Re: [ubuntu-uk] Setting console VGA mode
2009/7/20 Rob Beard : > Liam Proven wrote: >> 2009/7/19 William Anderson : >> >>> Liam Proven wrote: >>> [snip] #4 Being green involves re-using old kit that still works. Typically half or more of the energy used in the lifetime of a piece of IT equipment is spent making it, not running it. By making its working life as long as possible, you save energy; by replacing working kit with something newer, you waste energy. >>> Or you could recycle the old displays and use a KVM switch instead, >>> which would save using the energy required for the extra display in the >>> first place :) >>> >> >> It *is* connected to a KVM & it is already serving 2 servers, on top >> of which it neatly sits. If I can find a 3-way KVM I plan for it to be >> the main display of my Mac OS X Server box, too. >> >> > Okay having a further play, removing splash quiet from the kernel line > in menu.lst and replacing it with vga=791 does actually set the screen > to 1024x768 in 16-Bit colour, it stays like this all the way through to > the console login prompt (okay it starts X and I have to manually switch > to the 1st console but it is running in 1024x768 rather than switching > back to a non framebuffer console). > > fbset doesn't seem to do anything though, not sure if it's to do with > the fact I have an Intel video chipset in my notebook. > > If it helps I'm running the 32-bit server kernel (2.6.28-13-server)on > the desktop release of Ubuntu 9.04. Thanks for that! The trouble is, that's changing /graphics/ mode. I do use that myself, mainly on my notebook machines so that the console mode matches the native resolution of the LCD. My desktop machines all run CRT monitors, not LCDs, so they don't /have/ a native resolution. On my server, though, I don't have that option - my screen does not display colour at all, just black & white & shades of grey, and 640x480 is its maximum resolution. But in text mode, VGA supports the following /character/ resolutions: 40x25 80x25 80x43 80x50 I think there might also be 40x43 and 40x50 modes and possibly others besides. You can select these by passing the kernel vga=1/2/3/4/5 or 6. That's the type of mode I need, and that's what init setting the console font resets. -- Liam Proven • Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/liamproven Email: lpro...@cix.co.uk • GMail/GoogleTalk/Orkut: lpro...@gmail.com Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 • Cell: +44 7939-087884 • Fax: + 44 870-9151419 AOL/AIM/iChat/Yahoo/Skype: liamproven • LiveJournal/Twitter: lproven MSN: lpro...@hotmail.com • ICQ: 73187508 -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Setting console VGA mode
Liam Proven wrote: > 2009/7/19 William Anderson : > >> Liam Proven wrote: >> >>> [snip] >>> >>> #4 Being green involves re-using old kit that still works. Typically >>> half or more of the energy used in the lifetime of a piece of IT >>> equipment is spent making it, not running it. By making its working >>> life as long as possible, you save energy; by replacing working kit >>> with something newer, you waste energy. >>> >> Or you could recycle the old displays and use a KVM switch instead, >> which would save using the energy required for the extra display in the >> first place :) >> > > It *is* connected to a KVM & it is already serving 2 servers, on top > of which it neatly sits. If I can find a 3-way KVM I plan for it to be > the main display of my Mac OS X Server box, too. > > Okay having a further play, removing splash quiet from the kernel line in menu.lst and replacing it with vga=791 does actually set the screen to 1024x768 in 16-Bit colour, it stays like this all the way through to the console login prompt (okay it starts X and I have to manually switch to the 1st console but it is running in 1024x768 rather than switching back to a non framebuffer console). fbset doesn't seem to do anything though, not sure if it's to do with the fact I have an Intel video chipset in my notebook. If it helps I'm running the 32-bit server kernel (2.6.28-13-server)on the desktop release of Ubuntu 9.04. Rob -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Setting console VGA mode
Liam Proven wrote: > 2009/7/19 William Anderson : > >> Liam Proven wrote: >> >>> [snip] >>> >>> #4 Being green involves re-using old kit that still works. Typically >>> half or more of the energy used in the lifetime of a piece of IT >>> equipment is spent making it, not running it. By making its working >>> life as long as possible, you save energy; by replacing working kit >>> with something newer, you waste energy. >>> >> Or you could recycle the old displays and use a KVM switch instead, >> which would save using the energy required for the extra display in the >> first place :) >> > > It *is* connected to a KVM & it is already serving 2 servers, on top > of which it neatly sits. If I can find a 3-way KVM I plan for it to be > the main display of my Mac OS X Server box, too. > Doing a bit of a search I found this: http://linux.about.com/library/cmd/blcmdl8_fbset.htm It looks like you can use fbset to set the resolution, however on my laptop I tried it and it couldn't find /dev/fb0, so I presume my machine hasn't got the framebuffer installed. Not sure however if this is something to go on. Am I right in thinking that when the Framebuffer is installed and the kernel boots with the messages it shows the Tux logo in the top corner of the screen? I'm going to have a little play as thinking about it, on my server I have an old 15" LCD screen (it's on it's last legs and about 7 or 8 years old but does the job) and maybe having a framebuffer installed might be an advantage if it means I can fit more text on the screen. Rob -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Setting console VGA mode
2009/7/19 William Anderson : > Liam Proven wrote: >> [snip] >> >> #4 Being green involves re-using old kit that still works. Typically >> half or more of the energy used in the lifetime of a piece of IT >> equipment is spent making it, not running it. By making its working >> life as long as possible, you save energy; by replacing working kit >> with something newer, you waste energy. > > Or you could recycle the old displays and use a KVM switch instead, > which would save using the energy required for the extra display in the > first place :) It *is* connected to a KVM & it is already serving 2 servers, on top of which it neatly sits. If I can find a 3-way KVM I plan for it to be the main display of my Mac OS X Server box, too. -- Liam Proven • Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/liamproven Email: lpro...@cix.co.uk • GMail/GoogleTalk/Orkut: lpro...@gmail.com Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 • Cell: +44 7939-087884 • Fax: + 44 870-9151419 AOL/AIM/iChat/Yahoo/Skype: liamproven • LiveJournal/Twitter: lproven MSN: lpro...@hotmail.com • ICQ: 73187508 -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Setting console VGA mode
Liam Proven wrote: > [snip] > > #4 Being green involves re-using old kit that still works. Typically > half or more of the energy used in the lifetime of a piece of IT > equipment is spent making it, not running it. By making its working > life as long as possible, you save energy; by replacing working kit > with something newer, you waste energy. Or you could recycle the old displays and use a KVM switch instead, which would save using the energy required for the extra display in the first place :) -n -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Setting console VGA mode
2009/7/18 Sean Miller : > What is this? A vt220 or something? > > vt220s will be 132 wide, but I don't know why you're bothering... > > Why not simply put a normal monitor on it and get 1024x768 or whatever? > > Confused... is this some sort of "retro" thing? > > Sean #1, I don't have any spare bigger monitors to use & can't afford to buy more. #2, I normally administer my server from my main PC, using SSH for Linux boxes and Rdesktop for Windows ones. The screen on the server itself is, literally, a monitor, used during setup and to occasionally check things are all right even if a bigger PC isn't running or to hand. #3 I have 2 old mono VGA monitors lying around that still work fine with modern kit and they're so small that they can sit on top of a pair of servers, connected to 2 at once via a switch box, and still fit under a desk. #4 Being green involves re-using old kit that still works. Typically half or more of the energy used in the lifetime of a piece of IT equipment is spent making it, not running it. By making its working life as long as possible, you save energy; by replacing working kit with something newer, you waste energy. #5 Ubuntu Server only runs in text mode; what is the point of wasting a perfectly good large graphical display on it? -- Liam Proven • Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/liamproven Email: lpro...@cix.co.uk • GMail/GoogleTalk/Orkut: lpro...@gmail.com Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 • Cell: +44 7939-087884 • Fax: + 44 870-9151419 AOL/AIM/iChat/Yahoo/Skype: liamproven • LiveJournal/Twitter: lproven MSN: lpro...@hotmail.com • ICQ: 73187508 -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Setting console VGA mode
What is this? A vt220 or something? vt220s will be 132 wide, but I don't know why you're bothering... Why not simply put a normal monitor on it and get 1024x768 or whatever? Confused... is this some sort of "retro" thing? Sean -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Setting console VGA mode
2009/7/17 Liam Proven : > I have just run up a new Ubuntu home server, a Dell PowerEdge 600SC > (P4, 2.8GHz, 512MB RAM) running 8.04-3. It has a plain VGA monitor - > monochrome, even - on it. Mostly, I expect to administer it from ssh. > > But I do need to use the console sometimes, and it would be helpful to > set the console VGA mode to more than 80x25. > > Using info from these pages: > > http://fvue.nl/wiki/Linux:_Terminal_sizes_beyond_80_columns_x_24_rows > http://www.linuxquestions.org/blog/lifeforce4-30748/2009/5/31/a-more-complete-vga-resolutions-list-for-grub-and-lilo.-2000/ > http://forums.remote-exploit.org/backtrack-4-general-support/23746-vga-resolution-codes-lilo-grub.html > > ... after a little fiddling, I found that the max my old VDU will > display is 80x60. I set this by adding > > vga=6 > > to the end of my kernel line in /boot/grub/menu.lst > > I also removed the "quiet" and "splash" parameters. > > However, although this works, it is reset back to 80x25 as soon as init > starts. > > This is not a unique problem - the same one is documented here: > http://www.centos.org/modules/newbb/print.php?form=1&topic_id=18348&forum=37&order=ASC&start=0 > > Is there any way to disable the custom console-font-setting that > occurs so that I can keep my hires text console? Anyone? -- Liam Proven • Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/liamproven Email: lpro...@cix.co.uk • GMail/GoogleTalk/Orkut: lpro...@gmail.com Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 • Cell: +44 7939-087884 • Fax: + 44 870-9151419 AOL/AIM/iChat/Yahoo/Skype: liamproven • LiveJournal/Twitter: lproven MSN: lpro...@hotmail.com • ICQ: 73187508 -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
[ubuntu-uk] Setting console VGA mode
I have just run up a new Ubuntu home server, a Dell PowerEdge 600SC (P4, 2.8GHz, 512MB RAM) running 8.04-3. It has a plain VGA monitor - monochrome, even - on it. Mostly, I expect to administer it from ssh. But I do need to use the console sometimes, and it would be helpful to set the console VGA mode to more than 80x25. Using info from these pages: http://fvue.nl/wiki/Linux:_Terminal_sizes_beyond_80_columns_x_24_rows http://www.linuxquestions.org/blog/lifeforce4-30748/2009/5/31/a-more-complete-vga-resolutions-list-for-grub-and-lilo.-2000/ http://forums.remote-exploit.org/backtrack-4-general-support/23746-vga-resolution-codes-lilo-grub.html ... after a little fiddling, I found that the max my old VDU will display is 80x60. I set this by adding vga=6 to the end of my kernel line in /boot/grub/menu.lst I also removed the "quiet" and "splash" parameters. However, although this works, it is reset back to 80x25 as soon as init starts. This is not a unique problem - the same one is documented here: http://www.centos.org/modules/newbb/print.php?form=1&topic_id=18348&forum=37&order=ASC&start=0 Is there any way to disable the custom console-font-setting that occurs so that I can keep my hires text console? -- Liam Proven • Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/liamproven Email: lpro...@cix.co.uk • GMail/GoogleTalk/Orkut: lpro...@gmail.com Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 • Cell: +44 7939-087884 • Fax: + 44 870-9151419 AOL/AIM/iChat/Yahoo/Skype: liamproven • LiveJournal/Twitter: lproven MSN: lpro...@hotmail.com • ICQ: 73187508 -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
