Test Out The New Intel, NVIDIA, ATI Linux Drivers

[Demz]

As part of their usual roundabout with pushing the latest X.Org, kernel, and Mesa code into Fedora before each new release, for the next three days Red Hat is holding testing sessions focused on the open-source ATI/AMD, NVIDIA, and Intel graphics drivers, respectively. To make for an easy process even for those that may not be active Fedora users, there are rawhide Live Images (http://adamwill.fedorapeople.org/20090908_test_day_images/) (in x86 and x86_64 flavors) that were spun last night by Red Hat's Adam Williamson. This code has all of the latest Fedora 12 packages, but sadly just shy of having the R600/700 3D support working.

Interested users can fire up the Fedora LiveCD and report whether mode-setting, X-Video, RandR, DPMS, 3D support, fast user switching, VT switching, suspend-and-resume, and Render is working with your given hardware and the latest Linux drivers whether you are using the Radeon, Nouveau, or Intel drivers.

The Fedora Wiki has more information on the Radeon (https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Test_Day:2009-09-09_Radeon) Nouveau (https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Test_Day:2009-09-10_Nouveau) and intel (https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Test_Day:2009-09-11_Intel) test days. ..........................

[robert-e]

I am curious; I did the Nouveau tests on a dual core amd Turion64. One of the tests suggests it is testing if accelerated graphics would play an ogg test video. It played okay, starting, stopping, pausing..etc. I assumed that accererated graphics was then available. However, when I attempted to enable Desktop Effects, an error message popped up that hardware accelerated graphics was not available. Bottom line: I am wondering about the validity of this test?

Nvidia Geforce Go 7150M on an Hp dv9020 laptop.

Regards,
Bob

[lovenemesis]

As I remember, the accelerated video means the video could be played via Xv. Xv is a hardware acceleration method ONLY for 2D scaling.

Desktop Effects require 3D OpenGL acceleration, which is not currently available with Nouveau.

[robert-e]

Okay, that is a bit clearer. While I am not all that interested in Desktop Effects, I am very interested in using GoogleEarth. I suppose that if/when Nouveau does handle Desktop Effects, it will (likely) also handle the Google Earth (and possibly other 3D) application(s)?

I am still using F8 with the prop Nvidia driver, and had been hoping that F12 would enable me to finally upgrade. I guess not yet.

Thanks for helping me understand.

Regards,
Bob

[RahulSundaram]

Yes, When Nouveau gets support for 3D, all of that should work. It requires a lot more work however. There is someone from Red Hat, who is one of the primary Nouveau upstream developers working full time on it. So progress is being made on it.

[lovenemesis]

I strongly suppose Fedora 12 could allow users to run the prop nVidia driver to get fully 3D support. So I think it is time to upgrade to Fedora 12 at least for the security fixes.

[robert-e]

Nah, I am sticking to F8 until I know FOR CERTAIN that accel 3D works. I have been through Liegh's how to so many times that I could probably do it from memory now, and it still does not work (on the ATI video machines). Been burned too many times; so I watch and wait. F8 is working flawlessly on both the Nvidia and that ATI equiped computers here...security updates be darned. I can live without them in order to have a properly working computer.
Regards,
Bob

ps if all else fails, I suppose I can boot into XP or Vista....ugh...ugly..
B

[LBCoder]

I don't know if you realize this, but F12 is to include OPEN SOURCE drivers for KMS/3D for ALL AMD RADEON up to R700... and it is, in fact, already in rawhide. So there is no need for anything from that 800 (or so) page AMD driver thread.

[robert-e]

LBCoder,
Hmm; maybe, but I don't think so: I ran Adam's (video) Test Day CD on my ATI 9600 (X350) computer, and it DID NOT support 3D acceleration. Now to be fair, that capability may have since made it's way into Rawhide.
Even though Leigh's How To thread did not work for me, it does seem to work for others, and likely should be kept a sticky until we know for sure that the open source solution really works.
Let me be clear here: I do think that the open source driver for ATI will work and eventually work well. It is just that right now, it is still kind of like vaporware for me.

Regards,
Bob

[RahulSundaram]

Hi,

If you want to test actively, you need to run rawhide and not just specific test live cd's. There are a large number of updates pushed out on a daily basis that fixes a number of issues.

[vnodkmar]

I have updated my nvidia system with the latest nvidia, nouveau, ati...drivers because they showed in updates. And the system loses its 'Xserver' with logs like:-

"cannot load nv driver as PCI has other kernel module holding it. Try unloading PCI module for loading the nv driver"(If I remember correctly, as it happened last week and I could not get the chance to save the log to show them.)

The system fails to find any screens with any video driver. The system came up with re-installing fedora12 and excluding those packages from updates.

[LBCoder]

LBCoder,
Hmm; maybe, but I don't think so: I ran Adam's (video) Test Day CD on my ATI 9600 (X350) computer, and it DID NOT support 3D acceleration. Now to be fair, that capability may have since made it's way into Rawhide.
Even though Leigh's How To thread did not work for me, it does seem to work for others, and likely should be kept a sticky until we know for sure that the open source solution really works.
Let me be clear here: I do think that the open source driver for ATI will work and eventually work well. It is just that right now, it is still kind of like vaporware for me.

Regards,
Bob

I don't know what that livecd consisted of, but it is really not relevant. Oh, and that livecd came out I think a day or two BEFORE R600+ 3D support was dumped into rawhide.

BTW: That would be RV350 (which is an R300 class GPU), not x350 -- there is no such thing as an x350.

9600/RV350 3D support (R300-R500) has been in OSS drivers for quite a while now... F10 had it for sure, even older (F9? F8?)..... What is new now is the R600/R700 3D support.

[LBCoder]

I have updated my nvidia system with the latest nvidia, nouveau, ati...drivers because they showed in updates. And the system loses its 'Xserver' with logs like:-

"cannot load nv driver as PCI has other kernel module holding it. Try unloading PCI module for loading the nv driver"(If I remember correctly, as it happened last week and I could not get the chance to save the log to show them.)

The system fails to find any screens with any video driver. The system came up with re-installing fedora12 and excluding those packages from updates.

Its probably loading nouveau KMS. Try using nouveau instead of nv, otherwise try disabling KMS, if that doesn't work, it *might* be necessary to rebuild your initramfs withOUT the nouveau module.

[robert-e]

LBCoder;
lspci reports it at a 9600 ATI Radian M and says X350...That is on the desktop with plugin pci card. The onboard ATI video on my Toshiba laptop is reported also as a 9600 ATI Radian (X350). If you check on the ATI site, you will find the same nomenclature. I suppose it could be something that lspci reports...X meaning any letters generically? No matter...it is a 350 suffix on the model number.

OTOH, I am glad to see that the driver has indeed made it into Rawhide. I will watch the feedback reports with great interest. Thanks for posting that info.
Regards,
Bob

[vnodkmar]

Its probably loading nouveau KMS. Try using nouveau instead of nv, otherwise try disabling KMS, if that doesn't work, it *might* be necessary to rebuild your initramfs withOUT the nouveau module.

Thanks LBCoder,

As you said i added 'nomodeset' for kernel args, the Xserver starts with 'nouveau' as well as 'nv' drivers.