XOrg Server 1.4.2 → 1.6.3 Upgrade on NetBSD.
2009-09-17 23:11:57.933142 NetBSD today (Thu Sep 17 21:53:59 PDT 2009) bumped the native (versus pkgsrc) XOrg server version from 1.4.2 to 1.6.3. After updating my /usr/src and /usr/xsrc (completely painless, as usual), I started the rebuild process. This is where things started to go sideways. Read on to see what happened, and how to work around it if it happens to you.rebuilding
First of all, I tried to preserve as much of the compiling from previous rebuilds I'd already performed in the past. The command I issued was # ./build.sh -x -u distribution. It wasn't too long before the X compiling started choking, and I assumed (correctly) it was because of the ``-u'' switch. Fine enough. Reissue (# ./build.sh -x distribution) and wait. On my 1.6Ghz Pentium-M laptop, it takes a while. Go make dinner. After I got back, I saw the build finished, but some post-build checks failed. ``Extra Files'' were found in the DESTDIR. 16 to be precise, and they were listed for me. Not really a problem; I copied them from my tmux buffer into a file, and with a small amount of vi magic, built a shell script to delete the extras. If one is required to perform the deletions manually, hopefully there are only a few files at fault, like my case. In any event, Don't Panic.
After I'd cleared the offending files, I started again (for third time) the ./build.sh distribution, so I could complete the run from start->finish, faultless. This time I did include the ``-u'' switch (# ./build.sh -x -u distribution), since the previous compiles had all happened cleanly, and why clean + rebuild them when their underlying source hasn't changed? Finally, that process was complete. Nice. Next: install.
Installing
For the install, I drop to single-user mode, and let the awesome ./build.sh do it's work. ./build.sh -x install=/ does the trick. An etcupdate, and postinstall round out the process. If you've not performed these operations before, familiarize yourself with them by reading the relevant pages in the guide. Clearing old cruft (1.4.2 XOrg installation) took two passes, but the process was completely painless. Reboot, and get ready for New X Awesomeness!
Reboot, Troubleshoot, startx
After restart of computer, log in and regular post-login rituals, I typed ``startx'' to see what new hotness this upgrade brought. I got the typical informational text scrolling down the screen, and then an error, followed by a long pause before simply returning to my shell prompt. That's not the new hotness I wanted. Some warning (not critical) messages indicated that some of my font paths were not available (had been removed when cleaning out old 1.4.2 XOrg), so I took the opportunity to update my xorg.conf to reflect these changes. An error (critical) message indicated that XOrg couldn't find a screen to connect to, and so it failed to start. Hrmm…
The graphics chip in my Thinkpad is an ATI Mobile Radeon. I recall that earlier in the day, I'd seen somebody remarking on a mailing list that XOrg 1.6.3 now required their driver to be ``ati'', not ``radeon'' as it was with 1.4.2. Easy to test. I changed my xorg.conf and test; no dice. The message seemed to indicate that the culprit was the PCI device. I polled and played with that a bit, then just let the system determine for itself and tell me what it wanted: ``X -configure''. End result: previously (1.4.2) my card was identified as ``PCI:1:0:0''. Now (1.6.3) it's ``PCI:1@1:0:0''. Adjust configuration, startx, and we're in X!
Notes/Comments
Briefly, some notes:
- Key repeats work again! For some time, key repeats (i.e. repeating, continuous output when you press a key for a second-or-two) stopped in X on NetBSD. Now it's back.
- ?Is animation smoother… There appears to be less shearing in glxgears.
- Caps Lock/Control re-mapping is gone: Feh. I'll have to re-investigate to make my fingers happy.
- Mouse middle-button paste doesn't work. Pressing left + right (to simulate middle) does work, though. See solution for point 3.
- It might just be that it's dim in the room here, or that I'm really hopefull, but the colours look brighter intially. I'll bet I'm just being hopefull, though…
- Everything else seems to work fine, so far. No major fallout.