Can someone please tell me what the correct way to configure the AGP modules
for kernel 2.6 is please? (Slack-9.1)

The only documentation I can find on this (Linux Format issue LXF46) is wrong
and gets the machine stuck in a loop on booting! Even Google has failed me!
I'm sure instructions exist, but where are they?

Leaving /sbin/modprobe agpgart in rc.modules loads the agpgart module, but not
the "helper" module (via-agp or whatever)

Adding the line (as suggested by LXF) "install agpgart /sbin/modprobe
--ignore-install via-agp" gets the machine stuck in an endless error loop on
booting.

Man modprobe.conf suggests it should be something like "install via-agp /sbin
modprobe agpgart; /sbin/modprobe --ignore-install via-agp"

But this doesn't load the modules automatically on boot, and if loaded manually
creates an error message that agpgart is already loaded ie: its trying to load
it twice.

Ideally I want to be able to revert to 2.4.23 without having to mess around
with configuration, which indicates that I should restrict any changes to
modprobe.conf.

Does anyone know how this is meant to work, or where the documentation is?

--
Pete
christy@NOattglobalSPAM.net
(make the obvious amendments to reply!)

Peter Christy wrote:

> Can someone please tell me what the correct way to configure the AGP
> modules for kernel 2.6 is please? (Slack-9.1)
>
> The only documentation I can find on this (Linux Format issue LXF46) is
> wrong and gets the machine stuck in a loop on booting! Even Google has
> failed me! I'm sure instructions exist, but where are they?

I don't think you'll find many instructions for the 2.6.x kernels, yet.
AGP modules should in theory be loaded by kmod automatically upon your X
server trying to use DRI. What happens when you start DRI configured X?

> Leaving /sbin/modprobe agpgart in rc.modules loads the agpgart module, but
> not the "helper" module (via-agp or whatever)

Don't worry about agpgart, just load via-agp and agpgart will be loaded with
it 'cos via-agp depends on it.
You shouldn't put it in rc.local, if they are not loaded automatically as I
mentioned above then maybe try playing with alias in your modprobe.conf.
What graphics chip are you using? Find out the major number of the device,
if it's nvidia then maybe try putting this in your modprobe.conf:

'alias char-major-195 via-agp'

This should load via-agp upon accessing the /dev/nvidia or whatever the
device name for your card is. Then the sub-module agpgart will come along
as well.

> Adding the line (as suggested by LXF) "install agpgart /sbin/modprobe
> --ignore-install via-agp" gets the machine stuck in an endless error loop
> on booting.

Of course, the modprobe is executing itself all over again.

> Man modprobe.conf suggests it should be something like "install via-agp
> /sbin modprobe agpgart; /sbin/modprobe --ignore-install via-agp"

I haven't played with 'install' but if you want to go this route my bet
would be on "install agpgart /sbin/modprobe via-agp; /sbin/modprobe
--ignore-install agpgart". Tried this?

> But this doesn't load the modules automatically on boot, and if loaded
> manually creates an error message that agpgart is already loaded ie: its
> trying to load it twice.

You don't want them at boot, you want them when X server wants them.

> Ideally I want to be able to revert to 2.4.23 without having to mess
> around with configuration, which indicates that I should restrict any
> changes to modprobe.conf.

True. But,hey, you can't have all!
Then just put /sbin/modprobe via-agp in your rc.local (NOT agpgart), agpgart
will be dragged with it. Even with this you'll still have to make change if
you want to go back to 2.4.x kernel 'cos there is no chipset-agp module in
2.4.x series just agpgart.

--
Jabber: molchun@jabber.org
PGP ID: 0x304563A8

Molchun wrote:

> I don't think you'll find many instructions for the 2.6.x kernels, yet.
> AGP modules should in theory be loaded by kmod automatically upon your X
> server trying to use DRI. What happens when you start DRI configured X?

I'm actually trying this on a couple of machines. On the main one, I have to
comment DRI out because it clashes with the NVidia driver (or so I seem to
dimly recall...)

> Don't worry about agpgart, just load via-agp and agpgart will be loaded with
> it 'cos via-agp depends on it.

Not sure about that. Loading via-agp (or nvidia-agp, depending on which machine
I'm on) without agpgart loaded triggers a load of error messages. It looks
like it needs some assistance from modprobe.conf. The problem I've had is
trying to work out the correct syntax......

> You shouldn't put it in rc.local, if they are not loaded automatically as I
> mentioned above then maybe try playing with alias in your modprobe.conf.
> What graphics chip are you using? Find out the major number of the device,
> if it's nvidia then maybe try putting this in your modprobe.conf:
>
> 'alias char-major-195 via-agp'

Haven't tried that.....

> This should load via-agp upon accessing the /dev/nvidia or whatever the
> device name for your card is. Then the sub-module agpgart will come along
> as well.

Ok......

>> Adding the line (as suggested by LXF) "install agpgart /sbin/modprobe
>> --ignore-install via-agp" gets the machine stuck in an endless error loop
>> on booting.
>
> Of course, the modprobe is executing itself all over again.

Yes, the magazine article was obviously wrong! The problem is that its the
*only* documentation I've been able to find.....

>> Man modprobe.conf suggests it should be something like "install via-agp
>> /sbin modprobe agpgart; /sbin/modprobe --ignore-install via-agp"
>
> I haven't played with 'install' but if you want to go this route my bet
> would be on "install agpgart /sbin/modprobe via-agp; /sbin/modprobe
> --ignore-install agpgart". Tried this?

Yes, it gave me loads of error messages. It appears to load the modules in the
wrong order ie it installs via-agp before agpgart, which causes the problems

What I've ended up with is:

"install nvidia-agp /sbin/modprobe agpgart; /sbin/modprobe --ignore-install
nvidia-agp"

and change the line "/sbin/modprobe agpgart" in rc.modules to "/sbin/modprobe
nvidia-agp"

This gets everything loading correctly in 2.6.

Then, in modules.conf, I've added the line "alias nvidia-agp agpgart" which
loads the 2.4 agpgart module, when 2.4 comes across the line about nvidia-agp!

So far this seems to be working, but it seems a bit of a kludge to me!

I only figured this out about half an hour ago, between my original posting,
and your reply! Looking back at this post, I've been a bit inconsistent with
my use of via-agp and nvidia-agp! That's 'coz I'm using 2 machines, one Nvidia
and one via, and get easily confused ;-)

Anyway, thanks for your assistance - you've certainly clarified a couple of
pints for me, and suggeted alternative approaches to the one I've taken!

Now I think I need to lie down and take a couple of aspirins........!

--
Pete
christy@NOattglobalSPAM.net
(make the obvious amendments to reply!)

In article <_%kzb.837$sx6.5812@newsfep4-glfd.server.ntli.net>,
Peter Christy wrote:
> Anyway, thanks for your assistance - you've certainly clarified a couple of
> pints for me, and suggeted alternative approaches to the one I've taken!
>
> Now I think I need to lie down and take a couple of aspirins........!

No no no. Sit back up and drink one of those clarified pints.
--
/dev/rob0 - preferred_email=i$((28*28+28))@softhome.net
or put "not-spam" or "/dev/rob0" in Subject header to reply

/dev/rob0 wrote:

> No no no. Sit back up and drink one of those clarified pints.

That'll teach me to type when I'm pi**ed...... ;-)

--
Pete
christy@NOattglobalSPAM.net
(make the obvious amendments to reply!)