Load correct MESA DRI Intel drivers for Linux Mint 14 RC

[MarkLaw19]

Hello to all.

This is my first time creating tutorial, so here goes.

There are many ways to do this but they are all risky and complicated.

There is an easy way to load the correct drivers for the Intel Graphics users just in case your system loads other drivers of some Gallium drivers when you type inxi -G, well the easiest way to load the correct drivers each time is to log out from the system and then log in. I know this is a real pain to do but if you don't want to mess with your system files, this is the safest thing to do.

Hope this is useful.

[AlbertP]

If the intel driver does not load you will get: GLX Renderer Gallium 0.4 on llvmpipe in the inxi -Gx output.
Removing the xserver-xorg-video-modesetting package might help, but not always.

[kmb42vt]

If the intel driver does not load you will get: GLX Renderer Gallium 0.4 on llvmpipe in the inxi -Gx output.
Removing the xserver-xorg-video-modesetting package might help, but not always.

This happens to me as well with LM 14/Cinnamon 32-bit on an older ThinkPad R61 with an Intel 965 chipset/X3100GM HD graphics. Logging out and back in worked but it's hardly a solution as stated. So I removed "xserver-xorg-video-modesetting" and I noticed that removing this also removed the "xserver-xorg-video-all" package as well. Once these were removed I rebooted and ran "inxi -Gx" via terminal and the correct Intel driver was loaded but there was an error as well ("FAILED"):

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inxi -G
Graphics:  Card: Intel Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (primary)
           X.Org: 1.13.0 drivers: intel (unloaded: fbdev,vesa) FAILED Resolution: 1280x800@60.0hz
           GLX Renderer: Mesa DRI Intel 965GM x86/MMX/SSE2 GLX Version: 2.1 Mesa 9.0


So, as an experiment, I re-installed the "xserver-xorg-video-modesetting" package but not the "xserver-xorg-video-all" package, rebooted and not only was the correct Intel driver loaded properly but the "FAILED" error was gone:

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 inxi -G
Graphics:  Card: Intel Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (primary)
           X.Org: 1.13.0 drivers: intel (unloaded: fbdev,vesa) Resolution: 1280x800@60.0hz
           GLX Renderer: Mesa DRI Intel 965GM x86/MMX/SSE2 GLX Version: 2.1 Mesa 9.0


After several boots/reboots the wrong driver loaded problem hasn't reoccurred. Of course, this may only work in my case but I would be very interested if it worked for others as well who have this problem. It's fairly safe since it doesn't involve hacking any system files. As long as you remember the packages you uninstalled you'll always be able to recover either by terminal or command line.

[AlbertP]

The xserver-xorg-video-all package is only a metapackage, it contains no files by itself. Clem himself has also tried it; at him, fbdev took the device at times instead of intel, if modesetting were removed. I'd rather think of a problem with xserver-xorg-video-intel.

[kmb42vt]

The xserver-xorg-video-all package is only a metapackage, it contains no files by itself. Clem himself has also tried it; at him, fbdev took the device at times instead of intel, if modesetting were removed. I'd rather think of a problem with xserver-xorg-video-intel.

Yup, I know it's meta package, I was justing stating what I did is all. If Clem is seeing fbdev take the device instead of Intel that means fbdev isn't being unloaded at boot like it should be? Either way, removing and re-installing "xserver-xorg-video-modesetting" has, so far, worked for me through several boots/reboots. One things I have noticed is that it takes between 15 and 18 seconds from login until the desktop appears (blank screen in between) on the ThinkPad, not only when the Gallium driver was being loaded in place of the Intel driver but afterwards as well when just the proper Intel driver was loaded. And this is way too long as compared to the 64-bit version of LM 14/Cinnamon I have installed on my desktop PC using the proprietary 310.14 driver (GT430 video card) as well as LM 13/Cinnamon 32-bit that was previously installed on the ThinkPad.

Anyway, just reporting my findings. Hope they find a solution. Usually it's the Intel graphics based machines that have the least problems with drivers.

[kmb42vt]

All right, I have a question. How can the "Gallium 0.4 on llvmpipe (LLVM 3.1, 128 bits)" be loaded instead of the proper Intel driver when there is no "Gallium" driver and no "llvmpipe" package in Linux Mint 14? The only thing I can find in Synaptic is installed is the "libllvm3.1" package, that's it. Yet it says the thing is loaded nonetheless. How can a driver that apparently does not exist be loaded? Perhaps I'm missing something?

[AlbertP]

It's part of the 3D driver suite libgl1-mesa-dri, which also contains the Intel driver. Gallium is not a library but an internal interface used within 3D driver components (between libraries from the libgl1-mesa-dri, -swx11 and -glx packages).

