How to install ATI fglrx driver in debian
Posted by Admin on January 16th, 2009
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Preparing your system
#apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r) module-assistant
Now you need to Create the .deb packages: (change accordingly depending on which flavor you’re running)
# sh ati-driver-installer-8-12-x86.x86_64.run –buildpkg Debian/testing
Install the .deb packages in the current directory
# dpkg -i package.deb
Change to the /usr/src directory
cd /usr/src
Extract the ‘fglrx.tar.bz2′ package:
# tar xjpvf fglrx.tar.bz2
Change to the /usr/src/modules/fglrx directory
cd /usr/src/modules/fglrx
Build the kernel module:
# sh make.sh
Copy the kernel module to the modules directory:
# cp fglrx.ko /lib/modules/2.6.18-4-686/kernel/drivers/char/drm/
Load the “fglrx” module:
# modprobe fglrx
Change the current driver in /etc/X11/xorg.conf to “fglrx”
# vi /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Add the module to /etc/modules to have it start automatically upon boot up:
# vim /etc/modules
Make sure the module loaded smoothly:
dmesg | grep “fglrx”
And, lastly, start GDM as root and make sure everything works.
# gdm
January 16th, 2009 at 10:43 am
I use module-assistant to compile and install fglrx kernel module. It lets me to skip the part where I have to extract the tar archive, compile the module and load it manually.
February 11th, 2009 at 2:15 am
Installing Xorg drivers for nVidia, ATI, Radeon, Intel (and more)
You can also use sgfxi to move between free and non-free drivers or roll back to native free drivers: Key commands are:
-n Automatically installs correct native xorg nv, intel, or ati driver for your
system. Cleans up old binary driver stuff, updates xorg.conf with new driver
information, and cleans nvidia and fgrlx stuff out of xorg.conf
-N Force install of specific xorg driver.
Syntax: sgfxi -N
Supported Xorg drivers: ati i128 i740 i810 i810-modesetting intel mga
neomagic nv radeon radeonhd sis tdfx vesa vga voodoo
Also configures xorg.conf as required. Full radeon xorg 3d configuration
automatically.
[/quote]
May 25th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
I installed drivers from Debian non-free method which is described here: http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Debian_Installation_Guide
basically it is described as this:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install module-assistant fglrx-driver fglrx-kernel-src
build and install the module
#:sudo module-assistant auto-install fglrx-kernel-src
#:sudo aticonfig –initial
I didnt understand much, but everything is working fine and my Nexuiz is runnin very smooth
but I end up with Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.26-1-486 in my grub menu, which is now below
Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.26-2-686 from my Debian Lenny, so is it safe to just clear kernel 2.6.26-1-486
from menu or this have some purpose?
Thx
July 29th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Hi.
The “ATI Catalyst™ Display Driver” released in March 26 2009 do not need to kernel sources be downloaded.
In fact, some conditions applies:
1) The drivers above support English only.
2) The display driver requires POSIX shared memory to be enabled on the system.
3) Kernal Sources package is no longer required if Kernel Header package is installed.
4) 32-Bit packages must be installed for 64-Bit Linux drivers to install or work.
Info extracted from: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/linux/Legacy/Pages/radeon_linux.aspx?type=2.7&product=2.7.4.3.3.3.1&lang=English
Hope this helps.
xt4mhz
August 18th, 2009 at 12:28 am
I just tried this method because I haven’t been able to get anything else to work since Squeeze went to the 2.6.30 kernel. I note that the ait-driver-installer line needs two “-” before buildpkg.
Also, this step failed with the following errors:
dpkg-shlibdeps: error: couldn’t find library libc.so.6 needed by debian/fglrx-driver/emul/ia32-linux/usr/lib/libfglrx_pp.so.1.0 (ELF format: ‘elf32-i386′; RPATH: ”).
Note: libraries are not searched in other binary packages that do not have any shlibs or symbols file.
To help dpkg-shlibdeps find private libraries, you might need to set LD_LIBRARY_PATH.
dh_shlibdeps: dpkg-shlibdeps returned exit code 2
make: *** [binary] Error 1
dpkg-buildpackage: error: debian/rules binary gave error exit status 2
The lack of a libc.so.6 was the problem. After fixing this, I came to another error complaining about fglrx_gamma… I found the solution at http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Hardy_Installation_Guide#Fix_for_an_error which basically involves extracting the driver then setting a link to the package – the shell script seems to be looking for a misnamed package. After that, the buildpkg worked – leaving me with 4 packages.
Will keep you posted on whether I got a successful install or not.
August 18th, 2009 at 1:31 am
No joy in mudville. The fglrx-driver wouldn’t install. The error was relating to overwriting /usr/lib/xorg/modules/extensions/libglx.so. Even removing the existing file and restarting X wouldn’t allow me to get past that point.
At this point I quit in frustration and just ran the ATI installer. That worked (apparently) and I notice the libglx.so file has been replaced with one installed at the time I was running the ATI installer.
The screen isn’t flickering the way it did with the vesa driver, so something has changed, but windows are slow to move and don’t go semi-transparent in the process like they used to. Something still needs to be tweaked.
August 18th, 2009 at 1:55 am
Went back to the vesa driver. The flicker is annoying but not so bad as the slowness of the ATI fglrx driver I’d managed to get installed.