Radeon Mobility 7500 AiGLX, Beryl, Direct Rendering WORKING!!

[ness0216]

I've seen a few posts about people having trouble getting direct rendering to work with the open source radeon drivers. I had the exact same problems that a lot of people had and it seemed like I had tried every solution I could find and came up empty. After some deeper searching I finally got my IBM T42 with the Radeon 7500 to work properly. I'm assuming you already have beryl installed so I won't go over that, I'll just go over some of the issues I had and what steps I took to fix them.

1. fglrx stuff
If you tried to install the fglrx drivers you'll have some junk left over that needs to be removed. This was my main issue. After searching through forums I found that the 7500 and the fglrx driver just don't seem to work correctly. First blacklist the fglrx module.

sudo gedit /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules-common

Add

DISABLED_MODULES="fglrx"

Next, uninstall all the packages that you installed for fglrx. I don't have the list of packages that I removed (since they're gone now) but I basically did a search for "fglrx" in synaptic and uninstalled all of them except "xserver-xorg-video-ati"

Reboot

2. Getting direct rendering to work
If you run glxinfo you should find a line like this

OpenGL vendor string: Tungsten Graphics, Inc.
OpenGL renderer string: Mesa DRI Radeon 20060327 AGP 1x TCL
OpenGL version string: 1.3 Mesa 6.5.1

If you've gotten this far and you still see "direct rendering: No" follow the next few steps. This is the part where I always got tripped up these next few steps solved the problem for me.

First run this command from a shell

export LIBGL_DEBUG="verbose"

Next run glxgears and note the output. If you encounter an error such as

libGL: OpenDriver: trying /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri/radeon_dri.so
libGL error: dlopen /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri/radeon_dri.so failed (/usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri/radeon_dri.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory)
libGL error: unable to find driver: radeon_dri.so

Then create a symlink like so...

sudo ln -s /usr/lib/dri/radeon_dri.so /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri/radeon_dri.so

If you get an error such as "cannot find libGL.so.1" try this

sudo cp /usr/lib/libGL.so.1.2 /usr/lib/libGL.so.1

I think this has to do with fglrx not removing correctly, reinstalling the mesa drivers might also fix this.

Next open up /etc/profile and comment out or remove any lines that were added by fglrx. For example in my file I commented out the following line. I think this is the step most people are missing and this is what finally fixed direct rendering for me.

#. /etc/ati/ati-fglrx.sh  # Do not modify - set by ATI FGLRX

After all this try reinstalling the following packages.

libgl1-mesa-dri libgl1-mesa-glx xserver-xorg-video-ati

Finally

depmod -a

Reboot, login and cross your fingers. If you're lucky you'll get something similar to the output below when you run glxinfo.

