Supported Hardware

# 3 Supported Hardware

Contents of this section

As this is the most often asked question, this will be the first section. Currently XFree86 (Version 2.0 - 2.1.1) supports the following chipsets in the XF86_SVGA server (note that it depends on the chipset whether a card is working and not on the vendor, with Diamond notably excluded, cf. the remark at the end of this paragraph):

- nonaccelerated chipsets:
  - Tseng ET3000, ET4000AX, ET4000/W32
  - Western Digital/Paradise PVGA1
  - Western Digital WD90C00, WD90C10, WD90C11, WD90C24, WD90C30
  - Genoa GVGA
  - Trident TVGA8800CS, TVGA8900B, TVGA8900C, TVGA8900CL, TVGA9000, TVGA9000i, TVGA9100B, TVGA9200CX, TVGA9320, TVGA9400CX, TVGA9420
  - ATI 28800-4, 28800-5, 28800-6, 28800-a
  - NCR 77C22, 77C22E, 77C22E+
  - Cirrus Logic CLGD6205, CLGD6215, CLGD6225, CLGD6235
  - Compaq AVGA
  - OAK OTI067, OTI077
- accelerated chipsets:
  - Cirrus GLGD5420, CLGD5422, CLGD5424, CLGD5426, CLGD5428
  - Western Digital WD90C31

Note that the WD90C33 is currently not supported by any of the non-generic servers. There are additional problems with the generic servers of XFree86 2.0, too. Please look at the section on bugs and fixes.

These chipsets are all supported in 256 color (XF86_SVGA) and in monochrome mode (XF86_Mono) with the exception of the Cirrus chipsets, which are only supported in 256 color mode Note that if you have a grey scale display you need to run the colour server as grey scale behaves just like colour, not like monochrome mode . Note that the ET4000/W32 is only supported as a ET4000 clone and none of the accelerated functions are used.

The monochrome server also supports generic VGA cards (using 64k of the video memory as a single bank), the Hercules card and the Hyundai HGC-1280. Note that these drivers are not part of the XF86_Mono server by default. If you want to use these, you have to reconfigure your XF86_Mono server using the LinkKit (or, of course, the source distribution - but the LinkKit will need less disk space and less compile time). See the Appendix for further information on using a Hercules mono card.

There is an (experimental) additional server that works on generic VGA hardware: XF86_VGA16, a 16 color server.

XFree86 supports the following accelerated chipsets with separate servers:

- S3 86C911, 86C924, 86C801, 86C805, 86C928 supported by the XF86_S3 server
- ATI mach8 supported by the XF86_Mach8 server
- ATI mach32 supported by the XF86_Mach32 server
- IBM 8514/a and true clones supported by the XF86_8514 server

Currently the S3 Vision864 and Vision964 are not yet working.

No other chipsets are supported; not Weitek P9000, not TIGA, not IIT AGX, not Microfield, not the new MGA chipsets (as in the Matrox cards), etc. Support for some of these will perhaps be provided in future XFree86 releases. TIGA will never be supported, as it requires licensing materials from TI (and may disallow source distributions); Microfield boards will never be supported, as they use proprietary and undocumented custom microcode interfaces. Note further: The following is a statement of the XFree86 Project concerning graphic cards by Diamond:

         All Diamond cards are NOT supported by XFree86 even if they
         have a supported chipset (with  the exception of the Cirrus
         chipsets that have an internal clock generator). The reason
         for this is that Diamond has changed  the mechanism used to
         select  pixel   clock  frequencies, and  will only  release
         programming information under  non-disclosure.   We are not
         willing to do this (as it would mean  that source cannot be
         provided).  We have had discussions with Diamond over this,
         and they do not  intend to  change  this policy.  Hence  we
         will do nothing  to support Diamond products  going forward
         (i.e.  don't  send us a program  to run  set their clocks).
         XFree86 DOES NOT SUPPORT  DIAMOND HARDWARE.  It is possible
         to make some  of it work, but  we will not assist  in doing
         this.

The author of this HOWTO does support this statement completely. If you have read this and bought nevertheless a card from Diamond, you will damage the idea of free software as Diamond does not support the efforts of a free X11 server. There is enough good and affordable graphics hardware available from companies that support XFree86.

However, if you are stuck with a card from Diamond, there is a compilation of the needed things to get XFree86 running on some of these cards. It is called the Diamond.FAQ and can be obtained from sunsite in the X11 directory.

Do not ask the XFree86 team about Diamond hardware. You will simply annoy them, and get no information.

For some of these chipsets there are specific `README` files (to be found in `/usr/X386/lib/X11/etc`). If there is one for the chipset you use, read it! In these `README`s the specific options that can be used to configure the server are explained. Currently there are special `README`s for ATI, Trident, Tsengm Western Digital, and Cirrus chipsets.

More information on the servers can be found in their manpages.

Later more on configuring the servers [cf. The Xconfig File ].

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