nvidia-settings won't start with Xgl

ManuPeng · 04-28-2007, 04:46 AM

Hi,

This is sort of a following thread to the one I started about adjusting brightness in Compiz.

First of all, Xgl and Compiz are working just fine on my openSuSE 10.2. The X server runs on display :93.0 which appears to be the default when using Xgl on SuSE, the cube works, everything's peach, but I can't adjust the brightness or the gamma when using Xgl.

When using X with the nvidia binary drivers, I can start nvidia-settings and adjust the brightness, the contrast and the gamma.

Now to my problem, I can't start nvidia-settings with Xgl, I tried different display variables, starting with :93.0 because this is where I suspect the X server to run, and in Xgl mode, my xorg log file is called /var/log/Xorg.93.log.

Anyways, it looks like this:

Code:

manu@linux:~> export DISPLAY=:1.0
manu@linux:~> nvidia-settings

(nvidia-settings:5703): Gtk-WARNING **: cannot open display:
manu@linux:~> export DISPLAY=:0.0
manu@linux:~> nvidia-settings

ERROR: NV-CONTROL extension not found on this Display.
ERROR: Unable to determine number of NVIDIA GPUs on ':0.0'.
ERROR: Unable to determine number of NVIDIA Frame Lock Devices 
on ':0.0'.
ERROR: Unable to determine number of NVIDIA VCSCs on ':0.0'.

manu@linux:~> export DISPLAY=:2.0
manu@linux:~> nvidia-settings

(nvidia-settings:5761): Gtk-WARNING **: cannot open display:
manu@linux:~> export DISPLAY=:93.0
manu@linux:~> nvidia-settings
Xlib: connection to ":93.0" refused by server
Xlib: No protocol specified

(nvidia-settings:5766): Gtk-WARNING **: cannot open display:

In my distress, I then tried to disable authorization on the server with "xhost +", and tried all that again:

Code:

manu@linux:~> xhost +
Xlib: connection to ":93.0" refused by server
Xlib: No protocol specified

xhost:  unable to open display ":93.0"
manu@linux:~> export DISPLAY=:0.0
manu@linux:~> xhost +
access control disabled, clients can connect from any host
manu@linux:~> nvidia-settings

ERROR: NV-CONTROL extension not found on this Display.
ERROR: Unable to determine number of NVIDIA GPUs on ':0.0'.
ERROR: Unable to determine number of NVIDIA Frame Lock Devices 
on ':0.0'.
ERROR: Unable to determine number of NVIDIA VCSCs on ':0.0'.

manu@linux:~> export DISPLAY=:1.0
manu@linux:~> nvidia-settings

(nvidia-settings:6102): Gtk-WARNING **: cannot open display:

I don't know anymore... any ideas?

Manu

samstar · 04-28-2007, 06:26 AM

Hi,

What kind of hardware configuration do you have? What nvidia card do you have? And what version nvidia drivers are you using?

If you think the problem is with Xgl, you can enable desktop compositing (the 3D effects) without it. In later driver releases, nvidia has its own compositing system. It might increase compatibility with its nvidia-settings program. Disable Xgl, and have a look here:

http://en.opensuse.org/Beryl#Beryl_w...no_Xgl.2FAIGLX

Hope this helps,
Sam

ManuPeng · 04-28-2007, 09:23 AM

Hey, thanks for your response...

My nvidia card is a 7600 GT with 256MB, so quite a fat card, my driver is 1.0-9746.

So it's possible to disable Xgl and still use compiz? I read somewhere that it was sort of a requirement to run it. I mean, if I hit my sysconfig and change my display server back to Xorg, how do I still use compiz and the 3D effects? What do I have to change? The window manager?

It would be an interesting test, I mean, it's sad because Xgl + compiz work just fine on my system, but it's too dark to be enjoyable.

Manu

Quakeboy02 · 04-28-2007, 11:44 AM

Question: doesn't glx do what you want? I'm a n00b at all this xgl, glx, dri, pqz (haha) business.

samstar · 04-28-2007, 12:46 PM

The link I posted should give you all the steps you need to get the 3d effects without Xgl. But in order to do so, you will be running beryl, which is an alternative program to compiz. They both have the same effects, though, so don't think that you're losing anything in the transition.

Quote:

Question: doesn't glx do what you want? I'm a n00b at all this xgl, glx, dri, pqz (haha) business.

Quakeboy, the software is still in early stages of development, so some people's computers have 3D effects working better with AIGLX instead of Xgl, and some who have nvidia cards can use nvidia instead of either.

Sam

ManuPeng · 04-29-2007, 05:18 AM

Yeah, thanks, I followed your link yesterday and got Beryl running without Xgl.

It took a lot of tweaking to get rid of the error messages I received in the beginning. I love Beryl so far, there are some gorgeous themes.

I still have a couple issues, but nothing serious, like the "minimize", "maximize" and "close" buttons are missing in the windows frames at first, and I have to reload the decorator. It's nothing bad, I could probably write a script to auto-reload on startup.

So overall, I'm happy, and indeed all my trouble came from Xgl, but it sure will improve in the next months, and my current setup is doing everything that I want anyways.

Thanks again.
Manu
Ps: Quakeboy02, I've only read bad things about DRI, like it's crashy stuff so I didn't bother activating it in my xorg.conf as told in the How-to. But I'm no expert at this DRI stuff either, I could be wrong. If it ain't broken...

samstar · 04-29-2007, 01:26 PM

So just to confirm, can you now get your nvidia-settings running, and change screen brightness, etc.?

Sam

ManuPeng · 04-30-2007, 07:15 AM

Yes, all is fine, I can start nvidia-settings and set whatever display parameter I want.

To tell you the truth, I even like this way of doing things better because I can start and end a Beryl session on the fly, independently of my X session. No need to restart X every time.

Thanks again,
Manu