GFX 550e
Installation and Reference
Manual
Copyright 2006 Tech Source, Inc.
3340 Edgewater Drive
Orlando, FL 32804
(407) 262-7100
Publication #65-0266-01 Rev A February 20, 2006
Addendum Information
Date Released: February 20, 2006
Changes made to:
REVISION
CHANGES
DATE
NUMBER
A
Initial Release
02-20-06
The Tech Source logo, Tech Source GFX and Raptor are
trademarks of Tech Source, Inc. X Window System is a
trademark and product of X.org.
All other products or services mentioned in this document are
identified by the trademarks or service marks of their respective
companies or organizations. Tech Source, Inc. disclaims any
responsibility for any references to those trademarks herein.
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in
any form or by any means without prior written permission of the
copyright owner.
RESTRICTED RIGHTS LEGEND: Use, duplication, or disclosure
by the U.S. Government is subject to restrictions of FAR 52.22714(g)(2)(6/87) and FAR 52.227-19 (6/87); or DFAR 252.2277015(b)(6/95) and DFAR 227.7202-3(a).
The product described in this manual may be protected by one
or more U.S. patents, foreign patents, and/or pending
applications.
PREFACE
This publication documents the Tech Source, Inc. GFX
installation and reference. This manual is intended for users
who incorporate the Tech Source GFX graphics cards into their
PCI or PCIe workstations. All systems vary to a degree.
Knowledge of the features of your system and an understanding
of UNIX shell scripts are helpful during the installation process.
WARRANTY
The GFX 550e graphics cards are warranted for one (1) year
from date of shipment. During the warranty period, Tech Source,
Inc. will, at its discretion, repair or replace a defective product at
its expense. Freight charges associated with the repair or
replacement of products under warranty are to be shared by
Tech Source, Inc. and the customer. All customers, domestic
and international, shall bear the freight charges for the product
return. Tech Source, Inc. shall bear the outbound freight
charges up to $13.00 (USD) per returned product, whether
domestic or international. Any additional freight charge shall be
the responsibility of the customer. We suggest that you contact
your dealer first with any questions you may have about the
product. Unlimited technical support (via telephone, facsimile, or
email) is provided for one (1) year from date of shipment. The
installation of any Tech Source, Inc. hardware/software product
is the sole responsibility of the customer.
Customers will be charged an hourly rate plus materials
($300.00 USD minimum) for repairs and/or maintenance
performed by Tech Source, Inc. that are not covered by a Tech
Source, Inc. warranty or maintenance contract.
DOCUMENTATION IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND ALL
EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED CONDITIONS, REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY
OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT, ARE DISCLAIMED,
EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT THAT SUCH DISCLAIMERS ARE
HELD TO BE LEGALLY INVALID.
This page intentionally left blank.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 1-1
1.1 Overview 1-1
1.2 Conventions 1-2
HARDWARE INSTALLATION 2-1
2.1 Installation Instructions 2-1
2.2 Resolution Settings 2-3
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION 3-1
3.1 Overview 3-1
3.2 Requirements 3-1
3.3 Installing GFX 550e Driver Software 3-2
3.3.1 CD-ROM Installation 3-2
3.4 Changing Resolution and Bit-Depth on GFX 550e Card 3-4
3.4.1 Interactive Configuration 3-4
3.4.2 Non-Interactive Configuration 3-6
3.4.2.1 Examples 3-8
3.5 Dual-Screen Mode 3-9
3.5.1 GFX 550e Console Display Configuration 3-9
3.5.2 X Windows
3.6 Setting GFX 550e Card as the Console (Optional) 3-10
3.6.1 GFX 550e Card as the Only Framebuffer 3-10
Configuring the Xservers File 4-1
4.1 Overview 4-1
4.1.1 GFX 550e Card as the Console 4-1
4.2 Common Desk Environment (CDE) 4-1
(Dual Screen Mode) Configuration 3-9
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont’d)
ADVANCED FEATURES 5-1
5.1 Overview 5-1
5.2 8+24 Simultaneous Visuals 5-1
5.3 Cached Pixmaps 5-1
5.4 OpenGL Support 5-2
REMOVING GFX 550e DRIVER SOFTWARE 6-1
6.1 Overview 6-1
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 7-1
7.1 Who To Call For Help 7-1
7.2 Email Address 7-1
7.3 Website 7-2
CHANGING THE CONSOLE RESOLUTION A-1
A.1 Overview A-1
A.1.1 Reason for Changing the Console Resolution A-1
A.1.2 Guidelines for Changing the Console Resolution A-2
A.1.3 EDID Auto-Detect Feature A-2
A.2 Output-Device Method A-3
A.3 Video-Mode Method A-3
A.4 Video-Timing Method A-5
A.5 Troubleshooting A-7
CARD SPECIFICATIONS B-1
B.1 GFX 550e Card Specifications B-1
B.2 GFX 550e Cabling B-2
B.2.1 Digital Monitors B-2
B.2.2 Analog Monitors B-3
B.3 Special Adapter for Some Sun Monitors B-4
USING NVEDIT TO MODIFY NVRAM C-1
C.1 NVRAM Edit Commands C-1
ii
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Overview
Thank you for purchasing a Tech Source GFX 550e card.
