---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Announcing 4.1-GFX Rev 1 and 4.0.3-GFX Rev 2 SunFLASH Vol 20 #9 August 1990 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- OpenWindows and GX users take note ! -flash ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- In order to provide post-SunOS 4.1 support for our new and existing graphics products, 4.1-GFX Rev 1 is available for systems running SunOS 4.1 and a new version, 4.0.3-GFX Rev 2, is available for systems running SunOS 4.0.3. These new GFX products are only necessary when ordering new products as listed below. This announcement provides the following information: o 4.1-GFX Rev 1 information o 4.0.3-GFX Rev 2 information o Additional Direct Graphics Access (DGA) information *** 4.1-GFX Rev 1 INFORMATION *** Contents: All of the functionality and bug fixes previously provided in the 4.0.3-GFX Rev 1 release was integrated into SunOS 4.1. 4.1-GFX Rev 1 consists of an RTF and a 1/4" tape containing new DGA functionality and a GX performance enhancement. ** NOTE ** The contents of 4.1-GFX Rev 1 will be included in the next OS release. 4.1-GFX Rev 1 includes: o DGA support in the GX kernel for Desktop SPARCsystems, which is missing in SunOS 4.1 o New DGA functionality enabling acceleration of XGL 1.0 or SunVision 1.0 on a GX o Performance enhancement for cursor tracking using OpenWindows or SunView on a GX o Bug fix for running SunPHIGS on a SunOS 4.1 kernel configured for the GX o Additional bug fixes in GX kernel for all systems Configurations Requiring 4.1-GFX Rev 1: 4.1-GFX Rev 1 is required only for systems configured with a GX running SunOS 4.1 and using the following applications or libraries: Sun3/Sun3x Sun4 Sun4c (860x0 based) (Desktop SPARCsystems) ------------- ---- ---------------------- OpenWindows V 2 OpenWindows V 2 OpenWindows V 2 XGL 1.0 XGL 1.0 XGL 1.0 SunVision 1.0 SunVision 1.0 SunPHIGS 1.2 SunPHIGS 1.2 Ordering: 4.1-GFX Rev 1 is a separate, no charge, line item with the following part number: Marketing Part Number Price discount Description GFX-4.1-01 no charge n/a 1/4" tape and doc *** 4.0.3-GFX Rev 2 INFORMATION *** Contents: 4.0.3-GFX Rev 2 consists of a 1/4" tape, the existing version of the 4.0.3-GFX Rev 1 Installation Manual, Pixrect Manual and Release Notes, and a new version of the RTF. 4.0.3-GFX Rev 2 contains new DGA functionality, in addition to all of the functionality and bug fixes previously provided in 4.0.3-GFX Rev 1. 4.0.3-GFX Rev 2 includes: o New DGA functionality enabling acceleration of XGL 1.0 or SunVision 1.0 on a GX o Additional bug fixes in GX kernel for all systems o Bug fix for SunDials and SunButtons o 4.0.3-GFX Rev 1 contents Configurations Requiring 4.0.3-GFX Rev 2: 4.0.3-GFX Rev 2 is required only for the following configurations running SunOS 4.0.3: Sun3 Sun3x Sun4 Sun4c (86010/86020) (86030) (Desktop SPARCsystems) --------------- --------------- --------------- ---------------------- OpenWindows V 2 OpenWindows V 2 OpenWindows V 2 OpenWindows V 2 with GX with GX with GX with GX XGL 1.0 XGL 1.0 XGL 1.0 XGL 1.0 with GX with GX with GX with GX SunVision 1.0 SunVision 1.0 with GX with GX GX GX GX GXP GXP GXP TC TC TC SunPHIGS SunPHIGS SunPHIGS with CXP or GXP with CXP or GXP SunGKS SunGKS SunGKS with CXP or GXP with CXP or GXP SunButtons SunButtons SunDials Ordering: 4.0.3-GFX Rev 2 is a separate, no charge, line item with the following part number: Marketing Part Number Price discount Description GFX-4.0.3-01 no charge n/a 1/4" tape and docs *** ADDITIONAL DGA INFORMATION *** When is DGA used? DGA allows some of Sun's software products to share access to the GX hardware in an extremely efficient and low overhead manner. DGA support is provided in GX specific kernel files and is made available when a kernel is configured for the GX. Currently, XGL 1.0 and OpenWindows make use of DGA. Since SunVision 1.0 is based on XGL 1.0, it also requires GX kernels containing DGA support. What does DGA do? XGL 1.0 and SunVision 1.0 use DGA to accelerate, in software, XGL based applications. OpenWindows uses DGA for SunView binary compatiblity mode. What happens if the GX kernel does not contain DGA support? XGL and SunVision applications will default to the Xlib interface, thus running much slower than when using the GX kernel containing DGA support. Applications running in SunView binary compatibility mode under OpenWindows on a GX configured kernel without DGA support may still run, but the user will eventually experience bad window clipping, encounter screen garbage not cleared by 'Redisplay', or their application may crash. Customers may be running SunView applications using the OpenLook libraries, in which case they may not be aware that they are using the SunView binary compatibility mode. Due to the seriousness of these ramifications, OpenWindows Version 2 will check for the presence of DGA, when running on a GX accelerator, and if it is not found, a warning message will point the the user to the appropriate documentation for additional information. Why didn't previous versions of OpenWindows require GFX? OpenWindows 1.0 and 1.0.1 tapes included a SunOS 4.0.3 version of the GX kernel files containing DGA support. In order to ensure that all customers have access to the latest and greatest version of DGA for both SunOS 4.1 and SunOS 4.0.3, we chose to make it available via GFX releases only. Since DGA will not ship with OpenWindows Version 2, the appropriate GFX release must be ordered as a separate line item when ordering OpenWindows Version 2 for systems configured with a GX accelerator. Why does SunPHIGS require DGA in 4.1-GFX Rev 1? SunPHIGS does *not* use DGA. However, the GX kernel files containing DGA provided with SunOS 4.1 contain a bug preventing proper execution of SunPHIGS applications. Since all kernels configured for the GX accelerator now contain the DGA support, 4.1-GFX Rev 1 is required to fix this bug for the case when the application running with the GX configured kernel just happens to be a SunPHIGS application. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sunflash is an electronic mail news service from Sun Microsystems, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA. It is targeted at Sun Users and Customers. As a field sales and support office, we try to keep SunFlash useful and interesting to you. If you have any comments or suggestions for enhancing SunFlash, please send them to us. SunFlash is distributed via a hierarchy of aliases. Try to address change requests to the owner of the alias that you belong to. If you want to be added to the SunFlash alias, please contact the systems engineers at your local Sun office. Many Sun Sales offices distributed SunFlash through their own SunFlash alias. Address comments to the SunFlash editor (John McLaughlin) at sun!sunvice!flash or flash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. (305) 776-7770.