name of display: :0.0
display: :0  screen: 0
direct rendering: Yes
server glx vendor string: SGI
server glx version string: 1.2
server glx extensions:
    GLX_ARB_multisample, GLX_EXT_visual_info, GLX_EXT_visual_rating, 
    GLX_EXT_import_context, GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap, GLX_OML_swap_method, 
    GLX_SGI_make_current_read, GLX_SGIS_multisample, GLX_SGIX_hyperpipe, 
    GLX_SGIX_swap_barrier, GLX_SGIX_fbconfig, GLX_MESA_copy_sub_buffer
client glx vendor string: SGI
client glx version string: 1.4
client glx extensions:
    GLX_ARB_get_proc_address, GLX_ARB_multisample, GLX_EXT_import_context, 
    GLX_EXT_visual_info, GLX_EXT_visual_rating, GLX_MESA_allocate_memory, 
    GLX_MESA_copy_sub_buffer, GLX_MESA_swap_control, 
    GLX_MESA_swap_frame_usage, GLX_OML_swap_method, GLX_OML_sync_control, 
    GLX_SGI_make_current_read, GLX_SGI_swap_control, GLX_SGI_video_sync, 
    GLX_SGIS_multisample, GLX_SGIX_fbconfig, GLX_SGIX_pbuffer, 
    GLX_SGIX_visual_select_group, GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap
GLX version: 1.2
GLX extensions:
    GLX_ARB_get_proc_address, GLX_ARB_multisample, GLX_EXT_import_context, 
    GLX_EXT_visual_info, GLX_EXT_visual_rating, GLX_MESA_copy_sub_buffer, 
    GLX_MESA_swap_control, GLX_MESA_swap_frame_usage, GLX_OML_swap_method, 
    GLX_SGI_video_sync, GLX_SGIS_multisample, GLX_SGIX_fbconfig
OpenGL vendor string: Tungsten Graphics, Inc.
OpenGL renderer string: Mesa DRI Radeon 20060327 AGP 1x TCL
OpenGL version string: 1.3 Mesa 6.5.1
OpenGL extensions:
    GL_ARB_imaging, GL_ARB_multisample, GL_ARB_multitexture, 
    GL_ARB_texture_border_clamp, GL_ARB_texture_compression, 
    GL_ARB_texture_cube_map, GL_ARB_texture_env_add, 
    GL_ARB_texture_env_combine, GL_ARB_texture_env_crossbar, 
    GL_ARB_texture_env_dot3, GL_ARB_texture_mirrored_repeat, 
    GL_ARB_texture_rectangle, GL_ARB_transpose_matrix, GL_ARB_window_pos, 
    GL_EXT_abgr, GL_EXT_bgra, GL_EXT_blend_color, GL_EXT_blend_logic_op, 
    GL_EXT_blend_minmax, GL_EXT_blend_subtract, GL_EXT_clip_volume_hint, 
    GL_EXT_compiled_vertex_array, GL_EXT_convolution, GL_EXT_copy_texture, 
    GL_EXT_draw_range_elements, GL_EXT_fog_coord, GL_EXT_histogram, 
    GL_EXT_packed_pixels, GL_EXT_polygon_offset, GL_EXT_rescale_normal, 
    GL_EXT_secondary_color, GL_EXT_separate_specular_color, 
    GL_EXT_stencil_wrap, GL_EXT_subtexture, GL_EXT_texture, GL_EXT_texture3D, 
    GL_EXT_texture_edge_clamp, GL_EXT_texture_env_add, 
    GL_EXT_texture_env_combine, GL_EXT_texture_env_dot3, 
    GL_EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic, GL_EXT_texture_lod_bias, 
    GL_EXT_texture_mirror_clamp, GL_EXT_texture_object, 
    GL_EXT_texture_rectangle, GL_EXT_vertex_array, GL_APPLE_packed_pixels, 
    GL_ATI_texture_env_combine3, GL_ATI_texture_mirror_once, 
    GL_IBM_rasterpos_clip, GL_IBM_texture_mirrored_repeat, 
    GL_MESA_ycbcr_texture, GL_MESA_window_pos, GL_NV_blend_square, 
    GL_NV_light_max_exponent, GL_NV_texture_rectangle, 
    GL_NV_texgen_reflection, GL_OES_read_format, GL_SGI_color_matrix, 
    GL_SGI_color_table, GL_SGIS_generate_mipmap, GL_SGIS_texture_border_clamp, 
    GL_SGIS_texture_edge_clamp, GL_SGIS_texture_lod
glu version: 1.3
glu extensions:
    GLU_EXT_nurbs_tessellator, GLU_EXT_object_space_tess

   visual  x  bf lv rg d st colorbuffer ax dp st accumbuffer  ms  cav
 id dep cl sp sz l  ci b ro  r  g  b  a bf th cl  r  g  b  a ns b eat
----------------------------------------------------------------------
0x23 24 tc  0 32  0 r  y  .  8  8  8  8  0 24  8  0  0  0  0  0 0 None
0x24 24 tc  0 32  0 r  y  .  8  8  8  8  0 24  0  0  0  0  0  0 0 None
0x25 24 tc  0 32  0 r  y  .  8  8  8  8  0 24  8 16 16 16 16  0 0 Slow
0x26 24 tc  0 32  0 r  y  .  8  8  8  8  0 24  0 16 16 16 16  0 0 Slow
0x27 24 tc  0 32  0 r  .  .  8  8  8  8  0 24  8  0  0  0  0  0 0 None
0x28 24 tc  0 32  0 r  .  .  8  8  8  8  0 24  0  0  0  0  0  0 0 None
0x29 24 tc  0 32  0 r  .  .  8  8  8  8  0 24  8 16 16 16 16  0 0 Slow
0x2a 24 tc  0 32  0 r  .  .  8  8  8  8  0 24  0 16 16 16 16  0 0 Slow
0x2b 24 dc  0 32  0 r  y  .  8  8  8  8  0 24  8  0  0  0  0  0 0 None
0x2c 24 dc  0 32  0 r  y  .  8  8  8  8  0 24  0  0  0  0  0  0 0 None
0x2d 24 dc  0 32  0 r  y  .  8  8  8  8  0 24  8 16 16 16 16  0 0 Slow
0x2e 24 dc  0 32  0 r  y  .  8  8  8  8  0 24  0 16 16 16 16  0 0 Slow
0x2f 24 dc  0 32  0 r  .  .  8  8  8  8  0 24  8  0  0  0  0  0 0 None
0x30 24 dc  0 32  0 r  .  .  8  8  8  8  0 24  0  0  0  0  0  0 0 None
0x31 24 dc  0 32  0 r  .  .  8  8  8  8  0 24  8 16 16 16 16  0 0 Slow
0x32 24 dc  0 32  0 r  .  .  8  8  8  8  0 24  0 16 16 16 16  0 0 Slow
0x4b 32 tc  0 32  0 r  .  .  8  8  8  8  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0 0 Ncon

I think my biggest hurdle with all this was getting the fglrx drivers completely removed to finally get direct rendering working.

