HOWTO: Install latest intel modesetting driver.

[terrax]

This howto, show you how to install the very latest sourcecode version of intels driver, with mode setting support, without using the video bios. It actually also fixes some performance issues etc.

And if you got this issue:
https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu...810/+bug/61306
It solves that bug too.


1. First. Add this repositories (edgy users can ignore this step):

deb http://ubuntu.beryl-project.org/ dapper main aiglx

Then we have to update:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

If you have installed 915resolution before. Then remove it. You don't need it anymore.

sudo apt-get remove 915resolution

Now we have to install build and compiling tools.

sudo apt-get install build-essential m4 autoconf automake1.9 libtool gcc linux-headers-`uname -r` autoconf autotools-dev cvs git bison git-svn git-cvs xorg-build-macros xorg-dev mesa-common-dev libdrm-dev

And don't forget to:

sudo update-alternatives --set automake /usr/bin/automake-1.9
sudo update-alternatives --config git
select #2: git-scm

Ok, now we have to get some sourcecodes.

Make a directory, example:

sudo mkdir ~/src
cd ~/src

Check the latest driver out:

git-clone git://anongit.freedesktop.org/git/xorg/driver/xf86-video-intel
cd xf86-video-intel

Now we have to change the Branch of the source, so we can get the newest modesetting driver:

git checkout modesetting

Now we are going to compile and install the driver

./autogen.sh --prefix=/usr
make
sudo make install

NOTE: If you get an compiling error containing i830_modes.c and M_T_PREFERRED,
then just:

nano src/i830_modes.c
And add thiese lines, under the other defines:
#define M_T_PREFERRED 0x08     /* preferred mode within a set */
#define M_T_DRIVER  0x40       /* Supplied by the driver (EDID, etc) */

Now try making it again. Its a common error, and you will probably get it.

When all this is done, the new driver is installed and ready. Now restart, and enjoy you don't have to use 915resolution anymore.

BTW several bugs have been fixed, but the driver is still in a very early development state. But I haven't seen any problems yet, only with glxgears. I get this error:

glxgears: intel_ioctl.c:62: intelEmitIrqLocked: Assertion `((*(int *)intel->driHwLock) & ~0x40000000U) == (0x80000000U|intel->hHWContext)' failed.
Afbrudt (SIGABRT)

But thats an error most peoples get with earlier drivers also (edgy).

Anyway, plz post if you got any problems with this howto. I wrote it at late night, and may have forgotten something.

Cheers, Terrax.

[terrax]

Can anybody confirm, that it works in Edgy or Dapper?

[mrojas73]

I am willing to give it a try, I will report back!

[mrojas73]

I get this error:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
  xorg-dev: Depends: libxcomposite-dev but it is not going to be installed
            Depends: libxcursor-dev but it is not going to be installed
            Depends: libxdamage-dev but it is not going to be installed
            Depends: libxfixes-dev but it is not going to be installed
            Depends: xserver-xorg-dev but it is not going to be installed

[terrax]

Hmm have you enabled every dipositories avalible?

[jambes]

I got this error in Edgy:

In file included from i810.h:58,
from i810_accel.c:55:
/usr/include/GL/glxint.h:28:19: error: GL/gl.h: No such file or directory
In file included from i810.h:58,
from i810_accel.c:55:
/usr/include/GL/glxint.h:95: error: expected specifier-qualifier-list before 'GLboolean'
make[3]: *** [i810_accel.lo] Error 1
make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/jambes/source/intel-modesetting/xf86-video-intel/src'
make[2]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/jambes/source/intel-modesetting/xf86-video-intel/src'
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/jambes/source/intel-modesetting/xf86-video-intel'
make: *** [all] Error 2

[holzbit]

Can anybody confirm, that it works in Edgy or Dapper?

config: Kubuntu 6.0.6 LTS 64bit, Mainboard Asus P5LD2-TVM, i945G onboard graphics

I installed following your howto, with two changes:

sudo mkdir ~/src
cd ~/src

if created with sudo the ~/src is not writeable by the user, so I´d rather mkdir without sudo

./autogen.sh --prefix=/usr
make

make banged me with an error because gl.h was missing.
sudo apt-get install mesa-common-dev
fixed that.


But alas, it doesn´t help for my problem. Kubuntu is still crashing whenever the X-Server is shut down. No matter if I use the original or the new driver discussed in this howto

[mrojas73]

Hmm have you enabled every dipositories avalible?

I followed your instructions. I will be trying again with a fresh install.

[mrojas73]

New clean installation now and I get this errors when I do make:

 gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I.. -Wall -Wpointer-arith -Wstrict-prototypes -Wmissing-prototypes -Wmissing-declarations -Wnested-externs -fno-strict-aliasing -DXFree86Server -DIN_MODULE -DXFree86Module -DXFree86LOADER -I/usr/include/xorg -I/usr/include/drm -I/usr/include/X11/dri -DI830_XV -g -O2 -MT i830_modes.lo -MD -MP -MF .deps/i830_modes.Tpo -c i830_modes.c  -fPIC -DPIC -o .libs/i830_modes.o
i830_modes.c: In function 'i830GetDDCModes':
i830_modes.c:294: error: 'M_T_PREFERRED' undeclared (first use in this function)i830_modes.c:294: error: (Each undeclared identifier is reported only once
i830_modes.c:294: error: for each function it appears in.)
i830_modes.c:296: error: 'M_T_DRIVER' undeclared (first use in this function)
i830_modes.c: In function 'i830FPNativeMode':
i830_modes.c:425: error: 'M_T_PREFERRED' undeclared (first use in this function)i830_modes.c: In function 'i830GetLVDSMonitor':
i830_modes.c:664: error: 'M_T_PREFERRED' undeclared (first use in this function)make[3]: *** [i830_modes.lo] Error 1
make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/mrojas/src/xf86-video-intel/src'
make[2]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/mrojas/src/xf86-video-intel/src'
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/mrojas/src/xf86-video-intel'
make: *** [all] Error 2
mrojas@Aspire5601:~/src/xf86-video-intel$