The GFX 550e card is a low profile single slot PCI Express
graphics card. The target for this card is the new Sun
Microsystems servers with PCI Express slots such as the Sun
Fire T2000. The card can support up to two DVI or two analog
outputs. The card can also simultaneously support 8 and 24-bit
visuals.
Some of the salient features are:
• 32MB framebuffer
• Low Profile PCI Express card with x1 interface
• Dual head display
• Support for multiple resolutions
For more specifications, refer to Appendix B.
This product is currently supported on Solaris 10. Support for
other versions of the OS may be available. Please email Tech
Source at hotline@techsource.com for inquiries about support
for other versions of Solaris.
From this point forward, Tech Source, Inc. will be referred to as
Tech Source or TSI.
1-1
GFX 550e Installation and Reference Manual
1.2 Conventions
This manual will follow certain conventions throughout.
Whenever a variable name, command name, directory, or
filename is used in a paragraph, they will appear in a mono-
spaced font.
At times the reader will be instructed to enter commands at a
prompt. In this case a transcript of a sample session will be
provided where a prompt will be followed by the commands the
reader is to enter. The entire transcript will be in a mono-
spaced font with the prompt in a normal weight and the user's
entries in bold.
The prompt used in a transcript varies depending on the
circumstances. The following are some common prompts and
when they are used:
prompt# used when the user is required to have root
privileges
prompt% used when the user is not required to have root
privileges
ok prompt displayed when the user is in Boot PROM
mode
1-2
Chapter 2
HARDWARE INSTALLATION
2.1 Installation Instructions
The GFX 550e graphics card installation is simple and consists
of a few easy steps. These installation instructions presume that
you are familiar with the Solaris operating system.
NOTE: Remember which cables go to which connectors. You
may want to label the cables and connectors before
disconnecting them.
Step 1: Turn your computer OFF, remove the
computer’s cover, find an available PCIe slot,
and remove the bracket and screw. Ground
yourself by touching the metal part on the case.
Step 2: Install the GFX 550e card firmly into the PCIe
slot. Take care to press it evenly and snugly
into the slot. Once you are certain that the card
is installed properly into the slot, secure it with
the bracket screw.
Step 3: Secure the computer’s cover, attach any
previously removed cables, and connect the
video cable to your monitor.
The port on the GFX 550e supports two displays
with a custom splitter cable attached to the port.
The splitter cable that is packaged with the card
has two DVI-I connectors. (Please refer to
Appendix B for more information on the cables
or for information about the required adapters for
supporting analog monitors.)
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GFX 550e Installation and Reference Manual
Please note that some Sun monitors may
require a DB-15 to 13W3 adapter (Refer to
Appendix B, Section B.3).
Step 4: Turn ON the monitor before turning ON the
computer so that the GFX 550e card can autodetect the proper resolution for your monitor.
NOTE: If the system is currently using a secondary graphics
device, read section 3.6 on configuring the console device. The
console device is the screen on which the boot up messages
appear. A monitor must be connected to the console device
before you proceed to Chapter 3 Software Installation.
The GFX 550e card is now installed and ready for software
installation. Refer to Chapter 3 for installing the Driver Software.
