PBXGA graphics card
- Bruno Miretti (Deactivated)
This functionality is experimental.
Specific note for Charon-AXP version 4.11 204-10: the pbxga_tv application will start automatically with the emulator only if logged in as Administrator user. If logged in as another user, an "Access is denied" popup will appear. As a workaround, please run the pbxga_tv.exe application manually with the specified parameters from a cmd.exe window (as Administrator). For more, see the application and Using PBXGA_TV chapters below.
Note: The problem is solved starting with build 204-11 (patch for version 4.11 B204-10 and next versions)
Table of Contents
General description
Charon-AXP supports emulation of PBXGA graphics card(s) by direct virtualization and provides a virtual console for displaying graphics.
The console starts automatically upon starting the emulator. Its resolution is 800 x 600 by default.
Support for AXP graphics is provided with two components:
- emulation of PBXGA PCI graphics adapter and
- emulation of display unit (display unit is emulated with separate executable PBXGA_TV)
Emulated cards
- PBXGA_AA emulates 8bpp graphics card (256 colors, pseudo-color) with 4MB frame buffer - ZLXp-E1
- PBXGA_BA emulates 24bpp graphics card (16M colors, TrueColor) with 16MB frame buffer - ZLXp-E2
Important notes
- PBXGA graphics console cannot be used as the system console. Use OPA0 for this purpose.
- If PBXGA graphics card is going to be used, the resolution of CHARON host screen must be sufficient to provide ability to display the graphics console properly.
- If the window of the PBXGA graphics card console is closed by user or killed as a process, it will not re-appear automatically (
the Charon emulator will continue to work). In this situation the user has to restart the pbxga_tv program with the correct parameters, as defined in the configuration file, to restart the graphical display (see application chapter further).
Virtual PBXGA PCI graphics card settings
Loading virtual PBXGA graphics card
Syntax for loading PBXGA graphics card:
|
Syntax for loading PBXGA graphics card on AlphaServer 400:
|
Example (more examples below):
load PBXGA_BA GYA |
On Charon startup a window will appear on CHARON host monitor to display graphics.
All the parameters described in the "Placement of peripheral devices on PCI bus" chapter, such as "bus", "device", "function", "irq", "irq_bus" are applicable for PBXGA graphics card.
Configuration parameters
size
| Parameter | size |
|---|---|
| Type | Text string |
| Value | Predefine the screen size. Possible values: 640x480, 800x600 (default), 1024x768, 1152x900, 1280x1024, 1920x1080 Example:
|
cpu_draw
| Parameter | cpu_draw |
|---|---|
| Type | boolean |
| Value | Offloading raster operations. The default value is "true" Example:
|
.
application
| Parameter | application |
|---|---|
| Type | Text string |
| Value | Specifies the application to open for displaying the graphical console. The pbxga_tv executable file is provided for this. It is located in the same folder as the Charon emulator executable file. Syntax:
Example:
There is no need to supply display size to PBXGA_TV application. Using PanoramiX/XINERAMA extensions to DECwindows is also possible (topics of proper configuration OpenVMS/Tru64 are not covered here). These extensions allow to join multiple heads in one big virtual screen. The PBXGA_TV virtual display unit has special notation allowing to consolidate multiple frame buffers in single window (topology is flexible, to some extent):
Example:
|
The <configuration_name> must correspond to the one defined in the configuration file or the configuration_name.icfg file located in the virtual machine home directory if it has been defined from a template.Using PBXGA_TV
The PBXGA_TV display unit starts in passive mode. It displays content of frame buffer but does not react on keyboard input and/or mouse movements. In order to switch it to active mode, place mouse cursor with the window and click once. When PBXGA_TV is active, mouse cursor is stuck to PBXGA_TV window. Press CTRL+SHIFT+R to release.
The PBXGA_TV display unit starts in Window Mode. Use CTRL+SHIFT+F to toggle Full Screen Mode.
The PBXGA_TV application uses libsdl to draw its window. Copy of SDL.dll comes (version 1.2-15, unmodified) with Charon-AXP for Windows.
Note, that using PBXGA_TV in VNC sessions is not suggested. There are known issues with mouse cursor.
Running PBXGA_TV remotely is not supported.
The PBXGA_TV can only consolidate screens belonging to the same virtual machine. It can't consolidate screens belonging to different machines.
To create a shortcut on the desktop, either:
- navigate to the Charon installation folder and find the pbxga_tv.exe ("C:\Program Files\CHARON\Build_20410\x64" usually) then create a shortcut, open its properties and add the parameters (-c ... -n ..) in the Shortcut/Target field or
- open a Powershell window and run the following commands (update the $cfgnam and $pbxga values, lines 1 and 2, for your own configuration):
$cfgnam = "DS20withPBXGA"
$pbxga = "GYA"
$TargetFile = "C:\Program Files\CHARON\Build_20410\x64\pbxga_tv.exe"
$ShortcutFile = "${env:USERPROFILE}\Desktop\PBXGA $cfgnam $pbxga.lnk"
$WScriptShell = New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell
$Shortcut = $WScriptShell.CreateShortcut($ShortcutFile)
$Shortcut.Arguments = "-c $cfgnam -n $pbxga"
$Shortcut.TargetPath = $TargetFile
$Shortcut.Save()
Once the shortcut is created, check the "Run as administrator" box in its advanced properties.
Examples
Example 1: 8-bpp graphics on AlphaServer 400
... |
Example 2: 24-bpp graphics on AlphaServer DS20
... |
Example 3: two display units, running independently
... load PBXGA_BA GYAset GYA application = "pbxga_tv -c MYCONF -n GYA"load PBXGA_BA GYB size = 1280x1024set GYB application = "pbxga_tv -c MYCONF -n GYB" |
In the above example, display units have different resolutions.
Example 4: dual head display, 2x 1280x1024
... |
Example 5: triple head display, 3x 1280x1024
... |
Example 6: Two screens consolidated in a column in one window
... load PBXGA_BA GYA size = 1280x1024load PBXGA_BA GYB size = 1280x1024set GYB application = "pbxga_tv -c MYCONF -n GYA/GYB" |
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