Re: [tlug] A question for Ubuntu 8.0.4 folks

[CL <az.4tlug@example.com>]

SL Baur wrote:

> What's the version of the X server in current Ubuntu?  Are they on a
> previous stable release, or the current bleeding edge version?

KInfo says that Kubuntu 8.04 (Heron) running KDE 4.0 is using version 
11.0.  But there is a laptop here running 6.02 (Drake) that says the 
same thing.

> Also, how good is Ubuntu at getting into corporate VPNs?

I only have a few days of use on this version, but 7.10 was secure and 
gave 100% error-free connection.  It is mostly test data only, but 8.04 
has not shown any tendency to be any less so.  I am logging into both 
government and private industry (government contractor) networks using 
Kubuntu.

> I have been struggling to get the fglrx ATI driver working under
> Fedora 9 and I'm ready to call it quits.  I can get the proprietary
> driver loaded into the kernel, but then I'm up against the brick wall
> of an ABI incompatibility in the X server when I try to load the
> associated X server module.
>
> I have to have this working the week before US Labor Day extended
> weekend (a week or so before the end of the month).

Memorial Day?  Labor Day is in September.

> Does anyone have a successful report of using the ATI fglrx driver
> with (any)Ubuntu 8.0.4?

I have it working fine, but there was a trick to getting it installed 
correctly.  I am running Kubuntu on an IBM / Lenovo ThinkCentre with an 
on board Intel 865 chip that was disabled at the BIOS.  I have a Radeon 
X1300 card in one of the riser slots and have the preference set to PCI 
in the BIOS.

Kubuntu installed, and claimed it was using the i865 chip (i810 VESA 
driver).  I tried to correct that in the Monitor section of System 
Settings and blew up Xorg.  When I rebooted, all I had was command line 
and I received a message telling me to manually reconfigure Xorg. 
Fortunately, it recommended the command, which worked, but the 
installation was unstable.

I found that the trick to correcting the problem is to stop trying to 
manually configure, ignore the setup information and to go straight to 
"Add/Remove Programs" which gets you APT Installer.

Set your search for "Any suite."

You need to select "ATI binary X.org driver" under the "System" tab AND 
"ATI Catalyst Control Center" under the "Other tab.

Download and install both (they're both .debs and install automatically).

Reboot.

When you get back to your desktop, first make sure the driver is turned 
on in the Hardware Drivers Manager (it will get put in the System 
subdirectory of KMenu when it is created).  I've gone through this 
install route successfully twice in three days (the Really Stupid Thing 
[tm] I did to make reinstallation the preferred option is unrelated to 
this).

The first time, I received a message from the system warning me that my 
system was now partially dependent on software over which Kubuntu's 
programmers had no control and asking me to activate the ATI driver by 
clicking on the appropriate box in Hardware Drivers Manager, which 
popped up after I logged in.  The second time it didn't pop up, but 
still needed to be manually started the first time.  It loads 
automatically at login after the initial manual check.

After your initial start and confirmation that the driver is running, 
run ATI Catalyst Control Center to set up your hardware.

If Kubuntu automatically installs fglrx instead of generic VESA, you're 
miles ahead.  But the ATI Catalyst control Center makes a difference in 
performance and you want to install it.  One thing it _will_ do is 
render the "Monitor" section of your System Settings useless and you 
should not believe anything you see on those screens nor should you try 
to adjust anything in that section.

HTH

--
CL