2.2 Resolution Settings
For monitors that support the DDC2B/EDID (Display Data
Channel) protocol, the GFX 550e card will automatically select a
compatible resolution. To override this selection, or to change
the default resolution for monitors that do not provide DDC
information, refer to Section 3.4 and Appendix A.
The default resolution for the GFX 550e card is listed in the table
below.
Board Resolution Refresh Bits/Pixels Sync
GFX 550e Auto Detect - 8
If the monitor does not support the DDC2B/EDID protocol (autodetect), and the console resolution is not set using methods
described in Appendix A, the resolution will default to
1024x768@75Hz.
separate/composite
2-2
Chapter 3
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION
3.1 Overview
This chapter describes the software installation method for the
“GFX 550e Driver Software”.
NOTE: Please note that this software must be installed on your
system prior to running X Windows on these cards.
The software is provided on CD-ROM or by FTP and is
composed of the following packages:
• TSImkox 64-bit System Software/Device
Driver
• TSImkow OpenWindows System Support
Software
• TSImkomn Manual pages
3.2 Requirements
The software currently supports the following Sun PCIe based
systems:
Sun Fire T2000
NOTE: If your Sun PCI system is not listed here, please contact
Tech Source, Inc.
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GFX 550e Installation and Reference Manual
The following are prerequisites for installing the “GFX 550e
Driver Software”:
• The system is running Solaris 10 or higher..
• At least 2MB of disk space is available in "/usr" and “/.”
• One or more GFX 550e cards are presently installed in the
desktop/server.
NOTE: All device drivers are loadable. No kernel changes are
required.
3.3 Installing GFX 550e Driver Software
This section describes software installation from a CD-ROM.
3.3.1 CD-ROM Installation
The following are step-by-step instructions for installing the “GFX
550e Driver Software” from a CD-ROM.
1. Install a GFX 550e card in the computer as described in
Chapter 2.
2. Boot the computer with the "-r" (reconfiguration) option.
To do this on a typical SPARC desktop/server, perform
the following steps:
• Power ON the computer.
• Wait until you see boot messages displaying on the
screen, then press and hold the Stop (L1) key, and
then press the "A" key.
• At the "ok" prompt, type "boot –r" followed by the
<Enter> key.
3. After the system has booted, log in as root.
4. Insert the CD-ROM labeled "GFX 550e Driver Software-
Solaris Edition" into the CD-ROM drive.
3-2
Chapter 3 – Software Installation
5. If /cdrom/cdrom0 exists, type:
prompt# cd /cdrom/cdrom0
Skip to step 6. Otherwise, mount the CD-ROM by typing
the following:
prompt# mount -F hsfs -O -o ro \
/dev/dsk/c0t6d0s0 /cdrom
prompt# cd /cdrom
6. The CD-ROM contains an install_all script. To
install the software, type:
prompt# ./install_all
This script will ask you a number of yes-or-no questions
(generated by Sun's pkgadd install script). Answer
these questions appropriately.
7. Reboot the system to complete the installation.
NOTE: Upon reboot, new device names will be created in the
/dev/fbs directory, one for each head.
The GFX 550e device names have a prefix mko#, where #
represents the instance number assigned by the operating
system. For this product, a single device name is created. For
instance, it may be called mko0.
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GFX 550e Installation and Reference Manual
3.4 Changing Resolution and Bit-Depth on
GFX 550e Card
The default resolution and bit-depth is either dictated by EDID
information from the connected monitor or by the console
resolution that is set (as described in Appendix A). In the
absence of either of the above, the default console resolution is
1024x768@75Hz and the default bit-depth is 8-bit.
However, if you should decide to have a different resolution and
bit-depth configuration under X Windows, follow the instructions
in this section to set your resolution and bit-depth appropriately.
The mkoconfig utility can be used any time after installation to
change these parameters and to turn on dual screen mode.
Please see the man page on mkoconfig for a detailed
description.
NOTE: Dual Screen Mode is a feature of this card and is
described in Section 3.5 of this manual. In this mode, the GFX
550e can only be configured to a bit depth of 24-bits.
The next two sections describe two methods of using
mkoconfig to configure the card.
