From owner-freebsd-x11@FreeBSD.ORG Sun Nov 29 19:38:39 2009 Return-Path: Delivered-To: x11@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 80A02106566C for ; Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:38:39 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from wblock@wonkity.com) Received: from wonkity.com (wonkity.com [67.158.26.137]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3093C8FC08 for ; Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:38:38 +0000 (UTC) Received: from wonkity.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by wonkity.com (8.14.3/8.14.3) with ESMTP id nATJcbVj056687; Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:38:37 -0700 (MST) (envelope-from wblock@wonkity.com) Received: from localhost (wblock@localhost) by wonkity.com (8.14.3/8.14.3/Submit) with ESMTP id nATJcbxe056684; Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:38:37 -0700 (MST) (envelope-from wblock@wonkity.com) Date: Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:38:37 -0700 (MST) From: Warren Block To: Maurice In-Reply-To: Message-ID: References: User-Agent: Alpine 2.00 (BSF 1167 2008-08-23) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; format=flowed; charset=US-ASCII X-Greylist: Sender IP whitelisted, not delayed by milter-greylist-4.2.3 (wonkity.com [127.0.0.1]); Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:38:37 -0700 (MST) Cc: x11@freebsd.org Subject: Re: install of xfce4 from ports collection on FreeBSD 6.1 failed - Maurice X-BeenThere: freebsd-x11@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: X11 on FreeBSD -- maintaining and support List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:38:39 -0000 On Sun, 29 Nov 2009, Maurice wrote: > The only reason I have chosen FreeBSD 6.1 is because I am installing > on a Rocketraid 1520 Raid controller and 6.1 is the latest version of > FreeBSD that they had a driver module for. If there was a way around > this limitation I would take it (I suppose I could buy a newer raid > controller, but this was already the 3rd one I tried and chose it > because it is an older model, just as my PC is...) In any case, > building a driver module myself, I am afraid is beyond my current > skill set, though I don't even really know how difficult that would > be. [Please don't top-post because it makes reading and replying to your messages more difficult.] When you're shopping for hardware for FreeBSD, it usually easier to check what is supported by FreeBSD rather than the other way around. http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi will let you do an apropos search through the man pages, so you can search by manufacturer or model number. I don't see anything for the 1520, although maybe one of the other RocketRAID drivers will work. In my experience, depending on manufacturer-supplied drivers makes you a hostage of that manufacturer. They can drop support at any time, and leave you with useless hardware. Actually, that may be what has already happened with that controller. > The first thing I did after installing the kernel was fetch an updated > version of the ports, so this is an inconsistancy between the kernel > version and the ports. The version of the libdrm port under > /usr/ports/graphics/ is 2.4.12. I don't understand what you're saying there. The ports aren't tied to the kernel--two different things. But you clearly have old versions of the ports installed (not the ports tree, the applications themselves), and they will have to be updated to work with what's in the current ports tree. > I am going to be using this box as a webserver, so I would like to go > with that most stable solution to this. The obvious solution is to not install X on a webserver at all. X isn't needed for that and brings other concerns. But it sounds like this machine won't be just a web server. > Should I try with version 2.4.12? If you want xfce4, there's no choice. But it won't just be libdrm, it'll be lots of other things that will be needed by the newer libdrm and xfce4. An easier way would be to update the ports tree, delete all of your installed ports with "pkg_delete -a", and start installing applications from scratch. That will bring in the proper dependencies and not have any conflicts with old versions (because there won't be any). However, I'm not sure that all of what you need for xfce4 will work on FreeBSD 6.1. > Are there other lightwieght desktop environments that do not have a > libdrm dependency? Window managers, sure. fluxbox is popular. > Do you think a 6.1 rocketraid driver module would work just as well > with FreeBSD 7.2 or 8? Maybe; have you checked with the manufacturer? > Can this driver compatibility issue be resolved some how by building a > custom kernel? Probably not. -Warren Block * Rapid City, South Dakota USA