DRI Compilation Guide

VA Linux Systems, Inc. Professional Services - Graphics.

21 April 2001

1. Preamble

1.1 Copyright

Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this document
provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all
copies.

1.2 Trademarks

OpenGL is a registered trademark and SGI is a trademark of Silicon Graphics,
Inc. Unix is a registered trademark of The Open Group. The `X' device and X
Window System are trademarks of The Open Group. XFree86 is a trademark of
The XFree86 Project. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.
Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. 3Dlabs, GLINT, and
Oxygen are either registered trademarks or trademarks of 3Dlabs Inc. Ltd.
3dfx, Voodoo3, Voodoo4, and Voodoo5 are registered trademarks of 3dfx Inter-
active, Incorporated. Matrox is a registered trademark of Matrox Electronic
Systems Ltd. ATI Rage and Radeon is a registered trademark of ATI Technolo-
gies, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respec-
tive owners.

2. Introduction

This document describes how to download, compile and install the DRI project.
The DRI provides 3D graphics hardware acceleration for the XFree86 project.
This information is intended for experienced Linux developers. Beginners are
probably better off installing precompiled packages.

Edits, corrections and updates to this document may be mailed to brianp@val-
inux.com.

3. Prerequisites

You'll need the following:

o At least 200MB of free disk space. If you compile for debugging (the -g
option) then you'll need about 600MB.

o GCC compiler and related tools.

o ssh (secure shell) for registered developer downloading of the DRI
source tree

o A recent Linux Kernel. See below for details.

o FreeBSD support is not currently being maintained and may not work.

The DRI 3D drivers generally work on systems with Intel or AMD CPUs. How-
ever, there is limited support for Alpha and PowerPC support is underway.

For 3dfx Voodoo3 hardware, you'll also need:

o Glide3 headers and runtime library if you want to use the 3dfx driver.
These can be obtained from linux.3dfx.com.

o A recent Linux 2.4.x kernel. AGP support is not required.

For Matrox G200/G400 hardware, you'll also need:

o A recent Linux 2.4.x kernel with AGP support.

For Intel i810 hardware, you'll also need:

o A recent Linux 2.4.x kernel with AGP support.

For ATI Rage 128 and Radeon hardware, you'll also need:

o A recent Linux 2.4.x kernel with AGP support.

4. Linux Kernel Preparation

The DRI project closely tracks Linux kernel development. Since the internal
Linux data structures might change in the 2.4 Linux kernel, it's important to
use the most recent Linux kernel and not an old, intermediate development
release. As of this writing (Jan 2001), 2.4.0 is the most recent version of
Linux which the DRI is synchronized to.

Most of the DRI drivers require AGP support and using Intel Pentium III SSE
optimizations also requires an up-to-date Linux kernel. Configuring your
kernel correctly is very important, as features such as SSE optimizations
will be disabled if your kernel does not support them. Thus, if you have a
Pentium III processor, you must configure your kernel for the Pentium III
processor family.

Building a new Linux kernel can be difficult for beginners but there are
resources on the Internet to help. This document assumes experience with
configuring, building and installing Linux kernels.

Linux kernels can be downloaded from www.kernel.org

Here are the basic steps for kernel setup.

o Download the needed kernel and put it in /usr/src. Create a directory
for the source and unpack it. For example:

cd /usr/src
rm -f linux
mkdir linux-2.4.x
ln -s linux-2.4.x linux
bzcat linux-2.4.x.tar.bz2 | tar xf -

It is critical that /usr/src/linux point to your new kernel sources,
otherwise the kernel headers will not be used when building the DRI.
This will almost certainly cause compilation problems.

o Read /usr/src/linux/Documentation/Changes. This file lists the minimum
requirements for all software packages required to build the kernel.
You must upgrade at least gcc, make, binutils and modutils to at least
the versions specified in this file. The other packages may not be
needed. If you are upgrading from Linux 2.2.x you must upgrade your
modutils package for Linux 2.4.x.

o Configure your kernel. You might, for example, use make menuconfig and
do the following:

o Go to Code maturity level options

o Enable Prompt for development and/or incomplete code/drivers

o hit ESC to return to the top-level menu

o Go to Processor type and features

o Select your processor type from Processor Family

o hit ESC to return to the top-level menu

o Go to Character devices

o Disable Direct Rendering Manager (XFree86 DRI support) since we'll
use the DRI code from the XFree86/DRI tree and will compile it
there.

o Go to /dev/agpgart (AGP Support) (EXPERIMENTAL) (NEW)

o Hit SPACE twice to build AGP support into the kernel

o Enable all chipsets' support for AGP

o It's recommended that you turn on MTRRs under Processor type and
Features, but not required.

