Bug 28524

Summary: Debian Testing Kernel Upgrade Enables KMS, Disables External Monitor
Product: xorg Reporter: GilbertSullivan <whirlygig>
Component: Driver/nouveauAssignee: Nouveau Project <nouveau>
Status: RESOLVED INVALID QA Contact: Xorg Project Team <xorg-team>
Severity: major    
Priority: medium    
Version: unspecified   
Hardware: x86 (IA32)   
OS: Linux (All)   
Whiteboard:
i915 platform: i915 features:
Attachments:
Description Flags
dmesg.txt collected via ssh session, booting docked with external LCD none

Description GilbertSullivan 2010-06-13 07:49:50 UTC 
Created attachment 36249 [details]
dmesg.txt collected via ssh session, booting docked with external LCD

Hardware: Dell Latitude D810, Nvidia Quadro Go 1400 video, using 1920x1200 built-in LCD when undocked / 1680x1050 Dell LCD when attached to port replicator
OS: Debian Squeeze with Xfce desktop environment, fully updated using no no-free or contrib repositories, no proprietary drivers or software of any kind (including no Nvidia blobs, ever), video expansion turned off in BIOS (more about which later)

Accepted upgrade from main repositories 2.6.32-3-686 to 2.6.32-5-686. I think the pertinent change is that KMS is now enabled by default.

Upon reboot following the kernel upgrade the external monitor goes blank (backlight off) immediately after the populating /dev message in console. The system can be logged on to via ssh -X, and I can launch graphical applications on the affected system. (dmesg.txt attached is dmesg output collected from one of these sessions immediately after boot).

You will note from this section of dmesg.txt that the external monitor and its resolution are detected:

----------------------->8-------------------------

> > [    7.308183] [drm] nouveau 0000:01:00.0: allocated 1680x1050 fb: 0x49000, bo f6feb600
> > [    7.319925] [drm] nouveau 0000:01:00.0: Output DVI-D-1 is running on CRTC 0 using output A
> > [    7.319929] [drm] nouveau 0000:01:00.0: Setting dpms mode 0 on tmds encoder (output 2)
> > [    7.319931] [drm] nouveau 0000:01:00.0: Output DVI-D-1 is running on CRTC 0 using output A
> > [    7.321231] Console: switching to colour frame buffer device 210x65

----------------------->8-------------------------

If I undock the system and boot with the new kernel I see the point (immediately after populating /dev message) where the framebuffer is started. At that point the system stops using the 800x600 central area of the screen for the console and switches to the full 1920x1200 resolution, as expected. GDM starts, and desktop and all graphical functions are normal.

Please note, also, the result of

grep -B2 'Module class: X.Org Video Driver' /var/log/Xorg.0.log
(II) Module nv: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
        compiled for 1.7.7, module version = 2.1.17
        Module class: X.Org Video Driver
--
(II) Module vesa: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
        compiled for 1.7.7, module version = 2.3.0
        Module class: X.Org Video Driver

The Xorg log shows this content regardless of whether the system is docked or undocked, and whether I boot with the old kernel or the new one. (But I would swear that it used to show only the vesa driver.)

I tried forcing the use of nouveau driver creating

Section "Device"
Identifier "n"
Driver "nouveau"
EndSection

for Xorg configuration. This results in X not starting at all -- until the configuration file is removed..
Comment 1 GilbertSullivan 2010-06-13 11:41:56 UTC 
(In reply to comment #0)
> Please note, also, the result of
> 
> grep -B2 'Module class: X.Org Video Driver' /var/log/Xorg.0.log
> (II) Module nv: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
>         compiled for 1.7.7, module version = 2.1.17
>         Module class: X.Org Video Driver
> --
> (II) Module vesa: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
>         compiled for 1.7.7, module version = 2.3.0
>         Module class: X.Org Video Driver
> 
> The Xorg log shows this content regardless of whether the system is docked or
> undocked, and whether I boot with the old kernel or the new one. (But I would
> swear that it used to show only the vesa driver.)
> 
> I tried forcing the use of nouveau driver creating
> 
> Section "Device"
> Identifier "n"
> Driver "nouveau"
> EndSection
> 
> for Xorg configuration. This results in X not starting at all -- until the
> configuration file is removed..

Created "blacklist nouveau" line in /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf, and that proved a workaround the issue with the external monitor. I can now boot the system while docked with the new kernel. The nouveau frame buffer doesn't load, so the console resolution stays at 800x600 (or whatever it is) until gdm loads.

After seeing that nouveau driver wasn't usable, I decided to create an /etc/X11/xorg.conf which specified the vesa driver. That, also, would not allow X to start. Specifying nv driver in xorg.conf fixed it, and now using grep on /var/log/Xorg.0.log shows me only the nv driver.

So I have a workaround, but I'd rather be able to use the nouveau driver when all the pieces are in place.
Comment 2 GilbertSullivan 2010-06-14 17:15:06 UTC 
Following upgrade of xserver-common and xserver-xorg-core from 2:1.7.7-1 to 2:1.7-2 on 06/14/2010 the ensuing reboot saw the external DVI-connected LCD on the port replicator cease to function on both kernels, whether or not nouveau was blacklisted. It was failing at loading gdm on the new kernel, and I got dumped at tty2 with the text-graphics dialog asking whether or not I wanted to see the xorg log. (I could not choose yes or no, and tty2 was sluggish and non-responsive to keyboard input.) Switching to tty1 enabled me to log on and make configuration changes.

Removed the "blacklist nouveau" entry from /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf since the port replicator and external monitor are useless for now.

Drivers now being shown by query:

$ grep -B2 'Module class: X.Org Video Driver' /var/log/Xorg.0.log

(II) Module nouveau: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
	compiled for 1.7.7, module version = 0.0.15
	Module class: X.Org Video Driver
--
(II) Module nv: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
	compiled for 1.7.7, module version = 2.1.17
	Module class: X.Org Video Driver
--
(II) Module vesa: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
	compiled for 1.7.7, module version = 2.3.0
	Module class: X.Org Video Driver

Video behavior of the system (sans port replicator and external monitor, of course) is very much improved, with workspace switching and log off prompt happening instantly -- even with Xfce desktop compositing enabled. (Those switches in that configuration used to require several seconds.)
Comment 3 GilbertSullivan 2010-06-28 08:30:08 UTC 
Got a VGA cable and connected the external monitor to the port replicator with that. The external monitor works via the VGA connector, but still not with the DVI connector.

This is not a hardware issue. The port replicator and external monitor connected by DVI work fine with the BIOS screen and a version of the operating system which shall not be named.
Comment 4 Ilia Mirkin 2013-08-18 18:09:21 UTC 
It appears that this bug report has laid dormant for quite a while. Sorry we haven't gotten to it. Since we fix bugs all the time, chances are pretty good that your issue has been fixed with the latest software. Please give it a shot. (Linux kernel 3.10.7, xf86-video-nouveau 1.0.9, mesa 9.1.6, or their git versions.) If upgrading to the latest isn't an option for you, your distro's bugzilla is probably the right destination for your bug report.

In an effort to clean up our bug list, we're pre-emptively closing all bugs that haven't seen updates since 2011. If the original issue remains, please make sure to provide fresh info, see http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/Bugs/ for what we need to see, and re-open this one.

Thanks,

The Nouveau Team

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