ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Version 8.25.18
Software Release Note
This release note provides information on the latest posting of ATI's Proprietary Linux driver version 8.25.18.
The ATI Linux release notes provides information on the following:
- ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Features
- Web Content
- ATI Workstation Product Support
- ATI Mobility™ Product Support
- ATI Desktop Product Family Support
- Operating Systems Distributions Supported
- Minimum System Requirements
- System Recommendations
- New Features
- Known Issues
- ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Installer
- Un-installing the ATI Linux Proprietary Driver
- Driver Update Notification
- ATI Customer Care
- Linux Feedback Program
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:
- Single Head Mode (single display)
- Clone Mode (same content on both screens)
- Mirror Mode (same content on both screens, with identical display resolution and refresh rates)
- Big Desktop (one desktop stretched across two screens)
- Dual Head (separate instances of X running on each screen)
Web Content
The ATI Proprietary Linux driver is available in both RPM format and through an Installer executable. You should verify your distribution uses RPM before downloading RPM packages.
Note: The packages are available for XFree86 versions 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3, as well as X.org 6.8. One of these four versions must be installed before installing the ATI Proprietary Linux driver
Note: 64 bit driver support for XFree86 version 4.1 and 4.2 are not supported.
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 Mobility™ Product Support
The ATI Proprietary Linux driver is designed to support the following ATI Mobility™ products:
ATI Integrated Product Support
The ATI Proprietary Linux driver is designed to support the following ATI Integrated products:
Radeon® Xpress 200 series
Radeon® 9100 IGP
Radeon® 9200 IGP
Mobility™ Radeon® 9000 IGP series
Mobility™ Radeon® 9100 IGP series
Caution: This software driver provides 2D support only for the ATI Radeon® 9100 IGP and ATI Radeon® 9100 PRO IGP.
ATI Desktop Product Family Support
The ATI Proprietary Linux driver is designed to support the following ATI desktop products:
Note: ATI All-in-Wonder® variants based on the above are also supported. Video capture however is not supported.
Operating Systems Distributions Supported
The latest version of the ATI Proprietary Linux driver is designed to support the following Linux distributions:
> Note: The ATI Proprietary Linux driver may install on a number of other Linux distributions. Refer to the Package Generation installation instructions for more information.
Note: ATI has accepted contributed packaging scripts to allows creation of other packages, but does not necessarily test, verify or warrant the reliability. Currently Red Hat Enterprise Linux suite and Novell/SuSE product suite are supported Linux distributions
Minimum System Requirements
Before attempting to install the ATI Proprietary Linux driver, the following software must be installed:
- XOrg 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, or 7.0; XFree86 version 4.1, 4.2, or 4.3
- Linux kernel 2.4 or higher
- glibc version 2.2 or 2.3
- POSIX Shared Memory (/dev/shm) support is required for 3D applications
Note: XFree86 version 4.1, and 4.2 will no longer be supported as of the Linux 8.26.x
System Recommendations
The ATI Proprietary Linux driver no longer provides precompiled Kernel Modules; all installations require GCC compiler and kernel-headers or kernel-source in order to enable 2D and 3D acceleration.
For best performance and ease of use, ATI recommends the following:
- Kernel module build environment - should include the following:
- ISSE Support enabled in your Linux Kernel
- The rpm utility should be installed and configured correctly on your system, if you intend to install via RPM packages
- QT version 2.x.x is needed for the ATI Control Panel, but is not mandatory
Note: In order to use the fglrx internal AGP support, you have to make sure that the kernel agpgart support is not active, i.e. it is not compiled into the kernel and the kernel modules are not loaded. If the fglrx kernel module detects that the kernel agpgart support is active, it will automatically use that even if its internal AGP support is requested in order to avoid conflicts that can cause problems under some circumstances.
New Features
This section provides information on new features introduced in the latest release of the ATI Proprietary Linux driver. This include:
New Product Support
This release of the ATI Proprietary Linux driver introduces support for the following ATI products:
Xorg 7.0 Support
Xorg 7.0 is now supported by the ATI Proprietary Linux installer.
Display Power Management Signaling Support
This release of the ATI Proprietary Linux driver now enables Display Power Management Signaling (DPMS) support in the software display driver by default. The option to disable DPMS support is still available to users by referring to aticonfig --help.
