Brandon Hoppe

I can change the resolution with ffbconfig but there isn't an option to change the color
depth (i.e. -defdepth). m64config doesn't exist so I can't use that.

How else can I change it?

TIA

Rich Teer

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004, Brandon Hoppe wrote:

> I can change the resolution with ffbconfig but there isn't an option to change the color
> depth (i.e. -defdepth). m64config doesn't exist so I can't use that.

Which frame buffer are you using? IIRC, ffbconfig is only for the
Creators. The Xsun man page has the info you need.

--
Rich Teer, SCNA, SCSA

President,
Rite Online Inc.

Voice: +1 (250) 979-1638
URL: http://www.rite-online.net

Dave Uhring

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 16:40:56 -0500, Brandon Hoppe wrote:

>
> I can change the resolution with ffbconfig but there isn't an option to change the color
> depth (i.e. -defdepth). m64config doesn't exist so I can't use that.
>
> How else can I change it?

# mkdir -p /etc/dt/config
# cp /usr/dt/config/Xservers /etc/dt/config
# vi /etc/dt/config/Xservers

:0 Local local_uid@console root /usr/openwin/bin/Xsun :0 -nobanner -dev /dev/fbs/ffb0 defdepth 24

You may need to change /dev/fbs/ffb0.

Brandon Hoppe

Dangit, sorry guys, forgot to mention that I don't have root access.

Dave Uhring wrote:
> On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 16:40:56 -0500, Brandon Hoppe wrote:
>
>
>>I can change the resolution with ffbconfig but there isn't an option to change the color
>>depth (i.e. -defdepth). m64config doesn't exist so I can't use that.
>>
>>How else can I change it?
>
>
> # mkdir -p /etc/dt/config
> # cp /usr/dt/config/Xservers /etc/dt/config
> # vi /etc/dt/config/Xservers
>
> :0 Local local_uid@console root /usr/openwin/bin/Xsun :0 -nobanner -dev /dev/fbs/ffb0 defdepth 24
>
> You may need to change /dev/fbs/ffb0.
>

Robin KAY

Brandon Hoppe wrote:

> Dangit, sorry guys, forgot to mention that I don't have root access.

Then you need to ask the sysadmin to change it for you.

[snip]

> m64config doesn't exist so I can't use that.

m64config is the system binaries directory, /usr/sbin, which may not be
in your path. You need to be root to make use of it however.

--
Wishing you good fortune,
--Robin Kay-- (komadori)

Logan Shaw

Robin KAY wrote:

> Brandon Hoppe wrote:

>> Dangit, sorry guys, forgot to mention that I don't have root access.

> Then you need to ask the sysadmin to change it for you.

OK, I do not dispute that this is factual, but doesn't it seem
kind of, well, dumb?

I can understand if root access is needed to change to a screen
mode that isn't on a list of approved ones. Changing to some
untested mode could potentially compromise the stability of
the system (or at least access to it given whatever monitor
is hooked up). And I can see sometimes requiring the admin to
tweak a file that contains a list of supported modes, maybe
adding an obscure one that is not commonly used.

But basically, the system should come with a list of supported
modes and there should be an easy way of changing them without
requiring root access. Preferably without restarting the X server
either, although I know that's hard. But at least it should only
require logging out and in again, not calling up the system
administrator and waiting however long it takes to get a call
back.

Of course, it should require console ownership for a regular user
to change the screen mode. And the system should remember the
default state and set it back to that state when someone logs
out. But by gosh, it should at least be possible to do it when
it's reasonable.

Right now, the situation is such that this is a giant, giant
pain on Solaris. But on Windows, it only takes a right click
on the background and a little bit of navigation through obscure
menus to do it. And on the Mac it's even easier. And on every
other computer, it's also really really easy. But it's a pain
on Solaris. In the days where multisync monitors were a big
luxury and video modes had to be hand-tuned to avoid smoking
your monitor, that made sense, but it's not 1989 anymore.

By the way, I'm not trying to trash Solaris. I've been using
Sun machines and software for 15 years. I like it. But when
you get into an area that's so behind the times as this one,
it's just a little disappointing.

(Not that Linux is a huge amount better. On Linux, you have
to ALSO go through the step of concocting a workable XF86Config
file, a process which is just plain moronic IMHO.)

- Logan

Robin KAY

Logan Shaw wrote:

> OK, I do not dispute that this is factual, but doesn't it seem
> kind of, well, dumb?

[snip]

You made me unsure of myself and I had to check. It appears that, on
Solaris 9 at least, m64config(1M) is a setuid executable and
unprivileged users can change the colour depth (I haven't tested
changing the resolution). I find it a little worrying that the console
user can change this at will but I suppose that they could also smash
the system with an axe ^_^.

> Right now, the situation is such that this is a giant, giant
> pain on Solaris. But on Windows, it only takes a right click
> on the background and a little bit of navigation through obscure
> menus to do it. And on the Mac it's even easier. And on every
> other computer, it's also really really easy. But it's a pain
> on Solaris. In the days where multisync monitors were a big
> luxury and video modes had to be hand-tuned to avoid smoking
> your monitor, that made sense, but it's not 1989 anymore.

XFree86 has an extension called VidMode which can be used to change the
display mode on the fly.

