On 27/01/11 21:27, Marc Chamberlin wrote:

Hello again.. Well I didn't get any replies, so I must be somewhere out in new territory or no one has encountered this problem besides me...

Anywise, I have forged ahead and discovered a few things, so am still in need of advice. First of all let me say I have restored the ability to bring up the init 5 level GUI sorta... The previous error I reported in my first email, from the xorg.0.log file is no longer showing up after I rebuilt the xorg.conf file, but new errors are now showing up... see below...

I am not sure if I should report nVidia problems via bug reports to openSuSE or directly to nVidia, but I can say the following with certainty -

1 The nvidia configuration tool  nvidia-config IS broke. I was

able to somewhat track down how it breaks the xorg.conf file by doing diffs on what it does to an xorg.conf file that was created initially by Xorg -configure (which works sorta...) and then subsequently modified by nvidia-xconfig. I haven't tracked down what specifically causes the breakage, but it has to be one of several differences that occur. I would be willing to share the various xorg.conf files and the diff results if anyone cares to pursue this, but since these files are rather lengthy, I won't include them in this posting.

Since you are on 11.3, Xorg should actually work without any xorg.conf. Try removing it and seeing what happens. nvidia > nouveau > nv in the Xorg autodetect so it should still boot up with the proprietary drivers.

2. I also have a feeling that the nVidia drivers supplied via the

nvidia repository at URL: ftp://download.nvidia.com/opensuse/11.3/ are broken. Looking at the Xorg.0.log file I can see what appears to be evidence that things are going wrong when the nvidia drivers are being loaded -

Works for me. Looks more like a configuration issue than a fundamental problem in the drivers.

Regards, Tejas

* Marc Chamberlin marc@marcchamberlin.com [Jan 28. 2011 02:06]:

On 1/27/2011 4:40 PM, Tejas Guruswamy wrote:

...

Since you are on 11.3, Xorg should actually work without any xorg.conf. Try removing it and seeing what happens. nvidia> nouveau> nv in the Xorg autodetect so it should still boot up with the proprietary drivers.

Thanks Tejas, that was an interesting discovery! I was unaware that things have changed so much in 11.3, Sax2 and xorg.conf are like old friends to me, been around so long.. So you set me on a new path, and yes removing the xorg.conf file completely works, sorta... While the GUI does come up with the init 5 level, I still don't think the nVidia drivers are working. None of the openGL screensavers run for example, and the nvidia server settings tool still complains that I am not using nVidia drivers.

I did a bit of further investigating and read another thread where someone suggested executing the following and I discovered something interesting that I didn't know about this laptop -

lspci | grep VGA 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 18) 01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation GT216 [GeForce GT 330M] (rev a2)

so apparently I have two graphic controllers??? So that raises some questions, do I have a conflict and am I getting a driver loaded for the Intel controller instead of the nVidia controller? How do I find out, and how do I get just the nVidia drivers working?

Marc,

Just go into your bios and make sure it's disabled. You will always see the reference to it in lspci as it's querying the ROM chips on the motherboard ... this doesn't mean Linux is trying to load a driver for it.

Also, have you done an "lsmod | grep nvidia" to see if the kernel module is even loading? The module is linked to a specific version of the kernel so if there was a kernel update it most likely can't find the module as it's in the /lib/modules directory for the previous kernel.

So " find /lib/modules/ -print | grep nvidia " should tell you if there is an existing module (driver) in the correct spot for your current kernel.

Ben

Marc Chamberlin wrote:

[snip]

Thanks Ben for replying, most appreciated! I have to admit that at this point I am seriously confused by what is happening on my laptop. I decided to do a ground zero reinstall of openSuSE 11.3 x64 on my laptop. Reformatted the disk drive and started over. After initial installation I found that my openGL screen savers were working. I looked for evidence of seeing if any nVidia drivers were installed (wanted to know what rev level they were at, and I could not find any. The lsmod command showed no evidence, nor did the Xorg.0.log file. So apparently nVidia drivers are not supplied as part of the ISO download for openSuSE.

1rst caveat - I am no expert, and do not use Intel video. I do believe that to use Nvidia drivers one has to explicitly install them. This is because the nouveau driver ships with the regular install, and is incompatible in that both cannot be used at the same time. When Nvidia drivers are installed, either via repo or the .run file from the Nvidia web site, the nouveau kernel module gets "blacklisted" to prevent it from loading at boot.

This is done by a file in /etc/modprobe.d and will contain a line with: 'blacklist nouveau' in it. Indeed, if you try to install using the .run file from the web site while in an init 5 desktop it will stop with an error that it cannot continue because it can't get rid of the running nouveau module and please go to an init 3 to install.

To be clear here: we are talking about kernel modules that load at boot; the Xorg drivers are a different and separate thing.

I then added the nVidia repositories (along with Packman and a couple others) then did an update which also added the nVidia drivers to the mix of things that were added to my system. Rebooted, and discovered that the openGL screen savers were no longer working. Again lsmod and Xorg.0.log did not indicate that any nVidia drivers were loaded or being used. Puzzled, I decided to try an experiment and I removed all nVidia drivers, including the open source nouveau driver which YaST tried to install after I had removed the two proprietary nVidia drivers I had gotten from the nVidia repository. Once I had removed all the nVidia drivers, I rebooted, and found the openGL screen savers again working!