3.4.1 Interactive Configuration
mkoconfig has an interactive menu-style interface (See Figure
3.1). To use this program to configure your GFX 550e card,
type:
prompt# mkoconfig -i
NOTE: If X Windows is running on the GFX 550e card(s) to be
configured, please exit out of it before running mkoconfig.
Failure to do so could result in a corrupted screen for the
remainder of the X Window session.
3-4
Chapter 3 – Software Installation
The GFX 550e device(s) will be listed in the left column of the
configuration screen displayed by mkoconfig. (See Figure
3.1).
A description of the commands is as follows:
Up/Down Arrow selects the desired graphics
device to modify
Left/Right Arrow selects the parameter to modify
(e.g. resolution, bit-depth, or
sync)
Space Bar modifies the parameter for the
selected graphics device (will
bring up a menu when
applicable)
‘t’ puts a test pattern on the entire
display (hit any key to return to
the main screen) NOTE: the test
pattern feature is disabled if the
Xserver is running.
‘s’ saves current settings and exits
‘h’ help
‘q’ exits the program without saving
any changes
NOTE: To enable the dual screen feature, select the “sync”
menu and enter “w”. Please see Section 3.5 for a description
of this feature.
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GFX 550e Installation and Reference Manual
Figure 3.1 - GFX 550e Configuration Utility
3.4.2 Non-Interactive Configuration
Sometimes it is convenient to configure the GFX 550e card noninteractively. This method is especially useful when configuring
many systems identically or when the appropriate configuration
for the system is already known.
mkoconfig uses the same conventions as Sun’s m64config
or ffbconfig utilities. All of the parameters, which are set
using the interactive version, can be set by specifying the option
followed by a desired value. The parameters are:
-dev <device> selects the device to
configure
-res <resolution> sets the resolution
-res \? shows resolutions
3-6
Chapter 3 – Software Installation
-file machine | system specifies whether to
modify OWconfig from
/etc/openwin/
server/etc or
usr/openwin/
server/etc
respectively
-depth 8|24|8+24 changes the bit depth to
8, 24 or 8+24 mode
-defaults resets device to default
parameters
-doublewide enable|disable
Enable/Disable the dual
screen output feature.
Please refer to Section
3.5.
-24only enable|disable forces all windows to
use 24-bit visuals. This
will disable 8+24 mode
and may prohibit some
8-bit applications from
working
-cachedpixmap enable|disable
Turn off the off-screen
cached pixmap feature.
Default is enable.
-propt displays current settings
-prconf displays hardware
information
-help shows complete usage
listing
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GFX 550e Installation and Reference Manual
NOTE: By default, the bit depth will be set to 24 for all
resolutions.
3.4.2.1 Examples
To configure the resolution on the GFX 550e card to
1152x900@66Hz, type the following:
prompt# mkoconfig -res 1152x900x66
NOTE: If no device is specified, mkoconfig configures the
console (assuming that the console is a GFX 550e card).
To verify the resolution prior to setting it permanently, add the
word "try" after the resolution name. This option will display a
test pattern on the screen until a return key is hit. Then the
resolution can be accepted or rejected. For example:
prompt# mkoconfig -dev /dev/fbs/mko0 \
–res 1152x900x66 try
To set the resolution to 1024x768x60 with a single TrueColor
visual (no 8-bit PseudoColor visual):
prompt# mkoconfig -res 1024x768x60 \
-24only enable
To display the current settings for /dev/fbs/mko0:
prompt# mkoconfig -dev /dev/fbs/mko0 -propt
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Chapter 3 – Software Installation
3.5 Dual-Screen Mode
The GFX 550e has the ability to support two displays - two digital
displays, two analog displays or one analog and one digital. In
any case, the card can be configured so that the two displays
appear as one unified screen to the X Window display. In other
words, windows can be easily moved between the two displays
(without the need for a special "xinerama" mode). This
"unified screen" mode is also called the “Dual Screen”
mode.
The GFX 550e card has only one graphic processor and two
DACs. The drawing engine is capable of driving both DACs. See
section 3.5.2 for more details.
3.5.1 GFX 550e Console Display Configuration
In console mode (i.e. prior to starting X Windows), only one head
will be used.
3.5.2 X Windows (Dual-Screen Mode)
Configuration
This card can be configured under X Windows in either a single
screen mode or a dual screen mode, using the mkoconfig utility.
