PS3 Open Platform - some big news

[Titanio]

http://www.powerdeveloper.org/playstation.php

Found by Pana:

Platform Support for Sony PlayStation® 3
Playstation 3 Linux kernel patches and documentation

Available for download today on Power Developer are the patches to Linux kernel 2.6.19 and corresponding documentation and bootloader required to make Linux boot on the Playstation 3.
Linux kernel patches (2.6.19)

linux-20061110-patches.tar.bz2 (2006-11-10, 610kb, bzipped tar)
Linux bootloader

linux-2.6.19-ps3pf.06.11.11.tar.bz2 (2006-11-11, 64kb, bzipped tar)
Linux documentation

linux-20061110-docs.tar.bz2 (2006-11-10, 510kb, bzipped tar)

OK, the REALLY REALLY REALLY good news - it does seem to be very open indeed. To the point where you can install a PPC64 distro of Fedora Core 5 on the PS3 if you want!

As a hint of enabling your own distribution, we’ll show how to install existing free Linux distribution for PPC64. We’ll explain this using with Fedora Core 5 as an example.
Install Fedora Core 5
1. Abstract

This section shows how to install Fedora Core 5 on a PS3.

To install Fedora Core 5 on a PS3, you have to execute following steps.

* Create a Linux partition on the HDD.
* Install boot loader.
* Set boot flag to 'Other OS'.

It looks like any PPC distro is useable?!

Now, the bad news - it looks like in generic distros at least, that RSX support is not there currently.

Graphics/Video

PS3 has a powerful graphic processing unit with high speed host connection. The GPU is connected to both HDMI and AV multi interface. Although the GPU is connected directly to CBE, no direct access by guest OSes to the GPU is allowed currently. Video mode/format setting is also the role of AV setting driver. PS3 Linux fb driver calls AV setting driver to setup video modes.

Currently X server uses virtual frame buffer to render its image. No hardware acceleration is supported under Linux. See the description above section.

Linux does run on top of a hypervisor, btw. Also, seems there is full BD/DVD/CD access.

This is coming from the docs linked above. Still reading..

 

[Nesh]

Does the PS3 come with Linux or do you have to buy it seperatrely?

 

[slider]

Now, the bad news - it looks like in generic distros at least, that RSX support is not there currently.

Surely it's only a matter of time!

 

[Titanio]

Does the PS3 come with Linux or do you have to buy it seperatrely?

No, you download it for free. It looks like there'll be a variety of distros available now..I could be wrong, but it looks like it should be possible to put any PPC or PPC64 distro on it, with them using FC5 as an example above.

Surely it's only a matter of time!

I should hope so. I'm guessing it's a matter of not having drivers or what-have-you ready yet. Kutaragi has talked before about people being able to code shaders etc. for the GPU when discussing his vision of Linux on PS3, so I don't think that it's the case that they've any fundamental problem with allowing GPU access in principle.

 

[Panajev2001a]

NeoGAF's is way messed up "currently" to properly debate there, but back when PlayStation 2 Linux was launched we did not have THAT much fancy low level access (compared to what SPS2 lib/kernel module would offer a bit later)... to make a simple and maybe a bit stupid example...

Pre-SPS2: hello memcpy

After-SPS2: hello EE's DMAC .

Trust me, much better Hardware Acceleration support will come .

 

[Panajev2001a]

SPS2 Version 0.2.0 Released!
SPS2 - Direct PS2 Access Environment - sauce - 2002-Nov-19 09:28
With version 0.2.0, we're making the first public release of SPS2.

This version includes development tools that enable a user to allocate memory suitable for a DMA transfer (i.e. unswappable memory), get the physical address of the memory, and access the DMA controller.

In addition, SPS2 enables a developer to access the GS and EE memory-mapped registers, the scratch pad memory, and the vector unit memories.

A number of samples that show off the performance of developing with SPS2 are included as well as a simple framework which is the basis for most of the samples.

Note that when building the kernel module from sps2mod, you'll need to have the correct kernel sources in /usr/src/linux. For those of you who have installed the xRhino kernel, make sure you've also installed the sources in /usr/src and that /usr/src/linux points to the xRhino source.

You can get SPS2 from http://www.playstation2-linux.com/projects/sps2/

You can get the picture .

