HOWTO: Install latest intel modesetting driver.

[toaste]

To get most widescreen resolutions out of the intel 965 graphics, you will need either a modified version of 915resolution to modify your video bios or you need to compile the (still experimental, still very much being worked on, may have changes made less than 2 hours ago when you check out the code) modesetting driver.

Patching 915 resolution and temporarily replacing a video mode you won't use (they revert back at reboot) did work for me, and might be an option if you can't pull an older version of the source for the modesetting driver that will compile on edgy. Here's to hoping modesetting becomes stable enough that an exception is made to shoehorn it into feisty -- on the upside, 3D acceleration and compiz are reported to be working out of the box.

915 resolution homepage
Link to the thread with the 965 patch

[bumbles]

Many thanks for your reply toaste.

You know what? When the hackers who are putting this together confess that it's a damn ugly hack, I know to wait for proper support! I'm probably going to try and get a new gfx card through work and stick it in this Dell.

All the best,

Bumbles.

[toaste]

915 resolution worked well with my system until I got the modesetting driver to compile and install. After the modesetting driver, I used read-edid to make a mode line to stick in my xorg.conf file from the monitor's plug and play data and life was good.

If you do go for a discrete graphics card, be aware that some systems have to have the "agp=off" option added to the boot command in the grub menu or the kernel will panic on boot. And for God's sake, don't give yourself the headache of dealing with an ATI card under Linux!

[Haizman]

Using Teraxx's guide I successfully installed this Intel driver on a Dell Optiplex 745 (GMA 3000 965 chipset) on Kubuntu 6.1, but was not successful when I tried it with Ubuntu 6.1. When it worked it was great, I didn't have to edit xorg.conf with a custom modeline (I'm using an Acer AL1916W widescreen 19" monitor_native resolution is 1440 x 900). But I did something (not sure) that made it not work anymore.

Like a few others have posted, in Ubuntu 6.1 I get stopped with this error:

configure: error: Must have X server >= 1.3 source tree for mode setting code. Please specify --with-xserver-source

Does anyone know if the latest Kubuntu has the 1.3 xserver or has the driver code actually changed since it was first distributed?

I really want to use this new Dell for my work Linux box, but perhaps the hardware is too immature at this point? I don't want to give up the widescreen monitor either. If anyone out there has any ideas that would be great!

Thanks!
Haizman

[simianstyle]

I've got the same error as Haizman:

configure: error: Must have X server >= 1.3 source tree for mode setting code. Please specify --with-xserver-source


I also tried to skip the step

git checkout modesetting

however, it keeps telling me

Requested 'libdrm >= 2.2' but version of libdrm is 2.0.2

Consider adjusting the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable if you
installed software in a non-standard prefix.

Alternatively, you may set the environment variables DRI_CFLAGS
and DRI_LIBS to avoid the need to call pkg-config.
See the pkg-config man page for more details.

any suggestions?

PS: I've also installed version 2.2 of libdrm with "./configure --prefix=/usr", and yet for some reason it still won't work with the latest version of the drivers.

[bumbles]

915 resolution worked well with my system until I got the modesetting driver to compile and install. After the modesetting driver, I used read-edid to make a mode line to stick in my xorg.conf file from the monitor's plug and play data and life was good.

If you do go for a discrete graphics card, be aware that some systems have to have the "agp=off" option added to the boot command in the grub menu or the kernel will panic on boot. And for God's sake, don't give yourself the headache of dealing with an ATI card under Linux!

Thanks for the ATI tip - just compiled read-edid and it works a treat, will try this on the work PC and see if it corresponds with my previously used modeline.

As far as I can see the agp=off flag isn't there on my Edgy system, and besides, these new Dells don't come with AGP, it's PCI-E or PCI for graphics. No ATA bus either, these really are next-gen boxes!

Edit: bugger, just tried to build read-edid and realised I've installed Edgy x64 at work! Thought I'd take advantage of the Core 2 Duo...anyway it's x86 only. Anyone out there got read-edid output for the Dell 2407WFP? (I'll Google and report back.)

