Howto: Install XGL & Beryl on Dapper w/ nVidia using apt-get

djRobbieF · 11:06 PM

Version 1.5

I put together an easy-to-follow reference for installing XGL and Beryl on Dapper for those of us with nVidia cards. This is taken from my blog at blog.djrobbief.com?p=23. Some sections will not apply to you, as they are specific to my hardware, so I have added headings throughout the howto to help you skip over irrelevant information.

Remember, Beryl is still pre-alpha, and comes with no warranty. I'm happy to help, but cannot be held liable for any problems.

Introduction

Since upgrading my system this week, I decided it would be best to reinstall my operating system. When I did this, I found that compiz has now been forked to beryl, and there are no “public” releases of beryl yet, and compiz has been removed from the apt repositories. SO, what am I to do? I’ve totally fallen in love with compiz over the past several weeks since first installing XGL, and I just cannot go back to a flat desktop.

I thought about jumping to Ubuntu 6.10 Edgy Knot-3, but after trying it from CD, it’s just too buggy for my tastes at the moment. My wireless simply would not work despite my brief efforts, and the OpenOffice crashing problem is not something I want to have to deal with. For now, I’m happy with Dapper 6.06, so I’ll just bite the bullet for the next month or so while we wait for a stable version of Edgy to be released in October. Of course, because I’ll be using Dapper, that means I will also require XGL to run Beryl.

My Revised Specs:

* Intel Pentium D Processor, 3.4GHz (this is why we’re using the 686-smp kernel - notice, I’m staying away from the amd64 kernel, which I tested as actually being a LOT slower on this emt64 processor than the 686 kernel)
* 2GB dual-channel DDR2-667 RAM (2 sticks of 1GB each)
* 200GB 7200.10 RPM Seagate SATA Hard Drive
* eVGA nVidia 7300 GT PCI-E Graphics Card with 256 MB DDR3, Dual-DVI
* 1680×1050 Widescreen 20.1″ TFT Display, DVI
* Integrated Intel audio, lan, etc.
* TRENDnet TEW-423PI wifi pci card (and TRENDnet says you can’t use it in Linux - HAH!)

Install Ubuntu

Ubuntu’s boot disk booted up no problem this time around. So I guess the previous problem was in fact my nvidia 7600 not working with the nv drivers.

Once I got to the desktop, the first thing I did was set up my wireless WEP password so that the installer could apt-get anything it needed. This was no problem, as my el-cheapo 802.11g card detected and functions fine.

Bring up the Ubuntu installer, and let it take over my whole 200 GB SATA drive. Once it’s done installing, I chose the “Reboot now option”.

Update Kernel

Once booted, I go into the Linux terminal and type:

Code:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install linux-686-smp

This will allow me to take advantage of the dual-core nature of the Pentium D processor by installing the optimized kernel. Once that kernel is installed, I restart the computer.

Fix Wireless Networking

After updating the kernel, the wireless no longer worked. My wireless card uses the acx Linux wireless driver, so here’s the solution: (it’s always best to use the REAL Linux driver rather than ndiswrapper, which loads the [unstable] Windows driver into Linux) I determined my driver by using the iwconfig command and looking under "Nickname" for my wireless adapter.

Code:

sudo rmmod acx
cd /lib/firmware/$(uname -r)/acx/default

Type ls .. to see the available acx firmware versions.
Find the firmware that works for you. Just do the following starting with the highest number and keep counting down until you find one that works. This way you know you’re using the “latest” which works with your card. This is the one that worked for my TRENDnet TEW-423PI rev.a card:

Code:

sudo cp ../1.2.1.34/* . - YES - you have to include the period at the end
sudo modprobe acx

Now, wireless networking is running in the 686 kernel.

Install & Configure nVidia Drivers

Code:

sudo apt-get install nvidia-kernel-common nvidia-glx
sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Find the “Module” section. Comment out the “Glcore” and “dri” modules and make sure a “glx” module is there.

Now find the “Device” section.

Change every line but the “Identifier” line to look just like this:

Code:

Section "Device"
Identifier- leave this line alone!
Driver "nvidia”
BusID “PCI:1:0:0″
Option “RenderAccel” “true”
EndSection

I also take this time to add my screen resolution to each of the Display/Modes lines by adding “1680×1050″ “1280×800″ to the start of each, allowing my widescreen, high-res display to function at super gorgeous resolution.

Make sure your default color depth is 24! (DefaultDepth 24 - in the “Screen” section). Save that file and close it.