Section 3.4 discusses the mkoconfig utility.
To configure the GFX 550e card to dual screen mode, simply
specify "doublewide [enable:disable]" on the command line as
described in section 3.4.2.
prompt# /usr/sbin/mkoconfig –dev /dev/fbs/mko0 \
-doublewide enable
When running mkoconfig in the interactive mode (mkoconfig
–i), select “w” under the “sync” menu to enable dual-screen
mode.
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GFX 550e Installation and Reference Manual
In dual-head configurations, X Windows will act as one single
display across two screens. Both heads will be set to the same
resolution and each is limited to 1600x1200@60. So, the
maximum effective resolution across both screens is
3200x1200@60. In the dual-head mode, only the 24-bit
TrueColor visual is supported.
In single-head configurations, the resolution is limited to
1920x1200@76, and supports 8-bit, 24-bit, and 8+24-bit modes.
NOTE: These limits apply to analog output only. Digital output
is restricted to 1280x1024@60. Dual-head configurations that
include a digital monitor will likewise be limited to
1280x1024@60 for both heads.
3.6 Setting GFX 550e Card as the Console
(Optional)
This section describes how to configure the GFX 550e card to be
the console device for your system.
3.6.1 GFX 550e Card as the Only Framebuffer
If no other framebuffers are present in a Sun T2000 or another
supported system, then the GFX 550e will be the console by
default, provided the “output-device” variable is set to screen.
To set the output-device to screen you can remotely log into your
system once it has booted and run the following command as
super user:
# eeprom output-device=screen
Alternatively this variable may be set from the ALOM mode by
running the following command at the sc prompt:
sc>bootmode bootscript="setenv output-device screen"
3-10
Chapter 4
Configuring the Xservers File
4.1 Overview
This section describes how to configure the Xservers file for use
with one or more graphics cards. The GFX 550e device name
will be mko#, where ‘#’ represents the device instance
number. A GFX 550e card however, will have a single device
name corresponding to both heads.
To set the resolution and bit-depth or to enable “wide” mode for
the Xwindows environment, please use the mkoconfig utility as
described in Section 3.4.
4.1.1 GFX 550e Card as the Console
If the GFX 550e card is the console device, then there is no need
to modify the Xservers file.
4.2 Common Desktop Environment (CDE)
If you have installed CDE and would like CDE to appear on the
GFX 550e display, you may need to modify your
/etc/dt/config/Xservers file.
If the file /etc/dt/config/Xservers does not exist, please
copy it from the /usr/dt/config directory. Type:
prompt# cp /usr/dt/config/Xservers \
/etc/dt/config
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GFX 550e Installation and Reference Manual
If the directory does not exist, type:
prompt# mkdir /etc/dt/config
prompt# cp /usr/dt/config/Xservers \
/etc/dt/config
The sample Xservers.mko file which is provided, assumes
that the GFX 550e card is the only framebuffer on which to start
CDE:
:0 Local local_uid@console root \
/usr/openwin/bin/Xsun :0 –dev \
/dev/fbs/mko0 –nobanner
NOTE: If the name of your GFX 550e device is something
other than mko0, please substitute the correct name in the file.
You may add any other desired command line arguments to the
end of this line. For example, you may start CDE on multiple
displays. To do this, list each display device following the
convention above.
The following configuration displays CDE on the display named
/dev/fbs/mko0 and uses the device named /dev/fbs/m640
as a secondary framebuffer:
:0 Local local_uid@console root \
/usr/openwin/bin/Xsun :0 –dev /dev/fbs/mko0 \
-dev /dev/fbs/m640 –nobanner
4-2
Chapter 5
ADVANCED FEATURES
5.1 Overview
The GFX 550e card has several advanced features available
through the X Server. They are:
• 8+24-bit simultaneous visuals
• Off-screen pixmap caching
• OpenGL support via Sun’s DPA extension
5.2 8+24 Simultaneous Visuals
The 8+24 mode simultaneously supports 8 and 24-bit visuals.
This addresses the classic colormap flashing issue with a 24-bit
visual while providing the 8-bit visual that is required by some
legacy applications, such as SoftWindows.
The available visuals are PseudoColor and TrueColor.
PseudoColor is the default visual.