o Configure the rest of the kernel as required for your system (i.e. Eth-
ernet, SCSI, etc)

o Exit, saving your kernel configuration.

o Edit your /etc/lilo.conf file. Make sure you have an image entry as
follows (or similar):

image=/boot/vmlinuz
label=linux.2.4.x
read-only
root=/dev/hda1

The important part is that you have /boot/vmlinuz without a trailing
version number. If this is the first entry in your /etc/lilo.conf AND
you haven't set a default, then this will be your default kernel.

o Compile the new kernel.

cd /usr/src/linux-2.4.x
make dep
make bzImage
make modules
make modules_install
make install

Note that last make command will automatically run lilo for you.

o Now reboot to use the new kernel.

5. CPU Architectures

In general, nothing special has to be done to use the DRI on different CPU
architectures. There are, however, a few optimizations that are CPU-depen-
dent. Mesa will determine at runtime which CPU-dependent optimizations
should be used and enable them where appropriate.

5.1 Intel Pentium III Features

The Pentium III SSE (Katmai) instructions are used in optimized vertex trans-
formation functions in the Mesa-based DRI drivers. On Linux, SSE requires a
recent kernel (such as 2.4.0-test11 or later) both at compile time and run-
time.

5.2 AMD 3DNow! Features

AMD's 3DNow! instructions are used in optimized vertex transformation func-
tions in the Mesa-based DRI drivers. 3DNow! is supported in most versions of
Linux.

5.3 Alpha Features

On newer Alpha processors a significant performance increase can be seen with
the addition of the -mcpu= option to GCC. This option is dependent on the
architecture of the processor. For example, -mcpu=ev6 will build specifi-
cally for the EV6 based AXP's, giving both byte and word alignment access to
the DRI/Mesa drivers.

To enable this optimization edit your xc/config/host.def file and add the
line:

#define DefaultGcc2AxpOpt -O2 -mcpu=ev6

Additional speed improvements to 3D rendering can be achieved by installing
Compaq's Math Libraries (CPML) which can be obtained from http://www.sup-
port.compaq.com/alpha-tools/software/index.html

Once installed, you can add this line to your host.def to build with the CPML
libraries:

#define UseCompaqMathLibrary YES

The host.def file is explained below.

6. Downloading the XFree86/DRI CVS Sources

The DRI project is hosted by VA Linux Systems' SourceForge. The DRI source
code, which is a subset of the XFree86 source tree, is kept in a CVS reposi-
tory there.

The DRI CVS sources may be accessed either anonymously or as a registered
SourceForge user. It's recommended that you become a registered SourceForge
user so that you may submit non-anonymous bug reports and can participate in
the mailing lists.

6.1 Anonymous CVS download:

1. Create a directory to store the CVS files:

cd ~
mkdir DRI-CVS

You could put your CVS directory in a different place but we'll use
~/DRI-CVS/ here.

2. Check out the CVS sources:

cd ~/DRI-CVS
cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.dri.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/dri login
(hit ENTER when prompted for a password)
cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.dri.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/dri co xc

The -z3 flag causes compression to be used in order to reduce the down-
load time.

6.2 Registered CVS download:

1. Create a directory to store the CVS files:

cd ~
mkdir DRI-CVS

You could put your CVS directory in a different place but we'll use
~/DRI-CVS/ here.

2. Set the CVS_RSH environment variable:

setenv CVS_RSH ssh // if using csh or tcsh
export CVS_RSH=ssh // if using sh or bash

3. Check out the CVS sources:

cd ~/DRI-CVS
cvs -z3 -dYOURID@cvs.dri.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/dri co xc

Replace YOURID with your CVS login name. You'll be prompted to enter
your sourceforge password.

The -z3 flag causes compression to be used in order to reduce the down-
load time.

6.3 Updating your CVS sources

In the future you'll want to occasionally update your local copy of the DRI
source code to get the latest changes. This can be done with:

cd ~/DRI-CVS
cvs -z3 update -dA xc

The -d flag causes any new subdirectories to be created and -A causes most
recent trunk sources to be fetched, not branch sources.

7. Mesa

Most of the DRI 3D drivers are based on Mesa (the free implementation of the
OpenGL API). The relevant files from Mesa are already included in the
XFree86/DRI source tree. There is no need to download or install the Mesa
source files separately.

Sometimes a newer version of Mesa will be available than the version included
in XFree86/DRI. Upgrading Mesa within XFree86/DRI is not always straightfor-
ward. It can be an error-prone undertaking, especially for beginners, and is
not generally recommended. The DRI developers will upgrade Mesa when appro-
priate.