Resolved Issues
The following section provide a brief description of resolved issues with the latest version of the ATI Proprietary Linux driver. These include:
- Running two X servers simultaneously no longer results in the system failing to respond. Further details can be found in topic number 737-220
- X Server no longer fails to load when using an ATI Radeon® X1x00, 512MB product with certain motherboards. Further details can be found in topic number 737-22056
- Toggling between console mode and X Server graphical mode no longer results in a system hang. Further details can be found in topic number 737-22058
- Executing the command aticonfig --tv-format-type=NTSC-M no longer results in NTSC-M being detected as an invalid TV standard. Further details can be found in topic number 737-22386
- The option --get-supported for the ATI installer has been replaced by the option --listpkg. Further details can be found in topic number 737-22387
- User page lock is no longer available for AGP products resulting in a number of options (--agpl, --agp-locked-userpages, --agplock, --iagp, and --internal-agp) being removed from aticonfig and being replaced by the option --locked-userpages. The internal agp GART is no longer provided. Further details can be found in topic number 737-22388
- Attempting to enable clone mode or extended desktop mode no longer results in the secondary display device failing to activate when using the ATI Control Panel. Further details can be found in topic number 737-22392
- Using aticonfig --resolution to configure the display resolution no longer results in the user defined resolution failing to take effect. Further, using the option of aticonfig --resolution2 to configure the secondary display resolution no longer results in the user defined resolution failing to take effect. The option of --resolution2 is now obsolete but its functionality can still be obtained by referring to the --resolution part of the aticonfig --help. Further details can be found in topic number 737-22393
- The software driver now supports Linux kernels that have NUMA support enabled on x86_64 machines. Further details can be found in topic number 737-22394
- A segmentation fault no longer occurs when attempting to initialize an incomplete X Server configuration file using aticonfig -f. Further details can be found in topic number 737-22395
- aticonfig --initial now fills in the VendorName and ModelName sections of the X Server configuration file for increased compatibility for SuSE's SaX2. Further details can be found in topic number 737-22396
Known Issues
The following section provides a brief description of known issues associated with the latest version of ATI Proprietary Linux driver. These issues include:
- Attempting to install the ATI Proprietary Linux driver on distributions that have updated certain 3D components outside of the stock XOrg 6.8.2 may result in the driver not initializing 3D applications properly. Further details can be found in topic number 737-20868
- TV display is corrupt after switching resolutions. Further details can be found in topic number 737-1086
- TV Out is currently not supported on the ATI Radeon® X1x00 products. Further details can be found in topic number 737-22057
- A system hang may occur when attempting to resume from hibernation mode. Further details can be found in topic number 737-22059
For further information and general help on driver or software installation, game issues, and more, visit the ATI FAQ website.
ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Installer
The ATI Proprietary Linux Installer makes installing the ATI Proprietary Linux driver a much simpler and user friendly experience. The new ATI Proprietary Linux Installer provides two modes of installation. The Install Driver option provides a simple driver installation process, and the Generate Distribution Specific Driver Package provides a simple way to generate a package for your distribution.
Note: ATI recommends that you create a central location for your ATI Proprietary Linux driver downloads.
Note: `fglrxconfig' is no longer provided with the ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Installer. To configure your display devices, use `aticonfig'.
Un-installing the ATI Linux Proprietary Driver
Un-installing the ATI Linux Proprietary Driver is dependent on the mode of initial installation.
Automatic or Custom Driver Installations
If the ATI Proprietary Linux Driver was installed using either the Automatic or Custom options, then do the following:
- Launch the Terminal Application/Window and navigate to the /usr/share/fglrx folder.
- With super user permissions, enter the command "sh./fglrx-uninstall.sh"
You have now successfully uninstalled the ATI Linux Proprietary Driver.
Package Generation
If the initial installation of the driver was done via the Operating Systems package management software (rpm, apt, etc.) then please use that package management software to remove the ATI Proprietary Linux Driver.
Install Driver Option
The Install Driver option provides two driver installation options. The Automatic option installs all driver components, and the Custom option allows for the selection of driver components to be installed.
Automatic Driver Installation Option
To install the ATI Proprietary Linux driver using the Automatic option, follow these steps:
- Launch the Terminal Application/Window and navigate to the ATI Proprietary Linux driver download.
- Enter the command sh ./ati-driver-installer-8.25.18-i386.run to launch the 32bit version of the ATI Proprietary Linux driver installer or sh ./ati-driver-installer-8.25.18-x86_64.run to launch the 64 bit version of the ATI Proprietary Linux driver installer. The ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Setup dialog box is displayed.
