Video blank when hooking monitor back up.....
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What graphics chipset? HDMI connected screens sometimes require the driver to initialize the port if it's not connected at boot and pfSense doesn't include graphics drivers by default, because it's a firewall.
I would guess it's this: https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/install/upgrade-guide-versions.html?highlight=i915
Steve
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Intel 2000 built in to the i5 CPU.
Checked the link. Not sure what connects the dots to the video not staying alive.
The monitor output is working when I unplug the monitor. The “keep alive” part is suspect. Sends a keep alive and gets nothing back, shuts video output down.
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If it uses the Intel i915 driver, that was common to a lot of chips, that's probably the cause.
You can try loading the driver module as shown there. That enabled hot-plug for the HDMI port. Or you can use a different connection type or potentially an HDMI KVM that emulates the screen when it's not connected.
Steve
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Thanks again. Will add the lines but can’t boot right now. Streaming some stuff…..
Its a Dell 390 Tower, H61 chipset. Will search on the i915 driver. This Dell tower has a bazillion PCI-E slots so easy to add the Intel i225 PCI cards. I could add a fourth one if needed.
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Been about 5 hours since adding the i915 tweaks to .local file. Video is still present. Wish I had a more exact time frame for when the hdmi port becomes inactive. Feels like 5 hours is enough. Gonna test it over night.
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I use a 4 port USB & HDMI KVM. It works fine with no issues.
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So the driver=yes loads the Intel driver in the BSD “base”?
Haven’t found what unsupported does.
The Dell 390 is the Sandy Bridge chipset.
https://forums.freebsd.org/threads/how-to-use-the-old-or-the-new-i915kms-driver-for-intel-integrated-graphics-with-xorg.66732/
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port USB & HDMI KVM
Thanks but if I was going to buy something I’d probably pickup a 10 inch monitor and slap it on the wall by the PC/router.
I’ve kept expenses to a minimum. The Dell 390 was free. Decent PC in its day but now its like the earlier generations of robots in iROBOT.
For PFSense its most excellent.
Only cost was the 2.5gb NIC’s. 3 of them cost less than a 2.5ge switch.
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@jsmiddleton4 said in Video blank when hooking monitor back up.....:
Wish I had a more exact time frame for when the hdmi port becomes inactive.
If that's the issue you are hitting it effectively becomes inactive at boot. The behaviour is that the video console is fine as long as a monitor is connected at boot. If there is no monitor connected at boot the port becomes inactive and connecting a monitor at some later stage will show nothing.
Steve
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The monitor is connected at boot. At least was at some point. When I disconnect the monitor it always has the console/menu display when I turn off the monitor prior to disconnecting its HDMI cable. Then over time the signal on the HDMI port drops. I’ve tried unplugging/replugging the HDMI cable into the PC’s port thinking it’s wake up. Didn’t.
For now the two .local tweaks seem to be the answer.
If the “unsupported” tweak lets the end user select display resolutions beyond the default I don’t need that.
If the two .local tweaks don’t fix it I have a VGA cable to try.
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The 'unsupported' variable allows the driver to attach to the chipset hardware in some systems, notably in the Minnowboard turbot.
It should be a pretty obvious change in the boot sequence if it's being used. -
I don’t see any change. Probably don’t need it.
Edit: I have to take that back. The display is different, significantly better. Text better and the entire screen is being used instead of mostly just the left hand side.
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Success.
Removed the "modes" line from .local and of course booted last night. Monitor off, unplugged cable.
This is my wife's work at home work station and I'm not able to leave the cable connected between her monitor and the PFSense PC.
Plugged back in this morning. Boom, PFSense console all nice and crisp text wishing me a good morning.
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Nice, sounds like you were hitting that then.
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One more "to do" matter addressed for the PFSense Router. Gotta tell you that this software is free blows my mind.
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Interesting that these two lines were not in my syslog prior to adding the i915 tweak in .local.
Not deleting the line. Monitor is doing great. Just interesting.
I of course don't have AMD anything in my PFSense Intel PC box.
AMD Features2=0x1<LAHF>
AMD Features=0x28000800<SYSCALL,RDTSCP,LM> -
This reads like a who's buried in Grant's Tomb kinda question but....
If I put in a stand alone video card, NVIDIA 210 for free, remove the i915 tweaks, or REM them with #?
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It will probably work. It would depend on the motherboard/BIOS auto selecting it for console output over the built in device. Most do that.
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It'll work. I've checked.
Just wondering about the i915 entries in loader.conf.local is all.
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Oh, yeah remove them. You don't want to load that driver if you don't need it, takes up valuable kernel memory.
Steve
