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> ## ATI Proprietary Linux Release Notes

> These release notes provide information on the latest posting of ATI's Proprietary Linux driver version 8.12.10 (IIRC). This release provides improved driver stability and 2D acceleration performance.

> The ATI Linux release notes provides information on the following:

> - ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Features
> - Web Content
> - ATI Workstation Product Support
> - ATI MOBILITY™ Product Support
> - ATI Desktop Product Family Support
> - Operating Systems Distributions Supported
> - Minimum System Requirements
> - System Recommendations
> - Issues Resolved
> - Known Issues
> - ATI Customer Care
> - Linux Feedback Program

> ### ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Features

> The ATI Proprietary Linux driver provides TV Output support for ATI graphics cards that support TV out. The ATI Proprietary Linux driver also allows for the following monitor arrangements:

> - Laptop Mode (toggle between internal or external screen)
> - Clone Mode (same content on both screens)
> - Big Desktop (one desktop stretched across two screens)
> - Dual Head (separate instances of X running on each screen)

> ### Web Content

> Currently, this driver is available in rpm format only. Packages are available for XFree86 versions 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3, as well as X.org 6.8. One of these three versions must be installed before installing the ATI Proprietary Linux driver.

> |  |  | Note: | Refer to the minimum system requirements listed below to ensure you have downloaded the correct driver package for your system.

> ### ATI Workstation Product Support

> The ATI Proprietary Linux driver is designed to support the following ATI Workstation products:

> FireGL™ V7100 | FireGL™ X3
> FireGL™ V5100 | FireGL™ X1-128
> FireGL™ V5000 | FireGL™ X1-256p
> FireGL™ V3200 | FireGL™ 8800
> FireGL™ V3100 | FireGL™ 8700
> FireGL™ X2-256 | MOBILITY™ FireGL™ V5000
> FireGL™ T2-128 | MOBILITY™ FireGL™ 9100
> FireGL™ Z1-128 | MOBILITY™ FireGL™ T2
> FireGL™ X3-256 |

> ### ATI MOBILITY™ Product Support

> The ATI Proprietary Linux driver is designed to support the following ATI MOBILITY™ products:

> MOBILITY™ RADEON™ X700 | MOBILITY™ RADEON™ 9800
> MOBILITY™ RADEON™ 9600 | MOBILITY™ RADEON™ 9200
> MOBILITY™ RADEON™ 9000 |

> ### ATI Integrated Product Support

> The ATI Proprietary Linux driver is designed to support the following ATI Integrated products:

> RADEON™ 9200 IGP | MOBILITY™ RADEON™ 9100 IGP series
> RADEON™ 9100 IGP | MOBILITY™ RADEON™ 9000 IGP series

> Caution: | This software driver provides 2D support only for the ATI RADEON™ 9100 IGP and ATI RADEON 9100 PRO IGP.

> ### ATI Desktop Product Family Support

> The ATI Proprietary Linux driver is designed to support the following ATI desktop products:

> RADEON™ X800 series | RADEON™ 9000 series
> RADEON™ X700 series | RADEON™ 9700 series
> RADEON™ X600 series | RADEON™ 9550 series
> RADEON™ X300 series | RADEON™ 9500 series
> RADEON™ 9800 series | RADEON™ 9100 series
> RADEON™ 9600 series | RADEON™ 8500 series
> RADEON™ 9200 series |

> Caution: | The ATI RADEON™ X800 XL is not supported in this driver release.

> |  |  | Note: | ATI ALL-IN-WONDER™ variants based on the above are also supported. Video capture however is not supported.

> ### Operating Systems Distributions Supported

> The latest version of the ATI Proprietary Linux driver is designed to support the following Linux distributions:

> - Red Hat Enterprise Linux
> - SuSe Linux

>   |  |  | Note: | The ATI Proprietary Linux driver should install on a number of other Linux variants as well. Refer to the installation instructions for more information.

> ### Minimum System Requirements

> Before attempting to install the ATI Proprietary Linux driver, the following software must be installed:

> - POSIX Shared Memory (/dev/shm) support is required for 3D apps
> - glibc version 2.2 or 2.3
> - Linux kernel 2.4 or higher
> - XFree86 version 4.1, 4.2, or 4.3

>   |  |  | Note: | If you are unsure of which version of XFree86 is installed on your system, download and run check.sh from a command line to verify the version.

