Google-Earth install -- R300 function problem

[burnie]

I attempted to install Google-Earth 4.2Beta in my Fedora 7 system and encountered a problem.
The installation seemed clean but for three repetitions of the message

loki_setup: Suspect size value for option option

However, on execution the program launched, but then the windows vanished concurrent with a series of mysterious messages copied below. I tried setting the below mentioned environment variable but it didn't help. I don't grasp the implication of being "out of const/param slots."

*********************************WARN_ONCE******** *************************
File r300_render.c function r300Fallback line 428
Software fallback:ctx->Line.SmoothFlag
************************************************** *************************
Try R300_SPAN_DISABLE_LOCKING env var if this hangs.
*********************************WARN_ONCE******** *************************
File r300_state.c function r300Enable line 512
TODO - double side stencil !
************************************************** *************************
r300_fragprog.c::emit_param4fv(): Out of const/param slots!

pc=0*************************************
Mesa program:
-------------
0: DP3 TEMP[0].y, INPUT[5], INPUT[5];
1: RSQ TEMP[0].y, TEMP[0].yxxx;
2: DP3 TEMP[0].x, INPUT[5], STATE[0];
3: MUL TEMP[0].x, TEMP[0].yyyy, TEMP[0];
4: MUL TEMP[0].x, TEMP[0], STATE[1].wwww;
5: MAD TEMP[0].y, TEMP[0].-x-x-x-x, STATE[2].xxxx, STATE[2];
6: POW TEMP[0].y, TEMP[0].yxxx, STATE[2].zxxx;
7: RCP TEMP[0].z, TEMP[0].yxxx;
8: MUL TEMP[0].x, TEMP[0], TEMP[0];
9: ADD TEMP[0].y, TEMP[0].xxxx, STATE[3];
10: MUL TEMP[0].y, TEMP[0], TEMP[0].zzzz;
11: MUL TEMP[0].yzw, TEMP[0].yyyy, STATE[1].xxyz;
12: MUL TEMP[0].yzw, TEMP[0], STATE[4].xxxx;
13: MAD TEMP[0].x, TEMP[0], STATE[3].wwww, STATE[3].wwww;
14: MAD TEMP[0].xyz, TEMP[0].xxxx, INPUT[4], TEMP[0].yzww;
15: MUL TEMP[0].xyz, TEMP[0], STATE[0].-w-w-w-w;
16: POW TEMP[0].x, STATE[3].zxxx, TEMP[0].xxxx;
17: POW TEMP[0].z, STATE[3].zxxx, TEMP[0].zxxx;
18: POW TEMP[0].y, STATE[3].zxxx, TEMP[0].yxxx;
19: ADD TEMP[0].xyz, TEMP[0].-x-y-z-w, STATE[3].yyyy;
20: MUL TEMP[0].w, TEMP[0].yyyy, STATE[4].yyyy;
21: MAD TEMP[0].w, TEMP[0].xxxx, STATE[3].xxxx, TEMP[0];
22: MAD TEMP[0].w, TEMP[0].zzzz, STATE[4].zzzz, TEMP[0];
23: MAD TEMP[0].w, TEMP[0], STATE[2], INPUT[4];
24: MOV OUTPUT[0], TEMP[0];
25: END;
Hardware program
----------------
tex:
NODE 0: alu_offset: 0, tex_offset: 0, alu_end: -1, tex_end: -1
00001188
00000000
00001230
00850000
000011b0
010a0801
00001270
00040810
000011f0
00020820
00000000
r300SetupPixelShader: No valid fragment shader, exiting

[Hlingler]

Your video driver (r300) is choking on something. How are you trying to install Google-Earth: witha binary installer, or with the Google yum repo? You should probably try the repo as an RPM will probably install much easier than some binary....

V

[burnie]

Originally Posted by Hlingler

Your video driver (r300) is choking on something. How are you trying to install Google-Earth: witha binary installer, or with the Google yum repo? You should probably try the repo as an RPM will probably install much easier than some binary....

V

I haven't located an RPM for Fedora 7. Is this perhaps a 7 / 8 incompatibility?

[dubb]

if your a noobsta like me i would use easylife or dangermouse's downloadable script. just my 2 cents.

[Hlingler]

Google's repo does not seem to be well-known nor advertised very much: http://www.google.com/linuxrepositories/yum.html

However, dubb has a good point: to automate and speed install of a whole boatload of extra goodies, easylife or dangermouse's scripts will serve well. Just do a forum search for either name, you'll find quickly. Or see bob's link list in the "Read This First" section.

Unfortunately, I was mistaken: google-earth does not seem to be included in the google yum repo, so that doesn't help you there. Two things to check: did you remember to make the installer binary executable? and did you launch it with full root-user privileges? It appears to be using a loki installer helper, usually used for games, and the error messages are the kind one usually sees when compiling software from source code. "r300" is the open-source 3D/DRI video driver for ATI Radeon 9xxx type chipsets/cards, and MESA is also video driver related. Very strange that a binary installer should be messing with video driver source code.