If it were possible to uninstall Gallium/llvmpipe, it wouldn't help anyway. The root cause is a problem with the Intel X driver; getting rid of llvmpipe will leave you without 3D acceleration: Gallium only appears there because the Intel software doesn't work.

[kmb42vt]

It's part of the 3D driver suite libgl1-mesa-dri, which also contains the Intel driver. Gallium is not a library but an internal interface used within 3D driver components (between libraries from the libgl1-mesa-dri, -swx11 and -glx packages).

If it were possible to uninstall Gallium/llvmpipe, it wouldn't help anyway. The root cause is a problem with the Intel X driver; getting rid of llvmpipe will leave you without 3D acceleration: Gallium only appears there because the Intel software doesn't work.

Thanks for the explanation, AlbertP. Much appreciated! Well, the LM 14 announcement/release notes say that both Linux Mint Devs and Upstream are working on the problem. Let's hope they solve it soon since usually it's the Intel (hardware) based rigs that have the least problems when it comes to drivers. A bit odd they never picked this up during the development and testing phase. Problems like this are usually caught before well before release.

[Adelante]

Well, MarkLaw19, your little tutorial worked. It has to be done every time, I take it. It will have to do until this business is fixed up. I was about to give up on this release for a while before trying again, because Cinnamon was surging my CPU to above 90%. Getting things back to Sandybridge took that figure down to a comfy, steady 6-8%. So thank you for the tip. In every other way, I'm happy with LM 14. Except I can hardly see the tiny menu font, but that's a small thing, so to speak.

[AlbertP]

Ubuntu doesn't seem to have much notice of this issue yet, so if you're affected by this bug please go to https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+sour ... ug/1046497, then click "Does this bug affect you?" > "Yes".

[esteban1uy]

(..) Either way, removing and re-installing "xserver-xorg-video-modesetting" has, so far, worked for me through several boots/reboots. (...)

Then dpkg-reconfigure could provide a faster workaround for the problem:

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sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg-video-modesetting

[AlbertP]

@ esteban1uy: does reconfiguring xserver-xorg-video-intel help too? It seems -intel not taking precedence is the root cause.
I don't have access to the old Intel laptop all the time, my dad is often using it, so maybe one of you can try this.

[kmb42vt]

(..) Either way, removing and re-installing "xserver-xorg-video-modesetting" has, so far, worked for me through several boots/reboots. (...)

Then dpkg-reconfigure could provide a faster workaround for the problem:

Code: Select all

sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg-video-modesetting

No why do I keep forgetting about that? Must be getting old or something. Actually, just for adventure's sake I added the "xorg-edgers" ppa and after a couple of the Intel driver updates things seem to be working as they should. The correct Intel graphics driver is loaded at boot up. No more logging back out and back in to get rid of "gallium .04 on llvmpipe". But don't take this as a solution because now that I put this in writing the bug is bound to resurface. Always happens that way, doesn't it?

[esteban1uy]

@ esteban1uy: does reconfiguring xserver-xorg-video-intel help too? It seems -intel not taking precedence is the root cause.
I don't have access to the old Intel laptop all the time, my dad is often using it, so maybe one of you can try this.

Well... I managed to get an old Intel 945GM system from a mate for a couple of hours, so I tested the dpkg-reconfigure trick and... it didn't work (both using xserver-xorg-video-modesetting or xserver-xorg-video-intel).

But I grabbed the Xorg.log files from the failed and successful session starts and I made a little comparison using the diff command. I replaced the timestamps with [FAILED ] and [SUCCESS] to make it easier to read. Here you have: http://pastebin.com/sqNxzeLw

As you can see, the first sign that things are going wrong is a "setversion 1.4 failed", then it is clear after this:

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  (==) AIGLX enabled
  Loading extension GLX
  (==) Matched intel as autoconfigured driver 0
  (==) Matched vesa as autoconfigured driver 1
  (==) Matched modesetting as autoconfigured driver 2
  (==) Matched fbdev as autoconfigured driver 3


while, for the "successful" session it is:

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  (==) AIGLX enabled
  Loading extension GLX
  (==) Matched intel as autoconfigured driver 0
  (==) Matched intel as autoconfigured driver 1
  (==) Matched vesa as autoconfigured driver 2
  (==) Matched modesetting as autoconfigured driver 3
  (==) Matched fbdev as autoconfigured driver 4

I'm sorry for not being of more help.

[kmb42vt]

For anyone still having problems with the Intel graphics driver not loading either randomly or consistently (especially consistently) would you mind trying a small experiment? It sounds rather unrelated but surprisingly enough it seems to be working for me. It involves replacing MDM with GDM and then testing by simply using your computer for a few days and running "inxi -Gx" to check which driver is loaded after every boot/reboot. This is very simple to do and is easily reverted back to MDM.