5.3 Cached Pixmaps
All GFX 550e cards support off-screen pixmap caching. Cached
pixmaps are those that are stored in the off-screen memory.
These off-screen pixmaps allow faster transfer rates to and from
on-screen windows.
The available off-screen memory depends on the amount of
video memory, the current resolution, and depth settings. For
example, consider the GFX 550e card, which has 32MB of video
memory.
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GFX 550e Installation and Reference Manual
If it is running at 1024x768 resolution with a depth of 8-bits, 768K
is used for on-screen memory. That leaves 31.2MB available for
pixmaps. In 24-bit and 8+24-bit modes, the on-screen memory
that is used is 4 times larger than what is used in the 8-bit mode.
The largest pixmaps are stored in off-screen memory. If a larger
pixmap replaces a smaller pixmap in the off-screen memory, the
smaller pixmap will move to system memory and remain there
even after the larger pixmap is destroyed.
5.4 OpenGL Support
OpenGL support is provided through the Direct Pixel Access
(DPA) Extension. To use this function, OpenGL v1.5 or higher
must already be installed on your system.
5-2
Chapter 6
REMOVING GFX 550e DRIVER
SOFTWARE
6.1 Overview
To find out if any “GFX 550e Software” exists on your system,
type:
prompt# pkginfo | grep TSImko
If you see any response to the command, then you currently
have some “GFX 550e Driver Software” installed.
To uninstall the “GFX 550e Driver Software”, enter the following
command:
prompt# pkgrm TSImkomn TSImkow TSImkox
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GFX 550e Installation and Reference Manual
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6-2
Chapter 7
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
7.1 Who to Call for Help
If you need help, please call our Technical Support Team at
(800) 330-8301, or directly at (407) 262-7100 between the hours
of 9:30am - 5:30pm EST Monday through Friday.
Please have the software part number, version, and serial
number for your GFX card(s) available when contacting Tech
Source in order to expedite support. Please make a note of this
information in the area below:
DETAILS OF YOUR CARD(S):
P/N: _________________________________
Model Name: ___________________________
Serial Number(s): ____________________
NOTE: Technical Assistance will be available only for
products under standard or extended warranty.
7.2 Email Address
Our email address is hotline@techsource.com.
International customers may use email or our fax line at
(407)339-2554.
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GFX 400 Series Installation and Reference Manual
7.3 Website
Detailed product information and Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQs) are available on our website located at:
http://www.techsource.com
7-2
Appendix A
CHANGING THE CONSOLE
RESOLUTION
A.1 Overview
The GFX 550e card can be configured to be the console in a
typical SPARC desktop/server. The card has a default console
resolution and default depth as shown in the following table:
Board Resolution Refresh Bits/Pixels Sync
GFX 550e Auto Detect - 8
It is possible to change the default resolution on a GFX 550e
card. The procedures described in this appendix are:
• EDID Auto-Detect feature
• Output Device Method
• Video-Mode Method
• Video-Timing Method
This appendix includes a troubleshooting section describing
possible problems and answers associated with changing the
console resolution.
A.1.1 Reason for Changing the Console
Resolution
Normally the default console resolution is sufficient for most
users. An example of when you might be required to change the
default resolution is described below:
Separate/composite
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GFX 550e Installation and Reference Manual
• If the monitor does not "sync up" at the default console
resolution, it may be necessary to choose a different console
resolution.
A.1.2 Guidelines for Changing the Console
Resolution
There are some general guidelines to follow when changing the
default console resolutions. They are as follows:
• By default, all console resolutions will automatically be set to
8-bit mode.
• It is recommended that you use mkoconfig –i to test a
resolution before configuring the console to that resolution.
• Digital output on the DVI port is limited to 1280x1024@60.
A.1.3 EDID Auto-Detect Feature
Auto-Detect is limited to 1280x1024@60 on the DVI port only. If
overrides are used to exceed this limit, only analog signals will
be produced by the DVI port. Digital signals will be turned off.
If you are using a monitor with DDC2B/EDID protocol the default
resolution will be determined using the Auto-Detect feature.
With this protocol, the GFX 550e card first checks the
Established Timing Identifiers (taking the first one supported)
then tries to match the Standard Timings.
NOTE: The monitor must be turned ON prior to booting the
system in order for the GFX 550e card to communicate with it.
