[HowTo] AIGLX with ATI and Sabayon 3.5

[Element]

Please note: This method will get you the Indirect Rendering capability only. I have not yet figured out a way to get direct with ATI. I am not sure if it is the drivers, but I have a hunch that it is. Please, post your method for Direct Rendering if you have one.

Okay so you have 3.5 but no eye candy? No issue. Watch and learn kiddies! Note: I strongly recommend printing this article out and knowing some terminal commands.

First thing first. Get rid of xorg and xorg-server. This is your main issue here. ATI and the new xorg's don't get along at all for most cases and you have to downgrade them both so follow these lines.

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# emerge -C x11-base/xorg-x11 x11-base/xorg-server

This removes all X. Now at this point you have no GUI so this where some terminal knowledge will come in handy if something should happen to where X is restarted. Maybe your computer crashed or your cat walked across your keyboard.

Okay onward march. Now we are going to emerge the correct xorg. Do this please:

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# emerge -av =x11-base/xorg-x11-7.2 x11-base/xorg-server-1.3.0.0-r2

Give it some time then... WHOA what is that in red? A block? wtf is a block? Yeah I get that a lot. Okay a block is a conflicting package. Sometimes two versions of the same application is pulled in, more often then not they are two conflicting packages that cannot be installed on the same system. I fixed this by doing this command:

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# emerge -C x11-drivers/xf86-video-openchrome-9999

Now this should have fixed that problem so run the previous command again:

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# emerge -av =x11-base/xorg-x11-7.2 x11-base/xorg-server-1.3.0.0-r2

Now there are multiple versions pulled into a dependency graph. Hey what are those? Two or more versions of the same package that are going to be emerged. This is usually a red-flag. Do this:

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# echo "=x11-base/xorg-x11-7.3" >> /etc/portage/package.mask && echo "=x11-base/xorg-server-1.4-r4" >> /etc/portage/package.mask && echo "=x11-base/xorg-server-1.4.0.90-r2" >> /etc/portage/package.mask

You have just masked all of the version of xorg and xorg-server that do not work with the ATI drivers.

There is one more thing. xorg-server complains about a use flag called nptl. Yeah, we know what you're thinking... this OS does a lot of complaining. Well complaining saves you a lot of trouble. Do this:

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# echo "x11-base/xorg-server -nptl" >> /etc/portage/package.use

Now for one last time:

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# emerge -av =x11-base/xorg-x11-7.2 x11-base/xorg-server-1.3.0.0-r2

Boom. Now they're emerging. If not, visit our IRC chan. So sit back and grab a cold one or seeing as how it is winter, a hot chocolate or some coffee. This will take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Once it is done we can work on our ATI side. Start by cleaning out ATI drivers:

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# emerge -C x11-drivers/ati-drivers

No more ATI. Fix it!

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# emerge =x11-drivers/ati-drivers-8.443.1-r1

Now I had you emerge a special version of ATI drivers. The latest ones, they don't work. Yeah, a lot of things don't work, I know. Anyways, once again run for coffee, beer, hot chocolate. Another 15-30 minutes are going to drag by.

Okay! They're done. So I have X right? WRONG! >.> you broke the mouse. Tis okay, I'll help you fix:

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# emerge x11-drivers/xf86-input-mouse

Okay now I have X.. but what about eye candy? Well some things have to be configured in X first. Let's do that now.

Now the first thing is first... you must configure your xorg.conf. This is very important because without these settings all of this work was for nothing. Set these in your xorg.conf:

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# gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

For GNOME

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# kedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

For KDE

Then:

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Add this to Section "Module":
    Load        "extmod"
Also comment out these two lines:
#   Load        "GLcore"
#   Load        "vbe"

Then decomment these lines in Section "Device":
Option "RenderAccel" "on"
    Option "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps"
    Option "BusType" "PCI"
    Option "ColorTiling" "on"
    Option "EnablePageFlip" "on"

Next add this line in Section "Screen":
Option      "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"

Add this line to Section "ServerLayout":
Option "AIGLX" "true" <-- This turns on your AIGLX. Very important.

