Mode setting

Mode setting is a software operation that activates a display mode (screen resolution, color depth, and refresh rate) for a computer's display controller by using VESA BIOS Extensions or UEFI Graphics extensions (on more modern computers).

The Linux kernel got the prerequisite for kernel-based mode setting by accepting Intel GEM in version 2.6.28, released in December 2008.

[2] This will be[needs update] replaced by Tungstens Graphics TTM (Translation Table Maps) memory manager which supports the GEM API.

FreeBSD has support for both kernel-based mode setting and GEM for later generations of Intel GPUs (IronLake, SandyBridge, and IvyBridge) starting with version 9.1.

NetBSD has support for kernel-based mode setting and accelerated graphics for Intel and Radeon devices.

Regulating access to the hardware is a fundamental kernel task. The Direct Rendering Manager and KMS are part of the Linux kernel. The KMS does only the mode setting.