Subject: Re: Nubus-only video on a IIci - not possible?
To: Nathan Raymond <nate@staff.feldberg.brandeis.edu>
From: Paul Goyette <paul@whooppee.com>
List: port-mac68k
Date: 04/24/1998 14:49:25
OK - first of all, I've been running NetBSD/mac68k on my IIci for
a _long_ time (since the 0.9 days!), and have not used internal
video for at least 2 years.  So I know for absolute certainty that
it works with just a Nubus video card - no monitor attached to the
internal video port.

Now, one thing you said you tried was to boot MacOS up with the 
monitor on the NuBus card, and then booted up NetBSD.  When you
didn't see anything happen on the monitor, you then disconnected
it from the Nubus card and reconnected it to the internal video
port.  I'm assuming from the way you wrote that you did this 
_without_ rebooting NetBSD;  if that is the case, then what you
saw (or didn't see) is absolutely correct.  NetBSD only "probes"
for hardware stuff at boot time, so if you did not have the monitor
attached to the internal video connector when you booted NetBSD,
then NetBSD won't _ever_ expect to find internal video.

You also say that you can boot up with a serial console, and 
everything appears to work.  Great!  Watch the messages, and tell
us if there is any mention of finding any monitors (they'll show
up as "intvid0 at mainbus0" or "macvid0 at nubus0 slot x") and
whether or not any graphics devices were configured (they show up
as "grf# at intvid0" or "grf0 at macvid0" IIRC).

My guess is that the booter (which runs under MacOS) isn't setting
up the stuff requried for NetBSD to find your video card.  So, one
last thing to check:  what version of the booter are you running?

On Fri, 24 Apr 1998, Nathan Raymond wrote:

> On Fri, 24 Apr 1998, E. Seth Miller wrote:
> 
> > Nathan-
> > 	I have been running a IIci for about 10 months, using the 4/8 card
> > instead of the internal video.  I find that, as long as I have a monitor
> > hooked up to the 4/8 at boot, the machine runs fine (displays properly,
> > &c.).
> 
> REALLY?  Whoa, that's different than what I get.  Are you running 1.3.1?
> Let me make this clear:
> 
> 1. I'm booting System 7.5.5 with a monitor on the 8/24 card, set to black
> and white (card has enough VRAM to support millions).
> 2. I boot NetBSD 1.3.1, serial console active.
> 3. The 8/24 screen doesn't clear, NetBSD boots.
> 4. If I move the monitor to the internal video port, its not active!
> 
> I haven't setup X to see if it recognizes teh 8/24 card yet.
> 
> > However, if I subsequently attach a monitor to the internal port, I
> > get no display, of course, because the internal video found no monitor and
> > was not enabled.
> 
> Makes sense, though I'm suprised that NetBSD willingly boots with no local
> console!
> 
> > It sounds like your internal port is functioning as it
> > should; the problem deals with your 8/24.  I presume all is well to boot
> > into MacOS, and that it simply never goes to the white screen of the
> > console? 
> 
> Right.
> 
> > 	I'm not all that experienced, so I can't tell you what isn't
> > working.  All I can say is that it SHOULD work, AFAIK...  It's not an
> > 8/24GC, is it?  Best of luck.
> 
> No, its not a GC, just a plain 8/24.
> 
> --
> Nathan Raymond
> 
> 

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