Here's my canned info package. 7-8-94 "Viper X Server Develpoment Team" ------------------------------- A viper with a BIOS version >= 3 , or a PCI, can run Xfree86[tm] at at 800x600x16-color, but cannot run our W5186 Mono driver. A viper with a version 1 or 2 BIOS can only run 800x600 mono under XFree86. I have a report of bsd/386 with X386 running a viper at 800x600x16-color (or 832x630), with the generic vga driver with some help from a port of the 'freq' program. SCO has ODT with X/viper support (165K xstones?!). You can get unixware Viper drivers (still beta as of 1-24-93) for $199 from "Metrolink Metro-X". I think unixware themselves also supports the viper vlb and PCI (ask kumar@summit.novell.com) There have been no big problems with W5186 VGA chips (bios 1.xx or 2.xx) running our Mono driver. Our mono driver has been used with a Sixgraph P9000/W5186 card, and with an Orchid P9000. The viper can also be made to work with the XFree86[TM] 2.0 release of the generic mono server (with help from "mhzfreq"). ------------------------------------------------------------------------- bios version is the 1st number I see when I boot - e.g. on my box I see: VIPER VLB Vers. 1.02 (c) Diamond Computers Systems, Inc. 2 MB VRAM Installed ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our anonymous ftp distribution site is sunsite.unc.edu pub/Linux/X11/viper check it for our temporary mono driver, freq, and future releases. The mono server includes binaries which work under Xfree 1.3 or 2.0, and source code (source requires link kit) based on XFree 1.3. There is also a list of available documentation. For notes on how to run a rev 3-BIOS (or a pci viper) viper in 800x600 color - get OAKcolor from this directory. We are working on an unaccelerated 256-color server that can use the whole 2Mb VRAM. I don't expect we'll have it ready until summer, if then. Right now we have a server in beta test with XFree86[tm] so right now you can't work on it unless you're a member of their beta team. If it is released by XFree86 (and I can't say whether or not it will be - or when it might be) then perhaps this group will continue to help coordinate efforts to enhance it. These documents will help program most (all?) P9000 boards: Weitek: 408-522-7568 1. Power 9000 User Interface Controller Data Book (Oct 1992) 162 pgs. 2. W5186 User Interface Controller Data Book (Preliminary March 1992) 130 pg. (or the equivalent book for the 5286) 3. Power 9000 VL Bus Combination Board App. Note (March 1993) ~30 pgs. 4. Power 9000 EISA App. Note (September 1992) ~40 pgs?? Brooktree: 619-452-7580 800-228-2777 Bt485 data booklet 41 pages - the Bt485 is the RAMDAC IC Designs: 206-821-9202 ICD2061 Data Sheet ~28 pages if you have an OAK vga chip instead of the w5186, get an OTI-087 manual from: Oak Technology, Inc 139 Kifer Ct. Sunnyvale, CA 94086 (408) 737-0888 (408) 737-3838 (fax) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Reccommended reading for VGA programming and X-Server design. "Programmers Guide to the EGA and VGA Cards" by Ferraro, Addison-Wesley "The X Window System Server" by Israel & Fortune, Digital Press/Prentice Hall "VGADriverDoc/VGADriver.Doc" by David E. Wexelblat, a file in the link kit, on sunsite.unc.edu pub/Linux/X11/XFree86-2.1/XF86-2.1-lkit.tar.gz ---------------------------------------------------------------------- you can get "Viper VLB Preliminary Programming Guide" from Diamond for $50 + shipping (?) which includes some valuable "secrets" about how to program the viper, and some sample code segments - most people get it with- out a mention of a non-disclosure agreement - so don't ask about NDA's. DIAMOND TECHNICAL SUPPORT 408-736-2000 6am-7pm m-f, 8-4 sat. 2400 baud BBs 408-730-1100 9600-14.4kbaud 408-542-9301 75300.3673@compuserve.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- stuff at sunsite.unc.edu pub/Linux/X11/X-servers: 2918 Feb 12 diamond.doc 18833 Feb 12 diamond.taz the diamond faq is /pub/Linux/X11/Diamond.FAQ , information on dotclocks, monitors, etc., is in /pub/Linux/X11/XFree86-2.1/XF86VidDoc.tar.gz --------------------------------------------------------------------- requests to join our development team should be addressed to linux_viper-request@piziali.lonestar.org This team is NOT a part of the XFree86[tm] organization, though we do rely heavily on their fine work. XFree86 does not support Diamond products, yet. H Langenbacher harry@brain.jpl.nasa.gov (818)354-9513 Concurrent Processing Devices Group, Jet Propulsion Lab 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena California 91109 USA ----- It gives us those _nice bright_ colors ... Gives us the _greens_ of summers Makes you think all the world's a _sunny_day_, oh yeah !! I got a _Nikon_ camera ... I love to take a _phot_o_graph_ So Momma, don't taaaaake my Kodachrome away -- Paul Simon