Open Synaptic, search for and install "GDM". When you hit "Apply" you will see that MDM (only) will be removed (leaving all your themes and settings intact, by the way). Next, during installation, a box will appear asking you to choose between MDM or GDM as your display manager. Choose GDM from the drop down menu. Once installation is complete, simply reboot and you're done. Login as usual after reboot, open a terminal and run "inxi -Gx" without the quotes and see if the correct Intel driver is loaded, not the "Gallium .04 on llvmpipe" software driver.

If the correct Intel driver is loaded then just use your PC/laptop normally for the next few days (if you wish, reboot several times just as a primary test). The point is to see if the correct Intel driver loads every time without fail over a period of several boots/reboots (after a power-down and cold boot as well). If it does, then revert back to MDM (same procedure as above except that you're obviously installing MDM vs GDM--just as simple) and run MDM again and test the same way just to see if it fails to load the Intel driver over a period of several boots/reboots.

I've been running GDM in place of MDM for a day now without a hitch--the correct Intel driver has loaded every time so far but that doesn't mean much...yet. I thought that using the "xorg-edgers" ppa helped some but last night the gallium driver was loading every time, all the time and the same thing this morning. Switching to GDM solved seems to have solved that problem so far. Whether it's a problem with MDM or MDM just needs to be reconfigured I haven't figured out yet.

Please let me know how this works for you?

[clem]

Here is a manual fix:

Create the file /etc/X11/xorg.conf and put the following into it:

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Section "Device"
        Identifier "My device"
        Driver "intel"
EndSection

Press CTRL+ALT+BACKSPACE or restart your computer.

Check with inxi -G that the renderer is Intel and not Gallium LLVMPIPE.

[kmb42vt]

Here is a manual fix:

Create the file /etc/X11/xorg.conf and put the following into it:

Code: Select all

Section "Device"
        Identifier "My device"
        Driver "intel"
EndSection

Press CTRL+ALT+BACKSPACE or restart your computer.

Check with inxi -G that the renderer is Intel and not Gallium LLVMPIPE.

Ah, good job, sir!

Works so far for me on an older ThinkPad R61 with 965GM/X3100 HD (graphics) chipset (Intel Core2 Duo w/ 2GB DDR2). What's more, adding this also appears to have eliminated the long delay (around 15 seconds) between login and the appearance of the desktop that I was experiencing. Now it's down to a matter of 3 to 4 seconds. Eliminates the wrestling around between Intel and Gallium perhaps? No more best 2 out of 3 falls?

Heh, so simple a fix and here I thought it would be more complicated. Will this fix be included in a future update perchance? I know it's probably a "work-around" fix and doesn't solve the source of the problem (xorg's Intel driver maybe?) but it would work for Mint users anyway.

[Adelante]

Seems to have worked for me. I've restarted twice and logged out and in a few times with no shift back to Gallium LLVMPIPE. Thank you, Clem.

[clem]

That's a manual workaround indeed.

It looks like the fix will be in MDM itself. We're looking into it at the moment and it seems MDM needs to stop Plymouth before taking over (most other DMs do that). I need to test things a little more before I can say for sure. Hopefully we'll have a better idea of the cause and the solution tomorrow.

We're planning a respin of Mint 14 for a few other things anyway (DNS resolution fallback on OpenDNS and better EFI support) so our plan is to identify the problem and hopefully to have it fixed in the respin.

If it's indeed a problem with MDM we should be able to fix it not only in the respin but also via a package update to Mint 14 users.

[kmb42vt]

That's a manual workaround indeed.

It looks like the fix will be in MDM itself. We're looking into it at the moment and it seems MDM needs to stop Plymouth before taking over (most other DMs do that). I need to test things a little more before I can say for sure. Hopefully we'll have a better idea of the cause and the solution tomorrow.

We're planning a respin of Mint 14 for a few other things anyway (DNS resolution fallback on OpenDNS and better EFI support) so our plan is to identify the problem and hopefully to have it fixed in the respin.

If it's indeed a problem with MDM we should be able to fix it not only in the respin but also via a package update to Mint 14 users.

Now that's interesting as I began to suspect that MDM might be causing the problem after all else failed (kernel and xorg's Intel driver change). Temporarily switching to GDM seemed to solve the problem.

I also noticed that starting LM 14 in "Recovery mode" from Grub, logging in at the prompt and running "inxi -Gx" always showed the correct Intel driver loaded. Running "sudo service mdm restart" and logging in shifted the driver to gallium more times than not. Understanding that I've never been more than an amateur when it comes to coding, I must look into this. I might actually learn something (even at my age)?