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Date:      Thu, 23 Mar 2017 18:36:45 +0100
From:      "O. Hartmann" <ohartmann@walstatt.org>
To:        "Chris H" <bsd-lists@bsdforge.com>
Cc:        <freebsd-current@freebsd.org>
Subject:   Re: Are textmode consoles/terminals still supported?
Message-ID:  <20170323183645.0bcf46eb@thor.intern.walstatt.dynvpn.de>
In-Reply-To: <1b87a24bfc5450f4af5bdbcfcb534e30@ultimatedns.net>
References:  <05ff1f84a0f3856823fda4b08266f211@ultimatedns.net> <4c0a947f-34b3-2188-269d-8b79286700b2@multiplay.co.uk> <1b87a24bfc5450f4af5bdbcfcb534e30@ultimatedns.net>

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Am Mon, 20 Mar 2017 16:06:43 -0700
"Chris H" <bsd-lists@bsdforge.com> schrieb:

> On Mon, 20 Mar 2017 22:02:06 +0000 Steven Hartland <killing@multiplay.co.=
uk>
> wrote
>=20
> > Add the following to /boot/loader.conf
> >=20
> > Its a tunable but not a sysctl so you can't query it, you just need to=
=20
> > set it by adding it to /boot/loader.conf:
> > hw.vga.textmode=3D"1"
> >  =20
> WOW. Thanks for the fast reply!
>=20
> I gave your suggestion a try. But it was ignored. :-(
> All my other boxes run the nvidia blob, and provide textmode,
> and support sc/syscons(4). But I'm not using (u)efi on them.
> Maybe that's the trouble?
>=20
> Thanks again, Steven!
>=20
> --Chris
>=20
> > On 20/03/2017 21:58, Chris H wrote: =20
> > > I'm attempting to get a video card that DTRT on FreeBSD.
> > > I started with the graphics provided by an AMD A6-7470K,
> > > only to discover it's not yet supported. So I forked out
> > > for a recent nvidia card, and build/installed a new
> > > world/kernel.
> > > Everything seemed to be as one would expect, except there
> > > was an issue with loader.efi. So I had to move mine aside,
> > > and use the one off the install media (tho I understand
> > > the (u)efi has since been fixed). Now, I'm attempting to
> > > obtain textmode. The text stripped from a tty, and pasted
> > > to a new file in a textmode editor -- ee(1) for example;
> > > pads the line with spaces to EOL, and prefaces each line
> > > following the first line with rubbish (about 1 to 2
> > > characters worth).
> > > So "graphics mode" or vt(4) isn't going to get it, for me.
> > > Textmode, and syscons(4) has always worked as expected, and
> > > I thought I'd try to re-enable it, or get textmode via vt(4).
> > > But all attempts fail.
> > > excerpt from my KERNCONF
> > >
> > > device        vga
> > > options     VESA
> > >
> > > device        sc
> > > options     SC_PIXEL_MODE
> > >
> > > device        vt
> > > device        vt_vga
> > > device        vt_efifb
> > >
> > > However, following the advice on the freebsd wiki, querying
> > > the value in sysctl(8) returns:
> > > # sysctl hw.vga.textmode
> > > sysctl: unknown oid 'hw.vga.textmode'
> > >
> > > OK how bout vidcontrol(1)
> > > # vidcontrol -i adapter
> > > vidcontrol: obtaining adapter information: Inappropriate ioctl for de=
vice
> > >
> > > So, it appears from my standpoint that textmode is no longer
> > > supported?
> > >
> > > FWIW:
> > > FreeBSD trump.whitehouse.gov.test 12.0-CURRENT FreeBSD 12.0-CURRENT #0
> > > r314700: Sun Mar 5 09:01:30 PST 2017
> > > root@trump.whitehouse.gov.test:/usr/obj/usr/src/sys/TESTKERN amd6
> > >
> > > Thank you for anything that might help me obtain textmode again.
> > >
> > > --Chris
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > freebsd-current@freebsd.org mailing list
> > > https://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-current
> > > To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-current-unsubscribe@freebsd=
.org" =20
> >=20
> > _______________________________________________
> > freebsd-current@freebsd.org mailing list
> > https://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-current
> > To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-current-unsubscribe@freebsd.o=
rg" =20
>=20
>=20
> _______________________________________________
> freebsd-current@freebsd.org mailing list
> https://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-current
> To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-current-unsubscribe@freebsd.org"

I use non-UEFI booting machines with vt()-only and the nVidia BLOB (regular=
 one from
ports and even the latest 378.13). The console is not working anymore and p=
rovides
garbage as long as vt() is in charge. On UEFI only systems, vt() is require=
d, sc/syscons
doesn't work anymore (I don't care, I'd like to move on). So, with nVidia, =
you are
lost.

The problem with vt() and nVidia is well known and it is well known more th=
an a year by
now if I recall correctly. Nothing has been done by nVidia so far and as fa=
r as I know,
the maintainer hasn't solved the problem. I do not know whether nVidia is w=
illing to
solve the issue. I left an question in their forum, but it seems FreeBSD is=
 more
handled like a "unpleasant necessity". On the other hand, GPU and such rela=
ted stuff
(GPGPU for instance) is a wasteland in FreeBSD and it seems their world is =
still made up
from blocky ASCII terminals. Not that I dislike serial terminals, they save=
 your ass
sometimes and for server management, one doesn't really need the additional,
non-fault-free complexity graphical UI introduce, but with the capabilities=
 of handling
graphics the proper way much more is usually related to.

nVidia is, at the moment, the only GPU provider which supports FreeBSD. If =
you'd like to
have a workstation with high performance graphical capabilities on FreeBSD,=
 there is no
way around nVidia. With most recent modern hardware, UEFI is standard and t=
here the
console is gone as long the nVidia kernel module is loaded - you have no ch=
ance to get
to the console anymore, except you're capable of unloading (remotely?) the =
kernel
module. As a matter of fact, the system is broken!=20

Regards,

Oliver=20

--=20
O. Hartmann

Ich widerspreche der Nutzung oder =C3=9Cbermittlung meiner Daten f=C3=BCr
Werbezwecke oder f=C3=BCr die Markt- oder Meinungsforschung (=C2=A7 28 Abs.=
 4 BDSG).

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