8. Compiling the XFree86/DRI tree

8.1 Make a build tree

Rather than placing object files and library files right in the source tree,
they're instead put into a parallel build tree. The build tree is made with
the lndir command:

cd ~/DRI-CVS
ln -s xc XFree40
mkdir build
cd build
lndir -silent -ignorelinks ../XFree40

The build tree will be populated with symbolic links which point back into
the CVS source tree.

Advanced users may have several build trees for compiling and testing with
different options.

8.2 Edit the host.def file

The ~/DRI-CVS/build/xc/config/cf/host.def file is used to configure the
XFree86 build process. You can change it to customize your build options or
make adjustments for your particular system configuration

The default host.def file will look something like this:

#define DefaultCCOptions -Wall
(i386) #define DefaultGcc2i386Opt -O2
(Alpha) #define DefaultGcc2AxpOpt -O2 -mcpu=ev6 (or similar)
#define LibraryCDebugFlags -O2
#define BuildServersOnly YES
#define XF86CardDrivers vga tdfx mga ati i810
#define LinuxDistribution LinuxRedHat
#define DefaultCCOptions -ansi GccWarningOptions -pipe
#define BuildXF86DRI YES
#define HasGlide3 YES
/* Optionally turn these on for debugging */
/* #define GlxBuiltInTdfx YES */
/* #define GlxBuiltInMga YES */
/* #define GlxBuiltInR128 YES */
/* #define GlxBuiltInRadeon YES */
/* #define DoLoadableServer NO */
#define SharedLibFont NO

The ProjectRoot variable specifies where the XFree86 files will be installed.
You probably don't want to use /usr/X11R6/ because that would overwrite your
default X files. The following is recommended:

#define ProjectRoot /usr/X11R6-DRI

Especially note the XF86CardDrivers line to be sure your driver is listed.

If you have 3dfx hardware be sure that the Glide 3x headers are installed in
/usr/include/glide3/ and that the Glide 3x library is installed at
/usr/lib/libglide3.so.

If you do not have 3dfx hardware comment out the HasGlide3 line in host.def.

If you want to enable 3DNow! optimizations in Mesa and the DRI drivers, you
should add the following:

#define MesaUse3DNow YES

If you want to enable SSE optimizations in Mesa and the DRI drivers, you must
upgrade to a Linux 2.4.x kernel. Mesa will verify that SSE is supported by
both your processor and your operating system, but to build Mesa inside the
DRI you need to have the Linux 2.4.x kernel headers in /usr/src/linux. If
you enable SSE optimizations with an earlier version of the Linux kernel in
/usr/src/linux, Mesa will not compile. You have been warned. If you do have
a 2.4.x kernel, you should add the following:

#define MesaUseKatmai YES

8.3 Compilation

To compile the complete DRI tree:

cd ~/DRI-CVS/build/xc/
make World >& World.LOG

Or if you want to watch the compilation progress:

cd ~/DRI-CVS/build/xc/
make World >& World.LOG &
tail -f World.LOG

With the default compilation flags it's normal to get a lot of warnings dur-
ing compilation.

Building will take some time so you may want to go check your email or visit
slashdot.

WARNING: do not use the -j option with make. It's reported that it does not
work with XFree86/DRI.

8.4 Check for compilation errors

Using your text editor, examine World.LOG for errors by searching for the
pattern ***.

Verify that the DRI kernel module(s) for your system were built:

cd ~/DRI-CVS/build/xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/os-support/linux/drm/kernel
ls

For the 3dfx Voodoo, you should see tdfx.o. For the Matrox G200/G400, you
should see mga.o. For the ATI Rage 128, you should see r128.o. For the ATI
Radeon, you should see radeon.o. For the Intel i810, you should see i810.o.

If the DRI kernel module(s) failed to build you should verify that you're
using the right version of the Linux kernel. The most recent kernels are not
always supported.

If your build machine is running a different version of the kernel than your
target machine (i.e. 2.2.x vs. 2.4.x), make will select the wrong kernel
headers. This can be fixed by explicitly setting the value of TREE. If the
path to your kernel source is /usr/src/linux-2.4.x,

cd ~/DRI-CVS/build/xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/os-support/linux/drm/kernel
make TREE=/usr/src/linux-2.4.x/include

or alternatively, edit Makefile to include this change.

After fixing the errors, run make World again. Later, you might just compile
parts of the source tree but it's important that the whole tree will build
first.

8.5 DRI kernel module installation

The DRI kernel modules are in ~/DRI-CVS/build/xc/pro-
grams/Xserver/hw/xfree86/os-support/linux/drm/kernel/.

