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diff --git a/Documentation/fb/fbcon.txt b/Documentation/fb/fbcon.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000..62af30511 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/fb/fbcon.txt @@ -0,0 +1,339 @@ +The Framebuffer Console +======================= + + The framebuffer console (fbcon), as its name implies, is a text +console running on top of the framebuffer device. It has the functionality of +any standard text console driver, such as the VGA console, with the added +features that can be attributed to the graphical nature of the framebuffer. + + In the x86 architecture, the framebuffer console is optional, and +some even treat it as a toy. For other architectures, it is the only available +display device, text or graphical. + + What are the features of fbcon? The framebuffer console supports +high resolutions, varying font types, display rotation, primitive multihead, +etc. Theoretically, multi-colored fonts, blending, aliasing, and any feature +made available by the underlying graphics card are also possible. + +A. Configuration + + The framebuffer console can be enabled by using your favorite kernel +configuration tool. It is under Device Drivers->Graphics Support->Frame +buffer Devices->Console display driver support->Framebuffer Console Support. +Select 'y' to compile support statically or 'm' for module support. The +module will be fbcon. + + In order for fbcon to activate, at least one framebuffer driver is +required, so choose from any of the numerous drivers available. For x86 +systems, they almost universally have VGA cards, so vga16fb and vesafb will +always be available. However, using a chipset-specific driver will give you +more speed and features, such as the ability to change the video mode +dynamically. + + To display the penguin logo, choose any logo available in Graphics +support->Bootup logo. + + Also, you will need to select at least one compiled-in font, but if +you don't do anything, the kernel configuration tool will select one for you, +usually an 8x16 font. + +GOTCHA: A common bug report is enabling the framebuffer without enabling the +framebuffer console. Depending on the driver, you may get a blanked or +garbled display, but the system still boots to completion. If you are +fortunate to have a driver that does not alter the graphics chip, then you +will still get a VGA console. + +B. Loading + +Possible scenarios: + +1. Driver and fbcon are compiled statically + + Usually, fbcon will automatically take over your console. The notable + exception is vesafb. It needs to be explicitly activated with the + vga= boot option parameter. + +2. Driver is compiled statically, fbcon is compiled as a module + + Depending on the driver, you either get a standard console, or a + garbled display, as mentioned above. To get a framebuffer console, + do a 'modprobe fbcon'. + +3. Driver is compiled as a module, fbcon is compiled statically + + You get your standard console. Once the driver is loaded with + 'modprobe xxxfb', fbcon automatically takes over the console with + the possible exception of using the fbcon=map:n option. See below. + +4. Driver and fbcon are compiled as a module. + + You can load them in any order. Once both are loaded, fbcon will take + over the console. + +C. Boot options + + The framebuffer console has several, largely unknown, boot options + that can change its behavior. + +1. fbcon=font:<name> + + Select the initial font to use. The value 'name' can be any of the + compiled-in fonts: 10x18, 6x10, 7x14, Acorn8x8, MINI4x6, + PEARL8x8, ProFont6x11, SUN12x22, SUN8x16, VGA8x16, VGA8x8. + + Note, not all drivers can handle font with widths not divisible by 8, + such as vga16fb. + +2. fbcon=scrollback:<value>[k] + + The scrollback buffer is memory that is used to preserve display + contents that has already scrolled past your view. This is accessed + by using the Shift-PageUp key combination. The value 'value' is any + integer. It defaults to 32KB. The 'k' suffix is optional, and will + multiply the 'value' by 1024. + +3. fbcon=map:<0123> + + This is an interesting option. It tells which driver gets mapped to + which console. The value '0123' is a sequence that gets repeated until + the total length is 64 which is the number of consoles available. In + the above example, it is expanded to 012301230123... and the mapping + will be: + + tty | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ... + fb | 0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 0 ... + + ('cat /proc/fb' should tell you what the fb numbers are) + + One side effect that may be useful is using a map value that exceeds + the number of loaded fb drivers. For example, if only one driver is + available, fb0, adding fbcon=map:1 tells fbcon not to take over the + console. + + Later on, when you want to map the console the to the framebuffer + device, you can use the con2fbmap utility. + +4. fbcon=vc:<n1>-<n2> + + This option tells fbcon to take over only a range of consoles as + specified by the values 'n1' and 'n2'. The rest of the consoles + outside the given range will still be controlled by the standard + console driver. + + NOTE: For x86 machines, the standard console is the VGA console which + is typically located on the same video card. Thus, the consoles that + are controlled by the VGA console will be garbled. + +4. fbcon=rotate:<n> + + This option changes the orientation angle of the console display. The + value 'n' accepts the following: + + 0 - normal orientation (0 degree) + 1 - clockwise orientation (90 degrees) + 2 - upside down orientation (180 degrees) + 3 - counterclockwise orientation (270 degrees) + + The angle can be changed anytime afterwards by 'echoing' the same + numbers to any one of the 2 attributes found in + /sys/class/graphics/fbcon: + + rotate - rotate the display of the active console + rotate_all - rotate the display of all consoles + + Console rotation will only become available if Framebuffer Console + Rotation support is compiled in your kernel. + + NOTE: This is purely console rotation. Any other applications that + use the framebuffer will remain at their 'normal' orientation. + Actually, the underlying fb driver is totally ignorant of console + rotation. + +5. fbcon=margin:<color> + + This option specifies the color