Beryl / AIGLX stuff
If you have beryl installed add the following to your xorg.conf if they aren't already there.
In the device section add

	Option		"XAANoOffscreenPixmaps"
	Option		"AccelMethod" "EXA"
	Option		"DRI" "true"
	Option		"AGPSize"	"32"  #fixes white title bars

In the server layout section add

	Option		"AIGLX"	"true"

And finally

Section "Extensions"
	Option  "Composite" "Enable"
EndSection

I hope this helps some of you guys out there who have been banging your head over this. I've done so many installs/uninstalls and different tweaks and such I might have left something out. If you still have problems let me know what errors you're getting and I'll try to remember the steps I took to solve them.

[alfito]

Hey! Sincery I thought my problems had blown when I read your post, but.. Unfortunately didn't worked for me. I still get "direct rendering: no"
I am running Feisty and removed fglrx, but I am pretty sure is something related with a wrong uninstall. My card is an ATI X700 Mobility Radeon.
LiveCD shows direct rendering working, I pasted same xorg.conf but nothing...

Any ideas? I will have tu reinstall? ag...

[Turin Turambar]

Thanks ness! It worked!

[kfbucho]

Awesome! It worked. Thanks you ness!

[ingo]

Originally Posted by ness0216 First blacklist the fglrx module. sudo gedit /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules-common Add DISABLED_MODULES="fglrx" Next, uninstall all the packages that you installed for fglrx. I don't have the list of packages that I removed (since they're gone now) but I basically did a search for "fglrx" in synaptic and uninstalled all of them except "xserver-xorg-video-ati" Reboot

Well, that did it for me!!! I've been going through the forums, googling, getting on peoples' nerves and it was as simple as that! Direct rendering is all there and GoogleEarth started up as it is supposed to. Brilliant!

[lakamsani]

Thanks for posting. I got it working too after trying a few things without luck on and off for almost a week.

My setup is: LinuxMint Bianca on a Compaq Evo N800c with ATI Radeon Mobility 7500.

Here's the path I took.

First tried this:

http://lhansen.blogspot.com/2006/10/...untu-edgy.html

Did not work because direct rendering is not enabled. Above page had some useful info on beryl installation, short cuts and how to start beryl in session. I realized that for ATI 7500 I had to try something else.

Then I tried this:
http://linuxmint.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8015. See the post by maximus659 with the following instructions:
Option "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "True"
Option "RenderAccel" "True"
Option "AllowGLXWithComposite" "True"
Option "backingstore" "True"
Option "TripleBuffer" "True"

It still did not work. Then I tried this (upgrade to beryl from feisty)
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=344271

Still did not work. Then I came to this thread. I un-installed all the fglrx stuff and restarted. Beryl started working. I tried to remove the xorg.conf options from http://linuxmint.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8015 and it stopped working. So I put them back in. I think I need those for my setup.

Beryl is nice. Thanks to all the Ubuntu, LinuxMint and Beryl developers and folks that post what works for them. I 'm very close to dropping XP on my laptop. Some of the advanced Vista versions won't even work on my laptop.

[Cloudy]

I don't have a modules folder in /usr/X11R6/lib, is that normal? :/

Whenver I try to create a symlink I get:

travis@travis-laptop:~$ sudo ln -s /usr/lib/dri/radeon_dri.so /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri/radeon_dri.so
ln: creating symbolic link `/usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri/radeon_dri.so' to `/usr/lib/dri/radeon_dri.so': No such file or directory
travis@travis-laptop:~$

[ctt1wbw]

I'm glad I stumbled across this thread. I'm getting a Thinkpad T30 in a day or so to use for school. I'm planning on wiping the drive and installing Fedora Core 6. This laptop has the same ATI card in it.

You think the procedures would be about the same on Fedora as they are here? I'd love to get Beryl working on it.

[ingo]

Is there any point in running beryl on a t30? I haven't tried on my t41, but if my desktop with an NVidia Geforce 5200 and a faster processor is kind of slow, will a laptop be able to cope at all? be great if you could post your experiences...

[ctt1wbw]

I was wondering the same thing. The 7500 only 32 meg of vram. You could probably disable all the screen effects, but leave the rotating cube enabled. I'll try it and post my results. I'd love to be able to showcase Beryl in my Intro to Linux class.