To load the appropriate DRM module in your running kernel you can either use
ismod and restart your X server or copy the kernel module to /lib/mod-
ules/2.4.x/kernel/drivers/char/drm/ then run depmod and restart your X
server.

Make sure you first unload any older DRI kernel modules that might be already
loaded.

Note that some DRM modules require that the agpgart module be loaded first.

9. Normal Installation and Configuration

Most users will want to install the new X server and use it instead of the
original X server. This section explains how to do that. We assume that the
user is upgrading from XFree86 3.3.x.

Developers, on the other hand, may just want to test the X server without
actually installing it as their default server. If you want to do that, skip
to the next section.

9.1 X Installation

You'll need to run as root to do the following commands:

As mentioned above, the installation directory is specified by the Project-
Root variable in the host.def file. Create that directory now if it doesn't
already exist, then run the install commands:

mkdir /usr/X11R6-DRI
cd ~/DRI-CVS/build/xc
make install

9.2 Linker configuration

Edit your /etc/ld.so.conf file and put /usr/X11R6-DRI/lib as the first line.
Then run:

ldconfig

This will ensure that you use the new X libraries when you run X programs.

9.3 Update Locale Information

To update your X locale information do the following:

cd ~/DRI-CVS/build/xc/nls
../config/util/xmkmf -a
make
make install

This will prevent a locale error message from being printed when you run Xlib
programs.

9.4 Setup Miscellaneous Files

Issue the following commands:

cd /usr/X11R6-DRI/lib/X11
ln -s /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb.txt .
ln -s /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts .
ln -s /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/app-defaults .

This will allow applications to use the fonts and resources that they used in
the past.

9.5 Disable the Old X Server and Enable the New One

Assuming that an installation of XFree86 3.3.x is present, we need to disable
the old 3.3.x X server and enable the new 4.0.x X server.

Issue the following commands:

cd /usr/X11R6/bin
mv Xwrapper Xwrapper.old
rm X
ln -s /usr/X11R6-DRI/bin/XFree86 X

This will cause the new X server to be used instead of the original one.

9.6 Create the XF86Config File

Configuration files for XFree86 3.3.x will not work with XFree86 4.0.x.

The new 4.0.x server can generate a basic configuration file itself. Simply
do this:

cd /usr/X11R6-DRI/bin
./XFree86 -configure

A file named /root/XF86Config.new will be created. It should allow you to
try your X server but you'll almost certainly have to edit it. For example,
you should add HorizSync and VertRefresh options to the Monitor section and
Modes options to the Screen section. Also, the ModulePath option in the
Files section should be set to /usr/X11R6-DRI/lib/modules.

On the DRI web site, in the resources section, you'll find example XF86Config
files for a number of graphics cards. These configuration files also setup
DRI options so it's highly recommended that you look at these examples.

In any case, your new XF86Config file should be placed in /etc/X11/XF86Con-
fig-4. This configuration file will be recognized by the 4.0.x server but
not by 3.3.x servers. You can instead name it /etc/X11/XF86Config but
that'll overwrite your old config file, which you may want to preserve.

9.7 Start the New X Server

The new X server should be ready to use now. Start your X server in your
usual manner. Typically, the startx command is used:

startx

10. Testing the Server Without Installing It

As mentioned at the start of section 8, developers may want to simply run the
X server without installing it. This can save some time and allow you to
keep a number of X servers available for testing.

10.1 Configuration

As described in the preceding section, you'll need to create a configuration
file for the new server. Put the XF86Config file in your ~/DRI-
CVS/build/xc/programs/Xserver directory.

Be sure the ModulePath option is set correctly.

10.2 A Startup Script

A simple shell script can be used to start the X server. Here's an example.

#!/bin/sh
export DISPLAY=:0
./XFree86 -xf86config XF86Config & \
sleep 2
fvwm2 &
xset b off
xmodmap -e "clear mod4"
xsetroot -solid "#00306f"
xterm -geometry 80x40+0+0

You might name this script start-dri. Put it in your ~/DRI-CVS/build/xc/pro-
grams/Xserver directory.

To test the server run the script:

cd ~/DRI-CVS/build/xc/programs/Xserver
./start-dri

For debugging, you may also want to capture the log messages printed by the
server in a file. If you're using the C-shell:

./start-dri >& log

11. Where To Go From Here

At this point your X server should be up and running with hardware-acceler-
ated direct rendering. Please read the DRI User Guide for information about
trouble shooting and how to use the DRI-enabled X server for 3D applications.

Generated from XFree86: xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/doc/sgml/DRIcomp.sgml,v 1.14 2001/05/02 15:06:08 dawes Exp $

$XFree86$

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