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I'm trying to get a good understanding of how a graphics adapter works and how a graphics driver is built.

So far I've read intel's (very technical) documentation, looked into linux i915 drm driver, and searched the net for more information for weeks. The platform I'm testing with is a Minnowboard MAX (64-bit Intel®Atom™ E38xx Series SoC - valleyview graphics) and I have the tools and knowledge to change and flash the UEFI firmware (using EDK2 - https://github.com/tianocore/tianocore.github.io/wiki/MinnowBoard). So my questions are:

1) I've read that issuing commands to the graphics adapter happens via the ringbuffer (by issuing batch buffers), is a ringbuffer initialized in the firmware found in the git repository?

2) If not than what are the steps to initialize one?

3) If it is initialized and the console output is generated with the help of the graphics adapter - how can I find the address to which I should write the batch buffers?

Any help or pointers would be greatly appreciated.

dem0
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  • I think you are on the right track. My understanding is there is some bios magic that runs on init just like the old/early days to setup the card. but then it should work just like the linux driver is using it, so the linux driver should be your primary resource. You might consider wandering around some of the other drivers and perhaps finding a simple card first then going from there. Not sure what your overall goal is... – old_timer Jun 20 '16 at 15:24
  • sorry ,didnt realize your video was integrated, I guess you have to work your way through the driver and/or the bootloader if any to see what you see. – old_timer Jun 22 '16 at 15:09
  • After looking at the PEIM files I've found what I need to make the connection between Intel's documentation and the hardware. Thanks for the help! – dem0 Jun 26 '16 at 12:52

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