Easy install of ATI proprietary driver in the console

[please_try_again]

For those who need or want to install the latest ATI proprietary driver (Catalyst 11.2) right after a fresh 11.4 install - and might not look for solutions in the development subforum - here's a quick and - not so dirty way (you need internet access at this point) :

• Exit X or boot in runlevel 3
• login as root in the console
• Type the following:
  
  

  cd /tmp
  wget http://www.unixversal.com/linux/openSUSE/atiupgrade
  chmod 755 atiupgrade
  ./atiupgrade

• Be patient. It might take some time.
• Answer yes when prompted to install fglrx64_xpic_SUSE113
• reboot (using nomodeset in the boot options if you need to).

In order to compile the module, I installed the kernel sources and the pattern devel_basis. I normally use most packages in this pattern, so I install it by default from other scripts. While running atiupgrade on a fresh install, I was surprised by the number of packages getting installed with that pattern. You certainly won't need them all but don't be afraid though! They don't bite.

Please report if it doesn't work. (like aticonfig --initial failed to add a fglrx section for some reason).

Take a look at the atiupgrade thread in the development forum: Upgrading ATI driver with atiupgrade. The latest version of the script is always in the last post.

[otto_oz]

Thanks for that !!! It worked

....except "wget" did not work ?!?? don't know why and did not bother to find out.

Anyway via firefox http://www.unixversal.com/linux/openSUSE/atiupgrade I downloaded the script, reboot nomdoeset 3, installed.

Thanks from otto_oz

[please_try_again]

Thanks for that !!! It worked

....except "wget" did not work ?!?? don't know why and did not bother to find out.

Oh... I think that would be because wget wasn't installed then. I tried the script on a fresh install but the only thing I didn't try might have been to download it with wget in the first place. The script itself uses wget to download the ATI installer. So it looks for wget and installs it if it's missing:

	# make sure wget is installed
	which wget > /dev/null 2>&1 || zypper in wget

It's also possible that wget is installed or not depending on the type of install you did (live CD, DVD or net install). I'll check the next time. In any case you just have to install wget first. That would only add one command to this method. If wget is already installed, you'll just get a short message ending with "Nothing to do".

zypper in wget
cd /tmp
wget http://www.unixversal.com/linux/openSUSE/atiupgrade
chmod 755 atiupgrade
./atiupgrade

[otto_oz]

I did install "wget"

Anyway it worked. Also I appreciated the hit re installing the "development" pattern.

Cheers

[otto_oz]

I meant the hint (!) re development pattern, since I do compile every now and then....with the result of error msg re missing libs etc. That should now solve most of the problems.

cheers Otto

[the_enduser]

Hi. I have just done a fresh install of 11.4 and followed you above instructions which i found to be very clear and easy to follow, however I still have not had any win. All looked good until I had to reboot.
When I reboot with NOMODESET i just get a blank screen.
If i just allow it to boot normally i get a command line login.
And if i boot in failsafe mode i get a command line login.

I found your link after trying the methods here :- SDB:ATI drivers - openSUSE
I had no win with any of these methods either.

Any ideas or help would be appreciated, Thanks

[please_try_again]

Hi! This is an old post and this script is now available from my repo here: http://download.opensuse.org/reposit...try_again.repo. But the one you downloaded here http://www.unixversal.com/linux/openSUSE/atiupgrade is the same. There is a thread about this script is in the development suborum here: Upgrading ATI driver with atiupgrade which includes lots of details and informations, but it's a very long thread.

nomodeset is normally only needed with the open source driver radeonhd. As I don't know how far you have been in running the script and how many steps completed successfully, I would suggest to boot in runlevel 3 first, as shown in this post: Doubts in installing the property ATI driver. This is not the same as failsafe. Don't use nomodeset for now. Log in as root in the console and

• Show us if the fglrx package is installed:
  

  rpm -qa | grep fglrx

• show us the content of xorg.conf:
  

  cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf

• Also show us the model of your graphic card and which driver it is using now:
  

  hwinfo --gfxcard | grep -i -e model -e driver

[the_enduser]

Thanks for the reply, the graphics card is a Radeon HD5470

rpm -qa | grep fglrx
fglrx64_xpic_SUSE114-8.831.2-1.x86_64

cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Section "Server Layout"
Identifier "aticonfig Layout"
Screen " 0 "aticonfig-Screen[0]-0"0 0
EndSection

Section "Module"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "aticonfig-Monitor[0]-0"
Option "VendorName" "ATI Proprietary Driver"
Option "ModelName" "Generic Autodetecting Monitor"
Option "DPMS" "true"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "aticonfig-Device[0]-0"
Driver "fglrx"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "aticonfig-Screen[0]-0"
Device "aticonfig-Device[0]-0"
Monitor "aticonfig-Monitor[0]-0"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection

hwinfo --gfxcard | grep -i -e model -e driver
Model: "Intel Arrandale Integrated Graphics Controller"
Model: "ATI VGA compatible controller"

[the_enduser]

Sorry, the last was not complete.

hwinfo --gfxcard | grep -i -e model -e driver
Model: "Intel Arrandale Integrated Graphics Controller"
Driver: "i915"
Driver Modules: "drm"
Driver Info #0:
Driver Status: i915 is active
Driver Activation Cmd: "modprobe i915"
Model: "ATI VGA compatible controller"
Driver: "fglrx_pci"
Driver Modules: "fglrx"
Driver Info #0:
Driver Status: radeon is not active
Driver Activation Cmd: "modprobe radeon"
Driver Info #1:
Driver Status: fglrx is active
Driver Activation Cmd: "modprobe fglrx"

[please_try_again]

fglrx is properly installed and configured.
I'm not sure about the BusID since you have 2 graphic cards.
Please post the output of the command:

lspci

The onboard Intel Graphic card is causing the problem. You should disable it in the BIOS (if possible) or blacklist the i915 module. I don't have Intel Graphics. So I can't help with this issue. From the ATI point of view, everything looks fine, except maybe the BusID. If it refers to the Intel device, it cannot work.
an/or

 hwinfo --gfxcard | grep -i -e model -e busid