[jthirt]

I use Dapper on a laptop.

I followed the Howto and it did the job perfectly for me as far as compiling and installing. I also had to edit src/i830_modes.c as indicated to fix the error.

Unfortunately, once in place and after rebooting, X crashes. Here are the last few lines that look quite suspicious to me ...

(II) I810(0): Found panel of size 768x16384 in BIOS VBT tables
(II) I810(0): Panel mode h active 54 blank 0 rate 6451.851852 v active 0 blank 0 rate inf
(II) I810(0): Found BDB block type 42
(II) I810(0): Monitoring connected displays enabled
(--) I810(0): Pre-allocated VideoRAM: 8060 kByte
(==) I810(0): VideoRAM: 65536 kByte
(==) I810(0): video overlay key set to 0x83e
(**) I810(0): page flipping disabled
(==) I810(0): Using gamma correction (1.0, 1.0, 1.0)
Executing (ax == 0x5f01) BIOS call at i830_driver.c:500
(II) I810(0): BIOS Build: 2880
(II) I810(0): No active displays on Pipe A.
(II) I810(0): Currently active displays on Pipe B:
(II) I810(0): 	LFP (local flat panel)
(==) I810(0): Display is using Pipe B
(--) I810(0): Maximum frambuffer space: 65368 kByte
(--) I810(0): Maximum space available for video modes: 8000 kByte
(WW) I810(0): Mode 1024x768 is out of range.
(WW) I810(0): Valid modes must be between 320x200-768x16384
(WW) I810(0): Mode 800x600 is out of range.
(WW) I810(0): Valid modes must be between 320x200-768x16384
(II) I810(0): Valid mode using panel fitting: 640x480x60
(II) I810(0): Total number of valid FP mode(s) found: 4
(II) I810(0): Printing probed modes for pipe 1
(II) I810(0): Not using default mode "640x480x60" (bad mode clock/interlace/doublescan)
(II) I810(0): Not using default mode "720x400x60" (bad mode clock/interlace/doublescan)
(II) I810(0): Not using default mode "640x400x60" (bad mode clock/interlace/doublescan)
(II) I810(0): Not using default mode "640x350x60" (bad mode clock/interlace/doublescan)
(II) I810(0): I2C device "CRTDDC_A:ddc2" registered at address 0xA0.
(II) I810(0): I2C device "CRTDDC_A:ddc2" removed.
(II) I810(0): Printing probed modes for pipe 0

Fatal server error:
No modes found on either pipe

When I read : "Found panel of size 768x16384" I am worried !

Before that, there are a few errors reported :

(II) Module i2c: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
	compiled for 7.0.0, module version = 1.2.0
	ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 0.8
(II) I810(0): I2C bus "CRTDDC_A" initialized.
(II) I810(0): I2C bus "LVDSDDC_C" initialized.
(II) I810(0): I2C bus "DVOI2C_E" initialized.
(II) I810(0): I2C bus "DVODDC_D" initialized.
(II) Loading sub module "sil164"
(II) LoadModule: "sil164"
(II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/sil164.so
(II) Module sil164: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
	compiled for 7.0.0, module version = 1.0.0
	ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 0.8
(EE) I810(0): detecting sil164
(EE) I810(0): Unable to read from DVOI2C_E Slave 112.
(II) Loading sub module "ch7xxx"
(II) LoadModule: "ch7xxx"
(II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/ch7xxx.so
(II) Module ch7xxx: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
	compiled for 7.0.0, module version = 1.0.0
	ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 0.8
(EE) I810(0): detecting ch7xxx
(EE) I810(0): Unable to read from DVOI2C_E Slave 236.
(II) I810(0): I2C bus "DVOI2C_E" removed.
(II) I810(0): I2C bus "DVODDC_D" removed.
(II) I810(0): I2C device "CRTDDC_A:ddc2" registered at address 0xA0.
(II) I810(0): I2C device "CRTDDC_A:ddc2" removed.
(EE) I810(0): DDC Analog 0, 00005010
(II) I810(0): I2C device "LVDSDDC_C:ddc2" registered at address 0xA0.
(II) I810(0): I2C device "LVDSDDC_C:ddc2" removed.
(EE) I810(0): DDC LVDS 1, 00005018

So I reverted back to the non modeline driver for now.

BTW, the laptop I'm experimenting this on is an 'infamous' Gateway 400VTX with a 1024x768 pannel that wouldn't do better than 800x600 so far under ubuntu.

Looking forward to further improvements and fixes to hopefully get this working before Christmas !

I don't know if the driver is up for testing yet so I could participate and report such errors.