options VESA SC_PIXEL_MODE

J

jfasi

I'm trying to compile a nice kernel to get VESA support. I'm using the usual route of compiling the kernel with:

Code: 
options VESA
options SC_PIXEL_MODE

and make buildkernel KERNCONF=MYCONF gives me a syntax error on the line containing SC_PIXEL_MODE. What gives?

I'm using 7.2-STABLE.
 
Sorry, just one more note. I'm using this on VMWare on a Macbook Pro, so that might raise some issues. I've tried compiling the kernel with just options VESA, whenever I try to change to a higher resolution, I get:

Code: 
vidcontrol: cannot activate raster display: Inappropriate ioctl for device.

I assumed that this had something to do with my inability to compile with SC_PIXEL_MODE, but could the VM have something to do with it? No actual graphics support?
 
While I do see MODE_34 when I run vidcontrol -i mode, when I run that I get an Invalid argument error.
 
Nope. At first I decided to run on AMD64, and then i discovered that VESA is not supported in the 64 bit kernel. Since making virtual machines is easy as cake, I simply switched to FreeBSD i386.
 
jfasi said:
I assumed that this had something to do with my inability to compile with SC_PIXEL_MODE, but could the VM have something to do with it? No actual graphics support?
Click to expand...

I know for a fact that SC_PIXEL_MODE works on VMWare. Have a closer look at the offending line in your config. I'm sure you just made a typo somewhere.
 
Here is my kernel configure file:

Code: 
include GENERIC
ident VESAKERN

# VESA framebuffer support
options VESA 
options SC_PIXEL_MODE
 
jfasi said:
Here is my kernel configure file:

Code: 
include GENERIC
ident VESAKERN

# VESA framebuffer support
options VESA 
options SC_PIXEL_MODE
Click to expand...
Can you post the entire error?
 
Code: 
--------------------------------------------------------------
>>> Kernel build for VESAKERN started on Mon Aug 10 13:42:52 UTC 2009
--------------------------------------------------------------
===> VESAKERN
mkdir -p /usr/obj/usr/src/sys

--------------------------------------------------------------
>>> stage 1: configuring the kernel
--------------------------------------------------------------
cd /usr/src/sys/i386/conf;  PATH=/usr/obj/usr/src/tmp/legacy/usr/sbin:/usr/obj/usr/src/tmp/legacy/usr/bin:/usr/obj/usr/src/tmp/legacy/usr/games:/usr/obj/usr/src/tmp/usr/sbin:/usr/obj/usr/src/tmp/usr/bin:/usr/obj/usr/src/tmp/usr/games:/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin  config  -d /usr/obj/usr/src/sys/VESAKERN  /usr/src/sys/i386/conf/VESAKERN
config: /usr/src/sys/i386/conf/VESAKERN:6: syntax error
*** Error code 1

Stop in /usr/src.
*** Error code 1

Stop in /usr/src.
 
Ok, now I know something is up because I downloaded and set up 6.0-RELEASE, and it gives me the same error even there. I had considered the possibility that the option might have been removed in recent releases, but apparently there is something deeper here. Any ideas?
 
Yes it does. It seems to have something to do with the fact that the line for SC_PIXEL_MODE is not present in /usr/src/sys/conf/options.i386.

So, what I've tried doing is taking the relevant SC_PIXEL_MODE line from /usr/srs/sys/conf/options and pasting it into the options.i386 file. It is recognized as an option, and the kernel is compiling as I type this. It's just a question of whether it will work or will result in some unbootable monstrosity.
 
jfasi said:
It seems to have something to do with the fact that the line for SC_PIXEL_MODE is not present in /usr/src/sys/conf/options.i386.
Click to expand...
It's not in mine either. It is however in /usr/src/sys/conf/options. My VMWARE kernel config compiles just fine with it.
 
Ok, so I found a solution. It seems that VMware does not have a VESA BIOS at all, so trying to make it work with VESA was a lost cause. Instead, it takes nothing more than adding allscreens_flags="MODE_<mode number>" to /etc/rc.conf to enable a high resolution console in, I suspect, VGA. Also while VMware limits the size of the screen, it's just a question of going into fullscreen mode.

Problem averted!
 
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