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bcleazy

Member

Registered: 2015-04-10

Posts: 5

how do I get sdl to use directfb for qemu (to avoid installing x)

I've googled this a lot and I don't think I understand how to do it properly. I want sdl to use directfb so that I didn't have to install x when booting live iso's through qemu.

I tried compiling sdl from abs with a --enable-video-directfb flag and I still get "could not initialize sdl(no available video device) - exiting" when I run qemu-system-i386 -cdrom bootimg.iso. Currently arch is installed in a 32 bit virtualbox vm (is this the problem?), but I'll be doing a full install soon. I would appreciate it if anyone could point me in the right direction.

Lone_Wolf

Administrator

From: Netherlands, Europe

Registered: 2005-10-04

Posts: 15,558

Re: how do I get sdl to use directfb for qemu (to avoid installing x)

With SDL v2 i doubt this is possible anymore, http://forums.libsdl.org/viewtopic.php?t=4459

For SDL 1.2 , it should work but you may need to set an environment variable .

try SDL_VIDEODRIVER=directfb

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Try clean chroot manager by graysky

bcleazy

Member

Registered: 2015-04-10

Posts: 5

Re: how do I get sdl to use directfb for qemu (to avoid installing x)

Thank you for the reply! I tried setting the environment variable like you suggested and the vm still had the same error. I then installed arch on my laptop and retried both setting the flag and the environment variable. Same error. In both instances SDL was version 1.2. I also tried  "qemu-system-i386 -vga qxl -cdrom iso -boot order=d image" and "qemu-system-i386 -vga none -cdrom iso -boot order=d image"

edit: I reinstalled sdl, directfb, and qemu and used yaourt to install gtk2-dfb and spice-gtk on the fully installed arch host. "qemu-system-i386 -vga qxl -spice port=5930,disable-ticketing,addr=::1 -cdrom iso" and then "spicec -h 127.0.0.1 -p 5930" resulted in "Spice-Warning **: x11/platform.cpp:3207:init: open X display failed. Error: unhandled exception: open X display failed". Am I just going about things incorrectly or is this going to take some tinkering?

Last edited by bcleazy (2015-04-29 03:24:12)

bcleazy

Member

Registered: 2015-04-10

Posts: 5

Re: how do I get sdl to use directfb for qemu (to avoid installing x)

Final bump. Are there any alternate ideas?

Lone_Wolf

Administrator

From: Netherlands, Europe

Registered: 2005-10-04

Posts: 15,558

Re: how do I get sdl to use directfb for qemu (to avoid installing x)

Have you tried using SDL & directfb on a host system, to verify it's the VM software that has problems with it ?

I am beginning to feel we may be dealing with an X - Y problem.

Afaik a host doesn't need to have X installed to use X in a VM.
Live isos that support X will have it onboard.
Please clarify what you are trying to achieve.

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Disliking systemd intensely, but not satisfied with alternatives so focusing on taming systemd.

clean chroot building not flexible enough ?
Try clean chroot manager by graysky

bcleazy

Member

Registered: 2015-04-10

Posts: 5

Re: how do I get sdl to use directfb for qemu (to avoid installing x)

Can you view a qemu guest that is using x on a host without x?
I tried to get sdl-directfb to work on the host os. At first I was using a live iso qemu vm within an arch x32 virtual box vm within a win7 x64 host. Then I fully installed arch x64 on my computer and tried the live iso qemu vm again. No luck.

The goal is to test live cd's on a qemu vm within an arch x64 host without having to install x on the host (and preferably to have sessions with those vm's from a remote location, without x, using spice).

Lone_Wolf

Administrator

From: Netherlands, Europe

Registered: 2005-10-04

Posts: 15,558

Re: how do I get sdl to use directfb for qemu (to avoid installing x)

That clarifies what you intend to do. Looks like you don't have much experience with client / server setups ?

NOTE : the below description has been simplified down a lot for clarity.

In a VM client/ server setup there are these functional components :

A. Host aka server
B. VM guests : console or graphic
C. clients that connect to the guests, console or graphic .

The host only needs an OS and the VM server software .

A graphical client can connect to both console & graphic guests.
Console clients however can only connect to console guests.

IF you want to run a graphical client on the host system THEN the host needs to have X installed.

Spice clients appear to be graphical clients and need X.

Basically you have to decide whether you want to run graphical clients ON the host or not.

Last edited by Lone_Wolf (2015-04-29 12:29:44)

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Disliking systemd intensely, but not satisfied with alternatives so focusing on taming systemd.

clean chroot building not flexible enough ?
Try clean chroot manager by graysky

bcleazy

Member

Registered: 2015-04-10

Posts: 5

Re: how do I get sdl to use directfb for qemu (to avoid installing x)

I think my misunderstanding was that I assumed spice-gtk and gtk2-dfb would allow me to view vm guests without needing a graphical client. Thank you for clearing that up

Lone_Wolf

Administrator

From: Netherlands, Europe

Registered: 2005-10-04

Posts: 15,558

Re: how do I get sdl to use directfb for qemu (to avoid installing x)

Then it seems my guess about your client/server wxp was wrong, sorry about that.

In theory using directfb for that is possible, but i've never heard about someone successfuly doing it.

One of my earlier links suggests that the built-in openGL ES support on raspberry pi  might allow something similar with SDL.

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Disliking systemd intensely, but not satisfied with alternatives so focusing on taming systemd.

clean chroot building not flexible enough ?
Try clean chroot manager by graysky

progandy

Member

Registered: 2012-05-17

Posts: 5,322

Re: how do I get sdl to use directfb for qemu (to avoid installing x)

Maybe you can try to use qemu as a vnc server and connect with directvnc.

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