Install & Configure XGL and Beryl

Now, edit /etc/apt/sources.list (sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list) and add:

Code:

deb http://www.beerorkid.com/compiz dapper main aiglx
deb http://media.blutkind.org/xgl/ dapper main aiglx

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install xserver-xgl libgl1-mesa xserver-xorg libglitz-glx1 beryl emerald emerald-themes
sudo gedit /etc/gdm/gdm.conf-custom

Go to the very bottom of the file, and just below the [servers] section, add:

Code:

0=Xgl

[server-Xgl]
name=Xgl server
command=/usr/bin/Xgl :0 -fullscreen -ac -accel glx:pbuffer -accel xv:fbo
flexible=true

Go to System –> Preferences –> Sessions –> Startup Programs and add the following two entries:

Code:

xmodmap -e "keycode 22 = BackSpace"
beryl-manager

Reboot. Yes, a real reboot. It may not be necessary; but it sure is fun to boot up into Beryl that first time

Enjoy

Upon reboot, you will be in Beryl, and you’ll see a little beryl gem on your Gnome panel. Click on that for any settings or changes you’d like to make to your Beryl system, including themes, shadows, effects, skyboxes, etc.

Basic XGL / Beryl keys:
CTRL + ALT + Left/right arrow key. Switches to the new side of the cube.
CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + Left/Right arrow key- Takes the in focused app around cube.
CTRL + ALT + Hold Left Mouse Button - allows you to use the mouse to rotate cube.
ALT-TAB - Task switcher - choose a task on the current side of the cube
CTRL-ALT-TAB - Task Switcher - choose a task on ALL sides of the cube

Hope that helps some of you out. And nice to find Beryl in the apt repositories this morning! Thanks all!

beerorkid

nice just noticed the repo was filled up with goodies.

I already had quinstorms compiz and just did a

Code:

sudo apt-get install beryl emerald emerald-themes

and it is rocking in shivvery blurry awesomeness.

djRobbieF

Woohoo! Yeah, I'm loving it thoroughly

heisters

Hmmm... doesn't quite work for me. Beryl falls back to Metacity. When I run beryl from the commandline I get:

Code:

$ beryl --replace
XGL Absent, checking for NVIDIA
Nvidia Present
Relaunching beryl with __GL_YIELD="NOTHING"
XGL Absent, checking for NVIDIA
Nvidia Present
beryl: No composite extension
$

The edgy/beryl thread has repos for some hacked kernel modules, perhaps dapper needs something equivalent? Anyway,

beerorkid

Quote:

Originally Posted by heisters

Hmmm... doesn't quite work for me. Beryl falls back to Metacity. When I run beryl from the commandline I get:

did you try

Code:

beryl-manager

I still get an error when it starts up and have to open up the manager and get into beryl.

djRobbieF

Yeah, launching beryl without beryl-manager didn't work for me either; which is why I specified to use beryl-manager.

If it's defaulting to metacity at that point, I click on the beryl icon and choose "Select Window Manager" and click on Beryl.

squimmy

Is it possible to use this guide for ATI cards? Can I just ignore the nVidia section and go straight to "Install & Configure XGL and Beryl"?

jimtb

Hmm I guess I'm doing something wrong here. Beryl is a complete replacement for compiz isnt it? So I removed compiz... Can I make it work on KDE? I just get an X server crash when I select beryl instead of kwin...

GoombaDoolies · 05:16 PM

WHen I attempted to start to install the packages, I ended up with the message:

E: Couldn't find package beryl

Xserver and all that were fine. I was aware of compiz changing their name and had to change the apt-get command to reflect beryl not compiz, emerald not cgwd, but it still can't find the right packages.

btw, i did add the 2 lines to /etc/apt/sources.list

beerorkid

well they are in the repository.

did you do a sudo apt-get update?

also not pushing my repo, but I think it is the main one that others mirror off of. So it might be the most current. I just host, not maintain.

