Re: PCI graphics cards on Sun hardware

[Michael <macallan%netbsd.org@localhost>]

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Hello,

On Feb 12, 2009, at 9:11 PM, raymond.meyer%rambler.ru@localhost wrote:

> On Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:50:58 +0000 (UTC)
> Eduardo Horvath <eeh%NetBSD.org@localhost> wrote:
>
> > On Thu, 12 Feb 2009, raymond.meyer%rambler.ru@localhost wrote:
> >
> > > Are there any new developments in regard to running 3rd party PCI
> > > graphics cards on Sun hardware?
> > >
> > > Last time I asked, I was told it didn't really work:
> > >
> > > http://mail-index.netbsd.org/port-sparc64/2008/04/07/msg000306.html
> > >
> > > I have an old ATI rage128 PCI card that I would like to use for  
> > > running
> > > X11 on Sun Ultra 10. What needs to be done to achieve this? Maybe  
> > > it's
> > > possible to write a small fcode "driver" that gets loaded by  
> > > OpenBoot
> > > firmware and sets the PCI card to be the system console?
> >
> > The problem with graphics cards is that they require custom code in  
> > the
> > boot firmware to do some initial configuration to make them usable  
> > that is
> > usually considered propriatary information by the card vendor.   
> > Unless you
> > can get real FCode from ATI or you can get bootstrapping  
> > information from
> > them you are unlikely to have much success writing a driver snippet,
> > except maybe by reverse engineering it from the BIOS machine code  
> > on the
> > card.
> >
> > Now OTOH ISTR some machines have some sort of on-board ATI chip, so I
> > suppose it's always possible to get lucky and discover that the on- 
> > board
> > FCode can properly initialize your board.
> >
> > Eduardo
>
> So why do they have this initialisation code requirement? Other PCI
> cards just work, i.e. network and storage, what's so special about
> graphics cards?

There are plenty network and storage controllers that need just that  
kind of proprietary setup, usually it means uploading some sort of  
firmware image into the chip. Newer, more complex graphics cards are  
no different.

> Do all graphics cards depend on this code, or some do and some don't?

Some do ( pretty much all newer ones IIRC ), others don't ( older,  
simpler ones. For instance Matrox Millennium I and II don't need  
anything like that, XFree86's driver can cold boot them )

> Is there a good way to find out which ones do?

Not really. The R128 might be in either group - it's fairly complex  
but not /that/ complex. Most Mach64 likely don't need any funny  
special setup.

have fun
Michael

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