>Number:         14582
>Category:       xsrc
>Synopsis:       garbage characters can appear in virtual console windows
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       non-critical
>Priority:       medium
>Responsible:    xsrc-manager
>State:          open
>Class:          sw-bug
>Submitter-Id:   net
>Arrival-Date:   Tue Nov 13 22:31:01 PST 2001
>Closed-Date:
>Last-Modified:
>Originator:     Brian Stark
>Release:        NetBSD-1.5W/i386
>Organization:

Brian Stark
bpstark@pacbell.net
>Environment:
	
System: NetBSD callisto.niangua.net 1.5W NetBSD 1.5W (CALLISTO) #0: Sat Jun 16 13:59:28 PDT 2001 root@callisto.niangua.net:/usr/src/sys/arch/i386/compile/CALLISTO i386
Architecture: i386
Machine: i386
>Description:

This PR describes some general problems with XFree86 4xx on a NetBSD
system with a 3dFX Voodoo3 video card. 

Install NetBSD 1.5.2 or NetBSD-current. Using XFree86 4xx from xsrc/xfree,
compile and install XFree86 version 4. With a 3dFX Voodoo3 PCI card installed
switching between any of the virtual consoles (ALT-F1..F4) and X Windows 
(ALT-F5) will sometimes introduce a "feature" that changes the appearance
of the characters in the virtual console windows. As I am typing this, all 
occurences of the lower case 'r' in each of my virtual console windows
appears as a small triangle. I believe this is a graphic character outside
the normal range of ASCII. This problem has been manifesting itself in
other characters. Yesterday, all of my dollar sign characters appeared as
another graphic character. This problem seems to happen when switching
between the GUI and the virtual console. I am currently in a virtual 
console window, and switched back to the GUI, and then back to the console
and now the lower case 'r' appears correctly, but the lower case 'u' is
missing the bottom half of the character (it looks like to parallel lines).

Also, it has been observed that when X starts up (I'm using xdm to start
the XFree86 server), quite often on the screen appears what I simply call
video garbage -- that is to say that the screen appears garbled and unreadable
until XFree86 fully starts up, at which point the screen looks normal.

All of these problems appear when XFree86 version 4xx is running. The
3.3.6 version of XFree86 does not have these problems, nor has it ever 
triggered the graphic characters to appear in my virtual console windows
instead of an ASCII character. I have compiled and installed both XFree86
version 4 from netbsd.org (xsrc/xfree) and from xfree86.org and the problem
exists in both cases.

I have also seen the XFree86 version 4 server generate a coredump quite
often. However, my root file system does not have enough space to capture
the entire core file, let alone have enough space for me to create a 
XFree86 server with the debug symbols compiled in.

I am willing to test any patches that someone more familiar with X & NetBSD
may come up with. If I can provide more information, please let me know. 

	
>How-To-Repeat:

See comments above.
>Fix:

Temporary solution for those with a 3dFX Voodoo3 video card is to avoid
using XFree86 version 4xx, and instead use XFree86 version 3.3.6.
>Release-Note:
>Audit-Trail:
>Unformatted: