[SOLVED] Current 32bit i915 and mesa 23.0

keithpeter · 03-25-2023, 12:39 PM

Hello All

I'm testing Slackware current 32bit on a Thinkpad X60 dual core laptop.

Code:

bash-5.2$ lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/PM/GMS, 943/940GML and 945GT Express Memory Controller Hub (rev 03)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/GME, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)

With current updated to 22nd March, I found Firefox 111 using a lot of CPU, typically 50% to 100% (of one core) which is much more than normal. Xpdf was complaining about graphics as well, see errors below...

Code:

bash-5.2$ xpdf gawk.pdf 
libGL error: did not find extension DRI_Mesa version 1
libGL error: failed to load driver: i915

bash-5.2$ firefox &
[1] 13891
bash-5.2$ Crash Annotation GraphicsCriticalError: |[0][GFX1-]: No GPUs detected via PCI (t=5.65308) [GFX1-]: No GPUs detected via PCI
Crash Annotation GraphicsCriticalError: |[0][GFX1-]: No GPUs detected via PCI (t=5.65308) |[1][GFX1-]: glxtest: process failed (received signal 11) (t=5.65325) [GFX1-]: glxtest: process failed (received signal 11)

A bit of glxinfo below...

Code:

bash-5.2$ head glxinfo.txt
name of display: :0.0
display: :0  screen: 0
direct rendering: Yes
server glx vendor string: SGI
server glx version string: 1.4
server glx extensions:
    GLX_ARB_create_context, GLX_ARB_create_context_no_error, 
    GLX_ARB_create_context_profile, GLX_ARB_fbconfig_float, 
    GLX_ARB_framebuffer_sRGB, GLX_ARB_multisample, 
    GLX_EXT_create_context_es2_profile, GLX_EXT_create_context_es_profile,

Some posts on this forum and a bit of googling lead me to downgrade mesa from mesa-23.0.0 to mesa-21.3.5 from Slackware 15.0 (I just ran upgradepkg on the package downloaded from a mirror) which has resulted in a much calmer Firefox.

Am I stuck with mesa-21.3.5 now or is there a work around that allows the use of the later mesa library?

the3dfxdude · 03-25-2023, 01:03 PM

What happens if you downgrade firefox to the version in Slackware 15.0, and keep mesa 23.0.0? For science of course...

keithpeter · 03-25-2023, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the3dfxdude

What happens if you downgrade firefox to the version in Slackware 15.0, and keep mesa 23.0.0? For science of course...

I downloaded the Firefox-esr 102 binaries from Mozilla before downgrading mesa and no difference, but I'll reinstate mesa-23.0 and try Slackware 15.0s Firefox tomorrow morning.

Palemoon from Slackbuilds 15.0 compiled in 2h and works calmly as does native Seamonkey.

This is a full Slackware install minus the KDE package set by the way.

LuckyCyborg · 03-25-2023, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keithpeter

Am I stuck with mesa-21.3.5 now or is there a work around that allows the use of the later mesa library?

Yep, unfortunately you are stuck on Mesa (Amber) 21.3.x, because the support for your Intel 945GM graphics was removed since Mesa 22.0.x so make no sense to struggle for a newer Mesa release - there is nothing for you there, even the Gallium i915g driver (which is not built/shipped by Slackware) has no support for your graphics but maybe I am mistaken.

Even on latest slackware-current, the current Mesa package in fact ships a i915 driver from Mesa Amber 21.3.9 and this one should work for you.

In other hand, you want to say that that i915 driver of Mesa Amber 21.3.9 does not work for you? It works fine for me with an Intel GMA3150, which is not much more modern than your hardware.

keithpeter · 03-25-2023, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LuckyCyborg

In other hand, you want to say that that i915 driver of Mesa Amber 21.3.9 does not work for you? It works fine for me with an Intel GMA3150, which is not much more modern than your hardware.

Thanks for reply and 'data point' about GMA3150.

I think I will revert to current's mesa-23.0 tomorrow and investigate what modules are actually loaded and so forth and have a look at Xorg logs.

I assumed that the error messages and high CPU from Firefox 111 and the error messages from Xpdf were because of the lack of graphics acceleration. It might be something else.

(This machine is just a test install out of interest, nothing crucial).

the3dfxdude · 03-25-2023, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keithpeter

I downloaded the Firefox-esr 102 binaries from Mozilla before downgrading mesa and no difference, but I'll reinstate mesa-23.0 and try Slackware 15.0s Firefox tomorrow morning.