Edit: FWIW I've switched to VGA output, just to discount any strangeness with the DVI port. The display seems to be crisper and a bit brighter, but the resolution is the same....

Edit: Found an old ATI X550 lying around the server room. Installed it, installed the ATI driver, reboot, now got 1920x1200 on VGA. Will try DVI next. Nice!

Edit: I know this is gloating but DVI also works, but I can't get XGL or Beryl with the official driver...there's always something else with Linux...

[bumbles]

I've got the same error as Haizman:

configure: error: Must have X server >= 1.3 source tree for mode setting code. Please specify --with-xserver-source


I also tried to skip the step

git checkout modesetting

however, it keeps telling me

Requested 'libdrm >= 2.2' but version of libdrm is 2.0.2

Consider adjusting the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable if you
installed software in a non-standard prefix.

Alternatively, you may set the environment variables DRI_CFLAGS
and DRI_LIBS to avoid the need to call pkg-config.
See the pkg-config man page for more details.

any suggestions?

PS: I've also installed version 2.2 of libdrm with "./configure --prefix=/usr", and yet for some reason it still won't work with the latest version of the drivers.

I also did not download the modesetting branch, and the driver compiled OK once I'd deleted and re-gitted the source, without the modesetting branch. Now I'm thinking I need to get that branch to get it going!

I downloaded a tar.gz of libdrm2.2, configured it as above and it seemed to install fine. It wouldn't hurt immensely to reconfigure and recompile libdrm2.2 so it's definitely in /usr/lib.

[toaste]

The default branch for the Intel repos will download the source to the latest version of their normal driver. That is, it won't have any resolution-changing voodoo.

The modesetting driver now depends on the version of xserver included in xorg 7.2, which will come with Feisty in the future. Essentially, the driver is still in development (I don't even know if they're yet two thirds of the way done with it, but there is code submitted on roughly a daily basis) and Intel chose to make use of some shiny new features in the latest xorg (that they wrote) in their driver -- you can read all about it at this link. However, it means that the lastest versions of the modesetting driver won't compile for edgy.

However, if you can use git more adeptly than I can (no huge feat), you might be able to download an old snapshot of the source code that will compile with edgy. Poking around the git commits for one mentioning "distro check" iirc should get you what you need to pull before. After that, you'd just need to keep rolling back commits until it compiles (as a result of the changes made on some days, it might not)

[thatoneguy297]

One step closer!

The

./autogen.sh --prefix=/usr

was pointing to the wrong directory, as pointed out by an email between programmers here.

Instead, use

./configure --prefix=/usr --with-xserver-source=../xserver

and it should configure without complaining about not having version 1.3

Hooray! One more step closer to having widescreen support on my beautiful 32" LCD HDTV!

But!

I try to make it, and this spits out:

