# Kernel mode switching - modesetting for text consoles?

## Zarhan

With the stabilization of xorg-server 1.7.6 I finally decided to try out KMS with my Intel i915. Good news is that it seems to work and things are fine...in X.

However, right now during bootup process what happens is that the kernel boots in nice 80x25 basic text mode. Once udev is started, it suddendly switches to much higher resolution - something like 210x65 according to resize. How do I prevent this happening, ergo, where do I set the mode for my text consoles? 

I was basically forced to enable framebuffer console support in kernel (never had it before) because without it, I got black screen. I'd prefer to get rid of it altogether, but if I can't, at least let me choose the mode.

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## audiodef

I'm no expert at this, but I have a good friend who has experimented enough with KMS to know that it isn't the best thing you can do for your computer. I recommend you visit kernel-seeds.org (run by said friend) and set up a nice kernel with that info, and pay attention to the part about video drivers and KMS. Hopefully that will set you on the path to what you want, and give you a better kernel config to boot! (Pun not intended.)

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## Zarhan

Problem is that http://intellinuxgraphics.org/ says that KMS will be mandatory from Intel-driver 2.10.0, so want it or not, it's the only option (soon anyway).

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## salahx

I believe the idea being is that KMS, DRM/DRI and framebuffer will eventually (if not already) become integrated, so you should be able to set resolution on the console at boot the same way you do the framebuffer, see Documentation/fb/modedb.txt . Note if you have it compiled as a module (and you probably do), you'll may need to create a file in /etc/modprobe.d and add an "options" line, or do it through the kernel command line but note the syntax is different with modules vs built-in.

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## hideaki

I tried the kernel parameter "video=720x400" out of the blue (since 80*9 and 25*16). That gave me a 90x25 screen though; it seems that despite the resolution really being 720 on normal systems (the 8th column is repeated in column 9, so the 80x25 text mode really _was_ 720 wide), you need video=640x400 ... with i915 this gives me 80x25. All happy.

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## Zarhan

Thanks, I'll try this (now only wrong part is that framebuffer is much slower than plain text mode...)

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