SGX / ImgTec / PVR 1.17 driver possible in Debian?

[Corey Vixie]

Hi all,

I've been experimenting for some time now with the various options for getting the GPU drivers for the SGX530 working on a BeagleBone Black. So far, I've tried Remi's excellent wiki (https://elinux.org/BeagleBoneBlack/SGX_%2B_Qt_EGLFS_%2B_Weston) and Robert's excellent image (https://rcn-ee.net/rootfs/bb.org/testing/2020-04-06/stretch-imgtec/).

Both methods work to get me running Weston, kmscube, xorg, etc.

I eventually realized that the 1.14 version of the driver both of these methods end up with is lacking some critical DMA features that Chromium/WPE/etc would like to use, and I'm wondering if anyone has had any luck getting the 1.17 version of the driver going on Debian? I'm given to understand that the newer TI SDK Linux (at least 6.3+) has it included, but going through the whole song and dance with building the SDK feels like kind of a pain when all I want to do is hack/tinker.

Any easy options?

[Corey Vixie]

So, just to update this thread, the short answer is "yes". The longer answer will require some time to reproduce. I started with the Stretch Imgtec image and apt upgrade'd myself into a state where I was able to build the PowerVR DDK from TI's source (Thud/1.17.4948957 branch):

git clone -b ti-img-sgx/thud/1.17.4948957 https://git.ti.com/git/graphics/omap5-sgx-ddk-um-linux.git

export DISCIMAGE=/

export TARGET_PRODUCT=ti335x

make install

At various points, I also upgraded the kernel, added testing as a target in sources.list, and upgraded gcc (which had the biggest snowball effect, if I recall).

If anyone wants me to run any commands or dump the output of any files, I'd be more than happy. This was a profoundly frustrating experience, and I wish I'd taken better notes!

[H. Nikolaus Schaller]

Hi,

> Am 04.10.2020 um 18:26 schrieb Corey Vixie <corey...@gmail.com>:
>
> So, just to update this thread, the short answer is "yes". The longer answer will require some time to reproduce. I started with the Stretch Imgtec image and apt upgrade'd myself into a state where I was able to build the PowerVR DDK from TI's source (Thud/1.17.4948957 branch):
>
> git clone -b ti-img-sgx/thud/1.17.4948957 https://git.ti.com/git/graphics/omap5-sgx-ddk-um-linux.git
> export DISCIMAGE=/
> export TARGET_PRODUCT=ti335x
> make install
>
> At various points, I also upgraded the kernel, added testing as a target in sources.list, and upgraded gcc (which had the biggest snowball effect, if I recall).
>
> If anyone wants me to run any commands or dump the output of any files, I'd be more than happy. This was a profoundly frustrating experience, and I wish I'd taken better notes!
> On Monday, August 3, 2020 at 11:59:30 PM UTC-7 Corey Vixie wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I've been experimenting for some time now with the various options for getting the GPU drivers for the SGX530 working on a BeagleBone Black. So far, I've tried Remi's excellent wiki (https://elinux.org/BeagleBoneBlack/SGX_%2B_Qt_EGLFS_%2B_Weston) and Robert's excellent image (https://rcn-ee.net/rootfs/bb.org/testing/2020-04-06/stretch-imgtec/).
>
> Both methods work to get me running Weston, kmscube, xorg, etc.

I have a package that installs/compiles in its postinst script and tries to figure out on which system it is being installed:

https://download.goldelico.com/quantumstep/debian/dists/buster/main/binary-all/letux-pvrsgx-1.17_0.20200413112912_all.deb

It also takes the zeus branch which is the latest release by TI.

But since I am not a weston/driver/user-space-graphics expert I am not sure if I run kmscube with this package installed, it is really using the SGX or if it is doing an emulation by CPU.

So if you know how to set up a working system (dependencies? other config files?) patches are welcome.

Ideally we (the openpvrsgx-degroup) can provide such universal (i.e. not board specific) Debian packages if we get contributions. And it increases chances by some µ% to get the kernel driver upstream.

BR,
Nikolaus Schaller