V

EDIT: Assuming that you have the ATI video card/chipset indicated, and are using the built-in r300 video driver, try this: install package driconf (standard fedora repso) if not already installed. Launch it as root user from CLI the first time (to generate default config files), then after that you can run as any user from menus to set your personal defaults. Look for the R300_SPAN_DISABLE_LOCKING setting, also try: change the disable_lowimpact_fallback option to "true" (REF: http://lists.linuxcoding.com/rhl/2006q4/msg14708.html)

[burnie]

Originally Posted by Hlingler

Google's repo does not seem to be well-known nor advertised very much.

I had already added Google's repo some time ago, but as you noted google-earth is not there.

Originally Posted by Hlingler

However, dubb has a good point.

Yes, and thanks much for that point, dubb - - -

Originally Posted by Hlingler

Two things to check: did you remember to make the installer binary executable?

-- yes

Originally Posted by Hlingler

and did you launch it with full root-user privileges?

-- and yes, although a local installation in my home directory behaved exactly the same way, and of course it did not require root privilege.

Originally Posted by Hlingler

It appears to be using a loki installer helper, usually used for games, and the error messages are the kind one usually sees when compiling software from source code. "r300" is the open-source 3D/DRI video driver for ATI Radeon 9xxx type chipsets/cards, and MESA is also video driver related. Very strange that a binary installer should be messing with video driver source code.

I appreciate this comment very much, Mr. Hlingler - - - I'm a great fan of good background info.

Originally Posted by Hlingler

Assuming that you have the ATI video card/chipset indicated, and are using the built-in r300 video driver, try this: install package driconf (standard fedora repso) if not already installed. Launch it as root user from CLI the first time (to generate default config files), then after that you can run as any user from menus to set your personal defaults. Look for the R300_SPAN_DISABLE_LOCKING setting, also try: change the disable_lowimpact_fallback option to "true" (REF: http://lists.linuxcoding.com/rhl/2006q4/msg14708.html)

This seems to be getting to the meat of my issue - - - it will take further research over the next several days. I'll be back for more help if I can't get there from here; so far all I know is the ATI card is OK (Radeon 9700) but the R300 driver seems to be lacking (according to driconf).

[dubb]

one thing i hate about google earth for linux is the browser support. no browser integration. boo hoo. i made a cool little web app that queries a database and spits out kml. but it doesnt work like my ge installation on windows. anyhow good luck with the Ati drivers.

[Hlingler]

Originally Posted by burnie

so far all I know is the ATI card is OK (Radeon 9700) but the R300 driver seems to be lacking (according to driconf).

Now that I know exactly what video card/chipset you have, upon checking further, I see that the ("unstable", see: http://dri.freedesktop.org/wiki/ATIRadeon) r300 kernel module is not included with the current F8 kernels, so: no, you would not see it, nor would you have DRI - which may well be why Google Earth is puking out those error messages: I suspect that G-E requires direct rendering (not sure though). Probably the easiest of several ways to check (if you don't know or haven't tried these already), as any user command: glxinfo|grep render. You should see a line indicating whether or not you have DRI enabled, and another indicating what driver is being used:

[vince@etower Thu Apr 03 01:38:10 ~]$ glxinfo|grep render
direct rendering: Yes
OpenGL renderer string: Mesa DRI Mach64 [Rage Pro] 20051019 AGP 2x x86/MMX
[vince@etower Thu Apr 03 01:38:49 ~]$

Almost certainly, you will see: "direct rendering: No", and a line indicating that some other (2D) MESA driver is in use ("Radeon"?). So r300 (/usr/lib/dri/r300_dri.so) and the missing kernel module (would be: /lib/modules/<uname -r>/kernel/drivers/char/drm/r300.ko) must not be working/loaded. And driconf will be useless.

I know of no way to solve this, except perhaps to build the missing kernel module from dri.freedesktop.org git. That may be possible (I have most of the work done for my own mach64.ko), but may or may not solve the issue.... It depends on how badly you want/need G-E, I guess.

V

EDIT: From http://earth.google.com/support/bin/...1&ctx=sibling:

What are the minimum requirements for Google Earth?
Below are the minimum and recommended system requirements for Google Earth:

Minimum Configuration
---------------------

- Microsoft Windows 2000 or XP
- Pentium 3, 500Mhz
- 128M RAM
- 400MB disk space
- Network speed: 128Kbits/sec
- 3D-capable video card with 16Mbytes of VRAM
- 1024x768, "16-bit High Color" screen

Recommended Configuration
-------------------------

- Microsoft Windows XP
- Pentium 4 2.4GHz+ or AMD 2400xp+
- 512M RAM
- 2 GB of free disk space
- Network speed: 768 Kbits/sec or better (DSL/Cable)
- 3D-capable video card with 32 MB of VRAM or greater
- 1280x1024, "32-bit True Color" screen

Please also be aware that the following graphics cards will not run Google Earth:
- ATI Rage Mobility
- ATI XPERT
- ATI 3D Rage

and from http://earth.google.com/support/bin/...1&topic=13597:

What graphics cards are recommended?
We recommend any graphics card with at least 32 MB of Video RAM and 3D-graphics rendering capabilities.
However, if you would like to use Google Earth for more advanced features like movie making or using multiple overlays, a graphics card with at least 64 MB of virtual ram or above is suggested.

Not clear/definitive, obviously Windbloze is not required, but I'd say: no DRI, no G-E.