fileinfo.txt (C) 2002 FireGL
============

Download Guide - FireGL2, 3 and 4 graphics adapters
Drivers for the Linux operating systems.

Index
-----

Purpose of this file
Linux/XFree86 components and versions
File descriptions
Sample download configurations
Installation steps

Purpose of this file
--------------------

This is a brief description of the different components of the FireGL Linux XFree86 driver package. You will find some hints on what you need to download to start and run your XFree86 system.

Linux/XFree86 components and versions
-------------------------------------

Information on basic parameters of your target system.

How to match the XFree86 version?

Currently FireGL drivers are available for XFree86 4.0.3, 4.1.0 and 4.2.0 
The driver is binary backwards compatible with XFree86 4.0.2.
You can obtain XFree86 updates from 
(1) XFree86.org or
(2) the download site of your Linux distribution vendor

How to match the c library version?

Currently FireGL provides Linux drivers for only one version of the c runtime library:
glibc22 (aka libc62)
To find out which c library you have, download the script  'Check.sh' and run it:

sh Check.sh

This will report the runtime C library version that is present on your system.

Tarball (*.tgz) or RedHat Package Manager (*.rpm)?

There are two packaging formats of the drivers - indicated by the file name extensions *.tgz, and *.rpm, respectively.
Both packages are considered equivalent, but they show different advantages and drawbacks.

- Tarball (tgz): this is a single file for each driver version.
It bundles all files you need for a specific machine setup.
Contained in such a package is the Install.sh script which extracts and installs the archived driver binary files. Further several system configuration steps are performed. For removing  the drivers the Uninstall.sh script is included there as well.
Detailed driver information can be found in included readme.txt.
The tarball archive needs just a simple set of tools and should therefore run on nearly any Linux distribution.

- RPM package (rpm): consists of two parts
- the display driver rpm (ddx) and 
- the OpenGL and kernel module rpm (glk).
This setup is convenient if you are compiling your own distribution, and you want to have the 2D display drivers and the native graphics available, even during the installation. You can add OpenGL support later, once the installer has finished the harddisk setup and the target system is running. RPMs also have some advantages in normal use: with nice GUI tools you can easily manage updates, installation checks, repairs and removal of packages.
Since most Linux distributions have based their code on the RPM system, RPM is considered the up-to-date method. You may need to download the readme.txt in addition to the ddx and glk RPM.

File descriptions
-----------------

Note: The list below is based on the current driver version 1.9.20
This version number will change when later driver versions become available

* general files:

fileinfo.txt - this file - providing hints on what to download.

readme.txt - useful information on general topics, tips and tricks.

Check.sh - helper script that reports on your system configuration.

* packages for glibc2.2 and XFree86 4.0.x:

fgl23glibc22-X40-1.9.20.tgz
- the tarball version of the driver. This package is for versions 4.0.x of XFree86 and works with glibc2.2 only.

fgl23ddx-glc22-4.0.3-1.9.20.i586.rpm
- RPM for glibc2.2 and XFree86 4.0.3 (X4.0.2 compatible) Display driver and shell tools of driver version 1.9.20

fgl23glk-glc22-4.0.3-1.9.20.i586.rpm
- RPM for glibc2.2 and XFree86 4.0.3 (X4.0.2 compatible) OpenGL driver and kernel modules of driver version 1.9.20

* packages for glibc2.2 and XFree86 4.1.0:
(these files should also be compatible with XFree86 4.2.0)

fgl23glibc22-X41-1.9.20.tgz
- the tarball version of the driver. This package is for versions 4.1.0 of XFree86 and works with glibc2.2 only.

fgl23ddx-glc22-4.1.0-1.9.20.i586.rpm
- RPM for glibc2.2 and XFree86 4.1.0 (X4.2.0 compatible) Display driver and shell tools of driver version 1.9.20

fgl23glk-glc22-4.1.0-1.9.20.i586.rpm
- RPM for glibc2.2 and XFree86 4.1.0 (X4.2.0 compatible) OpenGL driver and kernel modules of driver version 1.9.20

* contents of a tarball archive (just for informational purpose):
(most of theses files are not available for individual download!)

readme.txt - useful information on general topics, tips and tricks.

Install.sh - installer script to easily extract and setup the drivers.

Uninstall.sh - uninstaller script to easily remove any installed drivers.

fgl23glibc22-X40.tgz
- the archived driver binaries and related toolset. Please note  that this filename here is only a sample. Further note that the provided driver version is not determinable by the name of this filename but only by the name of the wrapping download tarball.

Sample download configurations
------------------------------

Example A

You have an X4.1.0 X-Server and the glibc2.2 c-library.
You choose the RPM setup method.

Download these files:
- readme.txt
- fgl23ddx-glc22-4.1.0-1.9.20.i586.rpm
- fgl23glk-glc22-4.1.0-1.9.20.i586.rpm

Example B

You have an X4.0.2 X-Server and the glibc2.2 c-library.
You choose the tarball setup method.

Download these files:
- readme.txt
- Additional information on the settings on XF86Config.
- fgl23glibc22-X40-1.9.20.tgz

Note: For the download make a subdir where the name includes the version number of the new driver. As some of the files do not show the version number in the file name, this will help with identifying the driver version later.

Installation steps
------------------

Log in as user "root" - with a console login, telnet/rsh/ssh login or by executing "su -l" on the console of any other user.

For the tarball package extract the all-in-one tarball
with the help of a shell utility, for example, mc (midnight commander), or extract it on the command line by entering:
tar -xzf <name_of_your_tarball>
(replace <...> with the respective name, do not key in the "<" and ">" characters.)
As described in the readme file, you can install and uninstall the driver by running the Install.sh and Uninstall.sh shell scripts.

To install the RPM packages, start the RPM program like this:
rpm -i <name_of_your_rpm_file>
If there is already a driver installed you may need to override the conflict by entering:
rpm -i --force <name_of_your_rpm_file>
Run firegl23config and - if not performed automatically - build your custom firegl23 kernel module as described in the Readme-file.

For more information on the rpm program, refer to its man page.
For more information on the rpm concept itself refer to the  documentation of your specific linux distribution.