Some adapters and cables may block this signal.
A-2
Appendix A – Changing the Console Resolution
If the Auto-Detect feature fails the card will default to
1152x900@66Hz.
Other methods described in this appendix will override any
information obtained via EDID.
A.2 Output-Device Method
To specify the console resolution of a GFX 550e card via the
output-device environment variable, use the format
screen:rAxBxC where:
A is the desired horizontal resolution,
B is the desired vertical resolution,
C is the desired refresh rate.
The system will check these values against an internal list of
resolutions (see section A.3 for valid list) and use the
corresponding entry as the console resolution. For example, to
use VESA 1024x768x75 as the console resolution, type the
following at the ok prompt:
ok setenv output-device screen:r1024x768x75
ok reset-all
NOTE: The new console resolution will take effect following the
reset, and will hold the resolution information until the output-
device variable is changed manually.
A.3 Video-Mode Method
At the "ok" prompt in Boot PROM mode, the console resolution
can be easily set on GFX 550e card by using one of the 32
preinstalled resolution modes. These resolution settings are
identified by video modes 1-32.
A-3
GFX 550e Installation and Reference Manual
NOTE: The default console of all video modes is 8 bits.
1 640x480@72
2 640x480@75
3 640x480@85
4 800x600@60
5 800x600@72
6 800x600@75
7 800x600@85
8 1024x768@60
9 1024x768@70
10 1024x768@75
11 1024x768@77 *
12 1024x768@85
13 1024x800@85 *
14 1152x900@60
15 1152x900@66 *
16 1152x900@70
17 1152x900@75
18 1152x900@76 *
19 1152x900@85
20 1280x800@76 *
21 1280x1024@60
22 1280x1024@67
23 1280x1024@67 *
24 1280x1024@75
25 1280x1024@76 *
26 1280x1024@85
27 1600x1000@66 *
28 1600x1000@76 *
29 1600x1200@60
30 1600x1200@65
31 1600x1200@70
32 1600x1200@75
NOTE: The resolution followed by a * uses composite sync.
A-4
Appendix A – Changing the Console Resolution
NOTE: Please refer to Appendix C for a description of nvedit
commands.
ok nvedit
0: 8 value video-mode
1: <ctrl-c>
ok nvstore
ok setenv use-nvramrc? true
ok reset-all
NOTE: The last three commands enable the NVRAM. Without
these lines, the changes you make with nvedit will be ignored.
A.4 Video-Timing Method
If all of the previously described methods fail for your
configuration, it is possible to specify the exact timing numbers
for a particular resolution. The last method for setting the
console resolution also uses nvedit. This method is more
involved and requires knowledge of all timing parameters for the
desired resolution, and is only meant for monitors whose
resolutions are not available in the video-mode method.
Please refer to Appendix C for detailed instructions on using
nvedit.
NOTE: The video-timing method should be used only if the
previous methods have been unsuccessful.
A-5
GFX 550e Installation and Reference Manual
For example, to set the console resolution to 1280x1024@76Hz,
type the following:
ok nvedit
0: : video-timing " 1280, 384, 32, 64,
1024, 43, 3, 8, 135000000, 0" ;
1: <ctrl-c>
ok nvstore
ok setenv use-nvramrc? true
ok reset-all
NOTE: The syntax is very important. The spaces must be
present exactly as they appear in the example.
NOTE: The last three commands enable the NVRAM. Without
these lines, the changes you make with nvedit will be ignored.
The following is a brief description of the 10 parameters used in
this method.
• horizontal resolution (in pixels)
• horizontal blanking total
• horizontal front porch
• horizontal sync width
• vertical resolution (in lines)
• vertical blanking total
• vertical front porch
• vertical sync width
• dotclock in Hz
• sync value:
0 separate sync
256 sync on green
512 positive vertical sync pulse
1024 positive horizontal sync pulse
2048 composite sync
A-6
Appendix A – Changing the Console Resolution
The sync values can be added together to select more than one
of the above.
A.5 Troubleshooting
Problem Solution
Used the
method
described in the
Appendix to
configure the
console
resolution, but
the card still
defaults to
something other
than the
resolution
specified.
