Classes - Annotated - Tree - Functions - Home - Structure

Enabling the Linux framebuffer

How to enable framebuffer support in the Linux kernel

This is only a short guide. See /usr/src/linux/README and /usr/src/linux/Documentation/fb/ for detailed information. There is also a detailed explanation at: http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Framebuffer-HOWTO.html

Make sure that you have the Linux kernel source code in /usr/src/linux/.
Log in as root and cd /usr/src/linux
Configure the kernel:
Run:
```
        make menuconfig
```
Select "Code maturity level options" and set "Prompt for development and/or incomplete code/drivers".
Then select "Console drivers" set "Support for frame buffer devices" to built-in (even if it says EXPERIMENTAL). Then configure the driver. Most modern graphics cards can use the "VESA VGA graphics console"; use that or a driver that specifically matches your video card. Finally enable "Advanced low level driver options" and make sure that 16 and 32 bpp packed pixel support are enabled.
When you are finished, chose exit and save.
Compile the kernel
First do:
```
        make dep
```
then:
```
        make bzImage
```
The new kernel should now be in arch/i386/boot/bzImage

Copy the kernel to the boot directory:

        cp arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/linux.vesafb

Edit /etc/lilo.conf
IMPORTANT: Keep a backup of /etc/lilo.conf, and have a rescue disk available. If you make a mistake at this stage, the machine may not boot.
The file /etc/lilo.conf specifies how the system boots. The precise contents of the file varies from system to system, this is one example:
```
boot = /dev/hda3
delay = 30 
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/hda3
  label = Linux
  read-only # Non-UMSDOS filesystems should be mounted read-only for checking
other=/dev/hda1
        label=nt
        table=/dev/hda
```
IMPORTANT: Keep a backup of /etc/lilo.conf, and have a rescue disk available. If you make a mistake here, the machine may not boot.
Make a new "image" section that is a copy of the first one, but with image = /boot/linux.vesafb and label = Linux-vesafb. Place it just above the first image section.
Add a line before the image section saying 'vga = 791'. (Meaning 1024x768, 16 bpp.)
With the above example, lilo.conf would now be:
```
boot = /dev/hda3
delay = 30 
vga = 791
image = /boot/linux.vesafb
  root = /dev/hda3
  label = Linux-vesafb
  read-only # Non-UMSDOS filesystems should be mounted read-only for checking
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/hda3
  label = Linux
  read-only # Non-UMSDOS filesystems should be mounted read-only for checking
other=/dev/hda1
        label=nt
        table=/dev/hda
```
Do not change any lines in the file; just add new ones.
Run lilo
To make the new changes take effect, run the lilo program:
```
        lilo
```
Reboot the system
You should now see a penguin logo while the system is booting. (Or more than one on a multi-processor machine.)
Error recovery
If it does not boot properly with the new kernel, you can boot with the old kernel by entering the label of the old image section at the LILO prompt. (with the example lilo.conf file, the old label is Linux.)
If that does not work (probably because of an error in lilo.conf), boot the machine using your rescue disk, restore /etc/lilo.conf from backup and re-run lilo.

Testing

Here's a short C program that opens the frame buffer and draws a gradient-filled red square.


int main()
{
    int fbfd = 0;
    struct fb_var_screeninfo vinfo;
    struct fb_fix_screeninfo finfo;
    long int screensize = 0;
    char *fbp = 0;
    int x = 0, y = 0;
    long int location = 0;

    // Open the file for reading and writing
    fbfd = open("/dev/fb0", O_RDWR);
    if (fbfd < 0) {
        printf("Error: cannot open framebuffer device.\n");
        exit(1);
    }
    printf("The framebuffer device was opened successfully.\n");

    // Get fixed screen information
    if (ioctl(fbfd, FBIOGET_FSCREENINFO, &finfo)) {
        printf("Error reading fixed information.\n");
        exit(2);
    }

    // Get variable screen information
    if (ioctl(fbfd, FBIOGET_VSCREENINFO, &vinfo)) {
        printf("Error reading variable information.\n");
        exit(3);
    }

    printf("%dx%d, %dbpp\n", vinfo.xres, vinfo.yres, vinfo.bits_per_pixel );

    // Figure out the size of the screen in bytes
    screensize = vinfo.xres * vinfo.yres * vinfo.bits_per_pixel / 8;

    // Map the device to memory
    fbp = (char *)mmap(0, screensize, PROT_READ | PROT_WRITE, MAP_SHARED,
                       fbfd, 0);
    if ((int)fbp == -1) {
        printf("Error: failed to map framebuffer device to memory.\n");
        exit(4);
    }
    printf("The framebuffer device was mapped to memory successfully.\n");

    x = 100; y = 100;       // Where we are going to put the pixel

    // Figure out where in memory to put the pixel
    for ( y = 100; y < 300; y++ )
        for ( x = 100; x < 300; x++ ) {

            location = (x+vinfo.xoffset) * (vinfo.bits_per_pixel/8) +
                       (y+vinfo.yoffset) * finfo.line_length;

            if ( vinfo.bits_per_pixel == 32 ) {
                *(fbp + location) = 100;        // Some blue
                *(fbp + location + 1) = 15+(x-100)/2;     // A little green
                *(fbp + location + 2) = 200-(y-100)/5;    // A lot of red
                *(fbp + location + 3) = 0;      // No transparency
            } else  { //assume 16bpp
                int b = 10;
                int g = (x-100)/6;     // A little green
                int r = 31-(y-100)/16;    // A lot of red
                unsigned short int t = r<<11 | g << 5 | b;
                *((unsigned short int*)(fbp + location)) = t;
            }

        }
    munmap(fbp, screensize);
    close(fbfd);
    return 0;
}

Trademarks

Qt version 2.3.2