HOWTO: Gutsy Gibbon 7.10 + Xgl + ATI fglrx + Compiz Fusion

[granjerox]

What version of fglrx is included in Hardy's restricted manager?

This will be the best news I've heard in a while if the fglrx version in restricted drivers includes amd's aiglx implementation. I've struggled with this issue for some time now, and just can't seem to strike the perfect combo.

Right now, the only thing that holds be back from using the newest ati drivers is this video problem, as most everything else with them seems sufficient atm.

Ati 8.45.5 says the amdccc Catalyst Panel. I have to say that hardy is not yet free from bugs, some apps crash usually, specially emerald .... but anyway I'm happy with it.

[General_Ts0]

Ya know, I took a break from ubuntu because of dam ATI frustration, I'm back now in time for Hardy. This works great so far, seems so easy. What gives ?

[Kivech]

Hi, after folowing all the tutorial, it seems that my card was successefully installed:

But when i tried to enable effects it said:

My xorg.conf is :

I spent much time trying to install my card withaout any result !
Ready to follow any suggestions.

Ok for some reason I cannot multi quote, but here goes.

I have a similar issue. My fglrxinfo output is similar as well as my xorg.conf. Here is the first

display: :0.0 screen: 0
OpenGL vendor string: ATI Technologies Inc.
OpenGL renderer string: Radeon X1900 Series
OpenGL version string: 2.0.6473 (8.37.6)

Xlib: extension "XFree86-DRI" missing on display ":1.0".
display: :1.0 screen: 0
OpenGL vendor string: ATI Technologies Inc.
OpenGL renderer string: Radeon X1900 Series
OpenGL version string: 1.2 (2.0.6473 (8.37.6))

Now everything works in my case. I have xserver-xgl installed which makes all desktop effects work. However, direct rendering doesn't work.

I get this output when querying direct rendering:

Xlib: extension "XFree86-DRI" missing on display ":1.0".
direct rendering: No (If you want to find out why, try setting LIBGL_DEBUG=verbose)

This I think is related to the message on fglrxinfo -display :1. So my question would be, for a first step, how do I get DRI enabled on display 1.0?

My xorg.conf looks like this:

# xorg.conf (xorg X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
# sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Generic Keyboard"
Driver "kbd"
Option "CoreKeyboard"
Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Configured Mouse"
Driver "mouse"
Option "CorePointer"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "Protocol" "ImPS/2"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "true"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "stylus"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "stylus"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "eraser"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "eraser"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "cursor"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "cursor"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Generic Video Card"
Driver "fglrx"
Busid "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "SyncMaster"
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "Generic Video Card"
Monitor "SyncMaster"
Defaultdepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Modes "1280x1024" "1280x960" "1152x864" "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "720x400" "640x480"
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default Layout"
screen "Default Screen"
Inputdevice "Generic Keyboard"
Inputdevice "Configured Mouse"

# Uncomment if you have a wacom tablet
# InputDevice "stylus" "SendCoreEvents"
# InputDevice "cursor" "SendCoreEvents"
# InputDevice "eraser" "SendCoreEvents"
EndSection
Section "Module"
Load "glx"
EndSection
Section "Extensions"
Option "Composite" "0"
EndSection

# To prevent Blank Screen from popping up every 10 minutes
# when xgl is run as a session on display :1,
# when all the power management settings
# you normally find only concerns display :0
Section "ServerFlags"
Option "blank time" "0"
Option "standby time" "0"
Option "suspend time" "0"
Option "off time" "0"
EndSection

So far I followed several advices on this matter, but none had me get my direct rendering to be enabled. I really need this, so some help would be very much appreciated.

Or is it really as simple as hooking up my monitor on the other port of my gfx card?

Kivech

[BooBooNTZU]

HERE IS A RECAP OF EVERYTHING I KNOW SO FAR:

1. If you want Compiz to work with the restricted ati driver and restricted packages you have to install the xserver-xgl package and direct rendering will not be available when the xgl is active. As soon as you turn off the XGL you get your direct rendering back but you can't run Compiz anymore.