corey@Ubuntu:~/src/xf86-video-intel$ sudo make
make  all-recursive
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel'
Making all in src
make[2]: Entering directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src'
Making all in xvmc
make[3]: Entering directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src/xvmc'
make[3]: Nothing to be done for `all'.
make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src/xvmc'
Making all in bios_reader
make[3]: Entering directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src/bios_reader'
make[3]: Nothing to be done for `all'.
make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src/bios_reader'
Making all in ch7017
make[3]: Entering directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src/ch7017'
if /bin/bash ../../libtool --tag=CC --mode=compile gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I../..    -I/usr/include/xorg   -I/usr/include/drm -I/usr/include/X11/dri   -I./.. -I./../modes -g -O2 -MT ch7017.lo -MD -MP -MF ".deps/ch7017.Tpo" -c -o ch7017.lo ch7017.c; \
        then mv -f ".deps/ch7017.Tpo" ".deps/ch7017.Plo"; else rm -f ".deps/ch7017.Tpo"; exit 1; fi
 gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I../.. -I/usr/include/xorg -I/usr/include/drm -I/usr/include/X11/dri -I./.. -I./../modes -g -O2 -MT ch7017.lo -MD -MP -MF .deps/ch7017.Tpo -c ch7017.c  -fPIC -DPIC -o .libs/ch7017.o
ch7017.c:40:22: error: xf86Crtc.h: No such file or directory
In file included from ch7017.c:44:
../i2c_vid.h:7: error: expected specifier-qualifier-list before 'xf86OutputStatus'
ch7017.c:130: error: expected '=', ',', ';', 'asm' or '__attribute__' before 'ch7017_detect'
ch7017.c:295: error: unknown field 'detect' specified in initializer
ch7017.c:295: error: 'ch7017_detect' undeclared here (not in a function)
ch7017.c:295: warning: excess elements in struct initializer
ch7017.c:295: warning: (near initialization for 'ch7017_methods')
ch7017.c:296: error: unknown field 'mode_valid' specified in initializer
ch7017.c:296: warning: excess elements in struct initializer
ch7017.c:296: warning: (near initialization for 'ch7017_methods')
ch7017.c:297: error: unknown field 'mode_set' specified in initializer
ch7017.c:297: warning: excess elements in struct initializer
ch7017.c:297: warning: (near initialization for 'ch7017_methods')
ch7017.c:298: error: unknown field 'dpms' specified in initializer
ch7017.c:298: warning: excess elements in struct initializer
ch7017.c:298: warning: (near initialization for 'ch7017_methods')
ch7017.c:299: error: unknown field 'dump_regs' specified in initializer
ch7017.c:299: warning: excess elements in struct initializer
ch7017.c:299: warning: (near initialization for 'ch7017_methods')
ch7017.c:300: error: unknown field 'save' specified in initializer
ch7017.c:300: warning: excess elements in struct initializer
ch7017.c:300: warning: (near initialization for 'ch7017_methods')
ch7017.c:301: error: unknown field 'restore' specified in initializer
ch7017.c:301: warning: excess elements in struct initializer
ch7017.c:301: warning: (near initialization for 'ch7017_methods')
make[3]: *** [ch7017.lo] Error 1
make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src/ch7017'
make[2]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src'
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel'
make: *** [all] Error 2
corey@Ubuntu:~/src/xf86-video-intel$

So, uh... SOMETHING happened! So I tried to install anyways...

corey@Ubuntu:~/src/xf86-video-intel$ sudo make install
Making install in src
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src'
Making install in xvmc
make[2]: Entering directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src/xvmc'
make[3]: Entering directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src/xvmc'
test -z "/usr/lib" || mkdir -p -- "/usr/lib"
 /bin/bash ../../libtool --mode=install /usr/bin/install -c  'libI810XvMC.la' '/usr/lib/libI810XvMC.la'
/usr/bin/install -c .libs/libI810XvMC.so.1.0.0 /usr/lib/libI810XvMC.so.1.0.0
(cd /usr/lib && { ln -s -f libI810XvMC.so.1.0.0 libI810XvMC.so.1 || { rm -f libI810XvMC.so.1 && ln -s libI810XvMC.so.1.0.0 libI810XvMC.so.1; }; })
(cd /usr/lib && { ln -s -f libI810XvMC.so.1.0.0 libI810XvMC.so || { rm -f libI810XvMC.so && ln -s libI810XvMC.so.1.0.0 libI810XvMC.so; }; })
/usr/bin/install -c .libs/libI810XvMC.lai /usr/lib/libI810XvMC.la
PATH="$PATH:/sbin" ldconfig -n /usr/lib
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Libraries have been installed in:
   /usr/lib

If you ever happen to want to link against installed libraries
in a given directory, LIBDIR, you must either use libtool, and
specify the full pathname of the library, or use the `-LLIBDIR'
flag during linking and do at least one of the following:
   - add LIBDIR to the `LD_LIBRARY_PATH' environment variable
     during execution
   - add LIBDIR to the `LD_RUN_PATH' environment variable
     during linking
   - use the `-Wl,--rpath -Wl,LIBDIR' linker flag
   - have your system administrator add LIBDIR to `/etc/ld.so.conf'

