AMD Moves Forward With Unified Linux Driver Strategy, New Kernel Driver

[dungeon]

So if we buy a new AMDAPU
part with R5 or R7 does we will get support from this nnew AMD GPU driver??

regards
tux

No, but if you ask this same question mid 2015. answer will be likely Yes.

Basically now we are talking about future , so if you want this not yet released amdgpu driver, look for GCN 1.2 or newer APUs once those are avaliable.

[grndzro]

The new base driver model will use the opensource drivers alongside select bits of proprietary code. This should allow backwards compatibility.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTgwODA

[tuxd3v]

So if we buy a new AMDAPU
part with R5 or R7 does we will get support from this nnew AMD GPU driver??

regards
tux

[pjezek]

What makes you think that is the case? New chips will be supported with a new driver, older chips will continue to be supported with existing drivers just like before.

You are right. Coexistence of old drivers for old cards wit the new driver for new cards has no sense thus one machine will live with drivers just made for it. Linux devs are fairly empathic to older HW users because that is *NIX philosophy...

[dungeon]

What makes you think that is the case? New chips will be supported with a new driver, older chips will continue to be supported with existing drivers just like before.

Well question is about fglrx, 2006.>2009.>2012. are years where fglrx droped support for some older chips, so i expect in 2015. will be too because of around 3 years time frame in between .

So, i expect evergreen/NI support will go away next year, but this move makes me think all GCN 1.x will go away too

[agd5f]

For how long? I expect remaining fglrx r800 support will be droped let say this time or earlier next year, but according to this seems like GCN 1.0/1.1/1.2 will be droped too?

What makes you think that is the case? New chips will be supported with a new driver, older chips will continue to be supported with existing drivers just like before.

[dungeon]

Older hardware will continue to be supported by the open source radeon and catalyst Linux drivers.

For how long? I expect remaining fglrx r800 support will be droped let say this time or earlier next year, but according to this seems like GCN 1.0/1.1/1.2 will be droped too?

[agd5f]

Older hardware will continue to be supported by the open source radeon and catalyst Linux drivers.

[droidhacker]

So wait... this is a new open-source kernel driver, but AMD won't accept patches that enable older hardware?

Why?

Well first off... I don't see this so much being a question of "their" unwillingness to accept patches to support older hardware, especially since they aren't the masters of the kernel. Realistically, its up to Linus, and, I think Dave Airlie?

Second... what they said, is that they (AMD) won't be dumping huge resources into a complete rewrite of support for hardware that is already supported, and this makes total sense -- first because it means that you can get the new driver ready for the new hardware SOONER, and second because you don't need to import all of the old dirt that comes along with all the old hardware.

Now there does happen to be an unpleasant side-effect of adding old hardware support to the new kernel driver through the "bypass AMD" approach... which is that all of the userspace drivers for the old hardware will have to be updated to match the new api (this one is a given, of course), AND that the crapalyzt blobs will NOT be updated to work with the old hardware using the new api.


My hope in this new driver, is that it lets users pick and choose the catalyst "features" that they want to make use of, leaving the open source components in place to support everything else.

[MoonMoon]

Sounds like windows is a great fit for you!

So he should change to Windows because the AMD Linux driver for his hardware are shit and he points that out on a forum?

Your comment makes no sense in any way.