Getting 128MB RAM to work w/ xDSL and xbeboot

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Thraxen
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Getting 128MB RAM to work w/ xDSL and xbeboot

Post by Thraxen »

Hey all... I have a 128 MB XBox and have been playing XMugen recent. XMugen is LinMugen running on a version of xDSL. Currently, the loader I'm using is xbeboot. I don't like xromwell because I like my dash to be set to 480p and xromwell just flips out and crashes the Xbox when launching from a 480p dash :?

But I can't seem to get Linux to recognize the extra RAM when using xbeboot. So I've been trying to type some memory command into the append line in the cfg file, but so far nothing has worked.

For example, I tried to use "mem=60M@64M" and this resulted in Linux stating "128 MB RAM with 4 MB Fram Buffer" during the hardware detection, but it crashed shortly after. Lots of crap on the screen when it crashed, but at the top is said "Oops: 002" and something about Kernel Panic and Interrupt Handler. I don't have it all written down, but I can get more specific info if anyone needs it.

Someone also suggested I try this:

mem=124M video=xbox:480p:fb_mem=4M@124M

But that didn't work either.

So anyone know how I can get xbeboot + xDSL to recognize the additional RAM?

Thanks!
ShALLaX
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Post by ShALLaX »

Welcome to the Gentoox forums? Granted, this is the off topic forum... but I still doubt you'll find any help for this here.

Usually you just need to swap xromwell.xbe with xbeboot.xbe and it should work fine. Its quite possible that you are using an old version of XBEBOOT that doesnt support 128mb of ram... or maybe XBEBOOT never supported it *shrugs*.

You could try modifying the source of cromwell to make it boot without initialising the video.
The original Xbox adaptation of Gentoo
Thraxen
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Post by Thraxen »

Well, not many people seem to be able to help, so I figured a forum with XBox Linux users was as good a place to ask as any... even if it is a different distro. And, yeah, that's why I put it in Off Topic.

Anyway, as I mentioned in my first post, I don't think xromwell can be launched from a dash running 480p. I've tried it before and all that happens is the screen goes black, the fan speeds up, and the power light starts blinking... in short, it crashes the Xbox hard. If you happen to know a way around this that would be great.

Otherwise, I was hoping that Linux users in general would be familiar with the "mem=" commands and what might make xDSL recognize the RAM properly. I know it's not Gentoox, but it's still Linux.

Basically, all I want to be able to do is launch XMugen from a dash set to 480p and be able to have Linux use all the available RAM. Seems simple enough on the surface, but it's apparently trickier than one would think... especially considering Linux has been running on the XBox for several years now.

As for modifying the cromwell source... haha.. I virtually no experience with Linux and even less compiling software. Which is why I'm trying to find the experts :)
Last edited by Thraxen on Thu Sep 14, 2006 4:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
orochi
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Post by orochi »

Getting linux to run on the xbox is a hack at best, not everything works as it should :P Some users have reported success booting to 480p using some of the "unmentionables" dashboards out there. x-s may be able to shed some light in that direction. Why dont you change to gentoox so we can help you more :P
Thraxen
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Post by Thraxen »

orochi wrote:Getting linux to run on the xbox is a hack at best, not everything works as it should :P Some users have reported success booting to 480p using some of the "unmentionables" dashboards out there. x-s may be able to shed some light in that direction. Why dont you change to gentoox so we can help you more :P
Haha... if I could I might consider it. But there are two problems. One, I'm not sure how to separate the two. XMugen right now is set to auto-load XMugen itself. The only bit of Linux you even see is during the hardware detection... and when it crashes :D

The other problem is I'm not sure how well it would run. I think the point of using xDSL was to have the OS use a few resources as possible. Though I suppose if GentooX allowed me to use the full 128 MB that I'd likely come out ahead anyway.... but I still don't have a clue how to make a switch like that since I'm not sure how closely the guy that ported LinMugen tied the two together.
gnif
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Post by gnif »

gentoox will be less system resouce intensive then xDSL if you configure it right... esp. since everything will be optomized to run on the xbox.
orochi
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Post by orochi »

If compiling from code (not rpm) that can be done with any distro
gnif
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Post by gnif »

true, just pointing out that gentoox is an excellent starting point for a clean/fast system.
Thraxen
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Post by Thraxen »

I have a question... the problem with the 128 MB RAM; is that related to the loader (xbeboot) or to the configuration of xDSL itself? BTW, I did try using xromwell again and it just crashed the XBox since the dash was set to 480p. That's just an infuriating bug... I'm surprised no one ever fixed that problem. 480p is a very commonly used resolution on the XBox.

Are any of you guys willing to take a look at the files to see how everything is set-up? Maybe if you see how the LinMugen is tied to xDSL to create XMugen you can find a solution to my problem?
orochi
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Post by orochi »

XMugen-linux Beta 0.4

XMugen-linux is not an xbox port of mugen, it's a mini linux distro reduced to it's minimum in order to launch mugen.
BEWARE: it's a BETA version !