See any operating system documentation about shared libraries for
more information, such as the ld(1) and ld.so(8) manual pages.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
make[3]: Nothing to be done for `install-data-am'.
make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src/xvmc'
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src/xvmc'
Making install in bios_reader
make[2]: Entering directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src/bios_reader'
make[3]: Entering directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src/bios_reader'
make[3]: Nothing to be done for `install-exec-am'.
make[3]: Nothing to be done for `install-data-am'.
make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src/bios_reader'
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src/bios_reader'
Making install in ch7017
make[2]: Entering directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src/ch7017'
if /bin/bash ../../libtool --tag=CC --mode=compile gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I../..    -I/usr/include/xorg   -I/usr/include/drm -I/usr/include/X11/dri   -I./.. -I./../modes -g -O2 -MT ch7017.lo -MD -MP -MF ".deps/ch7017.Tpo" -c -o ch7017.lo ch7017.c; \
        then mv -f ".deps/ch7017.Tpo" ".deps/ch7017.Plo"; else rm -f ".deps/ch7017.Tpo"; exit 1; fi
 gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I../.. -I/usr/include/xorg -I/usr/include/drm -I/usr/include/X11/dri -I./.. -I./../modes -g -O2 -MT ch7017.lo -MD -MP -MF .deps/ch7017.Tpo -c ch7017.c  -fPIC -DPIC -o .libs/ch7017.o
ch7017.c:40:22: error: xf86Crtc.h: No such file or directory
In file included from ch7017.c:44:
../i2c_vid.h:7: error: expected specifier-qualifier-list before 'xf86OutputStatus'
ch7017.c:130: error: expected '=', ',', ';', 'asm' or '__attribute__' before 'ch7017_detect'
ch7017.c:295: error: unknown field 'detect' specified in initializer
ch7017.c:295: error: 'ch7017_detect' undeclared here (not in a function)
ch7017.c:295: warning: excess elements in struct initializer
ch7017.c:295: warning: (near initialization for 'ch7017_methods')
ch7017.c:296: error: unknown field 'mode_valid' specified in initializer
ch7017.c:296: warning: excess elements in struct initializer
ch7017.c:296: warning: (near initialization for 'ch7017_methods')
ch7017.c:297: error: unknown field 'mode_set' specified in initializer
ch7017.c:297: warning: excess elements in struct initializer
ch7017.c:297: warning: (near initialization for 'ch7017_methods')
ch7017.c:298: error: unknown field 'dpms' specified in initializer
ch7017.c:298: warning: excess elements in struct initializer
ch7017.c:298: warning: (near initialization for 'ch7017_methods')
ch7017.c:299: error: unknown field 'dump_regs' specified in initializer
ch7017.c:299: warning: excess elements in struct initializer
ch7017.c:299: warning: (near initialization for 'ch7017_methods')
ch7017.c:300: error: unknown field 'save' specified in initializer
ch7017.c:300: warning: excess elements in struct initializer
ch7017.c:300: warning: (near initialization for 'ch7017_methods')
ch7017.c:301: error: unknown field 'restore' specified in initializer
ch7017.c:301: warning: excess elements in struct initializer
ch7017.c:301: warning: (near initialization for 'ch7017_methods')
make[2]: *** [ch7017.lo] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src/ch7017'
make[1]: *** [install-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/corey/src/xf86-video-intel/src'
make: *** [install-recursive] Error 1
corey@Ubuntu:~/src/xf86-video-intel$

That's new!

I just started using Linux -this week-, so a vast majority of this is purely logarithmic -- blind following on my part. Anyone have a clue what is causing these errors, and how to fix it? I'd REALLY love to have widescreen on my bigscreen, otherwise I'm going to play around with Debian, which is... okay, that was a lie, Debian scares me. I'll stay with Ubuntu, but please, any ideas?

[toaste]

thatoneguy297,

This driver will probably be more relevant when Edgy is out, but for now you can scroll back through the comments in this thread to find where I linked a patch for i915res, which will allow you to alter one of the limited possible resolutions to the native resolution of your monitor.

The disadvantage to using i915 resolution is that the change won't survive a reboot, so you'll either need to put the commands in a script that runs on startup or just redo it every boot. Intel's experimental modesetting driver doesn't suffer these drawbacks, but at the same time, it makes use of some features only available in xorg 7.2 so forcing the install around this requirement probably won't leave you with a functioning system.