[Info-vax] OpenVMS graphics - once more

[fhsjvl at gmail.com]

> 
> For various Integrity configurations running current OpenVMS I64, the 
> iLO hardware also provides a supported graphics interface.  The older 
> iLO was a Radeon 7000.  Details on the graphics implementation (if any) 
> on the newer iLO widgets aren't available in any obvious spot.
> 

Most recent iLO3 have the ATI/AMD ES1000 video controller, which has the RN50 version of the R100 chipset. As mentioned above, other iLO had the Radeon 7000 controller, which has the RV100 version of the R100 chipset. 

HP part number AB551, the Radeon 7500 PCI video card that is supported on OpenVMS Alpha and OpenVMS I64 has the RV200 version of the R100 chipset. The OpenVMS driver for this card includes some 3D features (Radeon 7500 only). This driver supports all three: es1000, Radeon 7000 and Radeon 7500.

It would seem more obvious that a driver should support 2D features (Xvideo extension, iDCT, mocomp) but current DECwindows V1.7 based on X11 R6.6 does not support those features.

It seems that iLO4 has Matrox G200 as an embedded video controller, so no OpenVMS support to be expected. This Matrox G200 was also in some iLO3. I do not know whether there will be iLO4 with the es1000 or not.

The most recent development for graphics on OpenVMS is a beta driver for the AMD PCI-Express FireMV 2250 card, based on the RV516 chipset. This driver is not being distributed and is of course not supported.

Only a limited number of features are supported. No 2D, no 3D. The driver is very slow because all I/O is PIO and no DMA (which is inconceivable nowadays for a graphics driver).

This is all very regrettable to me because I am an ardent proponent of VMS on the desktop.