> ### System Recommendations

> For best performance and ease of use, ATI recommends the following:

> - Kernel module build environment - should include the following:
>   - Kernel source code: Either the Kernel Source or Kernel Headers packages
> - ISSE Support enabled in your Linux Kernel
>   - Applies to Intel Pentium III and later CPUs only
>   - Enabled by default on version 2.4 and later kernels
> - The rpm utility should be installed and configured correctly on your system
> - QT version 2.x.x is needed for the ATI Control Panel, but is not mandatory

> |  |  | Note: | The following 32 bit packages must be installed in order for 64 bit drivers to install and work properly: ˇ XFree86-Mesa-libGL ˇ libstdc++ ˇ libgcc ˇ XFree86-libs ˇ fontconfig ˇ expat ˇ freetype ˇ zlib

> |  |  | Note: | In order to use the fglrx internal AGP support, you have to make sure that the kernel agpgart support is not active, i.e. it is not compiled into the kernel and the kernel modules are not loaded. If the fglrx kernel module detects that the kernel agpgart support is active, it will automatically use that even if its internal AGP support is requested in order to avoid conflicts that can cause problems under some circumstances.

> ### Issues Resolved

> This section provides information on issues that have been resolved with the latest release of the ATI Proprietary Linux driver. This includes the following:

> - Unreal Tournament 2004: Intermittent hesitation is no longer noticed while playing Onslaught
> - Moving or resizing pseudocolor windows no longer results in corruption being noticed on the desktop
> - The name and version number of the X.org server is now detected correctly at runtime.
> - Attempting to launch any application while Viewperf 7.1.1 is running in the background, no longer results in the Red Hat Enterprise 3.0 version 2. operating system failing to respond
> - 64 bit system with 4 GB or more of system RAM, no longer fails to intialize 3D graphic acceleration
> - The ATI FireGL™ V5000 now uses the DDC information correctly and no longer mis-identifies Low Voltage Differential Signal (LVDS) as Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS)

> ### Known Issues

> The following section provides a brief description of known issues associated with the latest version of ATI Proprietary Linux driver. These issues include:

> - TV Display is Corrupt After Switching Resolutions. Topic number 737-1086
> - Attempting to resume from system suspension results in the system failing to respond. Topic number 737-218
> - Enabling Quad Buffer Stereo results in 2D graphics corruption under XFree86. Topic number 737-219
> - Running two X servers simultaneously results in the system failing to respond. Topic number 737-220
> - Currently, stereo support is only available on the FireGL X1 and Z1. Topic number. Topic number 737-18922

> #### TV Display is Corrupt After Switching Resolutions

> This information applies to the following system configurations:

> - ATI Proprietary Linux Driver 3.7.1 and later
> - TV Out enabled in fglrxconfig
> - Big Desktop or Dual Head monitor layout is used

> This issue does not occur in Clone Mode or when the TV is the only connected display.

> Upon using the resolution keyboard shortcuts (ctrl-alt-+) or (ctrl-alt--) to switch resolution of the XFree86 Desktop, the display will be off center or completely corrupt.

> The TV display is not usable in this state and it is not possible to get back to a stable resolution once this has happened. A restart is required.

> #### 3D Linux Applications Corrupt or Hang with Force Multi-Sample Visuals Enabled

> This information applies to the following system configurations:

> - ATI Proprietary Linux Driver 3.7.1 and later
> - "force multi-sample visuals" option enabled in fglrxconfig

> A 3D window might appear normally, but will corrupt the contents of any other window placed above it.

> The 3D display may also appear corrupt. Lines, polygons, and highlights will be visible, but textures will not. The application is not usable in this state and may crash after a few seconds.

> This issue does not occur on all systems or monitor configurations. Symptoms may vary between different applications.