If you haven't do so, change and/or decomment this line in Section "Extensions":
   Option "Composite" "true"

Now according to a recent post located here You must do the following:

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aticonfig --input=/etc/X11/xorg.conf --tls=1

According to this post you must do this every time you manually change the xorg.conf file.

Now you have configured your xorg.conf. Congrats.

Now one last thing to do and that is install Compiz Fusion and that was covered by a good, knowledgeable friend: http://www.sabayonlinux.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=9882

[hardcorezifu]

dude, what is this????

emerge: there are no ebuilds to satisfy "=x11-base/xorg-x11-7.2".

I removed the xorg server, now I can't go back.... gnome should work without it, right? right?

[joost]

No dude, Xorg is the linux graphical environment.

[Stupot]

Be sure to

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# emerge --sync

to update your package list.

[Fitzcarraldo]

See also Making changes to xorg.conf if you use ATI fglrx driver

[guneves]

Hello guys, nice post here!
We ATI owners are kind of tired on having to smash our brains all the time and still get a worst perfmance then nVidia on linux. Thas sad.

I was wondering if I may try this on Sabayon 3.4f (latest stable release).
It seems I could try this, right?

Also, I've noticed that if you do this and then follow the article of CompizFusion installation, you will change your compizfusion from the latest stable version (0.5.2) to the latest development version (0.9999). But as said on the referred article, the new effects of Compiz are easier to use on .9999 then on the .0.5.2

I think I'l try doing this tomorow... so, any recomendations to the ones that as me has the 3.4f version?
ps: I already made emerge on my kernel once, so I believe I have the source code for that (wich seems to be required, acording to other posts).

I'll check this post again soon!
Hopefully I'll get AiGLX working on my ATI video card... (and with compiz-fusion)
cheers!

[Element]

I made another post here for the 3.4f install. Try that first and if doesn't work then try this one.

[guneves]

Well, This post you mentioned was the first one I followed before...
but I just updated my kernel (to the same version) as to obtain the source codes to the ATI drivers install.

They tried to tell me on the chat, but I had no idea that 3.4f was a year old distro, and the main problem is that some packages are not avaiable on the repositories anymore. So when I update anything with an extended dependency tree, I would get to update most of my system.

So I tried that post and went into a cicle of instal the kernel (made like 4 extra upgrades as to resolve dependencies), unninstal compizfusion, unninstall/install kde install compiz (for the 2314515 time, and stil didn't finish it.. and then as a good newbie I ended up wiping my python.. (dont ask! lol)

Anyway, that was all fun, I learned a lot and I could even keep trying but as I was already planning on installing loop3,
I'm donwnloading it...

As a good newbie, that READS A LOT BEFORE ASKING, lol
does the procedure of this post works to loop3?
May I try something else?

Also, any recomendations as in... an order of the first things to do as to edit and update my system after I install? (I know I should sync emerge/layman, and also about fitzcarraldo post as the compízfusion forum post, to change xorg.conf) but what else? as I'm shooting my questions.. lol does upgrade world work on loop3? lol does it upgrade sabayon or gentoo? lol

anyway.. its been fun!
I'm also gonna install a gentoo on another partition so I can learn even more
but I really liked sabayon XD first class bleeding edge distro! lol Congrats!

[xlnagla]

You can always try something else, but this should be rather reliable. just don't pull in xorg-server 0.15.*

As for your other questions, you can upgrade world with emerge world or equo world depending on the package manager, and both will upgrade the entire system (Sabayon overlay and gentoo core). And you've got more to read!

http://gentoo-wiki.com/MAN_portage_5

if you go the portage route, first thing to do is to edit /etc/make.conf and remove obvious things you don't need.

http://www.sabayonlinux.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=75&t=11871

if you go the entropy route really all you need to do is sync.

~xlnagla