Getting NVAGP to work

[FallNAngel]

Hello --
I'm trying to figure out how to enable NVAGP with my GeForce 2 GTS card. If I enable AGPGart in my kernel and tell X to use AGPGart, it works fine. If I remove AGPGart and tell X to use NVAGP it doesn't. It always shows AGP is disabled when I type

cat /proc/nv/card0

I'm using the newest drivers for my card and I do have the Option NVAGP line in my XF86Config. Any ideas what I should try?

[Strike]

You really don't want to use the kernel agpgart with nvidia cards, I've heard (and I get pretty good performance for my aging rig without it). How did you install the drivers? Is the kernel driver loaded?

[FallNAngel]

Well, if I use agpgart and I try cat /proc/nv/card0 it shows it's using agpgart. Since I wanted to try NVAGP instead of agpgart, I disabled agpgart in the kernel and rebooted, etc. Then I went into the NVidia kernel source and:

make clean
make NVdriver
make install

all as root
then startx as a user and it shows AGP is disabled, even though I have Option NVAGP "1" in my /etc/X11/XF86Config This is all being done with 4.2.0, slackware 8, and the newest NVidia drivers. The only other thing I'm loading as a module is the module for my sound (au8830 for my mx300). Any idea?

[L.I. Surfer]

What version of X are you running? 3.3.6 or 4.x?? If its version four maybe you need to edit XF86Config-4, is your driver loaded? lsmod to see which drivers are running, i think the Nvidia driver has AGP precompiled. My AGP works fine. I have a TNT2 M64.

Ryan :D

[FallNAngel]

As I said in my previous post, I'm using XF86 v 4.2.0. Yes, the driver is loaded, if it wasn't, I wouldn't be able to:

cat /proc/nv/card0

When you type the above command, does it show AGP enabled and that it's using NVAGP and *not* AGPGART ? Thanks!

[FallNAngel]

As I said in my previous post, I'm using XF86 v 4.2.0. Yes, the driver is loaded, if it wasn't, I wouldn't be able to:

cat /proc/nv/card0

When you type the above command, does it show AGP enabled and that it's using NVAGP and *not* AGPGART ? Thanks!

[Strike]

Originally posted by FallNAngel:
<STRONG>As I said in my previous post, I'm using XF86 v 4.2.0. Yes, the driver is loaded, if it wasn't, I wouldn't be able to:

cat /proc/nv/card0

When you type the above command, does it show AGP enabled and that it's using NVAGP and *not* AGPGART ? Thanks!</STRONG>
As far as I know, there is no X 4.2 ...

[FallNAngel]

oops, I meant XF86 4.1.0 4.2.0 isn't due out until Nov =) Either way, I know I have the latest (4.1.0) that came with my distro (Slack 8.0)

[Strike]

Well, actually the line is supposed to be

Option "NvAGP" "1"

(note the quotes around "NvAGP")

Here is a copy of my XF86Config-4 file (http://www.dipaolo.f2s.com/XF86Config-4) if you don't mind running 1152x864x24 :)

You need to make SURE the NVdriver module is loaded before trying to start X (modprobe NVdriver or just go into the directory of the source and do make). Also, you have to recompile the NVdriver module for every new kernel you do too.

Oh, one last thing, and this is pretty crucial. With X 4.1, you HAVE to use kernel 2.4.8 because they made some changes in the DRI setup. Make sure you enable DRI (though there's no kernel module for nvidia DRI in the main kernel, it must be included in the nvidia kernel module from nvidia). Otherwise you get a big nasty green/pink/some other nasty color box that takes up almost all of your screen even when you go back into console mode :rolleyes: and even if you tell it to use the "nv" built-in X module (which works with any kernel version, but doesn't have the nice speed of the nvidia one), that ugly box will stay there.

[ 15 August 2001: Message edited by: Strike ]

[FallNAngel]

that's pretty odd that you need DRI. I read at this site: www.cyber.com.au/users/ashridah/nvidia_tsg.html (http://www.cyber.com.au/users/ashridah/nvidia_tsg.html) it says "nVidia's driver does not make use of the Direct Rendering Interface that made its debut with XFree86 4.0.0 instead, nVidia chose to implement its on mechanism" and also the fact that you're supposed to remove the line " Load "DRI" " from your XF86Config. I guess I'll have to take your word for it and try adding DRI support to my kernel and trying again. Will post the results soon. Thanks!

[Strike]

Yeah, but that page was last updated 6 months ago :)

ashridah's page (which that link is from) is a good source of info generally though, and he sits in #nvidia on irc.openprojects.net as do nvidia employees from time to time. His page (http://www.cyber.com.au/users/ashridah/) has good stuff, usually.

I was kinda confounded by the problem at first as well and even more so by the solution when someone mentioned using DRI in kernel 2.4.8, but I'll be damned if it didn't work :)

[FallNAngel]

Well, I downloaded 2.4.8, compiled in DRI, booted the new kernel, compiled the new NVidia driver and it still won't work. ::scratches head:: There has to be something wrong here... To compile my NVidia driver I cd to the dir and type:

make clean; make install
then: modprobe NVdriver

I have: Option "NvAGP" "1" in my XF86Config and yes, I have nvidia and not nv in my XF86Config too =) I don't have AGPGART compiled in or built as a module, but I shouldn't need it since I'm tring to use NVAGP. I even put the Load "DRI" line back into my XF86Config just for the hell of it (with no change of course). Any other ideas? Or am I going to have to stick with AGPGART?

[Strike]

Only idea I have left is that you might have left the DRI section out of your config


Section "DRI"
Mode 0666
EndSection


If not, then I don't know what to say ... works for me and my TNT card, try #nvidia on irc.openprojects.net or www.evil3d.net (http://www.evil3d.net)

[FallNAngel]

Well, I tried dropping that in and still no luck. I tried:
grep AGP /var/log/XFree86.0.log
and it returned:
(EE) NVIDIA(0): Failed to initialize AGP
which doesn't look so good from where I'm standing... ::sigh:: I guess I'll have to post one of my other problems and ask some questions on IRC. Thanks anyway!

[FallNAngel]

well, I eventually got it working. It came up enabled, and everything. Then I decided to mess with it and try to figure out how I actually got it to work. Since I had no idea how I actually got it to work in the first place, I ended up screwing it up and now it doesn't work again... at least I know now that it *can* be done... wait..... is that a good thing?? Now I have to mess with it more..damnit..