Also, Sony updated quite regularly its VCL tool (VU compiler: well, it allows register aliases [you can use regular strings instead of the fixed ASM-style register name] and takes care of instruction pipelines pairing as well as helps you schedule them around latency and bottlenecks in your code, etc...) and we got a graphical GIF and VU's debugger from the SPS2 author.

 

[rendezvous]

Also, seems there is full BD/DVD/CD access.

Since the bD drive is basically ATAPI device, Linux can issue ATAPI commands by ioctl. Some of ATAPI commands have been rejected by the hypervisor call becouse of security issues.

So I guess there atleast should be basic support for the DVD drive, I don't think anyone who don't intend to install Linux to rip movies will be dissapointed.

Edit: It's a shame that there is't any support for RSX except for a lousy framebuffer.

Best regards,

 

[Panajev2001a]

The YDL guys confirmed CD playback and DVD-ROM access.

 

[Titanio]

So I guess there atleast should be basic support for the DVD drive, I don't think anyone who don't intend to install Linux to rip movies will be dissapointed.

Edit: It's a shame that there is't any support for RSX except for a lousy framebuffer.

Best regards,

Sorry, didn't see that before I posted. It'll be interesting to see what is possible..the YDL guys apparently haven't yet tested if restricted content is accessible or not. (Apparently it wasn't high on their list of priorities since you can do that in the GameOS).

 

[Fox5]

So now that PS3 can really run linux, does Sony get to afford the console tax in Europe?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

That tax was dropped

 

[Nesh]

So does this mean I can use my PS3 as a computer as well, for writing text etc just like in Microsoft Word?
It will be very usefull since my labtop is already dreadfully slow and I need something faster on which I can work on my studies like doing my research

 

[rounin]

So does this mean I can use my PS3 as a computer as well, for writing text etc just like in Microsoft Word?
It will be very usefull since my labtop is already dreadfully slow and I need something faster on which I can work on my studies like doing my research

I don't see why not. A lot of universities already use Linux as the choice of computing to students. But the problem is why would you want to work on a TV? As far as I know, you can't connect a PS3 to a monitor.

 

[Panajev2001a]

I don't see why not. A lot of universities already use Linux as the choice of computing to students. But the problem is why would you want to work on a TV? As far as I know, you can't connect a PS3 to a monitor.

Some 1920x1080 panels or even 1280x720 panels say hi .

 

[Titanio]

I don't see why not. A lot of universities already use Linux as the choice of computing to students. But the problem is why would you want to work on a TV? As far as I know, you can't connect a PS3 to a monitor.

A lot of monitors now come with DVI inputs..HDMI->DVI cables are readily available.

 

[Nesh]

I don't see why not. A lot of universities already use Linux as the choice of computing to students. But the problem is why would you want to work on a TV? As far as I know, you can't connect a PS3 to a monitor.

Are you sure?

Why???? You could connect a PS2 via a monitor with the right cables. Why cant this happen with the PS3? This is stupid if Sony took away this luxury since they are trying to promote it as a HD device which also has so many computer functions. I hope this is not true

Well my monitor has DVI-D. Can this help?

 

[Arwin]

Are you sure?

Why???? You could connect a PS2 via a monitor with the right cables. Why cant this happen with the PS3? This is stupid if Sony took away this luxury since they are trying to promote it as a HD device which also has so many computer functions. I hope this is not true

Well my monitor has DVI-D. Can this help?

Yep, DVI-D is perfect. That's going to work great. And the PS3 linux already comes with OpenOffice, which is a free Office application that you can use to do your work. And of course run FireFox. Just check the yellow dog linux website or www.openoffice.org ...

 

[Nesh]

Yep, DVI-D is perfect. That's going to work great. And the PS3 linux already comes with OpenOffice, which is a free Office application that you can use to do your work. And of course run FireFox. Just check the yellow dog linux website or www.openoffice.org ...

Great thanx

 

[rounin]

My mistake then. I was not aware that HDMI can become DVI...

This is a bit of unexpected good news for me too because my monitor also has DVI-D.

 

[PeterT]

doing my research

It would be fun to have a SPE-aware version of Matlab. Here basically everyone uses it for quickly prototyping and researching algorithms. Curse closed source software!

On the input side of things I'm all set for PS3. I even get the choice of DVI or component! (Dell 2405FPW)