ATI

From openSUSE

This guide is to help you install the ATI drivers. They cannot be integrated into the openSUSE distribution due to their end user license. For the ATI Radeon XPress cards, please see ATI Radeon Xpress.

For any way you will go, you have to make sure that your card is supported.

See

• http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx

then browse trough 3 lists, selecting Linux 32 or 64 bits, type and model of your card, and at the end it will show you driver download page with list of supported cards.

Now, before you try to download driver from ATI/AMD read the rest of this article, because download from ATI is not the easiest way to install the driver.

The Easy Way

The easy way of installing the proprietary driver does not require that one recompile the kernel module when updating the kernel.

Please, consider that many older ATI cards are supported very well by the standard free driver radeon, which is probably installed during installation.

Before using the drivers below, try running your 3D application using the default open source drivers: radeon (for older cards) and radeonhd (for newer cards)

1-click install

This is for openSUSE 11.1.

You can use 1-click-install, but before you use 1-click update openSUSE. The first time you do this, the online updater usually update itself only and restarts offering more updates. You should do that too.

• Installs ATi driver for HD 2000-series and newer.

• Install ATi driver for Radeon 9500 to X1900.

• When done with installation, you have to configure graphic.
  To do that log out. When new login appear switch to the terminal by pressing Ctrl-Alt-F1, login as root user (you know your root password - right), and type:

 init 3
 SaX2 -r -m 0=fglrx

Note that above is 0=zero, not letter O .
This will configure X to use the ATI driver.

• Restart X window manager with command:

 init 5

• You are done. Enjoy using openSUSE!

The command line way

If you have problems with 64 bit architecture and 1-click solution, you might wanna build your kernel module your self.

• Download latest Ati driver from http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx
• To create an installer package using the ati tool in graphical environment and for that you need to start your file browser with super user rights. I.e gnome desktop type into terminal:

gnomesu nautilus

• Browse to your download folder where you have ati-driver-installer-9-9-x86.x86_64.run (I had it on desktop)
• double-click and select run
  • Select “Generate distribution specific driver package”
  • Agree the license
  • Select SuSE Packages and your distribution

• You should have something like “fglrx64_7_4_0_SUSE111-8.65-1.x86_64.rpm” on your desktop (your working directory) now
• Go back to your terminal and install 6 packages to be able to build the kernel module by typing

sudo zypper in kernel-source linux-kernel-headers kernel-syms module-init-tools make gcc

The graphical installer don't show you any warnings, if the kernel module won't compile, so that's why we're making it on command line too:

sudo rpm -Uvh /home/<username>/Desktop/fglrx64_7_4_0_SUSE111-8.65-1.x86_64.rpm

The kernel module can be also compiled with "sudo sh /usr/bin/fglrx-kernel-build.sh" but you shouldn't need this if everything goes fine.

To configure xorg to use fglrx (ATI) driver, log out, switch to the terminal by pressing Ctrl-Alt-F1, login as root, and type:

 init 3
 SaX2 -r -m 0=fglrx

Note that above is 0=zero, not letter O . Restart X window manager with command:

 init 5

Just to be sure, reboot and off you go.

The repository way

This is for people who prefer not using 1-click install can do it the direct way and actually see a bit of what is happening.

Prerequisites

• Being able to use YaST Software Manager or zypper
• Know which kernel you use (default, pae, ...), use 'uname -r' in a console

Add ATI Repository

Choose the one corresponding to your openSUSE version: http://en.opensuse.org/Additional_YaST_Package_Repositories#ATI_Video_drivers and add it to your repository list

Installation

KERNEL is {pae, default, trace, debug}, the one corresponding to your running kernel

install: x11-video-fglrxG01, ati-fglrxG01-kmp-KERNEL

Restart and run 'sax2 -r -m 0=fglrx' or whatever you like to setup the new driver configuration

Manual installation openSUSE 10.3, 10.2, 10.1

See ATI/Old_Versions for procedure without 1-click install.

ATI Radeon Xpress

This procedure is for ATI Radeon XPRESS 200M (PCIE 5955) graphic adapter common in HP Pavilion laptops, for instance ZV6000 series.

You can try this on other Radeon XPRESS cards and post results!

openSUSE 11.1

Add ATI repository to software management using YaST Control Center > Software > Software Repositories. In Software Repositories use Add button, on screen that opens, check Community Repositories and press Next. On next screen find and check ATI, then press OK.

When in YaST Control Center, start Software Management, put in a search field fglrx and press Enter. Select drivers from the list and install them.

After that you can close YaST and open terminal (console) switch to root user with:

 su - 

When you see Password: give a root password. This password prompt doesn't have visual feedback with stars for each character that you type, but it works fine. Just type password and press Enter.

Now as root run:

 aticonfig --initial 

which will put fglrx in /etc/X11/xorg.conf .

Reboot computer.

After reboot you can land in a text mode. Simple log in as root, and run:

 init 3
 init 5

that should start X server as usually.

