Bug 67897 – Handbook-Configuring_the_bootloader suggests to put vga=<some_number> which is for vesafb, while genkernel users are given by default vesafb-tng which requires completely different parameter. This makes the "undefined mode number" error happen at boot.

• Product: [OLD] Docs-user
• Status: VERIFIED FIXED

[Description Federico Galassi 2004-10-17 09:19:44 UTC]

The gentoo handbook doesn't make clear that if you compiled your kernel with genkernel
you should configure framebuffer by kernel option: video=vesafb:.... as required by vesafb-tng
nor it mentions the format of this parameter. Instead it suggests to put vga=<some_number> which
is the method used by old vesafb. This leads to an error when booting and the request of selecting
a valid mode. Since genkernel is the way most people go the first time they install
gentoo, there should be a clear spot explaining how to configure the bootloader for vesafb-tng.
I guess the new framebuffer has been added recently, i ran latest gentoo-dev-sources (2.6.8-gentoo-r8).
Probably it's kernel 2.6.8 and later

Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:
1.Install gentoo with gentoo-dev-sources (mine is 2.6.8 r8)
2.Compile the kernel with genkernel
3.Configure the bootloader (mine is grub) by adding vga=<some_number> to kernel options as explained in the handbook
4.Reboot
Actual Results:  
At boot, error: "you passed an undefined mode number" and request to select a new
one

Expected Results:  
Boot smoothly

[Comment 1 Sven Vermeulen (RETIRED) 2004-10-20 02:24:44 UTC]

Fixed in CVS.

[Comment 2 Sven Vermeulen (RETIRED) 2004-10-20 02:33:09 UTC]

*** Bug 68237 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

[Comment 3 Federico Galassi 2004-10-28 06:03:07 UTC]

The fixed handbook has been published on the website.