A priority scheme is used to determine the
boot console resolution. The GFX 550e
firmware checks the various methods in the
order of priority discussed below. If it finds
the resolution from the current method, it
uses it; otherwise, it goes down the priority
list to find the resolution information. Finally,
if there is no resolution information, it uses
the default resolution. The resolution-setting
methods are enumerated in order of
decreasing priority:
1. output-device method (Section A.2)
2. video-timing method (Section A.4)
3. video-mode method (Section A.3)
4. DDC2B/EDID (Section A.1.3)
5. Default resolution for the card
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GFX 550e Installation and Reference Manual
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A-8
Appendix B
CARD SPECIFICATIONS
B.1 GFX 550e Card Specifications
Frame Buffer: 32 Megabytes
Hardware Cursor: 3 color, 64 x 64 bitmap
Color Lookup
Table(s): 256 entries
PCIe Interface: PCIe x 1
Video Interface Analog (75 ohm) or DVI
Temperature 0
Rating: -40
Humidity Rating 20 to 80% operating
(non-condensing)
5 to 95% non-operating
(non-condensing)
Power Rating: +5V @ 3 Amps
Dimensions: 16.13cm x 6.89cm
(6.35” x 2.712”)
Dot Clock Max: 360MHz (primary)
230MHz (secondary)
135MHz (digital)
Video Sync: Separate, composite
Video Connector: LFH-60 (15pm D-shell, VGA
or DVI-I using splitter cable)
Boot Support: IEEE 1275 Compliant F Code
0
to 550 C operating
0
to 750C non-operating
B-1
GFX 450 Installation & Reference Manual
B.2 GFX 550e Cabling
B.2.1 Digital Monitors
The supplied dual-monitor adapter supports digital LCD flat
panel displays with a DVI interface. These displays must have a
DVI-D or DVI-I input connector. Refer to Figure B.1 for an
illustration. Connect the LCD’s video cable to one of the two
connectors of the dual monitor adapter.
Make sure the other end of each monitor cable is properly
connected to its monitor. See your monitor manuals for more
information.
Figure B.1
B-2
Appendix B – Card Specifications
B.2.2 Analog Monitors
For analog monitors use the DVI to VGA adapter in conjunction
with the dual-monitor adapter. Analog monitors typically use HD15 connectors to connect to the graphics card. Connect the
monitor cable to one of the two connectors of the dual-monitor
adapter. Refer to Figure B.1 for an illustration of this
connection.
NOTE: Your dual-monitor adapter can only be used with DVI
based displays. DVI to VGA adapters are included for use with
analog displays.
GFX 550e cables have DVI-D connectors for supporting digital
monitors – these adapters don’t use P&D or MDR-20
connectors.
Figure B.4
B-3
GFX 450 Installation & Reference Manual
B.3 Special Adapter for Some Sun
Monitors
The GFX550e has a DVI to VGA adapter for use with analog
monitors. Some Sun monitors and cables require a 13W3 to
VGA adapter such as the 1396 adapter shown below. This
adapter provides composite sync on 13W3 connection.
B-4
Appendix C
USING NVEDIT TO MODIFY
NVRAM
C.1 NVRAM Edit Commands
This section discusses the use of NVRAM. The NVRAM is used
to set the resolution in the Video-Mode and Video-Timing
methods. To edit the NVRAM, begin nvedit at the ok prompt.
There are several commands that you must use to edit the
variables in NVRAM:
<Backspace> deletes the character preceding the cursor
<Ctrl-l> lists NVRAM current values
<Ctrl-p> moves to the previous line
<Ctrl-n> moves to the next line
<Ctrl-b> moves to the previous character
<Ctrl-f> moves to the next character
<Ctrl-u> deletes to the beginning of the line
<Ctrl-k> joins the current and next line
<Ctrl-u><Ctrl-k> deletes the current line
<Ctrl-c> exits the NVRAM editor (back to the ok
prompt)
The changes will only take effect if they are stored using the
nvstore command entered at the ok prompt. Once the
changes are stored, the NVRAM must be enabled before the
system will execute it. This is done by setting the environment
variable use-nvramrc? to true. Please reset the system to
make the changes effective.
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GFX 550e Installation and Reference Manual
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C-2
NOTES
NOTES
NOTES
NOTES
NOTES
Publication #65-0266-01
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