config Ubuntu Lucid for Intel GM965/GL960 video hardware

SaintDanBert · 07-14-2010, 07:20 PM

Can someone give me clues about adjusting my Ubuntu Lucid X11 use of my Intel video hardware?

My laptop has video hardware identified as follows:
( output from sudo lshw)

Code:

...
*-display:0 UNCLAIMED
    description: VGA compatible controller
    product: Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller
    vendor: Intel Corporation
    physical id: 2
    bus info: pci@0000:00:02.0
    version: 0c
    width: 64 bits
    clock: 33MHz
    capabilities: msi pm bus_master cap_list
    configuration: latency=0
*-display:1 UNCLAIMED
    description: Display controller
    product: Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller
    vendor: Intel Corporation
    physical id: 2.1
    bus info: pci@0000:00:02.1
    version: 0c
    width: 64 bits
    clock: 33MHz
    capabilities: pm bus_master cap_list
    configuration: latency=0
...

Under Ubuntu Lucid, all of the X11 configuration happens dynamically during system start and user login. Whatever happens by magic mostly works, but I want to make sure that I'm using all of the hardware available and not simple a set of midddle-of-road settings.

Q1: How do I as X11 to report which driver parameter are currently used?

Q2: How do I set alternate driver paramters so that X11 will use them?

Q3: The lshwoutput shows two displays, display:0 and display:1. Can someone tell me why two and how to make use of both of these?

NOTE -- The existing forum entries are mostly from April 2009 or talk about Compiz issues. While Compiz will squeeze video hardware pretty well, I use a tablet-PC and so far, Compiz features do not play well with tablet features.

SaintDanBert · 07-14-2010, 07:31 PM

The output from xdpyinfo includes:

Code:

name of display:    :0.0
version number:    11.0
vendor string:    The X.Org Foundation
vendor release number:    10600000
X.Org version: 1.6.0
maximum request size:  16777212 bytes
motion buffer size:  256
bitmap unit, bit order, padding:    32, LSBFirst, 32
image byte order:    LSBFirst
number of supported pixmap formats:    7
supported pixmap formats:
    depth 1, bits_per_pixel 1, scanline_pad 32
    depth 4, bits_per_pixel 8, scanline_pad 32
    depth 8, bits_per_pixel 8, scanline_pad 32
    depth 15, bits_per_pixel 16, scanline_pad 32
    depth 16, bits_per_pixel 16, scanline_pad 32
    depth 24, bits_per_pixel 32, scanline_pad 32
    depth 32, bits_per_pixel 32, scanline_pad 32
keycode range:    minimum 8, maximum 255
focus:  window 0x7c00059, revert to PointerRoot
number of extensions:    27
    BIG-REQUESTS
    Composite
    DAMAGE
    DOUBLE-BUFFER
    DPMS
    DRI2
    GLX
    Generic Event Extension
    MIT-SCREEN-SAVER
    MIT-SHM
    RANDR
    RECORD
    RENDER
    SECURITY
    SGI-GLX
    SHAPE
    SYNC
    X-Resource
    XC-MISC
    XFIXES
    XFree86-DGA
    XFree86-VidModeExtension
    XINERAMA
    XInputExtension
    XKEYBOARD
    XTEST
    XVideo
default screen number:    0
number of screens:    1

screen #0:
  dimensions:    1400x1050 pixels (245x184 millimeters)
  resolution:    145x145 dots per inch
  depths (7):    24, 1, 4, 8, 15, 16, 32
  root window id:    0xdf
  depth of root window:    24 planes
  number of colormaps:    minimum 1, maximum 1
  default colormap:    0x20
  default number of colormap cells:    256
  preallocated pixels:    black 0, white 16777215
  options:    backing-store NO, save-unders NO
  largest cursor:    64x64
  current input event mask:    0xfac033
    KeyPressMask             KeyReleaseMask           EnterWindowMask
    LeaveWindowMask          KeymapStateMask          ExposureMask
    StructureNotifyMask      SubstructureNotifyMask   SubstructureRedirectMask
    FocusChangeMask          PropertyChangeMask       ColormapChangeMask
  number of visuals:    36
  default visual id:  0x21
  visual:
    visual id:    0x21
    class:    TrueColor
    depth:    24 planes
    available colormap entries:    256 per subfield
    red, green, blue masks:    0xff0000, 0xff00, 0xff
    significant bits in color specification:    8 bits
...
... a long list of other "visual" entries
...