September 29th, 2006	#1
djRobbieF Gee! These Aren't Roasted! Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Ontario, Canada Beans: 202 Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron	Howto: Install XGL & Beryl on Dapper w/ nVidia using apt-get Version 1.5 I put together an easy-to-follow reference for installing XGL and Beryl on Dapper for those of us with nVidia cards. This is taken from my blog at blog.djrobbief.com?p=23. Some sections will not apply to you, as they are specific to my hardware, so I have added headings throughout the howto to help you skip over irrelevant information. Remember, Beryl is still pre-alpha, and comes with no warranty. I'm happy to help, but cannot be held liable for any problems. Introduction Since upgrading my system this week, I decided it would be best to reinstall my operating system. When I did this, I found that compiz has now been forked to beryl, and there are no “public” releases of beryl yet, and compiz has been removed from the apt repositories. SO, what am I to do? I’ve totally fallen in love with compiz over the past several weeks since first installing XGL, and I just cannot go back to a flat desktop. I thought about jumping to Ubuntu 6.10 Edgy Knot-3, but after trying it from CD, it’s just too buggy for my tastes at the moment. My wireless simply would not work despite my brief efforts, and the OpenOffice crashing problem is not something I want to have to deal with. For now, I’m happy with Dapper 6.06, so I’ll just bite the bullet for the next month or so while we wait for a stable version of Edgy to be released in October. Of course, because I’ll be using Dapper, that means I will also require XGL to run Beryl. My Revised Specs: * Intel Pentium D Processor, 3.4GHz (this is why we’re using the 686-smp kernel - notice, I’m staying away from the amd64 kernel, which I tested as actually being a LOT slower on this emt64 processor than the 686 kernel) * 2GB dual-channel DDR2-667 RAM (2 sticks of 1GB each) * 200GB 7200.10 RPM Seagate SATA Hard Drive * eVGA nVidia 7300 GT PCI-E Graphics Card with 256 MB DDR3, Dual-DVI * 1680×1050 Widescreen 20.1″ TFT Display, DVI * Integrated Intel audio, lan, etc. * TRENDnet TEW-423PI wifi pci card (and TRENDnet says you can’t use it in Linux - HAH!) Install Ubuntu Ubuntu’s boot disk booted up no problem this time around. So I guess the previous problem was in fact my nvidia 7600 not working with the nv drivers. Once I got to the desktop, the first thing I did was set up my wireless WEP password so that the installer could apt-get anything it needed. This was no problem, as my el-cheapo 802.11g card detected and functions fine. Bring up the Ubuntu installer, and let it take over my whole 200 GB SATA drive. Once it’s done installing, I chose the “Reboot now option”. Update Kernel Once booted, I go into the Linux terminal and type: Code: sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install linux-686-smp This will allow me to take advantage of the dual-core nature of the Pentium D processor by installing the optimized kernel. Once that kernel is installed, I restart the computer. Fix Wireless Networking After updating the kernel, the wireless no longer worked. My wireless card uses the acx Linux wireless driver, so here’s the solution: (it’s always best to use the REAL Linux driver rather than ndiswrapper, which loads the [unstable] Windows driver into Linux) I determined my driver by using the iwconfig command and looking under "Nickname" for my wireless adapter. Code: sudo rmmod acx cd /lib/firmware/$(uname -r)/acx/default Type ls .. to see the available acx firmware versions. Find the firmware that works for you. Just do the following starting with the highest number and keep counting down until you find one that works. This way you know you’re using the “latest” which works with your card. This is the one that worked for my TRENDnet TEW-423PI rev.a card: Code: sudo cp ../1.2.1.34/* . - YES - you have to include the period at the end sudo modprobe acx Now, wireless networking is running in the 686 kernel. Install & Configure nVidia Drivers Code: sudo apt-get install nvidia-kernel-common nvidia-glx sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf Find the “Module” section. Comment out the “Glcore” and “dri” modules and make sure a “glx” module is there. Now find the “Device” section. Change every line but the “Identifier” line to look just like this: Code: Section "Device" Identifier- leave this line alone! Driver "nvidia” BusID “PCI:1:0:0″ Option “RenderAccel” “true” EndSection I also take this time to add my screen resolution to each of the Display/Modes lines by adding “1680×1050″ “1280×800″ to the start of each, allowing my widescreen, high-res display to function at super gorgeous resolution. Make sure your default color depth is 24! (DefaultDepth 24 - in the “Screen” section). Save that file and close it. Install & Configure XGL and Beryl Now, edit /etc/apt/sources.list (sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list) and add: Code: deb http://www.beerorkid.com/compiz dapper main aiglx deb http://media.blutkind.org/xgl/ dapper main aiglx sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install xserver-xgl libgl1-mesa xserver-xorg libglitz-glx1 beryl emerald emerald-themes sudo gedit /etc/gdm/gdm.conf-custom Go to the very bottom of the file, and just below the [servers] section, add: Code: 0=Xgl [server-Xgl] name=Xgl server command=/usr/bin/Xgl :0 -fullscreen -ac -accel glx:pbuffer -accel xv:fbo flexible=true Go to System –> Preferences –> Sessions –> Startup Programs and add the following two entries: Code: xmodmap -e "keycode 22 = BackSpace" beryl-manager Reboot. Yes, a real reboot. It may not be necessary; but it sure is fun to boot up into Beryl that first time Enjoy Upon reboot, you will be in Beryl, and you’ll see a little beryl gem on your Gnome panel. Click on that for any settings or changes you’d like to make to your Beryl system, including themes, shadows, effects, skyboxes, etc. Basic XGL / Beryl keys: CTRL + ALT + Left/right arrow key. Switches to the new side of the cube. CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + Left/Right arrow key- Takes the in focused app around cube. CTRL + ALT + Hold Left Mouse Button - allows you to use the mouse to rotate cube. ALT-TAB - Task switcher - choose a task on the current side of the cube CTRL-ALT-TAB - Task Switcher - choose a task on ALL sides of the cube Hope that helps some of you out. And nice to find Beryl in the apt repositories this morning! Thanks all! Last edited by djRobbieF; September 30th, 2006 at 11:06 PM..