Note: You must be logged in with super user privileges in order to successfully install the ATI Proprietary Linux driver.
- Select Install Driver and click Continue. The ATI License Agreement is displayed.
- Read the License Agreement and Click I Agree to continue the installation, or Cancel to terminate the installation. The Mode of Installation Dialog Box is displayed.
- Select Automatic and click Continue. The ATI Proprietary Linux Driver is installed, and the Installation Complete Dialog box is displayed.
- Click View HTML Release Note for last minute driver information, or Exit to close the ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Installer.
- Launch the Terminal Application/Window and run /usr/X11R6/bin/aticonfig --initial to configure the driver.
- Reboot your system.
You have successfully installed the ATI Proprietary Linux Driver.
Custom Driver Installation Option
The Custom option allows for the selection of driver components to be installed. To install the ATI Proprietary Linux Driver using the Custom option, follow these steps:
- Launch the Terminal Application/Window and navigate to the ATI Proprietary Linux driver you have downloaded
- Enter the command sh ./ati-driver-installer-8.25.18-i386.run to launch the 32bit version of the ATI Proprietary Linux driver installer or sh ./ati-driver-installer-8.25.18-x86_64.run to launch the 64 bit version of the ATI Proprietary Linux driver installer.
The ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Setup dialog box is displayed
Note: You must be logged in with super user privileges in order to successfully install the ATI Proprietary Linux driver.
- Select Install Driver and click Continue. The ATI License Agreement is displayed.
- Read the License Agreement and Click I Agree to continue the installation, or Cancel to terminate the installation. The Mode of Installation Dialog Box is displayed.
- Select Custom and click Continue. The ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Setup options is displayed.
- Select the driver components to be installed and click Continue. The ATI Proprietary Linux Driver is installed, and the Installation Complete Dialog box is displayed.
- Click View HTML Release Note for last minute driver information, or Exit to close the driver installer.
- Launch the Terminal Application/Window and run /usr/X11R6/bin/aticonfig --initial to configure the driver.
- Reboot your system.
You have successfully installed the ATI Proprietary Linux Driver.
Generate Distribution Specific Driver Package Option
The Generate Distribution Specific Driver Package option provides a simple way to generate a package specific for your distribution. This option uses the policies set by the operating system vendor and allows for maximum compatibility with the distribution. To install the ATI Proprietary Linux Driver using the Generate Distribution Specific Driver Package option, follow these steps:
- Launch the Terminal Application/Window and navigate to the ATI Proprietary Linux driver download.
- Enter the command sh ./ati-driver-installer-8.25.18-i386.run to launch the 32bit version of the ATI Proprietary Linux driver installer or sh ./ati-driver-installer-8.25.18-x86_64.run to launch the 64 bit version of the ATI Proprietary Linux driver installer
The ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Setup dialog box is displayed
Note: You must be logged in with super user privileges in order to successfully install the ATI Proprietary Linux driver.
- Select Generate Distribution Specific Driver Package and click Continue. The ATI License Agreement is displayed.
- Read the License Agreement and Click I Agree to continue the installation, or Cancel to terminate the installation. The Package Generation Dialog Box is displayed
- Select the distribution package to be generated and click Continue. The package generation is started and the Package Generation Completed dialog box is displayed.
- Click Exit to close the ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Installer.
- You are now ready to install the generated distribution package using the distribution's package management system.
- After installing the generated distribution package, launch the Terminal Application/Window and run aticonfig --initial to configure the driver.
- Reboot your system.
You have successfully generated and installed a distribution specific driver package..
Driver Update Notification
To receive driver notifications, add the following RSS feed to your RSS reader: http://www.ati.com/online/rss/atilinuxdriver.rss
Note: In order to receive notifications you will need to have an RSS reader installed.
ATI Customer Care
The ATI Customer Care website provides a high level of technical support and easy of navigation. The ATI Customer Care website provides accurate and up-to-date product support for optimum usability and performance. Technical issues are categorized and personalized to enhance user experience. The ATI Customer Care Website can be found at: support.ati.com
To view a known or resolved issue, do the following:
- Go to: support.ati.com. The ATI Customer Care web page is displayed.
- In the top left hand pane, click Advanced Search. The Advanced Search pane is displayed.
- Under Search Type: Select the By: ID option.
- Enter the Topic number.
- Click Go.
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/ to provide us with feedback.
ATI Technologies Inc. http://www.ati.com Voice: (905) 882-2600 Fax: (905) 882-2620 |