[parisc-linux] howdy and 720/50 framebuffer question

[Steve Pacenka]

Greetings,

I have a couple of 720's and a couple of 735's to rehabilitate.  The
PARISC-Linux developers have done truly excellent work on the kernel and
Debian adaptations for this architecture.  If this can yield reasonable
GNU/Linux installs including X, the machines will go on display in our
recycling showroom as examples of reuse of discarded cool hardware. 
Maybe someone will then adopt them to give them new homes.

I'm stymied about X on a 720/50.  Starting from an 0.9.3 ISO which
worked fine for a base install, the default video seems to be a one bit
B&W buffer (text overlay plane?).  fbset -i says there's no device at
/dev/fb0, which does exist in the filesystem; XFree86 subsequently
doesn't load the framebuffer driver.  There's no Penguin at boot.  I've
tried later precompiled kernels through -pa33, compiling my own from
CVS, and appending video=stifb at a boot prompt with and without sti=0. 

The hardware is there:

"1. Coral SGC Graphics (10) at 0xf8000000 [1], versions 0x4, 0x0, 0x77"


This is some kind of 24 plane framebuffer, right?  I'd be satisfied with
8 bit color from it.

Any hints for additional instrumentation or settings?

-- thanks, SP
   Babbage's Basement volunteer and workstation curator
       http://www.lightlink.com/babbages/workstations.html