If you want to add things into mugen, refer to the web pages you will find on internet (take care about the linux compatibility of these addons).

Installation and use:
Uncompress the xmugen archive.
Copy the linuxboot.cfg into the root of e (if you have a linux installed into your xbox, add the content of this file into your own linuxboot.cfg).
Copy ird-loop.gz and bzImage into e/mugen/
Copy all the others files from the mugen directory into a mugen directory of the partition of your choice ( e f or g).
Install the default.xbe somewhere and add a link from your dashboard to this xbe.
Launch the xbe (gentoox loader)
Wait for linux to boot and after mugen should start.
To answer y, press the left analog stick.
To answer F1, press the right analog stick.
To escape a menu or game, press back.

To play on CD/DVD
Edit the "launch" file with notepad to have sleep 10 instead of sleep 1.
burn all the file from the archive on CDR-W/DVDR-W with ISO/UDF format (both).

To do:
-Add a proper reboot when exit mugen (partition are not unmounted in current
version of Xmugen-linux!)
-use the real joy2key instead of my ugly hack !

Chips (c) 2005
http://www.darcelf.tk/
On my web page, you'll find my others xbox project:
-thomson to7 emulator.
-macintosh emulator.
-vectrex emulator.
-zx81 emulator.
-customisation of xecuter logo xecuter for x2 bios.

and the source code of all my emulators & ports !

the only thing i can find on the term xmugen (if this is even what your talking about) but it mentions running the gentoox loader
Thraxen
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Post by Thraxen »

At one point it was using Gentoox loader... the version on Xbins may still have that. But it has actually progressed beyond the last official release due to these guys: Link

When it was using GentooX it would crash when launching from 480p. So I would have set XBMC to an HD res just to be able to launch it. It would also stop at the main GentooX screen and then you would have to select one of the icons in the desktop to launch XMugen. In its current form that step is gone, XMugen just auto-loads.
gnif
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Post by gnif »

Thraxen wrote:I have a question... the problem with the 128 MB RAM; is that related to the loader (xbeboot) or to the configuration of xDSL itself? BTW, I did try using xromwell again and it just crashed the XBox since the dash was set to 480p. That's just an infuriating bug... I'm surprised no one ever fixed that problem. 480p is a very commonly used resolution on the XBox.

Are any of you guys willing to take a look at the files to see how everything is set-up? Maybe if you see how the LinMugen is tied to xDSL to create XMugen you can find a solution to my problem?
Gentoox/Cromwell detects how much memory you have, and assigns framebuffer(video) memory accordingly... I think it is the last 4 MB from memory.

An old bootloader may not know how to handle the extra ram, or even detect it.

Btw: The Gentoox loader is not just for gentoo, its just an updated Cromwell and will work with any linux distro, if you can, upgrade to it and see if your system boots like that.
Thraxen
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Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2006 3:20 am

Post by Thraxen »

As far as I know the Gentoox loader can't be launched from a 480p dash, correct? If it could then that would solve everything. I don't use HD for my dash for several reasons (e.g. I hate changing the fonts so they aren't so small, the visualizations run slower, etc...).

Also, can the Gentoox loader be set to so that it doesn't require the boot cfg file to be in the root of E? Or am I thinking of something else?
gnif
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Post by gnif »

your correct about the boot.cfg... it is a hardcoded value.

Honestly I dont know about 480p, I run in native mode...

The gentoox starts in 640x480, but once linux starts booting I am pretty certain that there isn't anything to stop linux from switching modes... the loader shouldn't make a difference.

I also thought that the Gentoox loader took control of the entire system even when started from an xbe... I dont see why it wouldn't launch from a 480p dash.

I have poured through the cromwell source, and I know for certain that the default video mode is just a "#define" in one of the headers (PREFERRED_MODE i think), if shallax would be kind enough to send me a copy of the gentoox loader source (I cant find it, only patches) I would gladly modify and re-compile it for you (could also change the config path)
Thraxen
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Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2006 3:20 am

Post by Thraxen »

In my experience, anything based on Cromwell crashes the Xbox when launched from 480p. The screen goes blank and nothing happens for a few seconds, then the fan speeds up to maximum speed, and then the power light starts blinking. At that point all you can do is kill the power.

Is it possible to use relative paths for the cfg file? My current set-up for XMugen has theme packs that re-create different fighting games. There is an UnleashX front end where you choose which pack to launch. When you choose one of the packs what it's really doing is launching the loader (which is currently based on xbeboot). But each pack has it's own loader in a different directory. So it must be using a relative path to find the cfg file... because each cfg file is in the same directory as the XBE.

Yup, I just opened one of the XBEs with a hex editor and the path is this: D:\mugenboot.cfg

So it is using a relative path. Is that possible with the Gentoox loader?
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