--
Wishing you good fortune,
--Robin Kay-- (komadori)

Logan Shaw

Robin KAY wrote:

> Logan Shaw wrote:
>
>> OK, I do not dispute that this is factual, but doesn't it seem
>> kind of, well, dumb?

> You made me unsure of myself and I had to check. It appears that, on
> Solaris 9 at least, m64config(1M) is a setuid executable and
> unprivileged users can change the colour depth (I haven't tested
> changing the resolution). I find it a little worrying that the console
> user can change this at will but I suppose that they could also smash
> the system with an axe ^_^.

Indeed, they could.

Well, that's interesting to know. It has been a while since I've
worked with real Sun hardware. These days I just run Solaris on
x86 systems, so I didn't know about m64config being setuid. (Not
that it should have to be -- setuid is almost inherently evil
in my opinion, and, also in my opinion, this should be handled
with an ioctl() against some device driver. But oh well.)

- Logan

Casper H.S. Dik

Logan Shaw <lshaw-usenet@austin.rr.com> writes:

>Well, that's interesting to know. It has been a while since I've
>worked with real Sun hardware. These days I just run Solaris on
>x86 systems, so I didn't know about m64config being setuid. (Not
>that it should have to be -- setuid is almost inherently evil
>in my opinion, and, also in my opinion, this should be handled
>with an ioctl() against some device driver. But oh well.)


X doe snto cater for change scolor depths or resolutions on the fly.

(The Xserver could in theory support changing resolutions it would
confuse some clients but that would be all; changing color depths is
a different matter entirely; there it would be nice if we could have
8 and 24 bit coexist in all X servers and do some form of "compatibility
mode" for clients which don't play ball. (Some clients just plain refuse
to work if the first visual is not the proper one)

Casper
--
Expressed in this posting are my opinions. They are in no way related
to opinions held by my employer, Sun Microsystems.
Statements on Sun products included here are not gospel and may
be fiction rather than truth.

Darren Dunham

Brandon Hoppe <bhoppe@ti.com> wrote:
> Dangit, sorry guys, forgot to mention that I don't have root access.

> Dave Uhring wrote:
>> On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 16:40:56 -0500, Brandon Hoppe wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I can change the resolution with ffbconfig but there isn't an option to change the color
>>>depth (i.e. -defdepth). m64config doesn't exist so I can't use that.
>>>
>>>How else can I change it?
>>
>>
>> # mkdir -p /etc/dt/config
>> # cp /usr/dt/config/Xservers /etc/dt/config
>> # vi /etc/dt/config/Xservers
>>
>> :0 Local local_uid@console root /usr/openwin/bin/Xsun :0 -nobanner -dev /dev/fbs/ffb0 defdepth 24
>>
>> You may need to change /dev/fbs/ffb0.

Drop down to console mode and invoke the X server directly on the
command line with the proper -defdepth argument.

--
Darren Dunham ddunham@taos.com
Senior Technical Consultant TAOS http://www.taos.com/
Got some Dr Pepper? San Francisco, CA bay area
< This line left intentionally blank to confuse you. >

Brandon Hoppe

m64config executable exists, but no the m64 frame buffer:

m64config: /dev/fbs/m640: No such file or directory

I've used m64config to change the depth on an Ultra10. I don't have to be root to do that.
But on this Ultra60, without m64 I can't figure out how to change it.


Robin KAY wrote:
> Brandon Hoppe wrote:
>
>> Dangit, sorry guys, forgot to mention that I don't have root access.
>
>
> Then you need to ask the sysadmin to change it for you.
>
> [snip]
>
>> m64config doesn't exist so I can't use that.
>
>
> m64config is the system binaries directory, /usr/sbin, which may not be
> in your path. You need to be root to make use of it however.
>

Dave Uhring

On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 11:21:25 -0500, Brandon Hoppe wrote:

>
> m64config executable exists, but no the m64 frame buffer:
>
> m64config: /dev/fbs/m640: No such file or directory
>
> I've used m64config to change the depth on an Ultra10. I don't have to be root to do that.
> But on this Ultra60, without m64 I can't figure out how to change it.

You do know that you can get effective root on the system by booting it
from Software CD 1?

Robin KAY

Brandon Hoppe wrote:

> m64config executable exists, but no the m64 frame buffer:
>
> m64config: /dev/fbs/m640: No such file or directory
>
> I've used m64config to change the depth on an Ultra10. I don't have to
> be root to do that. But on this Ultra60, without m64 I can't figure
> out how to change it.

What kind of framebuffer do you have then? Post the result of `ls
/dev/fbs` and `ls /usr/lib/fbconfig`.

--
Wishing you good fortune,
--Robin Kay-- (komadori)

Brandon Hoppe

This is a work machine so I don't have access to root or any installation CD.

Dave Uhring wrote:
> You do know that you can get effective root on the system by booting it
> from Software CD 1?

Brandon Hoppe

Robin KAY wrote:
> What kind of framebuffer do you have then? Post the result of `ls
> /dev/fbs` and `ls /usr/lib/fbconfig`.


ls /dev/fbs
ffb0

ls /usr/lib/fbconfig
SUNWafb_config SUNWffb_config SUNWifb_config SUNWm64_config TSIgfxp_config

If I call m64config, would it work if I specify '-dev /dev/fbs/ffb0'?