# Framebuffer with nvidia driver

## curmudgeon

I know this has probably been asked a thousand times before, but my searches are finding conflicting advice (and what to do has probably changed over the years).

I am trying to use the nvidia driver on one computer (a fairly recent card), and I want to have a framebuffer on the console. How do I configure that? I don't need anything spectacular - just something other than 80 x 25 text.

Thank you in advance.

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## propofool

compile vesafb into kernel not nvidiafb  not uvesafb,,,,,  put vga=791 in grub.conf,   then play with uvesfb  for hours nand hpurs  some other time

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## mbar

compile uvesafb into kernel not nvidiafb not vesafb.

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## d2_racing

Indeed, they can cause some problems with the nvidia-drivers.

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## depontius

I'm curious about this one too, for the same reasons.  It's interesting to see that the second and third posts have exact opposite recommendations, at least regarding vesafb vs uvesafb.

So can we have just a little more information?

It seems to me that the "native" framebuffer is NEVER recommended.  

Why is that?  

Is this universally true, or just for nVidia?

Why do we even have it, if it seems that it's never the right thing to use?

Is that basically for non-X11 systems?

Aren't there so few non-X11 systems that we could just have vesafb/uvesafb and save a bunch of code?

Enquiring minds want to know.

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## Gusar

It's like this:

a) Both vesafb and uvesafb can only use resolutions thast are in the VBIOS of the graphic card. If your preferred resolution is there, good. But usually only the old standard 4:3 resolutions are in the VBIOS, so you're out of luck on a widescreen display.

b) There's nvidiafb, but nvidiafb and nvidia-driver (the proprietary driver) are in conflict, you can use either one or the other.

c) There's nouveau. This one uses KMS, so it's one driver controlling both the framebuffer console and X. It would be the ideal solution, but 3D acceleration is still experimental, and so might not work depending on your card.

d) You can use nouveau only for the framebuffer, but you need to unload it before starting X if you want nvidia-driver for X. See here: http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/KernelModeSetting, specifically the "Deactivating KMS and unloading Nouveau" section.

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## Mr_Maniac

 *Gusar wrote:*   

> 
> 
> a) Both vesafb and uvesafb can only use resolutions thast are in the VBIOS of the graphic card. If your preferred resolution is there, good. But usually only the old standard 4:3 resolutions are in the VBIOS, so you're out of luck on a widescreen display.

 

Well... I use uvesafb and at least 1920x1200 (16:10 widescreen) works perfectly here...

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## ernov

@Up

could you show any of your possible configuration related to framebuffer uvesa?

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## Mr_Maniac

 *ernov wrote:*   

> @Up
> 
> could you show any of your possible configuration related to framebuffer uvesa?

 

```
linux   /vmlinuz root=/dev/sda5 video=uvesafb:1920x1200-32@60,mtrr:3,ywrap splash=verbose,fadein,theme:linux CONSOLE=tty1
```

Oh... And if you're on a x86_64-System (amd64/em64t), you still need an initrd with v86d (see http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/Uvesafb#uvesafb).

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## cwall64

I have tried everything also and still get HUGE letters across the display and silent blanks the screen instead of showing graphic.  I am going to remove uvesafb and go back to just a vga=X in my grub and see if that helps...

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## Gusar

With uvesafb running, check /sys/class/graphics/fb0/modes. Those are the resolutions you can use. If your desired one is not there, nouveau is your only option.

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## cwall64

 *Gusar wrote:*   

> With uvesafb running, check /sys/class/graphics/fb0/modes. Those are the resolutions you can use. If your desired one is not there, nouveau is your only option.

 

ok, that worked!  I had been going off of "hwinfo --frambuffer" - uvesafb supports a lot less than the hardware does.

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