripts/kconfig/conf
CC scripts/mod/empty.o
MKELF scripts/mod/elfconfig.h
HOSTCC scripts/mod/modpost.o
CC scripts/mod/devicetable-offsets.s
HOSTCC scripts/mod/file2alias.o
HOSTCC scripts/mod/sumversion.o
HOSTLD scripts/mod/modpost
CC kernel/bounds.s
CC arch/x86/kernel/asm-offsets.s
CALL scripts/checksyscalls.sh
CALL scripts/atomic/check-atomics.sh
DESCEND objtool
make[4]: *** No rule to make target '/usr/lib/gcc/x86_64-pc-linux-gnu/11.2.0/include/stddef.h', needed by '/usr/src/linux-5.15.11-gentoo/tools/objtool/fixdep.o'. Stop.
make[3]: *** [Makefile:47: /usr/src/linux-5.15.11-gentoo/tools/objtool/fixdep-in.o] Error 2
make[2]: *** [/usr/src/linux-5.15.11-gentoo/tools/build/Makefile.include:5: fixdep] Error 2
make[1]: *** [Makefile:69: objtool] Error 2
make: *** [Makefile:1371: tools/objtool] Error 2

Possible cause... it's failing with target
'/usr/lib/gcc/x86_64-pc-linux-gnu/ ***11.2.0*** /include/stddef.h'

But "gcc-config -l" gives me one line...
[1] x86_64-pc-linux-gnu-11.2.1 *

I vaguely recall that there's an additional tweak needed to align lib
versions, but I forget what it is.

--
Walter Dnes <waltdnes@waltdnes.org>
I don't run "desktop environments"; I run useful applications
Re: Older machines no text console video after bootup [ In reply to ]
On Tue, Apr 19, 2022 at 08:19:07PM -0400, Walter Dnes wrote

>
> Possible cause... it's failing with target
> '/usr/lib/gcc/x86_64-pc-linux-gnu/ ***11.2.0*** /include/stddef.h'
>
> But "gcc-config -l" gives me one line...
> [1] x86_64-pc-linux-gnu-11.2.1 *
>
> I vaguely recall that there's an additional tweak needed to
> align lib versions, but I forget what it is.

On a hunch, I ran "emerge -1 =ys-devel/gcc-11.2.0", after which
"gcc-config -l" gives "[1] x86_64-pc-linux-gnu-11.2.0 *". 11.2.1 had
completely disappeared. So I copied .config to another directory, ran
"make mrproper", copied back .config, and the kernel build is happily
compiling away. For future reference, what do I need to do to ensure a
smooth transition between gcc versions?

--
Walter Dnes <waltdnes@waltdnes.org>
I don't run "desktop environments"; I run useful applications
Re: Older machines no text console video after bootup [ In reply to ]
A "make oldconfig" should be sufficient.


Am Mittwoch, 20. April 2022, 11:18:39 CEST schrieb Walter Dnes:
> On Tue, Apr 19, 2022 at 08:19:07PM -0400, Walter Dnes wrote
>
> > Possible cause... it's failing with target
> >
> > '/usr/lib/gcc/x86_64-pc-linux-gnu/ ***11.2.0*** /include/stddef.h'
> >
> > But "gcc-config -l" gives me one line...
> >
> > [1] x86_64-pc-linux-gnu-11.2.1 *
> >
> > I vaguely recall that there's an additional tweak needed to
> >
> > align lib versions, but I forget what it is.
>
> On a hunch, I ran "emerge -1 =ys-devel/gcc-11.2.0", after which
> "gcc-config -l" gives "[1] x86_64-pc-linux-gnu-11.2.0 *". 11.2.1 had
> completely disappeared. So I copied .config to another directory, ran
> "make mrproper", copied back .config, and the kernel build is happily
> compiling away. For future reference, what do I need to do to ensure a
> smooth transition between gcc versions?

++++
Re: [SOLVED] Older machines no text console video after bootup [ In reply to ]
On Tue, Apr 19, 2022 at 10:33:43PM +0200, Peter B?hm wrote
> You are missing FrameBuffer configuration:
> https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Framebuffer
>
> This is always necessary - even without ...
>
> ... I don't run "desktop environments"; I run useful applications

Thanks. I now have text on "ye olde desktope". I'll work on the
notebook. I hate the "dirty tricks" stuff...

> Note that the fbdev option is invisible unless the following option
> is also selected further down in the Graphic support menu:

--
Walter Dnes <waltdnes@waltdnes.org>
I don't run "desktop environments"; I run useful applications