Re: Linux console / Ruby patch on dual PCI Express

[Zoltan B. <zb...@fr...>]

Magnus Lundstedt =EDrta:
> This is my first post to this list, I hope everyting works. :)=20
>=20
> I am using kernel 2.6.* with ruby on my home computer since december la=
st=20
> year. I have two nvidia graphicscard - TNT2 Ultra PCI and Geforce4 AGP.=
=20
>=20
> Everything works as it should and without problems, now I have a few=20
> questions:=20
>=20
> 1) When will this patch go into the main linux tree? What is left to do=
 before=20
> it can merge, or is that "out of the question" / not gonna happen in th=
e=20
> forseable future?=20

As I heard, it won't get into the kernel in this form.
Instead, one of the development directions of Linux-2.7.x
will be to remove the console system from the kernel and
create a user space console system. This way, all the past,
present and future races will be removed as well, that plagued
the development of 2.[56].x and were only solved in late
2.6.x.

> 2) Several vendors (via, nvidia, etc) will soon start selling mobo-chip=
sets=20
> capable of dual PCI-express or AGP + PCI-express slots.=20
>=20
> First (a); will PCI-express cards work "just like" AGP cards in general=
 in=20
> linux.=20

They should.

> Second (b); will PCI-express motherboards/graphicscards work "out of th=
e box"=20
> with linux?=20

They should.

> Third (c); Does Linux support multiple AGP ports today, which the AGP-s=
tandard=20
> does.=20

The kernel should support it, as all the PCI-like devices are discovered
through the PCI BIOS calls. But I am yet to hear about such a mainboard
that implements the "sidecar" AGP that is part of the AGP 3.0 standard.

> If it does, will it be possible to use one of these dual PCI-express bo=
ards=20
> with the ruby patch to make a system with two X-consoles where each has=
 one=20
> PCI-express graphics card?

The answer is "definitely, yes" here. :-)

> A system like that would be very intresting, since I am today having pr=
oblems=20
> with openGL and other accelerated graphics on the PCI nvidia card. (whi=
ch I=20
> assume is due to the poor performance of the PCI bus, I only get ca 700=
 fps=20
> in glxgears on the PCI card, and xv-accelerated video has lower fps (so=
me=20
> jerkiness) than xv on the AGP graphicscard).=20

I had the same problem, like one of our daughters played SuperTux on the
X server that drove my PCI Radeon and it hogged even IDE transfers.
I reniced the X server (renice 10 <pid of X>), and it almost solved the
problem. I say "almost" because now the SuperTux lowered the framerate,
pretty much visibly. I haven't experimented more.

> So, in summare, my second question is; Does anyone know if the future d=
ual=20
> PCI-express (or PCI-express + AGP port) motherboards (such as the VIA=20
> K8T890Pro or nvidia Nforce 4 SLI) will work with linux and the ruby pat=
ch in=20
> particular to set up a multi-console system using fast gfx cards?=20

They should work.

Best regards,
Zolt=E1n B=F6sz=F6rm=E9nyi