Bug 7920

Reply-To: akpm@linux-foundation.org

On Thu, 1 Feb 2007 16:45:15 -0800
bugme-daemon@bugzilla.kernel.org wrote:

> http://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=7920
> 
>            Summary: platinumfb - video display problem
>     Kernel Version: 2.6.17-rc4, 2.6.16, 2.6.15, 2.6.14
>             Status: NEW
>           Severity: blocking
>              Owner: jsimmons@infradead.org
>          Submitter: tomasz89@gmail.com
> 
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> I managed to get my hands on a PowerMac 7200 and am
> trying to boot. I (cross) compiled a kernel of
> 2.6.16.16 from a gentoo x86 box, and serially connected
> the machine to view the console output results. I have
> stripped out basically everything (no IDE, SCSI, USB)
> except serial, framebuffer, console and ADB.
> 
> The framebuffer won't enable using the platinumfb for
> the life of me when using BootX from a MacOS 7.6.1
> installation on another hard drive. I've dropped a new
> AHA2940 (bios flashed to OpenFirmware) SCSI card with
> another attached hard drive to it (8GB of SCSI
> goodness) so I can hack away to my hearts
> content.
> 
> I have a successful installation of Debian 3.1 on this
> HDD from a previously successful attempt some months
> ago using the miboot boot/root install set from:
> http://people.debian.org/~luther/d-i/sid/images/daily/
> The daily builds I tried were 18-20 May 2006, and while
> I believe the kernel has booted okay (since I can
> insert the root floppy and hit enter and it does
> something) I can't see anything on the screen.
> 
> I have a native mac monitor, MacOS runs at 640x480
> happily. I can boot the debian/woody kernel (2.2)
> series with the platinumfb driver, and zapola
> everything is okay. I get screen output. I can boot off
> one of my custom built 2.6.x kernels, specifying the
> serial console as a the console=... parameter and sure
> enough the system comes up without a hitch except that
> the monitor is in 'off' mode. I have tried kernels
> 2.6.17-rc4, 2.6.16, 2.6.15, 2.6.14 (cross-)compiled
> from sources without any luck.
> 
> Using
> http://www.jonh.net/lppcfom-serve/cache/1043.html, I
> have tried to give also several boot paramters
> (thankfully I'm using BootX to try this stuff out now,
> because trying to recreate the miboot debian floppies
> would not have made for easy testing), also without
> luck. Some examples of failed boots follow:
> video=platinumfb
> video=platinumfb:vmode:6,cmode:8
> video=platinumfb:vmode:13,cmode:8
> .. all with the same end result: no video.
> 
> Can I work with anyone on fixing this? It would be nice
> to have some working miboots again, but unfortunately I
> can't remember which daily build I downloaded when I
> actually installed sarge some months ago. I *think* it
> was 2.6.15, but I can't follow the same steps now
> because the other modules can't be downloaded from
> package repositories as sid is in 2.6.16-land now. I
> have also tried the video=ofonly options when that
> option is compiled in to the kernel (by the way, I am
> always statically compiling the fb devices in), the
> ofonlyboot image from the miboot series, also without
> any joy. In my own compilations, I only ever use either
> the platinumfb or the ofonly framebuffer devices
> compiled in, not both at once.
> 
> I know (specifically) with the 2.6.17-rc4 kernel, the output
> is there (sorta), but kind of skewed. So a line is kind of
> skewed across the screen, and you can see dots coming up but
> they're all with a very deep slant.
> So a normal line would look like this:
> ..................................
> What I get is this:
>                       ..........
>                   ...........
>           ...............
>        ..............
> I didn't think to mention it before because its darn hard to
> explain =)
> 
> -Tomasz
> 
> ------- You are receiving this mail because: -------
> You are on the CC list for the bug, or are watching someone who is.

Got myself a 7200, about to dig...

I've reproduced all sort of breakage on this venerable 7200... platinumfb seems
to be a victim of over zealous region checking (the firmware sends too bogus
addresses and we fail a request_mem_region or two) and the 53c94 scsi driver is
having some serious vapours too. I'm trying to track all of that down but It may
take some time as I have one other higher priority thing to do. Hopefully, I
should have the 7200 back in shape before 2.6.21 is over tho :-)

Champion -- glad to see you've managed to reproduce. Was sifting through the
source myself but without better working knowledge I was down to comparing 2.2.x
(debian woody) diffs against 2.6.x -- suffice to say, many changes. If I can
help in any way though, I am happy to...

Any update on this problem?
Thanks.

I've heard nothing on this for a while either.. Still got the 7200 on stand by for the proposed fixes..

commit 4c2a54b09ba35a409afc34bd331a57a994921664
Author: Benjamin Herrenschmidt <benh@kernel.crashing.org>
Date:   Wed Sep 19 14:50:22 2007 +1000

    [POWERPC] Fix platinumfb framebuffer
    
    Current kernels have a non-working platinumfb due to some resource
    management issues.  This fixes it.
    
    Signed-off-by: Benjamin Herrenschmidt <benh@kernel.crashing.org>
    Signed-off-by: Paul Mackerras <paulus@samba.org>

Is this what I think it is? :)
Either way, I'm going to test this out tonight!

Tomasz

I got a 7200 booting recently with that fix plus a couple of other 601 related fixes. Hopefully .24 will work fine and the patch you pointed out should apply fine to 2.6.23 and also fix it.

Created attachment 13127 [details]
platinumfb fixes extracted from 2.6.22-git1

Good news: the -git1 version works for me (well not the whole patch, it doesn't compile, just the platinumfb changes)! See attached for what works for me against 2.6.22.