> #### X Fails to Load on Systems with Linux Kernel Version 2.6.x

> This information applies to the following system configurations:

> - Linux kernel version 2.6.x
> - Any ATI Linux driver

> A blank screen may appear momentarily when X starts to load. The following error message (or similar) may appear on the text console or in /var/log/XFree86.0.log:

> (EE) fglrx(0): [agp] unable to acquire AGP, error ""xf86_ENODEV""xf86_ENODEV""

> This is not a problem with the display driver.

> Version 2.6 kernels require a second kernel module in addition to agpgart, which should be named similar to the manufacturer of your motherboard AGP chipset. This error message should occur if the other agp module is not loaded.

> This issue can be worked around as follows:

> 1. First make sure that agpgart is loading properly.
> 2. To find out which AGP controller your motherboard uses, issue the following command: lspci | grep AGP
> 3. To find a list of AGP related kernel modules installed on your machine, issue the following command and look for a module (*.ko file) that suits your AGP Controller: ls /lib/modules/`uname -r`/kernel/drivers/char/agp
> 4. Use the modprobe command (as root) to load the module. For example: On a motherboard using a VIAŽ AGP Controller, you would load the via-agp.ko using modprobe as follows (notice that the trailing .ko is omitted): modprobe via-agp

> Check the modprobe manpage for more information on loading kernel modules.

> 1. To verify that the AGP module is already loaded, run lsmod as root. With the X server running and the connection established, the usage count of this module must be greater than zero.

> If you cannot find a suitable agp module for your motherboard, then you may want to upgrade to the latest version of the Linux kernel, or check your motherboard manufacturer's website for more information.

> #### 3D Applications Produce Open of Shared Memory Object Failed Error Message

> This information applies to the following system configurations:

> - ATI Proprietary Linux Driver version 3.14.6 and later

> The following may occur when trying to run certain 3D applications:

> - 3D image appears corrupt or blank
> - Missing textures
> - System performance drops sharply

> The following error message may also appear numerous Verdana:

> FGLTexMgr: open of shared memory object failed (Function not implemented) __FGLTexMgrCreateObject: __FGLTexMgrSHMmalloc failed! fglX11AllocateManagedSurface: __FGLTexMgrCreateObject failed!

> The display driver requires POSIX Shared Memory to be enabled on the system in order to run these applications correctly. This feature should be enabled by default on most current Linux distributions, but may be disabled intentionally by some system administrators or not included in older distributions.

> To enable POSIX Shared Memory on your system, perform the following as root:

> 1. Add the following line to /etc/fstab (if it isn't there already): tmpfs /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0
> 2. Mount shared memory as follows: mount /dev/shm
> 3. Issue the following command to check that it mounted properly: mount | grep "shm"

> If the mount was successful, then the following output (or similar) should appear:

> tmpfs on /dev/shm type tmpfs (rw)

> At this point, POSIX Shared Memory is enabled. Your 3D applications should run properly and the error message above should no longer occur.

> If the output from this command is blank, then the mount failed.

> If /dev/shm fails to mount, then this feature may not be turned on in your Linux kernel. In this case we recommend upgrading to a more recent Linux kernel, or contacting your Linux Distribution vendor for more information on enabling POSIX Shared Memory.

> For further information and general help on driver or software installation, game issues, and more, visit the Knowledgebase.

> ### ATI Customer Care

> ATI Customer Care has recently upgraded their website to provide a higher level of technical support and easy of navigation. The new ATI Customer Care website provides more accurate and up-to-date product support for optimum usability and performance. Technical issues are now categorized and personalized to enhance user experience. The new ATI Customer Care Website can be found at: support.ati.com

> To view a known or resolved issue, do the following:

> 1. Go to: support.ati.com. The ATI Customer Care web page is displayed.
> 2. In the top left hand pane, click Advanced Search. The Advanced Search pane is displayed.
> 3. Under Search Type: Select the By: ID option.
> 4. Enter the Topic number.
> 5. Click Go.

> ### Linux Feedback Program

> The ATI Proprietary Linux driver releases may incorporate suggestions received through the Linux feedback program.
> Please refer to https://support.ati.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=894&task=knowledge&questionID=1714 to provide us with feedback.

ATI Technologies Inc. http://www.ati.com Voice: (905) 882-2600 Fax: (905) 882-2620