Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2017 12:16:39 -0700 From: "Chris H" <bsd-lists@bsdforge.com> To: "O. Hartmann" <ohartmann@walstatt.org> Cc: <freebsd-current@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: Are textmode consoles/terminals still supported? Message-ID: <19cf97d5df50ef03d98a21c226a0ba06@ultimatedns.net> In-Reply-To: <20170323183645.0bcf46eb@thor.intern.walstatt.dynvpn.de> References: <05ff1f84a0f3856823fda4b08266f211@ultimatedns.net> <4c0a947f-34b3-2188-269d-8b79286700b2@multiplay.co.uk> <1b87a24bfc5450f4af5bdbcfcb534e30@ultimatedns.net>, <20170323183645.0bcf46eb@thor.intern.walstatt.dynvpn.de>
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On Thu, 23 Mar 2017 18:36:45 +0100 "O. Hartmann" <ohartmann@walstatt.org> wrote > 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 > > > > > Add the following to /boot/loader.conf > > > > > > Its a tunable but not a sysctl so you can't query it, you just need to > > > set it by adding it to /boot/loader.conf: > > > hw.vga.textmode="1" > > > > > WOW. Thanks for the fast reply! > > > > 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? > > > > Thanks again, Steven! > > > > --Chris > > > > > On 20/03/2017 21:58, Chris H wrote: > > > > 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 > > > device > > > > > 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" > > > _______________________________________________ > > > 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" > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > 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 provides garbage as long as vt() is in charge. On UEFI only > systems, vt() is required, 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 than > a year by now if I recall correctly. Nothing has been done by nVidia so far > and as far as I know, the maintainer hasn't solved the problem. I do not know > whether nVidia is willing 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 related 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 there the console is gone as long the nVidia kernel > module is loaded - you have no chance 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! > > Regards, > > Oliver A *huge* thanks, Oliver, for taking the time to describe the situation so well -- even if I don't like the answer. ;-) OK that pretty much explains what I'm experiencing. Looks like the only I can get a decent text-based console/terminal; will be to write syscons(4) back into FreeBSD, myself. I thought things were intended to get better, as time goes on. But IMHO it seems like things are simply being removed, which only makes things worse. I know "whiney/trollish" but damnit, I'm frustrated, and judging by the mailing lists, and bugzuilla; others are too. Thanks again, Oliver. I greatly appreciate your taking the time you did! --Chris > > -- > O. Hartmann > > Ich widerspreche der Nutzung oder Übermittlung meiner Daten für > Werbezwecke oder für die Markt- oder Meinungsforschung (§ 28 Abs. 4 BDSG).
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