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ATI Proprietary Linux Release Notes

These release notes provide information on the latest posting of ATI's proprietary Linux driver version 3.12.0 (IIRC).

The ATI Linux release notes provides information on the following:

ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Features

The ATI proprietary Linux driver provides TV Output support for ATI graphics cards that support TV out. The ATI proprietary Linux driver also allows for the following monitor arrangements:

New Product Support

The latest version of the ATI proprietary Linux driver introduces support for the following products:

Web Content

Currently, this driver is available in rpm format only. Three different packages are available for each specific version of XFree86. One of these three versions must be installed before installing the ATI proprietary Linux driver.

Note: Refer to the minimum system requirements listed below to ensure you have downloaded the correct driver package for your system.

ATI Workstation Product Support

The ATI proprietary Linux driver is designed to support the following ATI Workstation products:

ATI MOBLITIY™ Product Support

The ATI Proprietary Linux driver is designed to support the following ATI MOBILITY™ product family:

ATI Desktop product family support

The ATI Proprietary Linux driver is designed to support the following ATI desktop product family:
RADEON™ X800 (AGP only)
 		RADEON™ 9700 series
RADEON™ 9800 series
 		RADEON™ 9500 series
RADEON™ 9600 series
 		RADEON™ 9100 series
RADEON™ 9200 series
 		RADEON™ 8500 series
RADEON™ 9000 series

Note: ATI All-In-Wonder variants based on the above are also supported. Video capture however is not supported.

Operating systems supported

The latest version of the ATI proprietary Linux driver is designed to support the following Linux distributions:

Minimum System Requirements

Before attempting to install the ATI proprietary Linux driver, the following software must be installed:

System Recommendations

For best performance and ease of use, ATI recommends the following:

Issues Resolved

As of this release, X no longer crashes on Intel Springdale (i865) systems when combined with an ATI RADEON™ 9600.

Known Issues

The following section provides a brief description of known issues associated with the latest version of ATI proprietary Linux driver.

Screen is blank when launching X on RADEON X800 or FireGL X3

This information applies to the following:

When launching X-Windows, the screen will appear blank. The display appears fine for the text console, however.

This issue occurs because the monitors are not being auto detected properly. To work around this issue, you can declare the monitor layout explicitly, instead of relying on auto detection. This can be done using either of the following methods:

Workaround using the fglrxconfig utility

If you are using fglrxconfig, the following question will appear when configuring any dual display setup. If you only have one monitor, then you might consider editing XF86Config-4 manually as shown further below.

Monitor Settings

Select the connected primary (p) and secondary (s) display devices.

Note: A connected digital display is always the primary display

  1. (p) auto detect - (s) auto detect
  2. (p) CRT display device - (s) CRT display device
  3. (p) DVI display device - (s) CRT display device
  4. (p) DVI display device - (s) DVI display device (FireGL Z1/X1/X2 only!)
  5. (p) Laptop Panel device - (s) CRT display device (Laptops w. M9/M10 only!)
  6. (p) Laptop Panel device - (s) DVI display device (Laptops w. M9/M10 only!)
  7. (p) auto detect - (s) TV out
  8. (p) CRT display device - (s) TV out
  9. (p) DVI display device - (s) TV out
  10. (p) Laptop Panel device - (s) TV out
  11. (p) TV out - (s) auto detect

Enter your choice (1-12): [1]

Avoid selecting "auto detect" in response to the above question. Any choice OTHER than 1 or 7 should do fine.

After you have finished answering all the questions in fglrxconfig, answer yes to save XF86Config-4, then restart X-Windows.

Workaround editing XF86Config-4

If you are only using one monitor, then it may be necessary to edit /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 by hand as follows:

  1. Open /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 in a text editor
  2. Look for the following line in the ATI device section:
    • Option "MonitorLayout" "AUTO, AUTO"

"AUTO, AUTO" Refers to the type of monitor for primary and secondary display, respectively. Each can be set independently as follows:

On a single monitor system, it is OK for the secondary monitor to be specified as AUTO for the purpose of this workaround.

  1. Change the value for "MonitorLayout" to match your system accordingly (avoid using AUTO)
  2. Save /etc/X11/XF86Config-4
  3. Restart X-Windows

TV Display is corrupt after switching resolutions

This information applies to the following system configurations:

This issue does not occur in Clone Mode or when the TV is the only connected display.

Upon using the resolution keyboard shortcuts (ctrl-alt-+) or (ctrl-alt--) to switch resolution of the XFree86 Desktop, the display will be off center or completely corrupt.

The TV display is not usable in this state and it is not possible to get back to a stable resolution once this has happened. A restart is required.

3D Linux applications corrupt or hang with "force multi-sample visuals" enabled

This information applies to the following system configurations:

A 3D window might appear normally, but will corrupt the contents of any other window placed above it.

The 3D display may also appear corrupt. Lines, polygons, and highlights will be visible, but textures will not. The application is not usable in this state and may crash after a few seconds.

This issue does not occur on all systems or monitor configurations. Symptoms may vary between different applications.

For further information and general help on driver or software installation, game issues, and more, visit the ATI FAQ website.

Linux Feedback Program

The ATI proprietary Linux driver releases may incorporate suggestions received through the Linux feedback program. Please refer to http://apps.ati.com/linuxDfeedback/ and provide us further feedback.

ATI Technologies Inc.
http://www.ati.com
Voice: (905) 882-2600
Fax: (905) 8826-2620