Initializing an ATI Rage 128

[Chris Worley]

I need to run X on a LinuxBIOS based machine, not for video output...
just to use it's framebuffer to render images, and subsequently capture
those images.

The Virtual Framebuffer is an option, but is quite slow.

Setting "ATI Rage128 display support" (CONFIG_FB_ATY128) doesn't help. 
/dev/fb0 doesn't exist, and X starts with:

        (II) ATI: ATI driver (version 6.3.6) for chipsets: ati, ativga
        (II) R128: Driver for ATI Rage 128 chipsets: ATI Rage 128 RE (PCI),
        	ATI Rage 128 RF (AGP), ATI Rage 128 RG (AGP), ATI Rage 128 RK (PCI),
        	ATI Rage 128 RL (AGP), ATI Rage 128 SM (AGP), ATI Rage 128 PR,
        	ATI Rage 128 Pro PD (PCI), ATI Rage 128 Pro PF (AGP),
        	ATI Rage 128 Pro ULTRA TF (AGP), ATI Rage 128 Pro ULTRA TL (AGP),
        	ATI Rage 128 Pro ULTRA TR (AGP), ATI Rage 128 Mobility LE (PCI),
        	ATI Rage 128 Mobility LF (AGP), ATI Rage 128 Mobility MF (AGP),
        	ATI Rage 128 Mobility ML (AGP)
        (II) RADEON: Driver for ATI Radeon chipsets: ATI Radeon QD (AGP),
        	ATI Radeon QE (AGP), ATI Radeon QF (AGP), ATI Radeon QG (AGP),
        	ATI Radeon VE QY (AGP), ATI Radeon VE QZ (AGP),
        	ATI Radeon Mobility LW (AGP), ATI Radeon Mobility LY (AGP),
        	ATI Radeon Mobility LZ (AGP)
        (--) Assigning device section with no busID to primary device
        (EE) No devices detected.

I can run with frame buffer settings, and get a "no screens found" error.

The best reference I've found concerning video initialization was in the
archive, from Ron Minnich:

        > Anybody: What's the recommended approach/reference/magic to getting video
        > going for LinuxBIOS. I'd like to get the on-chip video going on the VIA Epia
        > board - Hints appreciated.
        
        it depends. If you can get the chipset to init by knowing what to do, then 
        do it in the northbridge code (if integrated) or in the mainboard code (if 
        not integrated). 
        
        If it is a Mystery Chip but you have a VGABIOS for it, try enabling 
        linuxbios VGABIOS support and see if that turns it on. 
        
        Otherwise you'll have to see if linux framebuffer support will do it, or 
        the user-mode program we also have in freebios/utils.
        
I'm guessing this means freebios/util/vgabios/testbios.  With testbios,
I need a file name, I'm guessing I need the BIOS binary.  Where would I
find the bios binary?

Thanks,

Chris