NOTE: I actually loged in text mode as normal user and run first:

 startx

which gave me a GUI where I tested with:

 glxgears

that 3D works. Next was to log out of GUI, that brought me back to text mode. Next command:

 logout

brought me back to text mode login, where I logged in as root and run init 3 and init 5, as described above. So, I can't be sure that something with initialization of GUI wasn't correct before startx. I missed to check logs before startx and after that there was too late.

openSUSE 11.0

This procedure worked for openSUSE 11.0 x86_64 (64 bits) installed on Averatec 7155 EH1 (7100 series). It worked also on Dell Inspiron 1501 with the mentioned ATI Radeon Xpress200.

Problem

One click install mentioned on ATI page didn't work as described on ATI page.

Typing glxinfo on the terminal found direct rendering: No OpenGL vendor string: Mesa

Solution

First, install using the 1 click installer mentioned at the top of ATI, package ati-fglrxG01-kmp-default and x11-video-fglrxG01 will be installed if you want ensure by yast installation software and restart X11 by typing the key combination ctrl+alt+backspace twice within two seconds. You will notice by typing

glxinfo 

into a konsole will report that you are still not using direct acceleration or the fglrx driver.

As root do

init 3

After logging in as root do

mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf-001
sax2 -r -m 0=radeon
aticonfig --initial --input=/etc/X11/xorg.conf
sax2 -r -m 0=fglrx

Adjust the screen settings as desired, and after you're finished type

init 5

to start up X again.

You may verify the configuration with glxinfo/glxgears to ensure that fglrx is working properly.

openSUSE 10.3

This procedure is for openSUSE 10.3 x86 (32 bits) installed on HP zv6230 (zv6000 series). Note that laptop has 64 bit AMD CPU.
Procedure also worked for openSUSE 10.3 x86 (32 bit) installed on DELL Inspiron 6000 running a Mobility Radeon X300.

Problem

One click install mentioned on ATI page didn't work.

The /etc/X11/xorg.conf was still configured with radeon, the open source driver, no sign of fglrx ATI driver. Just as notice, the radeon open source driver worked too, just with lower frame rates.

Attempt with

sax2 -m 0=fglrx 

blacked out screen and froze computer and only power off button helped. Replacing manually radeon with fglrx ended with the same result, and change was reverted , back to radeon driver.

Solution

First switch to text terminal with CTRL-ALT-F1 and login as root and run:

 init 3

to stop X server (GUI), otherwise sax2 will refuse to run.

 mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf-001

to save current configuration, just in case.

After clean openSUSE 10.3 installation and installation of ATI driver with one click install, you can go direct to aticonfig line. but if you already changed configuration /etc/X11/xorg.conf than run:

 sax2 -r -m 0=radeon 

to create new clean configuration with open source radeon driver.

Now run:

 aticonfig --initial --input=/etc/X11/xorg.conf

It should give you usable screen, with glxgears reporting good frame rates.

The only remain problem was that 3D was not recognized by 3Ddiag program, probably because of missing dri module. Running

 sax2 -r -m 0=fglrx

this time didn't froze computer, and it was possible to save configuration, but instead to go back to text mode screen went black. Pressing power button shortly (something about 1 second) produced regular shutdown. After boot notebook was again in graphic 3D mode.

It is probably easier to add dri module by editing /etc/X11/xorg.conf as described in next section, but sax2 worked too. Checking /var/log/Xorg.0.log shows that driver doesn't use a lot of sax2 created options in Section "Device".

openSUSE 10.2

Use YaST / Zypper / Smart to install ati-fglrx drivers from http://www2.ati.com/suse/10.2

 # init 3
 # fglrx-kernel-build.sh
 # ldconfig
 # aticonfig --initial --input=/etc/X11/xorg.conf
 # sax2 -r -m 0=fglrx

log onto your window manager, then install Compiz, Beryl, and opensuse-xgl-settings. Edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf to include:

 Section "Module"
   Load         "dbe"
   Load         "type1"
   Load         "freetype"
   Load         "extmod"
   Load         "glx"
   Load         "v4l"      <---- Video 4 Linux, may not be pertinent
   Load         "dri"
   Load         "vbe"
 EndSection

 Section "Extensions"
   Option       "Composite" "Disabled"
   Option       "Damage" "False"
 EndSection

 Section "DRI"
   Group      "0"
   Mode       0666
 EndSection

under "Module" you'll notice Load "vbe" - a Ubuntu forum said to use it, I don't know why. It seemed to have no effect, but I left it because it worked.

Beryl & KDE

Steps may seem a little odd, but this is the only way it worked!

1. run opensuse-xgl-settings (KDE Menu > System > Configuration)
2. Enable Compiz and restart KDE
3. run from Konsole: beryl-manager --no-force-window-manager
4. right click on ruby icon to change Beryl's advanced settings to:

  Rendering Path: Automatic (not sure which option it uses, but auto works)
  Composite Overlay Window: Don't use COW
  Rendering Platform: Force XGL
  Binding: XGL Binding
  Rendering: XGL Rendering

Now you'll be able to run Beryl / Emerald, but KDE will start with Compiz by default. You can run Beryl from the shortcut after the above settings were changed and there won't be an error on the startup of Beryl. Strangely enough, even with the fglrx driver, fgl_glxgears will not work because of something with XFree86. But the standard glxgears runs far better, and most everything else works.

The Hard Way

See ATI/The Hard Way for installation from sources.

See Also

• ATI/Testing Test your 3D.
• ATI/Troubleshooting See what to do in case of problems.