When you install Nvidia drivers, along with them come an Nvidia version of the OpenGL libraries. These will only work with the Nvidia kernel module and Xorg driver combination; they will not work with anything else. If they were somehow accidently left behind after a failed attempt at removing Nvidia, you would find that OpenGL would no longer function when switching back to the Intel video.

So apparently my laptop is willing to use the Intel video (which I believe is integrated into the I5 processor) so long as no nVidia drivers are present, and then run the openGL screen savers. There is no way to disable the Intel video controller in the BIOS and I don't find any way to select or deselect using either video controllers via any of the openSuSE/KDE tools. And I certainly do not understand why simply installing the nVidia drivers breaks things. I would think the nVidia controller would be a far better and more desirable controller to use.

In order to utilize the Nvidia drivers you probably need to blacklist the loading of the Intel kernel module. Since I don't use an Intel video chipset you can probably get more precise information from someone who does. I have seen discussions from time to time on various Intel video driver "situations". Many of the Intel VESA Frame Buffer ones are already blacklisted, but this does not include the main kernel module. Find the Intel module with lsmod and blacklist it if you want to use Nvidia. Look for this subject material when researching more precise instructions.

What I don't know is how this might play out in a situation where you are unable to disable the Intel video in BIOS. Look for the possibility of being able to "prefer" one over the other, e.g. a "enable xyz chip first". Blacklisting the Intel kernel module from loading at boot is my "best wild guess". :-)

As an aside, Windows7 does use the nVidia controller and automatically disables the Intel controller, if I believe what their hardware info is reporting.... I would like to be able to experiment with both and determine which one is better, and be able to select either...

Earlier generations of laptops that had two video chips did so to offer "the best of both worlds" wrt to power management. The Intel video uses less power so battery will last longer. When on AC mains, and perhaps a better external display, the Nvidia will provide better 3D acceleration at the cost of increased power consumption.

At any rate, since I believe these switching schemes aren't really applicable to Linux you will be forced to pick one or the other. Using the Nvidia will chew through battery quickly. At the other end of the equation, I've read various comments here and there that the Intel drivers are still in a fairly horrid state. If the Intel drivers give you what you need you will get longer battery life. If you want to play games where 3D acceleration is a requirement you will want the Nvidia.

-Mike

On 2/1/2011 3:16 AM, Michael Powell wrote:

[snip]

In order to utilize the Nvidia drivers you probably need to blacklist the loading of the Intel kernel module. Since I don't use an Intel video chipset you can probably get more precise information from someone who does. I have seen discussions from time to time on various Intel video driver "situations". Many of the Intel VESA Frame Buffer ones are already blacklisted, but this does not include the main kernel module. Find the Intel module with lsmod and blacklist it if you want to use Nvidia. Look for this subject material when researching more precise instructions.

What I don't know is how this might play out in a situation where you are unable to disable the Intel video in BIOS. Look for the possibility of being able to "prefer" one over the other, e.g. a "enable xyz chip first". Blacklisting the Intel kernel module from loading at boot is my "best wild guess". :-)

Thanks Michael, Patrick for your replies.. Oh boy, I fear I am getting way out of my depth now. I tried using the following command to discover what Intel related modules are being loaded -

lsmod | grep intel snd_hda_intel 28621 3 snd_hda_codec 113249 3 snd_hda_codec_nvhdmi,snd_hda_codec_idt,snd_hda_intel snd_pcm 105589 3 snd_pcm_oss,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec intel_agp 34008 2 i915 snd 84547 17 snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_seq,snd_seq_device,snd_hda_codec_nvhdmi,snd_hda_codec_idt,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_hwdep,snd_pcm,snd_timer snd_page_alloc 9569 2 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm

I tried doing some googling about intel_agp to see if I could discover it's purpose but I mostly found others complaining about it in one way or another, or how to configure AGP. Even nVidia talks about it, but mostly I am unable to comprehend. Can't say I am an expert on display controllers! So I dunno what to do or how to proceed in disabling it, and getting my nVidia controller up an running.

...

As an aside, Windows7 does use the nVidia controller and automatically disables the Intel controller, if I believe what their hardware info is reporting.... I would like to be able to experiment with both and determine which one is better, and be able to select either...

Earlier generations of laptops that had two video chips did so to offer "the best of both worlds" wrt to power management. The Intel video uses less power so battery will last longer. When on AC mains, and perhaps a better external display, the Nvidia will provide better 3D acceleration at the cost of increased power consumption.

At any rate, since I believe these switching schemes aren't really applicable to Linux you will be forced to pick one or the other. Using the Nvidia will chew through battery quickly. At the other end of the equation, I've read various comments here and there that the Intel drivers are still in a fairly horrid state. If the Intel drivers give you what you need you will get longer battery life. If you want to play games where 3D acceleration is a requirement you will want the Nvidia.

-Mike

No not playing 3D games Mike, but am working on 3D star charts for a telescope observatory. And right now it is about as sluggish as a snail in the middle of the winter! I mostly run on Columbia River hydro-dams for power, not batteries except for short intervals, so power consumption is not an issue as long as that river flows... ;-)

Marc..