ATI driver 8.38.6

[Alex Kruchkoff]

Good news!

I just downloaded the installer from

http://ati.amd.com/support/drivers/linux64/previous/linux64-r-8-38-6.html

and tried to build packages myself.
I'm running Scientific Linux 5.0, but built packages for "Fedora/FC6".
Switched to "telinit 3"; removed old ATI packages and tried to install freshly
built:

 Preparing...                ########################################### [100%]
   1:kernel-module-ATI-fglrx########################################### [ 20%]
WARNING: Can't read module
/lib/modules/2.6.18-8.1.6.el5/weak-updates/fglrx/fglrx.ko: No such file or directory
   2:ATI-fglrx              ########################################### [ 40%]
   3:ATI-fglrx-IA32-libs    ########################################### [ 60%]
   4:ATI-fglrx-devel        ########################################### [ 80%]
   5:ATI-fglrx-control-cente########################################### [100%]
alexk at noclue:~/src/ati/sl50
$ l -l /lib/modules/2.6.18-8.1.6.el5/weak-updates/fglrx/fglrx.ko
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 50 Jun 19 09:37
/lib/modules/2.6.18-8.1.6.el5/weak-updates/fglrx/fglrx.ko ->
/lib/modules/2.6.18-8.1.4.el5/extra/fglrx/fglrx.ko

The problem was that symbolic link
/lib/modules/2.6.18-8.1.6.el5/weak-updates/fglrx/fglrx.ko 

points to the module from the different kernel.
So I manually removed it and 

sudo ln -s /lib/modules/2.6.18-8.1.6.el5/extra/fglrx/fglrx.ko
/lib/modules/2.6.18-8.1.6.el5/weak-updates/fglrx/fglrx.ko 

Then I copied my backed up xorg.conf back to /etc/X11 and voila:
run startx and it's working!

The better news is this one:

fglrxinfo
display: :0.0  screen: 0
OpenGL vendor string: ATI Technologies Inc.
OpenGL renderer string: ATI Mobility Radeon X1600
OpenGL version string: 2.0.6474 (8.38.6)

:^)
not MesaGL, that means that I would be able to watch full screen movies on my
laptop [I've got ATI x1600] again!

So, Mattias, if you can find which script builds incorrect symbolic link it may
be working!

BTW with xorg.conf build by ATI packages I could not start X.

Thanks,
Alex
Quoting Troy Engel <tengel at fluid.com>:

> Jose Celestino wrote:
> > 
> > This is ATI/ADM my friends :)
> 
> The sad thing is we used to buy ATI gear specifically because it was the 
> best, most well supported hardware under linux. The old Dell 
> 3000/5000/7000 series of laptops with the ATI graphics were the perfect 
> hardware for RedHat 6 & 7 (and even 5.x).
> 
> -te
> 
> -- 
> Troy Engel | Systems Engineer
> Fluid, Inc | http://www.fluid.com
>