Re: Installation of NetBSD 5.99.44 and resulting problems

["Thomas Mueller" <mueller6724%bellsouth.net@localhost>]

> I wonder if vbetool could fix your blank screen after exiting X.  Also
> did you try changing the screen brightness and switching to different
> tty's?

> I have used the vesa framebuffer successfully and had similar problems
> if I attempted an incorrect mode.  I believe I used another machine to
> ssh into the box in question as I figured it out/looked at dmesg
> output.  Sorry I don't have more specifics, it's been a few years
> since I tried it.

I just checked vbetool in pkgsrc, see the web site is no longer valid:

MASTER_SITES=   http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~mjg59/vbetool/

MAINTAINER=     pkgsrc-users%NetBSD.org@localhost
HOMEPAGE=       http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~mjg59/vbetool/
COMMENT=        Run real-mode video BIOS code to alter hardware state

Result of going to that web page is

404 - Not Found

Sorry: the web page you have tried to access is not available on the SRCF 
server.

If you followed a link to get this message, please notify the owner of the 
referring page.

Maybe you'd like to visit the SRCF main page?
(end of quote from web site)

I looked for vbetool in FreeBSD ports collection and found the web site

http://www.codon.org.uk/~mjg59/vbetool/

Maybe I should download the distfile so I can copy to distfiles directory when 
I get to NetBSD, both for 5.1_STABLE and possibly 5.99.44?  Just did, libx86 
too.

I also see on this same web site a link for the prerequisite libx86:

http://www.codon.org.uk/~mjg59/libx86/

I haven't found this in pkgsrc, trying categories sysutils and emulators.

From NetBSD 5.1 stable or 5.99.44, I can copy these distfiles from my Linux 
download directory.  Both these packages are part of official Slackware Linux 
distribution.

One mode I used, 322 decimal (=0x122), worked in Linux but not NetBSD 5.99.44.  
I don't think NetBSD 5.1 stable supports vesa command at boot prompt, at least 
it was not mentioned in the man page as it was for current.

Getting blank screen when returning from X happens in both 5.1 and 5.99.44, 
whether or not I use framebuffer-enabled kernel.  Also, screen immediately goes 
dark when I boot NetBSD 5.99.44 after enabling vesa at boot prompt.

Question is how or when I use vbetool, considering that screen is dark after 
exiting X or even when switching to text console while X is running, though X 
remains visible when I switch back.

I could use pkgsrc on NetBSD 5.1_STABLE installation for 5.1_STABLE on hard 
drive, 5.99.44 on USB stick, and 4.0.1 on another USB stick, using work51, 
work6 (or work599) and work401 as work directories instead of "work", and make 
clean after building and installing, to avoid cluttering the NetBSD 5.1_STABLE 
partition.

Tom