of the margins. The margins are the + leftover area at the right and the bottom of the screen that are not + used by text. By default, this area will be black. The 'color' value + is an integer number that depends on the framebuffer driver being used. + +6. fbcon=nodefer + + If the kernel is compiled with deferred fbcon takeover support, normally + the framebuffer contents, left in place by the firmware/bootloader, will + be preserved until there actually is some text is output to the console. + This option causes fbcon to bind immediately to the fbdev device. + +C. Attaching, Detaching and Unloading + +Before going on to how to attach, detach and unload the framebuffer console, an +illustration of the dependencies may help. + +The console layer, as with most subsystems, needs a driver that interfaces with +the hardware. Thus, in a VGA console: + +console ---> VGA driver ---> hardware. + +Assuming the VGA driver can be unloaded, one must first unbind the VGA driver +from the console layer before unloading the driver. The VGA driver cannot be +unloaded if it is still bound to the console layer. (See +Documentation/console/console.txt for more information). + +This is more complicated in the case of the framebuffer console (fbcon), +because fbcon is an intermediate layer between the console and the drivers: + +console ---> fbcon ---> fbdev drivers ---> hardware + +The fbdev drivers cannot be unloaded if bound to fbcon, and fbcon cannot +be unloaded if it's bound to the console layer. + +So to unload the fbdev drivers, one must first unbind fbcon from the console, +then unbind the fbdev drivers from fbcon. Fortunately, unbinding fbcon from +the console layer will automatically unbind framebuffer drivers from +fbcon. Thus, there is no need to explicitly unbind the fbdev drivers from +fbcon. + +So, how do we unbind fbcon from the console? Part of the answer is in +Documentation/console/console.txt. To summarize: + +Echo a value to the bind file that represents the framebuffer console +driver. So assuming vtcon1 represents fbcon, then: + +echo 1 > sys/class/vtconsole/vtcon1/bind - attach framebuffer console to + console layer +echo 0 > sys/class/vtconsole/vtcon1/bind - detach framebuffer console from + console layer + +If fbcon is detached from the console layer, your boot console driver (which is +usually VGA text mode) will take over. A few drivers (rivafb and i810fb) will +restore VGA text mode for you. With the rest, before detaching fbcon, you +must take a few additional steps to make sure that your VGA text mode is +restored properly. The following is one of the several methods that you can do: + +1. Download or install vbetool. This utility is included with most + distributions nowadays, and is usually part of the suspend/resume tool. + +2. In your kernel configuration, ensure that CONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE is set + to 'y' or 'm'. Enable one or more of your favorite framebuffer drivers. + +3. Boot into text mode and as root run: + + vbetool vbestate save > <vga state file> + + The above command saves the register contents of your graphics + hardware to <vga state file>. You need to do this step only once as + the state file can be reused. + +4. If fbcon is compiled as a module, load fbcon by doing: + + modprobe fbcon + +5. Now to detach fbcon: + + vbetool vbestate restore < <vga state file> && \ + echo 0 > /sys/class/vtconsole/vtcon1/bind + +6. That's it, you're back to VGA mode. And if you compiled fbcon as a module, + you can unload it by 'rmmod fbcon'. + +7. To reattach fbcon: + + echo 1 > /sys/class/vtconsole/vtcon1/bind + +8. Once fbcon is unbound, all drivers registered to the system will also +become unbound. This means that fbcon and individual framebuffer drivers +can be unloaded or reloaded at will. Reloading the drivers or fbcon will +automatically bind the console, fbcon and the drivers together. Unloading +all the drivers without unloading fbcon will make it impossible for the +console to bind fbcon. + +Notes for vesafb users: +======================= + +Unfortunately, if your bootline includes a vga=xxx parameter that sets the +hardware in graphics mode, such as when loading vesafb, vgacon will not load. +Instead, vgacon will replace the default boot console with dummycon, and you +won't get any display after detaching fbcon. Your machine is still alive, so +you can reattach vesafb. However, to reattach vesafb, you need to do one of +the following: + +Variation 1: + + a. Before detaching fbcon, do + + vbetool vbemode save > <vesa state file> # do once for each vesafb mode, + # the file can be reused + + b. Detach fbcon as in step 5. + + c. Attach fbcon + + vbetool vbestate restore < <vesa state file> && \ + echo 1 > /sys/class/vtconsole/vtcon1/bind + +Variation 2: + + a. Before detaching fbcon, do: + echo <ID> > /sys/class/tty/console/bind + + + vbetool vbemode get + + b. Take note of the mode number + + b. Detach fbcon as in step 5. + + c. Attach fbcon: + + vbetool vbemode set <mode number> && \ + echo 1 > /sys/class/vtconsole/vtcon1/bind + +Samples: +======== + +Here are 2 sample bash scripts that you can use to bind or unbind the +framebuffer console driver if you are on an X86 box: + +--------------------------------------------------------------------------- +#!/bin/bash +# Unbind fbcon + +# Change this to where your actual vgastate file is located +# Or Use VGASTATE=$1 to indicate the state file at runtime +VGASTATE=/tmp/vgastate + +# path to vbetool +VBETOOL=/usr/local/bin + + +for (( i = 0; i < 16; i++)) +do + if test -x /sys/class/vtconsole/vtcon$i; then + if [ `cat /sys/class/vtconsole/vtcon$i/name | grep -c "frame buffer"` \ + = 1 ]; then + if test -x $VBETOOL/vbetool; then + echo Unbinding vtcon$i + $VBETOOL/vbetool vbestate restore < $VGASTATE + echo 0 > /sys/class/vtconsole/vtcon$i/bind + fi + fi + fi +done + +--------------------------------------------------------------------------- +#!/bin/bash +# Bind fbcon + +for (( i = 0; i < 16; i++)) +do + if test -x /sys/class/vtconsole/vtcon$i; then + if [ `cat /sys/class/vtconsole/vtcon$i/name | grep -c "frame buffer"` \ + = 1 ]; then + echo Unbinding vtcon$i + echo 1 > /sys/class/vtconsole/vtcon$i/bind + fi + fi +done +--------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +-- +Antonino Daplas <adaplas@pol.net> |