Sam460LE - linux Debian / Ubuntu instalation questions

[sailorMH]

Please, do anybody have working Debian 8 / Ubuntu 16.04 installation media for Sam460LE?

Spectre660's Linux downloads for the Sam440/460 (http://www.supertuxkart-amiga.de/amiga/sam.html ) netinstall.iso are with obsolete default repository mirror (ftp.debian.org).

I manually set actual repository: to archive.debian.org and /debian/
( where today old ppc debian distros are located )
But i receive warning:

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anna[5106]: WARNING **: bad d-i Packages file
anna[5106]: wget: server returned error: HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found

and installation not continues...

And if I check installation Sam460ex_Debian_Jessie-3.iso, there is this Parthenope bootloader + menu.lst:

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delay 10
default 0


title Install Debian Jessie - Sam460ex Netinstall
kernel /sam460ex/uImage-3.19.2  root=/dev/ram  vga=normal fb=false
dtb /sam460ex/canyonlands.dtb 
initrd /sam460ex/uRamdisk_jessie_Sam460ex_net-2


title Install Debian Jessie - Sam460ex via Downloaded install DVD 
kernel /sam460ex/uImage-3.19.2  root=/dev/ram  vga=normal fb=false
dtb /sam460ex/canyonlands.dtb 
initrd /sam460ex/uRamdisk_jessie_Sam460ex_CD-1

Unfortunatelly, in bootmenu is visible only first option: Netinstall. Second option:via Downloaded install DVD are not there.


Also Ubuntu Mate 16.04.1 Live DVD or USB from hyperion forum has unfunctional links for download ( viewtopic.php?f=52&t=3515 ).

It will be great, if somebody has working installation media or image.
Also any help or advices about modyfiyng installation .iso, especially menu.lst will be great - I will try to correct install .iso.

Thanks!

[Spectre660]

Re Mesa :

https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/ ... 04058.html

[sailorMH]

@Spectre660
Thank you very much.

But I am sorry, I am a little lost in the email conversation. There is:

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> Does the attached patch fix the problem?
>
>
>> I would be interested in a fix for the acceleration problem if possible .
> Beware that while the kernel side of this might be relatively easy to
> fix, making the userspace radeonsi driver work on big endian hosts would
> likely require substantial effort.
>
>

Thanks

The patch solved the problem .

Does it mean, that the kernel error:

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[drm:r600_ring_test] *ERROR* radeon: ring 0 test failed

is repaired in some version of kernel?
Or I misinterpreted the conversation ?

Please, if there is fixed kernel, can you share it? I will gladly test it with various cards.
If not, that's okay. For Sam, HW Mesa would only be usable for video, Sam won't be too fast for 3D applications. So the priority is low even considering the number of users

And thanks for your Sam460ex-4.9.38 kernel, it works for HD6870 with acceleration. But Mesa 3D is software only, same as other HD cards ( ring 0 test error ).
But I was surprised how fast the Linux desktop is on the Sam460LE. For a 1.1GHz single core machine I didn't expect it. Well done!

Regarding radeonsi driver - I know that it far more complex problem and probably it will never work on BE powerpc, the same as amdgpu for CGN3+ cards.
But with fixed kernel we can have full 3D + VA acceleration upto Northern Islands CGN2 cards, like X1000 or Powermac have.

[Spectre660]

@SailorMH

Unfortunately 3D stuff not fixed.
The patch referenced does allow later kernels up to 4.9 to boot .

In the opinion of the top Linux Radeonsi maintainer it would not be an easy task to get
DRM working on the Sam460ex as it would require reworking at the driver level and not just the kernel.
And that was 7 or 8 years ago.

[sailorMH]

@Spectre660
you are right. I checked Xorg.log, there is GPU accel disabled or not working, using shadowfb for KMS.
At first, I thinked that 2D is enabled - lxde desktop with modern cards on Sam460 is fast and responsive even with shadowfb - not much slower than accelerated R300 card on Pegasos 2

That is clear. Nobody today will improve driver for Sam - it is even more special than classic powerpc computers, where we also lack developers.
I've resigned myself to the fact that radeonsi or amdgpu will probably never be for BE ppc. Although it's a pity . And unfortunatelly such development is out of my range.

Anyway, I'm still pleasantly surprised by the speed of Linux on Sam460LE, I didn't expect much from this not fast single core machine, but it is great.
Plus, now I'll have to try Sam440ep-flex as well and look at linux on 733 MHz.