[gentoo-user] KDE4+i945+kernel+external display = ? - gentoo-user

From:	Dmitry Makovey <mldimon@×××××××.net>
To:	gentoo-user@l.g.o
Subject:	[gentoo-user] KDE4+i945+kernel+external display = ?
Date:	Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:31:49
Message-Id:	`4AE928C2.3030204@makovey.net`

1

Hi everybody,

2

3

I've got an interesting issue today which I half-resolved, but am still

4

wondering whether I missed something important or did something that'll

5

bite me in the end.

6

7

So here's short story: I've been running older kernel (2.6.22-gentoo-r9)

8

and KDE3 on my laptop(x86,i945) for quite some time. Now with recent

9

unmasking of KDE4 I went with the flow and "upgraded" my KDE3 to KDE4

10

(yep, I know it's still there, slotted etc., but that's not the point).

11

So, after "upgrade" I've noticed how painfully slow my KDE4 was. Now,

12

I've been running KDE4 on my home machine (amd64,nVidia) for quite some

13

time now (ever since 4.2.0) and never noticed such things (mind you -

14

it's running another rather dated kernel: 2.6.25-gentoo-r6), so I

15

started digging. Xorg gave me no real reason for worries other than some

16

complaints about DRI and the fact that "compatible" DRI would be part of

17

kernel-2.6.28+, but I have not enabled any of the "effects" yet! Well,

18

so I upgraded kernel, and... my X wouldn't start at all. Actually it did

19

start but my externally plugged LCD monitor won't show anything. Lid on

20

my Dell x420 laptop stays closed since I had trouble getting my

21

1920x1200 resolution on external LCD to cooperate with 1280x800 on

22

internal one. SysRq saved me trouble of hitting reset too many times. A

23

bit of digging on google brought me to this xorg.conf (probably

24

suboptimal as I was adding options and never retracting them looking for

25

the "right" combination):

26

27

Section "Device"

28

        Identifier      "Intel Corporation Mobile Integrated Graphics

29

Controller"

30

        Driver          "intel"

31

        BusID           "PCI:0:2:0"

32

        Option          "AccelMethod"   "xaa"

33

        Option          "monitor-LVDS" "LVDS"

34

EndSection

35

36

Section "Device"

37

        Identifier      "Intel Corporation Mobile Integrated Graphics

38

Controller 2"

39

        Driver          "intel"

40

        BusID           "PCI:0:2:1"

41

        Option          "AccelMethod"   "xaa"

42

        Option          "monitor-LVDS" "LVDS"

43

EndSection

44

45

Section "Extensions"

46

        Option "Composite" "Enable"

47

EndSection

48

49

Section "Monitor"

50

        Identifier "LVDS"

51

        Option "Ignore" "True"

52

 EndSection

53

54

Section "Module"

55

        Load "dri"

56

EndSection

57

58

Section "ServerFlags"

59

        Option "AIGLX"

60

EndSection

61

62

Section "DRI"

63

        Group "video"

64

        Mode 0660

65

EndSection

66

67

Section "Screen"

68

        Identifier "Default"

69

        Option "XaaNoOffscreenPixmaps" "true"

70

        DefaultDepth 24

71

        Subsection "Display"

72

                Depth 16

73

                Modes "1920x1200"

74

        EndSubsection

75

        Subsection "Display"

76

                Depth 24

77

                Modes "1920x1200"

78

        EndSubsection

79

        Subsection "Display"

80

                Depth 32

81

                Modes "1920x1200"

82

        EndSubsection

83

EndSection

84

85

Some of it are hints from KDE folk, some came from other resources.

86

87

Not only that but I had recompiled my kernel quite a few times with

88

pretty much every possible options related to intel graphics on i945

89

chipsets until I hit the "right" one. So it's kind of working. BUT - now

90

every time I end KDE session instead of going back to KDM I'm being

91

dropped to VT7, closer examination shows that KDM is running, but I

92

can't get to it on any of the VTs. So I kill it and start again. And

93

KDE4 itself leaves quite a few artifacts on screen (not entirely sure if

94

it's related to a few effects I have enabled for usability's sake). KDE4

95

on my home machine haven't had any of those issues for quite some time

96

now (it's got different issues though ;) ).

97

98

Another annoyance is that with older kernel vesa framebuffer worked

99

perfectly fine (... video=vesafb:ywrap,mttr,1280x800-24@72 ...) and I

100

was able to have full-screen framebuffered text console with 1280x800

101

resolution on external LCD. Now I get some "viewport"-like console where

102

content is stuck in the upper-left corner (I assume it's resolution is

103

1280x800) but it didn't scale to full screen.

104

105

So my real question is: are there any specific guides I should've

106

followed instead of playing "hit-n-miss"? Did I miss something along the

107

way that produces KDM issues? Do I really have to have an xorg.conf only

108

to disable certain things? How do I deal with my framebuffer so that my

109

console looks bit more sane and utilizes all given real estate of 26"

110

monitor and not a mere 50% or so.