Also, svinfo reports:

Code:

X-Video Extension version 2.2
screen #0
  Adaptor #0: "Intel(R) Textured Video"
    number of ports: 16
    port base: 96
    operations supported: PutImage
    supported visuals:
      depth 24, visualID 0x21
    number of attributes: 3
      "XV_BRIGHTNESS" (range -128 to 127)
              client settable attribute
              client gettable attribute (current value is 0)
      "XV_CONTRAST" (range 0 to 255)
              client settable attribute
              client gettable attribute (current value is 0)
      "XV_SYNC_TO_VBLANK" (range -1 to 1)
              client settable attribute
              client gettable attribute (current value is 1)
    maximum XvImage size: 2048 x 2048
    Number of image formats: 5
      id: 0x32595559 (YUY2)
        guid: 59555932-0000-0010-8000-00aa00389b71
        bits per pixel: 16
        number of planes: 1
        type: YUV (packed)
      id: 0x32315659 (YV12)
        guid: 59563132-0000-0010-8000-00aa00389b71
        bits per pixel: 12
        number of planes: 3
        type: YUV (planar)
      id: 0x30323449 (I420)
        guid: 49343230-0000-0010-8000-00aa00389b71
        bits per pixel: 12
        number of planes: 3
        type: YUV (planar)
      id: 0x59565955 (UYVY)
        guid: 55595659-0000-0010-8000-00aa00389b71
        bits per pixel: 16
        number of planes: 1
        type: YUV (packed)
      id: 0x434d5658 (XVMC)
        guid: 58564d43-0000-0010-8000-00aa00389b71
        bits per pixel: 12
        number of planes: 3
        type: YUV (planar)
  Adaptor #1: "Intel(R) Video Overlay"
    number of ports: 1
    port base: 112
    operations supported: PutImage
    supported visuals:
      depth 24, visualID 0x21
    number of attributes: 12
      "XV_COLORKEY" (range 0 to 16777215)
              client settable attribute
              client gettable attribute (current value is 66046)
      "XV_BRIGHTNESS" (range -128 to 127)
              client settable attribute
              client gettable attribute (current value is -19)
      "XV_CONTRAST" (range 0 to 255)
              client settable attribute
              client gettable attribute (current value is 75)
      "XV_SATURATION" (range 0 to 1023)
              client settable attribute
              client gettable attribute (current value is 146)
      "XV_DOUBLE_BUFFER" (range 0 to 1)
              client settable attribute
              client gettable attribute (current value is 1)
      "XV_PIPE" (range -1 to 1)
              client settable attribute
              client gettable attribute (current value is -1)
      "XV_GAMMA0" (range 0 to 16777215)
              client settable attribute
              client gettable attribute (current value is 526344)
      "XV_GAMMA1" (range 0 to 16777215)
              client settable attribute
              client gettable attribute (current value is 1052688)
      "XV_GAMMA2" (range 0 to 16777215)
              client settable attribute
              client gettable attribute (current value is 2105376)
      "XV_GAMMA3" (range 0 to 16777215)
              client settable attribute
              client gettable attribute (current value is 4210752)
      "XV_GAMMA4" (range 0 to 16777215)
              client settable attribute
              client gettable attribute (current value is 8421504)
      "XV_GAMMA5" (range 0 to 16777215)
              client settable attribute
              client gettable attribute (current value is 12632256)
    maximum XvImage size: 2048 x 2048
    Number of image formats: 5
      id: 0x32595559 (YUY2)
        guid: 59555932-0000-0010-8000-00aa00389b71
        bits per pixel: 16
        number of planes: 1
        type: YUV (packed)
      id: 0x32315659 (YV12)
        guid: 59563132-0000-0010-8000-00aa00389b71
        bits per pixel: 12
        number of planes: 3
        type: YUV (planar)
      id: 0x30323449 (I420)
        guid: 49343230-0000-0010-8000-00aa00389b71
        bits per pixel: 12
        number of planes: 3
        type: YUV (planar)
      id: 0x59565955 (UYVY)
        guid: 55595659-0000-0010-8000-00aa00389b71
        bits per pixel: 16
        number of planes: 1
        type: YUV (packed)
      id: 0x434d5658 (XVMC)
        guid: 58564d43-0000-0010-8000-00aa00389b71
        bits per pixel: 12
        number of planes: 3
        type: YUV (planar)

I have almost no idea what most of this means and how it might be useful.

adamk75 · 07-16-2010, 04:40 AM

Quote:

Q1: How do I as X11 to report which driver parameter are currently used?

