kernel mode setting / how to configure the console's resolution X x Y with KMS active

Dear listmembers,
I am not sure whether or not I am at the right place here, but I'll give it a 
try as the list's name sounded most close to what I would like to talk about.

Recently I installed a brand new linux distro coming with the KMS-feature. 
Though appearing quite satisfying at the first glance I noted several 
drawbacks you probably can give answers to / set me on the right track.

The console mode is radically set to the maximum that is promoted by the 
monitor's edid. This leaves the console on my system totally useless as 2048 x 
something points on a 21'' display - well, if I was thirty years younger ... 
and my eyes were still that good ....

Configuration options? Nope. Turn it off, if it disturbs you, I was told.

This is not the way things ought to be. I would like to use KMS for X11 - but 
in X11, there is xrandr, so I have a chance to configure things afterwards - 
but the console - like it or leave it? The distros drop the xorg.conf creation 
software, saying that there is KMS - but the console is left alone(?)

I have been searching for documentation, but in vain so far. Is there any 
friendly guy around explaining to me how to tame that beast? Is it really 
intended (think of visually impaired people ....) that there is no way to 
configure this behaviour?

By the way, I am using kernel 2.6.34<something>

Playing around with fbset yielded nothing but cryptic messages about not 
existing modes though being present in /etc/fb.modes.

Thank you very much for your help in advance,
take care




Dieter Jurzitza


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if you really want to see the pictures above - use some font
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On Sat, Jul 10, 2010 at 9:03 AM, Dr. Ing. Dieter Jurzitza
[off-list ref] wrote:

Dear listmembers,
I am not sure whether or not I am at the right place here, but I'll give it a
try as the list's name sounded most close to what I would like to talk about.

Recently I installed a brand new linux distro coming with the KMS-feature.
Though appearing quite satisfying at the first glance I noted several
drawbacks you probably can give answers to / set me on the right track.

The console mode is radically set to the maximum that is promoted by the
monitor's edid. This leaves the console on my system totally useless as 2048 x
something points on a 21'' display - well, if I was thirty years younger ...
and my eyes were still that good ....

Configuration options? Nope. Turn it off, if it disturbs you, I was told.

This is not the way things ought to be. I would like to use KMS for X11 - but
in X11, there is xrandr, so I have a chance to configure things afterwards -
but the console - like it or leave it? The distros drop the xorg.conf creation
software, saying that there is KMS - but the console is left alone(?)

I have been searching for documentation, but in vain so far. Is there any
friendly guy around explaining to me how to tame that beast? Is it really
intended (think of visually impaired people ....) that there is no way to
configure this behaviour?

By the way, I am using kernel 2.6.34<something>

Playing around with fbset yielded nothing but cryptic messages about not
existing modes though being present in /etc/fb.modes.

Thank you very much for your help in advance,

Either change console fonts to something larger (I think this is
possible haven't done it), or just boot with videod0x480 or 800x600
to change resolutions.

Dave.

Hi Dave,
thank you very much for this hint - video=<something> does the trick. I only 
wonder why the old entries (that IMHO were meant to do the same, 
vga=<something>, i. e. vga=0x324) don't work any more. I wouln't have searched 
for this, as I was accustomed to vga=<something> what actually does not work 
any more.

And, by the way, the only tiny drawback I noted is the fact that the splash 
has disappeared. But this is by far not as bad as a useless console ..... :-)

Thanks again,
take care




Dieter Jurzitza

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------

                               |
                                \
                 /\_/\           |
                | ~x~ |/-----\   /
                 \   /-       \_/
  ^^__   _        /  _  ____   /
 <°°__ \- \_/     |  |/    |  |
  ||  ||         _| _|    _| _|

if you really want to see the pictures above - use some font
with constant spacing like courier! :-)
-----------------------------------------------------------