I am trying to learn how to install the xf86-video-ati-1-7.3.0-1-i686.pkg file that was just downloaded and was curious about how to go about doing that. I have yet to understand this process and could use some help with this. Thanks!
Why not install the RPMs using the 1-click installer here?
http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:AMD_fglrx
Should be easier in a few regards, especially you shouldn’t have to reinstall it after a kernel update.
But, to check if the fglrx driver is even a good idea, what graphics card are we talking about here now?
My A31p’s ATI Mobility FireGL 7800 chipset. Reason being, I am having troubles with some of the Desktop Effects requiring OpenGL and I was thinking this may be an answer. Thanks!
I’m not an expert with modern ATI/AMD cards, and their homepage doesn’t list the explicit models supported by the driver like nVidia does.
But AFAICT the fglrx driver should support your card.
And yes, I think this may be an answer to your Desktop Effects problems… 
If you install the driver using the 1-click install and it doesn’t work, you can just uninstall it again in Yast though.
Maybe try “Recovery Mode” in the boot menu (“Advanced Options”) if the system doesn’t boot to graphical mode after you installed the driver.
Here goes. Wish me luck. 
Good Luck!
Well, I have another problem with the AMD Catalyst Control Center: “No AMD graphics driver is installed, or the AMD driver is not functioning properly. Please install the AMD driver appropriate for your AMD hardware, or configure using aticonfig.”
This makes no sense to me. What gives?
Did you reboot after installing the driver?
Please upload /var/log/Xorg.0.log to http://susepaste.org/ and post a link to find out if the driver is actually in use.
Well, the error is:
35.778] (EE) No supported AMD display adapters were found
So unfortunately the fglrx driver does not support your card.
Uninstall it again in YaST->Software Management (search for “fglrx”) and use the radeon driver then.
I see now that I misread you 1st post.
Actually you didn’t ask how to install the fglrx driver, but xf86-video-ati-7.3.0 (i.e. radeon). Sorry.
Well, you shouldn’t. The radeon driver is included in the distribution and should be installed by default.
And that file you downloaded is not compatible with openSUSE, it’s a package from another distribution.
Is there any specific reason why you downloaded that file and want to install it?
If you want to update the radeon driver to 7.3.0 (13.1 includes 7.2.0) you should install the version from the X11:XOrg repo. But you need to update Xorg as well:
sudo zypper ar http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/X11:/XOrg/openSUSE_13.1/ X11:XOrg
sudo zypper dup --from X11:XOrg
xf86-video-ati-7.3.0 cannot be found. I’ve updated as you suggested but I don’t know why this driver is not available.
I found another package:
xf86-video-ati-7.3.0.tar.bz2 but I don’t know how to install these types of file. Should I continue looking?
I found the 1-click install of the 7.3.0 driver for the Factory distro but things didn’t go well. Had to recover and use the 7.2.0 version of the 1-click install for that. I’m beginning to think there may a configuration problem and the aticonfig utility is not found and I’m at another cross-road trying to upgrade this video driver. Thinking it might not be compatible with my current system configuration, I’m just waiting for confirmation. Thanks!
That’s probably the source code. You would have to compile that.
Please, DON’T EVER CLICK ON A 1-CLICK INSTALL FOR FACTORY.
This WILL break your system sooner or later!
Please post your repo list, to check that you didn’t add the Factory repo:
zypper lr -d
I’m beginning to think there may a configuration problem and the aticonfig utility is not found and I’m at another cross-road trying to upgrade this video driver. Thinking it might not be compatible with my current system configuration, I’m just waiting for confirmation. Thanks!
There is no aticonfig utility for the radeon driver.
Could you please tell me, what your actual problem is?
Why do you want to install the 7.3.0 radeon driver?
If you run the “zypper dup” line I gave you earlier, you would have the 7.3.0 driver installed.
Why do you think it wasn’t available? Because aticonfig didn’t work? That’s for the fglrx driver only.
The source code: That’s what I was trying to learn, how to compile certain packages. I need direction eventually as to how this process works and don’t mind reading how this works for my system.
1-Click for Factory: OK, I found that out the semi-hard way. I was able to reconfigure apparently without ramifications. I’ve learned my lesson. Now I need to understand the Tumbleweed disto package.
