F10 -> F11 X server problem with /dev/fb0

[Peter J. Stieber]

PS = Pete Stieber
PS>> I just upgraded an x86_64 Fedora 10 system to
PS>> Fedora 11.  Now when I run startx I get the
PS>> following complaint.
PS>>
PS>> (EE) open /dev/fb0: No such file or directory
PS>>
PS>> Then the screen output says...
PS>>
PS>> Fatal server error:
PS>> Detected GPU lockup
PS>>
PS>> My Fedora 10 system was using the Fedora Xvfb
PS>> package to perform offline processing.  I stopped
PS>> that server, but I'm still getting the error.
PS>>
PS>> $ lspci
PS>> ...
PS>> 01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV44
PS>> [GeForce 6200 LE] (rev a1)
PS>> ...
PS>>
PS>> I'm wondering how to go about fixing this.  I
PS>> know this probably isn't enough to "go on", but
PS>> just ask, and I'll provide more information.

AF = Aldo Foot
AF> Hmm... this is just a pointer. At least you'll
AF> know what /dev/fb0 is for.
AF>
AF> http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Framebuffer-HOWTO-3.html
AF>
AF> "A framebuffer device is an abstraction for the
AF> graphic hardware. It represents the frame buffer
AF> of some video hardware, and allows application
AF> software to access the graphic hardware through a
AF> well-defined interface, so that the software doesn't
AF> need to know anything about the low-level interface
AF> stuff [Taken from Geert Uytterhoeven's
AF> framebuffer.txt in the linux kernel sources]"
AF>
AF> http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Framebuffer-HOWTO-5.html
AF>
AF> "You'll need to create the framebuffer device in /dev.
AF> You need one per framebuffer device, so all you need
AF> to do is to type in mknod /dev/fb0 c 29 0 for the first
AF> one. Subsequent ones would be in multiples of 32, so for
AF> example to create /dev/fb1, you would need to type in
AF> mknod /dev/fb1 c 29 32, and so on up to the eighth
AF> framebuffer device (mknod /dev/fb7 c 29 224)"

I already have a /dev/fb that I didn't create...

crw-------. 1 pstieber root     29,   0 2009-06-24 08:15 fb

Should I still create /dev/fb0?

AF> Just to check the MAJOR and MINOR numbers (also do
AF> "man mknod")
AF> http://lkml.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9807.3/0929.html
AF>
AF> It looks like the preupgrade process needs some
AF> polishing.

I used a F11 network install CD to update.

Thanks for the help Aldo,
Pete