2. If you want to use the ATI driver from ATI's website , that one works with direct rendering while Compiz is enabled but you have to remove / uninstall all the restricted packages and all the restricted drivers + restricted manager + xserver-xgl package before you install it.

3. The rest depends on how new is your videocard. Newer videocards use the 'aiglx' driver while older videocards use the 'fglrx' driver. Use the following to configure :

sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg
sudo aticonfig --initial -f

[iheartubuntu]

Ive followed the instructions, everything went well, but the compiz eye candy just doesnt work. This laptop has a ATI Radeon X1200. I would think it should work as I have read some people have World of Warcraft working on a computer with an ATI X1200 vid card.

Any tips? Thanks!

[BooBooNTZU]

Try running the :

sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

And from that list of videocards try the 'FGLRX' option instead of 'ati'.

You have to uninstall all the restricted packages if you want the ATI driver to work. I'm talking about the latest ATI driver from their website.

[Thug14]

thnx a ton mate

[muddletupper]

I've been having a heck of a time trying to get my ATI graphics card to work correctly, perhaps someone else has had a similar issue or can offer some advice?

I'm using an AMD 64-bit CPU system, 1G of RAM
trying to get an ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT graphics card with 512M RAM to run

I have a fresh install of Ubuntu 7.10. In fact I've done fresh reinstalls multiple times which has really slowed things down. I've gone through multiple guides for ATI install and others people have posted and most ask to make sure all other drivers are removed and since I'm not sure how to ensure I have a clean build without extraneous drivers my response has to be a fresh rebuild every attempt. The only thing I do after that is allow the system to download the most recent security updates as well.

The problems I've run in to...

• The steps on this walkthrough run without error giving the expected responses right up through the reboot. It even tells me that xgl will automatically load after the next reboot without me having to make changes. Once I log back in though things are running just as before. I'm not sure exactly how you "enable 3D effects" but I assume the Appearance Preferences options for None, Normal, Extra, and Custom switched to Extra should be an indicator that 3D effects are now working or at least that I've properly enabled my graphics card. When I attempt to switch it from None to Normal or Extra I still always get a pop up error telling me that desktop effects could not be enabled and it goes right back to None.
  
• I have no restricted drivers listed under System > Administration > Restricted Drivers Manager. It tells me my hardware does not need any restricted drivers. I do wonder if there had been updates to the drivers making them no longer restricted.
  
• I did run through some commands (I forget which exactly) to check if the system is seeing my ATI graphics card, and it does see it. It's listed in the devices and everything from command line.
  
• I even tried the install of the ATI drivers themselves where you download them from ATI and jump through some hoops via command line to install it. Those run flawlessly, right until I get to a step where I have to run "sudo aticonfig --initial" at which point I'm told that there isn't a file for that. There's an alternative method that says to update /etc/X11/xorg.conf but that file doesn't exist either. It's odd that every other command runs flawlessly with expected results but two files that you'd expect to be there just plain aren't. Again I have to wonder if this is due to changes in either the restricted files or the latest ATI drivers you download.

Anyone have any similar issues that they managed to resolve?
Any thoughts on something I've obviously overlooked somewhere?

Any help would be appreciated. I have some experience with Linux (used to run RedHat long before Fedora, did a little work with Fedora and more recently Kubuntu. Command line work doesn't worry me at all, I'm just fairly rusty at recalling some of the commands and some things are new enough for me that I'm still learning them. (Synaptic package manager, aptitude, and apt-get are wonderful things)

[quddusaliquddus]

OK. I've followed the instructions for "If you are doing fresh install of Gutsy" but i didnt enable fgrlx driver. Is that the reason why the application names are now giant as well as the minimise maximise and close buttons are giant for every application i open. How do i fix that? Also - how do i enable fgrlx driver?

Any help is much apprecited - its become impossible for me to use ubuntu now.

Thanks

Regards

Q

[martin saint martin]

thanks, worked like a charm. i thought the lack of a vid card (on board ATI Readeon)was holding me back, stumbled onto this thread and thought why not try it out? i'm glad i gave it a shot.