charles@linux-x0up:~> zypper lr -d# | Alias | Name | Enabled | Refresh | Priority | Type | URI | Service
---+---------------------------+------------------------------------+---------+---------+----------+--------+--------------------------------------------------------------------+--------
1 | X11:XOrg | X11:XOrg | Yes | Yes | 99 | rpm-md | http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/X11:/XOrg/openSUSE_13.1/ |
2 | ftp.gwdg.de-suse | Packman Repository | Yes | Yes | 99 | rpm-md | http://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/linux/packman/suse/openSUSE_13.1/ |
3 | opensuse-guide.org-repo | libdvdcss repository | Yes | Yes | 99 | rpm-md | http://opensuse-guide.org/repo/13.1/ |
4 | repo-debug | openSUSE-13.1-Debug | No | Yes | 99 | NONE | http://download.opensuse.org/debug/distribution/13.1/repo/oss/ |
5 | repo-debug-update | openSUSE-13.1-Update-Debug | No | Yes | 99 | NONE | http://download.opensuse.org/debug/update/13.1/ |
6 | repo-debug-update-non-oss | openSUSE-13.1-Update-Debug-Non-Oss | No | Yes | 99 | NONE | http://download.opensuse.org/debug/update/13.1-non-oss/ |
7 | repo-non-oss | openSUSE-13.1-Non-Oss | Yes | Yes | 99 | yast2 | http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/13.1/repo/non-oss/ |
8 | repo-oss | openSUSE-13.1-Oss | Yes | Yes | 99 | yast2 | http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/13.1/repo/oss/ |
9 | repo-source | openSUSE-13.1-Source | No | Yes | 99 | NONE | http://download.opensuse.org/source/distribution/13.1/repo/oss/ |
10 | repo-update | openSUSE-13.1-Update | Yes | Yes | 99 | rpm-md | http://download.opensuse.org/update/13.1/ |
11 | repo-update-non-oss | openSUSE-13.1-Update-Non-Oss | Yes | Yes | 99 | rpm-md | http://download.opensuse.org/update/13.1-non-oss/ |
charles@linux-x0up:~>
I modified these early this morning and think I am getting the hang of things but still need oversight from the pros.
No aticonfig utility: OK, now I understand. There apparently is not a similar configuration process for the correct ATI drivers for my system. I got that now.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Could you please tell me, what your actual problem is?
Why do you want to install the 7.3.0 radeon driver?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Certain of my Desktop Effects are failing because of the OpenGL requirements which I had presumed may be addressed in an update of the video driver. That is why I was trying to update, hoping some of the effects would work properly.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you run the “zypper dup” line I gave you earlier, you would have the 7.3.0 driver installed.
Why do you think it wasn’t available? Because aticonfig didn’t work? That’s for the fglrx driver only.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The 7.3.0 package did NOT show up when I had completed the suggested process as you’ve detailed it above. Had it been available, I would have ticked the checkbox and been done with it. That is why I’ve gone on the hunt for another way to install this driver.
Hope my response makes sense to you. I haven’t yet had any coffee and I’m not up to full speed. Thanks again for the hand holding.
First of all you would need to install necessary development packages (can be many, depending on what you want to compile).
Then it’s a simple “configure && make && make install” (or something similar) most of the time, depending on the package. But you may have to provide additional parameters.
You could also build RPM packages yourself on OBS f.e. There you can even branch existing packages, so you could for example just change the version number and the source code and you would have an updated package.
Anyway, if you have questions regarding this, you should better open a new thread I’d say.
1-Click for Factory: OK, I found that out the semi-hard way.
Why Tumbleweed now? You’re using plain openSUSE 13.1.
Anyway your repo list is ok.
Run “zypper dup --from X11:Xorg” to update to the latest X and drivers.
No aticonfig utility: OK, now I understand. There apparently is not a similar configuration process for the correct ATI drivers for my system. I got that now.
The radeon driver should be used automatically (in fact, fglrx would be used automatically as well if installed, no need to configure anything).
Certain of my Desktop Effects are failing because of the OpenGL requirements which I had presumed may be addressed in an update of the video driver. That is why I was trying to update, hoping some of the effects would work properly.
What’s your settings in the “Advanced” tab in the Desktop Effects settings? You should set “OpenGL 2.1” and “Raster” I’d say.
Normally the radeon driver should support OpenGL, but that may depend on the particular graphics card of course.
Maybe post your Xorg.0.log again, to check if radeon is actually in use.
The 7.3.0 package did NOT show up when I had completed the suggested process as you’ve detailed it above. Had it been available, I would have ticked the checkbox and been done with it. That is why I’ve gone on the hunt for another way to install this driver.
After running “zypper dup --from X11:Xorg” the xf86-video-ati-7.3.0 package should be installed already.
No need to explicitely select/install it anymore after that.
And another note:
I saw in your Xorg.0.log that you are using kernel 3.13.0-rc7. That’s a test version. I’d say you should either update to the current stable release 3.13.1 or downgrade to the version included in 13.1.
I have read from people having OpenGL not working after upgrading to kernel 3.13 and X from X11:Xorg.
So you might want to try to boot the kernel 3.11 from openSUSE and see if it works there. (should be still available under “Advanced Options” in the boot menu)
OK, I find myself in a pickle with being now able to boot only into Recovery Mode. I have applied the 7.2.0 driver but I am getting the same behavior as I had with the 7.3.0 driver earlier. The system boots to just prior to displaying the desktop and halts. No matter what I do I cannot seem to get the system to boot with the 7.2.0 driver. I still need a little hand holding here.
You need to switch all packages from [noparse]X11:XOrg[/noparse] repo back to the standard versions.
You could select the repo in YaST and switch back all packages manually.
Or disable the repo and run “zypper dup”.
If it still doesn’t work afterwards, please post Xorg.0.log.old, after a failed boot and reboot to recovery mode.
10-4 on that. Well, the zypper dup command failed to complete with an error towards the end requiring me to Ctrl+C to get out of the process. I’ve not booted into the Recovery Mode again and am flailing about as before. I’ll keep you posted about my progress. Thanks for staying with me during this time!
OK, the zupper dup seems to now have completed successfully after a reboot and the indication is that there are some running programs that are using files deleted by recent upgrade. I may wish to restart some of them. Run zypper -ps to list the programs.
I just reboot now right?