How to install Plan9 with a Nvidia graphics card


1. Download binaries vga, 9pcdisk and 9pcflop.gz from
   http://www.pobox.com/~nickw/


2. Create a dos floppy and put the downloaded binaries vga & 9pcdisk on
   it.


3. Download and create a boot floppy from the main plan9 site


4. Copy the 9pcflop.gz you downloaded onto this floppy and boot off it.


5. If it doesnt boot up into the graphical installation as normal, but
   instead gives an error like
       'aux/vga: controller not in /lib/vgadb'
   then you will have to add your video card into the vgadb as follows -


   5.1 Have a look at the vgainfo.txt on the floppy. It should look
       something like


   aux/vga: controller not in /lib/vgadb
   0xC0000 55 AA 40 EB 4B 37 34 30 30 E9 4C 19 77 CC 56 49  U.@.K7400.L.w.VI
   0xC0010 44 45 4F 20 0D 00 00 00 45 02 00 00 00 00 49 42  DEO ....E.....IB
   0xC0020 4D 20 56 47 41 20 43 6F 6D 70 61 74 69 62 6C 65  M VGA Compatible
   0xC0030 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 31 32 2F 32 39 2F 39 38  ........12/29/98
   0xC0040 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  ................
   0xC0050 E9 03 74 00 00 00 00 00 E9 A3 2D E9 AB 2D 50 4D  ..t.......-..-PM
   0xC0060 49 44 58 00 5B 00 00 00 00 A0 00 B0 00 B8 00 C0  IDX.[...........
   0xC0070 00 5B FF 7F 4E 56 00 01 01 DC 1E 00 00 18 04 02  .[..NV..........
   0xC0080 16 01 E0 01 2E 01 9E 00 50 00 59 2A A0 19 C2 28  ........P.Y*...(
   0xC0090 1C 29 5A 76 3F 76 3F 76 71 02 7A 02 9A 76 52 69  .)Zv?v?vq.z..vRi
   0xC00A0 76 61 20 54 4E 54 20 42 49 4F 53 20 56 32 2E 30  va TNT BIOS V2.0
   0xC00B0 34 2E 31 38 20 0D 0A 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  4.18 ...........
   0xC00C0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  ................
   0xC00D0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  ................
   0xC00E0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 43  ...............C
   0xC00F0 6F 70 79 72 69 67 68 74 20 28 43 29 20 31 39 39  opyright (C) 199
   main->snarf
   vga->snarf
   vga->dump


       Look for a distinguishing text string (and its address) in the bios
       dump for your card. In the above case it would be
       "Riva TNT BIOS V2.04.18", at address 0xC009E.

 
   5.2 Add the entry for your card into the vgadb on the boot floppy.
       There should already be a nvidia entry in the vgadb, something
       like


   ctlr
           0xC00A2="NVIDIA TNT2 Model 64 BIOS V2.05.13 "   # NVIDIA TNT Model 64
           link=vga
           ctlr=nvidia linear=1
           hwgc=nvidiahwgc


       add a line for your card here using the address & text string
       you found before. In our example the extra line would be

        0xC009E="Riva TNT BIOS V2.04.18"

       so it would now look something like


   ctlr
           0xC00A2="NVIDIA TNT2 Model 64 BIOS V2.05.13 "   # NVIDIA TNT Model 64
           0xC009E="Riva TNT BIOS V2.04.18"
           link=vga
           ctlr=nvidia linear=1
           hwgc=nvidiahwgc


   5.2 Save the vgadb and boot off the floppy as before.


6. Install plan9


7. After system has rebooted, log in and copy the downloaded kernel
   and vga binary onto the system.
   Eg. copying 9pcdisk & vga from the floppy you created before

     disk/kfscmd allow
     9fat:
     a:
     cp /n/a:/9pcdisk /n/9fat/
     cp /n/a:/vga /386/bin/aux/vga


8. Copy the modified vgadb (with the entry for your video card) from
   the install floppy

     disk/kfscmd allow
     a:
     cp /n/a:/vgadb /lib/vgadb


9. Reboot