Re: Are textmode consoles/terminals still supported?

On Thu, 23 Mar 2017 18:36:45 +0100 "O. Hartmann" <ohartmann_at_walstatt.org> wrote

> Am Mon, 20 Mar 2017 16:06:43 -0700
> "Chris H" <bsd-lists_at_bsdforge.com> schrieb:
> 
> > On Mon, 20 Mar 2017 22:02:06 +0000 Steven Hartland
> > <killing_at_multiplay.co.uk> wrote
> > 
> > > Add the following to /boot/loader.conf
> > > 
> > > Its a tunable but not a sysctl so you can't query it, you just need to 
> > > set it by adding it to /boot/loader.conf:
> > > hw.vga.textmode="1"
> > >   
> > WOW. Thanks for the fast reply!
> > 
> > I gave your suggestion a try. But it was ignored. :-(
> > All my other boxes run the nvidia blob, and provide textmode,
> > and support sc/syscons(4). But I'm not using (u)efi on them.
> > Maybe that's the trouble?
> > 
> > Thanks again, Steven!
> > 
> > --Chris
> > 
> > > On 20/03/2017 21:58, Chris H wrote:  
> > > > I'm attempting to get a video card that DTRT on FreeBSD.
> > > > I started with the graphics provided by an AMD A6-7470K,
> > > > only to discover it's not yet supported. So I forked out
> > > > for a recent nvidia card, and build/installed a new
> > > > world/kernel.
> > > > Everything seemed to be as one would expect, except there
> > > > was an issue with loader.efi. So I had to move mine aside,
> > > > and use the one off the install media (tho I understand
> > > > the (u)efi has since been fixed). Now, I'm attempting to
> > > > obtain textmode. The text stripped from a tty, and pasted
> > > > to a new file in a textmode editor -- ee(1) for example;
> > > > pads the line with spaces to EOL, and prefaces each line
> > > > following the first line with rubbish (about 1 to 2
> > > > characters worth).
> > > > So "graphics mode" or vt(4) isn't going to get it, for me.
> > > > Textmode, and syscons(4) has always worked as expected, and
> > > > I thought I'd try to re-enable it, or get textmode via vt(4).
> > > > But all attempts fail.
> > > > excerpt from my KERNCONF
> > > >
> > > > device        vga
> > > > options     VESA
> > > >
> > > > device        sc
> > > > options     SC_PIXEL_MODE
> > > >
> > > > device        vt
> > > > device        vt_vga
> > > > device        vt_efifb
> > > >
> > > > However, following the advice on the freebsd wiki, querying
> > > > the value in sysctl(8) returns:
> > > > # sysctl hw.vga.textmode
> > > > sysctl: unknown oid 'hw.vga.textmode'
> > > >
> > > > OK how bout vidcontrol(1)
> > > > # vidcontrol -i adapter
> > > > vidcontrol: obtaining adapter information: Inappropriate ioctl for
> > > device >
> > > > So, it appears from my standpoint that textmode is no longer
> > > > supported?
> > > >
> > > > FWIW:
> > > > FreeBSD trump.whitehouse.gov.test 12.0-CURRENT FreeBSD 12.0-CURRENT #0
> > > > r314700: Sun Mar 5 09:01:30 PST 2017
> > > > root_at_trump.whitehouse.gov.test:/usr/obj/usr/src/sys/TESTKERN amd6
> > > >
> > > > Thank you for anything that might help me obtain textmode again.
> > > >
> > > > --Chris
> > > >
> > > >
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> 
> I use non-UEFI booting machines with vt()-only and the nVidia BLOB (regular
> one from ports and even the latest 378.13). The console is not working
> anymore and provides garbage as long as vt() is in charge. On UEFI only
> systems, vt() is required, sc/syscons doesn't work anymore (I don't care, I'd
> like to move on). So, with nVidia, you are lost.
> 
> The problem with vt() and nVidia is well known and it is well known more than
> a year by now if I recall correctly. Nothing has been done by nVidia so far
> and as far as I know, the maintainer hasn't solved the problem. I do not know
> whether nVidia is willing to solve the issue. I left an question in their
> forum, but it seems FreeBSD is more handled like a "unpleasant necessity". On
> the other hand, GPU and such related stuff (GPGPU for instance) is a
> wasteland in FreeBSD and it seems their world is still made up from blocky
> ASCII terminals. Not that I dislike serial terminals, they save your ass
> sometimes and for server management, one doesn't really need the additional,
> non-fault-free complexity graphical UI introduce, but with the capabilities
> of handling graphics the proper way much more is usually related to.
> 
> nVidia is, at the moment, the only GPU provider which supports FreeBSD. If
> you'd like to have a workstation with high performance graphical capabilities
> on FreeBSD, there is no way around nVidia. With most recent modern hardware,
> UEFI is standard and there the console is gone as long the nVidia kernel
> module is loaded - you have no chance to get to the console anymore, except
> you're capable of unloading (remotely?) the kernel module. As a matter of
> fact, the system is broken!  
>
> Regards,
> 
> Oliver 
A *huge* thanks, Oliver, for taking the time to describe the
situation so well -- even if I don't like the answer. ;-)

OK that pretty much explains what I'm experiencing. Looks
like the only I can get a decent text-based console/terminal;
will be to write syscons(4) back into FreeBSD, myself.
I thought things were intended to get better, as time goes on.
But IMHO it seems like things are simply being removed, which
only makes things worse. I know "whiney/trollish" but damnit,
I'm frustrated, and judging by the mailing lists, and bugzuilla;
others are too.

Thanks again, Oliver. I greatly appreciate your taking the time
you did!

--Chris
> 
> -- 
> O. Hartmann
> 
> Ich widerspreche der Nutzung oder Übermittlung meiner Daten für
> Werbezwecke oder für die Markt- oder Meinungsforschung (§ 28 Abs. 4 BDSG).