Broken graphics drivers

**tecs** · June 5th, 2012

Originally Posted by dino99

your issue is clearly a memory leak (probably with gimp); but your logs might help you know what exactly is happening (~/.xsession-errors, /var/log/)

Problem appears even if I haven't used Gimp in the current session. It can be caused from 'excessive' browsing with chromium (but not firefox), browsing my 18MP pictures with the image viewer and so on. As for the logs there's nothing new there apart from what I've posted in the first post.

Originally Posted by Zill

I suggest that you would find it very difficult, if not impossible, to return your current installation to a "stock 12.04 version".

I've just found this link, where the same problem is discussed and a presumably working solution is given:

...
If you checkout the master branch of both

git://anongit.freedesktop.org/mesa/drm
and
git://anongit.freedesktop.org/xorg/driver/xf86-video-intel

You should have a working driver.

I managed to clone both links using git but I couldn't compile them. I guess I didn't download the right version or something...

both failing miserably on autogen.sh and ./configure

Any pointers?

**tecs** · June 6th, 2012

Apparently I successfully compiled and installed those packages. Will write in a couple of days to tell if it worked for good.

It might help someone, so here are the steps I made to install them:

Code:

sudo apt-get install git libtool libpciaccess-dev xutils-dev xserver-xorg-dev

mkdir git
cd git

git clone git://anongit.freedesktop.org/mesa/drm -b master
git clone git://anongit.freedesktop.org/xorg/driver/xf86-video-intel -b master

cd drm
./autogen.sh
./configure
make
sudo make install

cd ../xf86-video-intel
./autogen.sh
./configure

# src/intel_dri.c as of this version:
# http://cgit.freedesktop.org/xorg/driver/xf86-video-intel/commit/?id=a21bdbe3e312b40b936c5c68c84f5c1bc0f9fb88
# needs modification because make fails on compile
# here is a diff

# @@ -379,7 +379,7 @@
#  }
#  
#  #else
# -
# +typedef enum { false, true } bool;
#  static DRI2Buffer2Ptr
#  I830DRI2CreateBuffer(DrawablePtr drawable, unsigned int attachment,
#  		     unsigned int format)

# in simple terms, you can add (without the # symbol):
# typedef enum { false, true } bool;
# to src/intel_dri.c on line 382

make
sudo make install

**tecs** · June 10th, 2012

Already 80 hours into a continuous session and no problems whatsoever! Thanks to all of you, who helped!

Solution can be found in my previous post and will be copied to my first post for Google purposes

**Zill** · June 10th, 2012

Originally Posted by tecs

...Solution can be found in my previous post and will be copied to my first post for Google purposes

I am pleased that you figured out how to resolve the problem and have updated the thread with your comprehensive info.

Many thanks.

**tecs** · June 10th, 2012

Thread marked as unsolved again.

Unfortunately 7 hours after declaring the problem as fixed, it appeared again. I guess compiling my drivers helped against the memleak, but not enough. I assume the breakdown cycle is now around 4 days and when the UI falls apart it is not as severe as before.
Problem still persist though...

**guysoft** · August 2nd, 2012

Hey all,
I HAVE A SOLUTION!
Tested for a week now, prior to it after 4 days the bug would manifest. But thanks to people on #intel-gfx freenode we have workaround.

The solution is to set AccelMethod to "sna". However to day this rendering option is only available in the git repo, so you need to compile it. Here is a step by step instruction, and how to test that it works:

1. get the source of the drivers from git and compile it. you will need xorg's dev packages (You would be prompted if you don't have them installed at the autogen command):

Code:

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

2. install the packages, I recommend you use checkinstall, since it would be easy to remove once thease drivers do make it in to your debain-based distro:

Code:

#on debian systems, better than make install, if you dont know how to use checkinstall, just use "make install"
checkinstall

3. Now we need to set "sna" mode, so go this:
In the "Files" Section in /etc/X11/xorg.conf make sure you have local/lib/xorg/modules spesified like this:

Code:

ModulePath   "/usr/local/lib/xorg/modules,/usr/lib/xorg/modules"

4. make sure you don't have the current intel drivers floating around:
apt-get remove xserver-xorg-video-intel

5. In the "Device" Section in /etc/X11/xorg.conf mark SNA option for rendering:

Code:

Option "AccelMethod" "sna"

6. After rebooting (because you want the new driver to get loaded), you can make sure you are running on the new AccelMethod by runniung this:

Code:

guy@Golem2: $ grep SNA /var/log/Xorg.0.log
[    92.852] (II) intel(0): SNA compiled from 2.20.2-3-gfb38574
[    93.415] (II) intel(0): SNA initialized with Ironlake backend

Please confirm this works (after giving your system a few days of uptime)

**tecs** · August 12th, 2012

Hello guysoft,

thanks for the insight on the issue - it is very much appreciated, as I am still experiencing this problem. I just completed the steps above successfully and will report in a few days if everything is OK (usually when working intensively the issue can come up as soon as 3hrs into a Xorg session).

My system didn't have a xorg.conf file, so I had to create one. Here's the minimal configuration I used:

Code:

Section "Files"
	ModulePath   "/usr/local/lib/xorg/modules,/usr/lib/xorg/modules"
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier "GMA950"
	Driver "intel"
	Option "AccelMethod" "sna"
EndSection

This of course broke/defaulted lots of ccsm settings I had, but I'm leaving it at that until I can confirm everything is fixed.

**tecs** · August 17th, 2012

Code:

uptime
22:26:34 up 3 days,  2:48...

I confirm guysoft's solution to successfully eliminate the problem. Last couple of week my system would fall apart after 3-4 hours of heavy use, now it managed 3 days of Photoshop, GIMP, Chromium with 20+ tabs and a disturbingly large number of project files open in Gedit and Bluefish without any problem.

My CCSM setting went back to normal after a restart and everything is as it was before minus the bugs

Thanks again for everybody's help. Thread marked as solved!

Edit:
Can't edit first post, link to solution: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...6#post12145952

**drsto** · June 4th, 2013

Had the same problem for a while.

Instructions given under #16 works like a charm.

**ryanyeah** · August 8th, 2013

Anyone able to help with this? I've tried the solution in this thread but after I run the autogen script, it doesn't create a Makefile properly. It creates a Makefile.in and Makefile.am but not a proper Makefile that can be used. I have make installed and run 'make' in the correct directory. Any ideas??