According to the xvinfo, you are using the correct "intel" driver for your GPU.

Quote:

Q2: How do I set alternate driver paramters so that X11 will use them?

And what parameters might you be talking about?

Quote:

Q3: The lshwoutput shows two displays, display:0 and display:1. Can someone tell me why two and how to make use of both of these?

You probably have more than an one output on our machine (perhaps an internal LVDS display and an external DVI or VGA, for example). You can use xrandr to activate them both.

Adam

SaintDanBert · 07-16-2010, 09:37 AM

You say that xvinfo tells you that I'm running the correct driver. Which details tell you that because I don't see them?
Where do I find docs or similar so that I might learn {a lot} more about contemporary X11?

Specifically, are any docs available that describe the dynamic configuration processing?

Quote:

Originally Posted by adamk75

...
You probably have more than an one output on our machine (perhaps an internal LVDS display and an external DVI or VGA, for example). You can use xrandr to activate them both.

Adam

(blush) I completely forgot about the external monitor port.

adamk75 · 07-16-2010, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SaintDanBert

You say that xvinfo tells you that I'm running the correct driver. Which details tell you that because I don't see them?

Code:

 Adaptor #0: "Intel(R) Textured Video"

Only the intel video driver provides the intel textured video adaptor.

Code:

Where do I find docs or similar so that I might learn {a lot} more about contemporary X11?

Specifically, are any docs available that describe the dynamic configuration processing?

This is still the best source of Xorg documentation that I know of: http://www.x.org/wiki/Documentation

Though, to be honest, I'm not completely sure I know what you mean about the "dynamic configuration processing"

Adam

SaintDanBert · 07-16-2010, 10:56 PM

I was looking for something specific like driver="nameString" and driverVersion="versionString". If I understand, the driver is a kernel module so I'd expect to find "mumble.so" or "mumble.ko".
Where would I discover that sort of thing.
Using lsmod I see the following:

Code:

video                  25872  0
output                 11008  1 video
intel_agp              34108  1
agpgart                42696  3 drm,intel_agp

When I talk about dynamic configuration processing I'm talking about the combination of "device detection", "events", "per-event scripts" and related smoke-and-mirrors that move the workstation from power-on to running X-server with display and various input devices.
The X-server continues to require "configuration" but that happens automatically, somehow, without administrator intervention. Only if the admin wants to tinker is the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file used.

I've been slinging bits long enough in various ways and so I believe that I can speculate about what is happening with a small circular, error-probability. I've looked but been unable to find blueprints or similar documents. Since the hardware detection must take place as part of system start-up, SOMETHING tells the kernel to load a device driver module. When loaded, the module must throw events. Something then catches those events and runs the corresponding jobs and scripts and things. I know that upstart is part of this solution. I believe that X11 is doing its own things...

Frustrated by "missing" documentation,
~~~ 0;-Dan

adamk75 · 07-17-2010, 07:31 AM

There are actually three parts to the video driver. There's the 2D Xorg driver. You can see what version of that you are using by running 'grep -A 2 intel_drv.so /var/log/Xorg.0.log'.

There's the kernel driver (part of the DRM, or the direct rendering manager). You can check that version with 'dmesg | grep drm' though the version numbers and dates don't get bumped there very often.

There's also the 3D Mesa driver. You can find that out with 'glxinfo | grep version'.

I'm not sure there's much documentation on how either the kernel or Xorg knows which drivers to load automatically outside of the source code to those two projects, so if this is something you're interested in, that's probably where you should start looking.

Adam

SaintDanBert · 07-17-2010, 12:06 PM

Your "three part" details are really very helpful. Thanks, heaps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by adamk75

There are actually three parts to the video driver.
...

Is this true for all video or for specifically Intel drivers?

Where was I supposed to read to learn all of this on my own?
One hopes that there is a thread one can pull and follow to find information. A follow-the-thread approach is preferred to the hunt-for-eggs approach where one stumbles over facts in a mostly random way.

~~~ 0;-Dan

adamk75 · 07-17-2010, 12:14 PM

It's true for all the open source drivers that use the direct rendering infrastructure.

In fact, I think it's true for nvidia, though instead of their 3D driver being part of Mesa, they use their own infrastructure, replacing the systems libGL.so and Xorg's glx module, too.

Generally speaking, most people don't read to learn all of this. As end users, they wouldn't care :-)

However, there's information on the DRI (other than the source code) and wikipedia is a good place to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_...Infrastructure

It contains links to various technical documents, including the the original design document.

Adam