ATI

From openSUSE

This guide is to help you install the ATI drivers. They cannot be integrated into the openSUSE distribution due to their end user license.

For any way you will go, you have to make sure that your card is supported.

See

• http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx

then browse trough 3 lists, selecting Linux 32 or 64 bits, type and model of your card, and at the end it will show you driver download page with list of supported cards.

Note! If your graphics card works fine with the free/open source drivers used by default, there's no need to install these proprietary drivers.

The Easy Way

The easy way of installing the proprietary driver does not require that one recompile the kernel module when updating the kernel. On the downside these drivers are not always the very latest, which normally shouldn't matter to most users.

1-click install

This is for openSUSE 11.2, 11.1, 11.0

Simply click on the button that matches your ATi graphics card.

Note! Make sure you system is up to date first.

• Installs ATi driver for HD 2000-series and newer.

• Install ATi driver for Radeon 9500 to X1900.

Afterwards log out and log back in.

You are now done. Enjoy using openSUSE!

The repository way

This is for people who prefer not using 1-click install can do it the direct way and actually see a bit of what is happening.

Prerequisites

• Being able to use YaST Software Manager or zypper
• Know which kernel you use (default, pae, ...), use 'uname -r' in a console

Add ATI Repository

Choose the one corresponding to your openSUSE version: http://en.opensuse.org/Additional_YaST_Package_Repositories#ATI_Video_drivers and add it to your repository list

Installation

Now install the following package with YaST or zypper:

• x11-video-fglrxG02 (for HD2000 series and later)
• x11-video-fglrxG01 (for Radeon 9500 - X1900)

The hard way

The command line way

If you have problems with 64 bit architecture and 1-click solution, you might wanna build your kernel module your self.

• Download latest Ati driver from http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx
• To create an installer package using the ati tool in graphical environment and for that you need to start your file browser with super user rights. I.e gnome desktop type into terminal:

gnomesu nautilus

• Browse to your download folder where you have ati-driver-installer-9-9-x86.x86_64.run (I had it on desktop)
• double-click and select run
  • Select “Generate distribution specific driver package”
  • Agree the license
  • Select SuSE Packages and your distribution

• You should have something like “fglrx64_7_4_0_SUSE111-8.65-1.x86_64.rpm” on your desktop (your working directory) now
• Go back to your terminal and install 6 packages to be able to build the kernel module by typing

sudo zypper in kernel-source linux-kernel-headers kernel-syms module-init-tools make gcc

The graphical installer don't show you any warnings, if the kernel module won't compile, so that's why we're making it on command line too:

sudo rpm -Uvh /home/<username>/Desktop/fglrx64_7_4_0_SUSE111-8.65-1.x86_64.rpm

The kernel module can be also compiled with "sudo sh /usr/bin/fglrx-kernel-build.sh" but you shouldn't need this if everything goes fine.

To configure xorg to use fglrx (ATI) driver, log out, switch to the terminal by pressing Ctrl-Alt-F1, login as root, and type:

 init 3
 SaX2 -r -m 0=fglrx

Note that above is 0=zero, not letter O . Restart X window manager with command:

 init 5

Just to be sure, reboot and off you go.

Restart and run 'sax2 -r -m 0=fglrx' or whatever you like to setup the new driver configuration

See ATI/Old_Versions for procedure without 1-click install.

openSUSE 11.1

Add ATI repository to software management using YaST Control Center > Software > Software Repositories. In Software Repositories use Add button, on screen that opens, check Community Repositories and press Next. On next screen find and check ATI, then press OK.

When in YaST Control Center, start Software Management, put in a search field fglrx and press Enter. Select drivers from the list and install them.

After that you can close YaST and open terminal (console) switch to root user with:

 su - 

When you see Password: give a root password. This password prompt doesn't have visual feedback with stars for each character that you type, but it works fine. Just type password and press Enter.

Now as root run:

 aticonfig --initial 

which will put fglrx in /etc/X11/xorg.conf .

Reboot computer.

After reboot you can land in a text mode. Simple log in as root, and run:

 init 3
 init 5

that should start X server as usually.

NOTE: I actually loged in text mode as normal user and run first:

 startx

which gave me a GUI where I tested with:

 glxgears

that 3D works. Next was to log out of GUI, that brought me back to text mode. Next command:

 logout

brought me back to text mode login, where I logged in as root and run init 3 and init 5, as described above. So, I can't be sure that something with initialization of GUI wasn't correct before startx. I missed to check logs before startx and after that there was too late.

openSUSE 11.0

This procedure worked for openSUSE 11.0 x86_64 (64 bits) installed on Averatec 7155 EH1 (7100 series). It worked also on Dell Inspiron 1501 with the mentioned ATI Radeon Xpress200.

Problem

One click install mentioned on ATI page didn't work as described on ATI page.

Typing glxinfo on the terminal found direct rendering: No OpenGL vendor string: Mesa

Solution

First, install using the 1 click installer mentioned at the top of ATI, package ati-fglrxG01-kmp-default and x11-video-fglrxG01 will be installed if you want ensure by yast installation software and restart X11 by typing the key combination ctrl+alt+backspace twice within two seconds. You will notice by typing

glxinfo 

into a konsole will report that you are still not using direct acceleration or the fglrx driver.

As root do

init 3

After logging in as root do

mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf-001
sax2 -r -m 0=radeon
aticonfig --initial --input=/etc/X11/xorg.conf
sax2 -r -m 0=fglrx

Adjust the screen settings as desired, and after you're finished type

init 5

to start up X again.

You may verify the configuration with glxinfo/glxgears to ensure that fglrx is working properly.

See Also

• ATI/Testing Test your 3D.
• ATI/Troubleshooting See what to do in case of problems.

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