September 29th, 2006	#2
beerorkid Way Too Much Ubuntu Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: nefrickinbraska Beans: 254	Re: Howto: Install XGL & Beryl on Dapper w/ nVidia using apt-get nice just noticed the repo was filled up with goodies. I already had quinstorms compiz and just did a Code: sudo apt-get install beryl emerald emerald-themes and it is rocking in shivvery blurry awesomeness. __________________ may the forces of evil become confused on the way to your mail server beerorkid.com

September 29th, 2006	#3
djRobbieF Gee! These Aren't Roasted! Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Ontario, Canada Beans: 202 Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron	Re: Howto: Install XGL & Beryl on Dapper w/ nVidia using apt-get Woohoo! Yeah, I'm loving it thoroughly

September 29th, 2006	#4
heisters 5 Cups of Ubuntu Join Date: Jul 2005 Beans: 34 Gutsy Gibbon Testing	Re: Howto: Install XGL & Beryl on Dapper w/ nVidia using apt-get Hmmm... doesn't quite work for me. Beryl falls back to Metacity. When I run beryl from the commandline I get: Code: $ beryl --replace XGL Absent, checking for NVIDIA Nvidia Present Relaunching beryl with __GL_YIELD="NOTHING" XGL Absent, checking for NVIDIA Nvidia Present beryl: No composite extension $ The edgy/beryl thread has repos for some hacked kernel modules, perhaps dapper needs something equivalent? Anyway,

September 29th, 2006	#6
djRobbieF Gee! These Aren't Roasted! Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Ontario, Canada Beans: 202 Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron	Re: Howto: Install XGL & Beryl on Dapper w/ nVidia using apt-get Yeah, launching beryl without beryl-manager didn't work for me either; which is why I specified to use beryl-manager. If it's defaulting to metacity at that point, I click on the beryl icon and choose "Select Window Manager" and click on Beryl.

September 29th, 2006	#7
squimmy Just Give Me the Beans! Join Date: Jan 2006 Beans: 51	Re: Howto: Install XGL & Beryl on Dapper w/ nVidia using apt-get Is it possible to use this guide for ATI cards? Can I just ignore the nVidia section and go straight to "Install & Configure XGL and Beryl"?

September 29th, 2006	#8
jimtb 5 Cups of Ubuntu Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Greece Beans: 39 Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron	Re: Howto: Install XGL & Beryl on Dapper w/ nVidia using apt-get Hmm I guess I'm doing something wrong here. Beryl is a complete replacement for compiz isnt it? So I removed compiz... Can I make it work on KDE? I just get an X server crash when I select beryl instead of kwin...

September 29th, 2006	#9
GoombaDoolies 5 Cups of Ubuntu Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bris-Vegas, Aus Beans: 20 Ubuntu 6.06 Dapper	Re: Howto: Install XGL & Beryl on Dapper w/ nVidia using apt-get WHen I attempted to start to install the packages, I ended up with the message: E: Couldn't find package beryl Xserver and all that were fine. I was aware of compiz changing their name and had to change the apt-get command to reflect beryl not compiz, emerald not cgwd, but it still can't find the right packages. btw, i did add the 2 lines to /etc/apt/sources.list __________________ Great Lord Raja Goomba I Computer Modding, Home Brewing and Ubuntu, who can complain? Last edited by GoombaDoolies; September 29th, 2006 at 05:16 PM..

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