3Dfx RPM
release
This Information is extracted from 3Dfx
RPM Release page. Any questions about the drivers should be directed at daryll@harlot.rb.ca.us and credit should be given
to him for the information on this page.Release
Information
This is the release of the latest drivers for
the 3Dfx hardware under Linux. The Voodoo Graphics, Voodoo2, and Voodoo Rush are
supported. The packages are distributed as RPMS, which allows them to perform all the
needed operations during install. If you don't have an RPM based system, I've included a
page on how to install these packages without using RPM. All these packages are currently
compiled for libc5. Glibc versions will be created at a later time.
These RPMS should be considered Alpha quality as
they have not had extensive testing. The Voodoo Graphics and Voodoo2 are the most tested
as they have been available longest. The device driver is relatively simple and is less
likely to have problems. The Voodoo Rush modules are the newest and most complicated and
therefore most likely to have problems. Installation of these packages will automatically
remove the older Glide package if it is encountered.
Please read the following license
before proceeding. Use of the follow packages is covered by this license.
Any comments about these packages or their
execution can be sent directly to me at daryll@harlot.rb.ca.us
or to the 3dfx.glide.linux newsgroup.
Runtime Kits
The runtime kit provides the basic libraries
need to use the card. There is one runtime kit of the Voodoo Graphics, Voodoo2, and Voodoo
Rush. Select the appropriate one for your hardware:
- Voodoo Graphics - This is version 2.43. There's
not much change from the previous (2.41) release except for support for /dev/3dfx.
- Voodoo2 - This is version 2.51. If you grabbed
the previous package from my site, this package is identical except that it includes a
simple test program, so that users without the SDK can tell that their board is installed.
- Voodoo Rush - This is version 2.42. This is the
first release to support the Voodoo Rush.
Device Driver
There is now a device driver for /dev/3dfx that
allows Glide applications to run without root privledges. This package is distributed as a
source RPM, as device drivers need to be compiled for each version of the kernel. Your
kernel must support modules to use this device driver. You must have development tools
installed on your system to create the module. No changes to existing applications are
required to use this driver. This package is suggested, but is not required.
At the moment, this device driver does not patch
the MTRRs on PPro/PII hardware. This would be a logical place to do it. Also note that
this driver is for the 2.0 kernel. If someone wants to make one for 2.1 that would be
great. Please feed any changes back to me.
All efforts were made to make this device driver
stable and safe, but there is no guarantee that problems will not arrise. Also note that
malicious use of this device driver can be used to crash a Linux system. Access to the
device should be limited to those users who need it.
Software Development Kit (SDK)
This is the latest version of the SDK.
Applications should not require any changes to use this kit. This is equivalent to the
older SDK, just packaged as an RPM. This version of the SDK also includes the PDF
documentation. This package is not necessary if you are not going to develop your own code
for the 3Dfx cards.
You'll notice things have moved from the
previous release. In the previous release everything was stashed in /usr/local/glide. Now
libraries are stored in /usr/lib and headers in /usr/include/glide.
X Server
Voodoo Rush users will also need to install this
X server package. It replaces your current SVGA X server with a version modified to
support the Voodoo Rush chip. Commercial X servers (such as X-Inside or MetroX) will not
allow the Rush to be used. Source to the X server with my modifications is also available,
but is not required. (It is very large and not recommended) This X server only works
with the AT3D chipset.
When an application uses Glide in full screen
mode, it requests a certain resolution. This might be 320x240, 640x480, or 800x600 for
example. Glide will then request that the X server switch to that resolution. Therefore,
you X server must have a modeline defined for each resolution you want to use in
fullscreen mode. Otherwise the application will fail. Also, you might want to move your X
terminal window to the upper left hand corner of the screen before running the demos.
Otherwise, when the screen resizes you'll have a hard time typing in the correct window.
Finally, when you are rendering in a window, you
are sharing resources with the X server. The more memory on the graphics board the X
server uses up, the less that is available for 3D applications. I recommend leaving your
maximum screen resolution (real or virtual) at 1024x768, if you intend to have large 3D
windows available. Using an X mode of 1280x1024 limits you to 3D windows of 256x256
resolution.
Glibc Based Systems (RH5.x)
There are a few issues with running this
currently release with glibc systems. Some folks have managed to make it work, but you may
want to wait until after I release glibc versions of the libraries to install this stuff.
If you want to go ahead anyway, check the newsgroup for more details.
Keep in Mind
There are a few things you need to keep in mind
for using the Rush:
- You need to run as root or use the /dev/3dfx.
- You need to run your X server at a depth of
16bpp.
- To keep memory available for 3D, you probably
want to limit your highest window/virtual resolution to 1024x768.
- You must run my custom verion of the X server.
- For each full screen resolution you want to use
you must define an X resolution of the same size.
Installation
If you are not using RPM please go to this page.
Login as root and download the required packages
(listed below)
Install the appropriate runtime RPM by executing
one of the following commands:
(For Voodoo Graphics) rpm -Uvh Glide_VG-2.43-2.i386.rpm
(For Voodoo Rush) rpm -Uvh Glide_VR-2.43-2.i386.rpm
(For Voodoo2) rpm -Uvh Glide_V2-2.51-3.i386.rpm
If you would like to install the device driver
(recommended) it can be installed executing all of the following commands: (WARNING: If
you have already installed Device3Dfx
version 1.0 please do 'rpm -e --noscripts Device3Dfx' before installing this package,
otherwise you may corrupt your /etc/conf.modules.)
The newest version of Device3Dfx works with the 2.0 and 2.2 Linux kernels
rpm --rebuild Device3Dfx-2.01.src.rpm
rpm -Uvh /usr/src/redhat/RPMS/i386/Device3Dfx-1-1.i386.rpm
If you would like the SDK it is installed with
the following command:
rpm -Uvh Glide2x_SDK-2.1-3.i386.rpm
If you have a Voodoo Rush you must also install
the X server and libraries as follows:
rpm -Uvh XFree86_Rush-SVGA-3.3.2-1.i386.rpm
rpm -Uvh XFree86_Rush-libs-3.3.2-1.i386.rpm
Glibc Versions
Glibc versions of the same libraries are being
made available. Substitute these libraries for the ones listed in the instructions above.
These are for use on RH 5.x systems:
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