111

112

Sorry for bundling all those into one mail, but it kind of popped up

113

altogether so I felt bad about separating it :-D

Gentoo Archives: gentoo-user

Replies

1	Hi everybody,
2
3	I've got an interesting issue today which I half-resolved, but am still
4	wondering whether I missed something important or did something that'll
5	bite me in the end.
6
7	So here's short story: I've been running older kernel (2.6.22-gentoo-r9)
8	and KDE3 on my laptop(x86,i945) for quite some time. Now with recent
9	unmasking of KDE4 I went with the flow and "upgraded" my KDE3 to KDE4
10	(yep, I know it's still there, slotted etc., but that's not the point).
11	So, after "upgrade" I've noticed how painfully slow my KDE4 was. Now,
12	I've been running KDE4 on my home machine (amd64,nVidia) for quite some
13	time now (ever since 4.2.0) and never noticed such things (mind you -
14	it's running another rather dated kernel: 2.6.25-gentoo-r6), so I
15	started digging. Xorg gave me no real reason for worries other than some
16	complaints about DRI and the fact that "compatible" DRI would be part of
17	kernel-2.6.28+, but I have not enabled any of the "effects" yet! Well,
18	so I upgraded kernel, and... my X wouldn't start at all. Actually it did
19	start but my externally plugged LCD monitor won't show anything. Lid on
20	my Dell x420 laptop stays closed since I had trouble getting my
21	1920x1200 resolution on external LCD to cooperate with 1280x800 on
22	internal one. SysRq saved me trouble of hitting reset too many times. A
23	bit of digging on google brought me to this xorg.conf (probably
24	suboptimal as I was adding options and never retracting them looking for
25	the "right" combination):
26
27	Section "Device"
28	Identifier "Intel Corporation Mobile Integrated Graphics
29	Controller"
30	Driver "intel"
31	BusID "PCI:0:2:0"
32	Option "AccelMethod" "xaa"
33	Option "monitor-LVDS" "LVDS"
34	EndSection
35
36	Section "Device"
37	Identifier "Intel Corporation Mobile Integrated Graphics
38	Controller 2"
39	Driver "intel"
40	BusID "PCI:0:2:1"
41	Option "AccelMethod" "xaa"
42	Option "monitor-LVDS" "LVDS"
43	EndSection
44
45	Section "Extensions"
46	Option "Composite" "Enable"
47	EndSection
48
49	Section "Monitor"
50	Identifier "LVDS"
51	Option "Ignore" "True"
52	EndSection
53
54	Section "Module"
55	Load "dri"
56	EndSection
57
58	Section "ServerFlags"
59	Option "AIGLX"
60	EndSection
61
62	Section "DRI"
63	Group "video"
64	Mode 0660
65	EndSection
66
67	Section "Screen"
68	Identifier "Default"
69	Option "XaaNoOffscreenPixmaps" "true"
70	DefaultDepth 24
71	Subsection "Display"
72	Depth 16
73	Modes "1920x1200"
74	EndSubsection
75	Subsection "Display"
76	Depth 24
77	Modes "1920x1200"
78	EndSubsection
79	Subsection "Display"
80	Depth 32
81	Modes "1920x1200"
82	EndSubsection
83	EndSection
84
85	Some of it are hints from KDE folk, some came from other resources.
86
87	Not only that but I had recompiled my kernel quite a few times with
88	pretty much every possible options related to intel graphics on i945
89	chipsets until I hit the "right" one. So it's kind of working. BUT - now
90	every time I end KDE session instead of going back to KDM I'm being
91	dropped to VT7, closer examination shows that KDM is running, but I
92	can't get to it on any of the VTs. So I kill it and start again. And
93	KDE4 itself leaves quite a few artifacts on screen (not entirely sure if
94	it's related to a few effects I have enabled for usability's sake). KDE4
95	on my home machine haven't had any of those issues for quite some time
96	now (it's got different issues though ;) ).
97
98	Another annoyance is that with older kernel vesa framebuffer worked
99	perfectly fine (... video=vesafb:ywrap,mttr,1280x800-24@72 ...) and I
100	was able to have full-screen framebuffered text console with 1280x800
101	resolution on external LCD. Now I get some "viewport"-like console where
102	content is stuck in the upper-left corner (I assume it's resolution is
103	1280x800) but it didn't scale to full screen.
104
105	So my real question is: are there any specific guides I should've
106	followed instead of playing "hit-n-miss"? Did I miss something along the
107	way that produces KDM issues? Do I really have to have an xorg.conf only
108	to disable certain things? How do I deal with my framebuffer so that my
109	console looks bit more sane and utilizes all given real estate of 26"
110	monitor and not a mere 50% or so.
111
112	Sorry for bundling all those into one mail, but it kind of popped up
113	altogether so I felt bad about separating it :-D