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Date:      Mon, 29 Jan 2018 21:07:54 -0700
From:      "@lbutlr" <kremels@kreme.com>
To:        Freebsd Questions <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
Subject:   Re: Setting console resultion
Message-ID:  <BD35D3BE-6948-4C2A-8B4F-C28618F63344@kreme.com>
In-Reply-To: <20180129154404.f1662f20.freebsd@edvax.de>
References:  <5919B7EF-A04A-47CD-AFE1-3B2290420AEF@kreme.com> <20180129154404.f1662f20.freebsd@edvax.de>

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On 29 Jan 2018, at 07:44, Polytropon <freebsd@edvax.de> wrote:
> On Mon, 29 Jan 2018 02:37:05 -0700, @lbutlr wrote:
>> I'm not sure why this is so hard, but I've read dozens of pages
>> and threads on setting up the console to boot into something
>> other than VGA 80x24 and I can't get anything to change the
>> resolution.
>=20
> I think with vt, it's the exact opposite problem: You cannot
> set it to 80x25 anymore. ;-)

I dunno, that was what my console was set to and I could not change it.

>> I have an old Core 2 duo machine with a 27" screen. Once I
>> change by boot.conf to use sc instead of vt, I can see the
>> mode that I want (1920x1440x32) but I cannot get the screen
>> to change.
>>=20
>> vidcontrol mode=20
>> This is a fresh install of 11.1.
>>=20
>> If I try to load the intel driver, the screen goes blank.
>=20
> If you are using X, you cannot use sc anymore. X requires
> the use of vt now.

I do not use X, I am only talking about the text console.

>> The onboard video connector not he machine is VGA, so even
>> though the monitor supports higher resolutions, I don't think
>> those would work.
>>=20
>> I've also tried 1024x600, just to see if I can get *something*
>> to work.
>=20
> If you can, use the exact size of your monitor (in pixels);
> I assume you're talking about a LCD monitor, which is common
> today, as hardly anyone still uses CRTs like I do (which can
> have more than one mode, while LCDs only have one physical
> mode, determined by the amount of pixels).

LCDs support many resolutions, and the VGA connector will not support =
the maximum number of pixels the screen can display (2564x1440).

Also, there will be a different display connected once the setup is done =
and the machine is actually installed in it's final location.

>> Every attempt requires changing /boot/loader.conf and then
>> rebooting, so it gets very aggravating very quickly, and I
>> can't find consistent information since most of the pages
>> i've found refer to FreeBSD 9.x or 10.x (or sometimes
>> earlier) and it appears a lot has changed in 11.x.
>=20
> The vt documentation isn't fully complete yet, but here is a
> good starting point:
>=20
> https://wiki.freebsd.org/Newcons

kldload i915kms <- screen goes black, never comes back.
hw.vga.textmode  <- already set

kern.vt.fb.default_mode=3D"1024x768"

Not sure if I tried that specific number, as that's still a very limited =
sccreen size, but certainly the other numbers I tried did not work.

Reading that, other than UTF-8 support, vt appears to be extremely =
limited and its know issues list is nearly 4 years old, which certainly =
gives one pause.

"Pre-loading i915kms.ko/radeonkms.ko disables video output from the =
point of time these video drivers are attached until interrupt threads =
are enabled way later. This makes kernel panics during boot =
undebugable."

Anyway, I have set the console to use sc which is how I got a =
screensaver to load (not that I want/need a screensaver, but I was =
testing) and I've managed to set the screen size of a current session, =
but I still can't get it to change during boot (so I can actually read =
some of the output) and I have to apply it to each console manually =
after logging in.

<shrug>

> The key is that you now cannot set a screen size (in columns x lines), =
instead you have to deal with fonts, the screen's size in pixels (if it =
has any), and this also depends on the OS
> version...

This seems needlessly obtuse and complicated. Not that sc was much =
better, though things have gotten much worse that they were in, say, =
freebsd 9 in terms of plugging in a screen and having a reasonable hope =
you'd be able to set it to a mode where each characters isn't 24-30 =
points.


--=20
Bart, don't use the Touch of Death on your sister.




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