[Bug 793030] [NEW] Framebuffer with gfxpayload=1024x768x16 results in white screen on PCI S3 card

[Arie Skliarouk]

Public bug reported:

Binary package hint: grub2

Framebuffer with default gfxpayload=1024x768x16 results in white screen
on an old PCI "S3 Inc. 86c775/86c785 [Trio 64V2/DX or /GX] (rev 06)"
video card.

The dmesg had following lines:
Jun  5 07:42:20 mf kernel: [    7.967371] Console: switching to colour frame buffer device 80x30
Jun  5 07:42:20 mf kernel: [    7.979176] fb0: S3 Trio64V2/DX on 0000:04:00.0, 1 MB RAM, 60 MHz MCLK
Jun  5 07:42:20 mf kernel: [    8.001207] fb0: not enough framebuffer memory (1200 kB requested , 1024 kB available)

I had to use gfxpayload=640x480x32 to get normal 80x24 resolution with the following lines in the dmesg:
Jun  5 08:51:24 mf kernel: [    1.683731] efifb: framebuffer at 0xa6d60, mapped to 0xffff8800000a6d60, using 56k, total 64k
Jun  5 08:51:24 mf kernel: [    1.683734] efifb: mode is 640x350x1, linelength=80, pages=1
Jun  5 08:51:24 mf kernel: [    1.683735] efifb: scrolling: redraw
Jun  5 08:51:24 mf kernel: [    1.683738] efifb: Truecolor: size=8:8:8:8, shift=24:16:8:0
Jun  5 08:51:24 mf kernel: [    1.685028] Console: switching to colour frame buffer device 80x43
Jun  5 08:51:24 mf kernel: [    1.686260] fb0: EFI VGA frame buffer device

IMHO in case failures the framebuffer code should automatically fallback
to lower resolution/color depth mode.

The distribution is ubuntu 11.04, kernel 2.6.38-8-server amd64.

# dpkg -l | grep grub
ii  grub-common                     1.99~rc1-13ubuntu3                 GRand Unified Bootloader, version 2 (common files)
ii  grub-gfxpayload-lists           0.2                                GRUB gfxpayload blacklist
ii  grub-pc                         1.99~rc1-13ubuntu3                 GRand Unified Bootloader, version 2 (PC/BIOS version)

** Affects: grub2 (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New


** Tags: natty

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/793030

Title:
  Framebuffer with gfxpayload=1024x768x16 results in white screen on PCI
  S3 card

Status in “grub2” package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  Binary package hint: grub2

  Framebuffer with default gfxpayload=1024x768x16 results in white
  screen on an old PCI "S3 Inc. 86c775/86c785 [Trio 64V2/DX or /GX] (rev
  06)" video card.

  The dmesg had following lines:
  Jun  5 07:42:20 mf kernel: [    7.967371] Console: switching to colour frame buffer device 80x30
  Jun  5 07:42:20 mf kernel: [    7.979176] fb0: S3 Trio64V2/DX on 0000:04:00.0, 1 MB RAM, 60 MHz MCLK
  Jun  5 07:42:20 mf kernel: [    8.001207] fb0: not enough framebuffer memory (1200 kB requested , 1024 kB available)

  I had to use gfxpayload=640x480x32 to get normal 80x24 resolution with the following lines in the dmesg:
  Jun  5 08:51:24 mf kernel: [    1.683731] efifb: framebuffer at 0xa6d60, mapped to 0xffff8800000a6d60, using 56k, total 64k
  Jun  5 08:51:24 mf kernel: [    1.683734] efifb: mode is 640x350x1, linelength=80, pages=1
  Jun  5 08:51:24 mf kernel: [    1.683735] efifb: scrolling: redraw
  Jun  5 08:51:24 mf kernel: [    1.683738] efifb: Truecolor: size=8:8:8:8, shift=24:16:8:0
  Jun  5 08:51:24 mf kernel: [    1.685028] Console: switching to colour frame buffer device 80x43
  Jun  5 08:51:24 mf kernel: [    1.686260] fb0: EFI VGA frame buffer device

  IMHO in case failures the framebuffer code should automatically
  fallback to lower resolution/color depth mode.

  The distribution is ubuntu 11.04, kernel 2.6.38-8-server amd64.

  # dpkg -l | grep grub
  ii  grub-common                     1.99~rc1-13ubuntu3                 GRand Unified Bootloader, version 2 (common files)
  ii  grub-gfxpayload-lists           0.2                                GRUB gfxpayload blacklist
  ii  grub-pc                         1.99~rc1-13ubuntu3                 GRand Unified Bootloader, version 2 (PC/BIOS version)