Palemoon from Slackbuilds 15.0 compiled in 2h and works calmly as does native Seamonkey.

This is a full Slackware install minus the KDE package set by the way.

Right so firefox 102 might be too new for whatever it is doing. I think slackware 15 came with firefox 91? I have no idea if that is still too new for your machine, but did you try slackware 15 before moving to current? I'm perplexed by firefox myself as it has changed over the years. Does it really have working hardware usage now? and why does Palemoon and Seamonkey work better, basically being the same browser? Something is going on in the UI code being written these days. Kind of makes me wonder about LibreOffice 7.x series. It also makes me want to go back and see the 32-bit experience of Chromium if that is also faster just it is for me on 64-bit. (I don't like chromium, but it's hard to argue against its capability)

Frankly I am a bit confused about your problem. Moving between Mesa 23.0.0 and Mesa 21.3.5 should make no difference if you are using i915 from Amber. Amber has not changed, right? Unless something else is happening we have not seen.

keithpeter · 03-25-2023, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the3dfxdude

Right so firefox 102 might be too new for whatever it is doing.

Thanks for your replies.

http://slackware.uk/slackware/slackw...ches/packages/

Firefox 102 is in Slackware 15.0 in patches, and 15.0 has run fine on this laptop up to last week albeit with fluxbox as window manager and no KDE or xfce installed. Certainly not spiking up to 100% on BBC News front page.

The high CPU use with Firefox 102 or 111 was occurring with mesa-23.0 that comes with current. Xfce 4.18's compositor seems to work fine, and full-screen glxgears grind away happily at a frame rate close to the display refresh rate.

Since downgrading mesa to 21.3.5, this current installation has run Firefox 102 and Firefox 111 in a reasonably calm fashion.

My plan now is to revert to mesa 23.0 and try to see what is going on.

(PS I think Palemoon and Seamonkey diverged from main Firefox line some time ago)

keithpeter · 03-26-2023, 12:06 PM

Code:

Sat Mar 25 18:59:34 UTC 2023
l/netpbm-11.02.00-i586-1.txz:  Upgraded.
x/mesa-23.0.1-i586-1.txz:  Upgraded.
  Properly apply/revert patches for the amber drivers. Thanks to lucabon.

Alas...

Code:

bash-5.2$ firefox &
[1] 1517
bash-5.2$ Crash Annotation GraphicsCriticalError: |[0][GFX1-]: No GPUs detected via PCI (t=9.93035) [GFX1-]: No GPUs detected via PCI
Crash Annotation GraphicsCriticalError: |[0][GFX1-]: No GPUs detected via PCI (t=9.93035) |[1][GFX1-]: glxtest: process failed (received signal 11) (t=9.93055) [GFX1-]: glxtest: process failed (received signal 11)

Above from Firefox-esr 91 from Slackware 15.0

Yesterday's mesa-23.0.1 update did not improve the situation.

Summary: mesa-21.3.5 from Slackware 15.0 works as expected when installed on this Current install.

mesa-23 which *includes* a legacy mesa-21.3.5 build for certain hardware code named 'amber' works in a different way such that Firefox exhibits high CPU use and generates error messages as shown above.

This is a 17 year old laptop, and inevitably time moves on, but I'm continuing to research this as my understanding is that mesa should 'fall back' to amber somehow which I'm assuming should mean that it works the same as mesa-21.3.5 on this hardware.

Petri Kaukasoina · 03-26-2023, 12:25 PM

By the way, the amber drivers in Slackware mesa-23.0.1-i586-1 package are from mesa-21.3.9. If you are satisfied with the old mesa-21.3.5-i586-2 from 15.0, you might want to use this one, instead: https://slackware.uk/cumulative/slac...3.8-i586-3.txz. It's newer. And if you for some reason try, for example, the swrast driver, it's linked to the llvm 14 which you have, instead of llvm 13 which you don't have.

keithpeter · 03-26-2023, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Petri Kaukasoina

...you might want to use this one, instead: https://slackware.uk/cumulative/slac...3.8-i586-3.txz...

Thanks for reply. Installed this using upgradepkg and rebooted into xfce and ran firefox 111...

Code:

bash-5.2$ firefox &
[1] 1531
bash-5.2$ Crash Annotation GraphicsCriticalError: |[0][GFX1-]: glxtest: eglCreateContext returned an error (t=5.88345) [GFX1-]: glxtest: eglCreateContext returned an error

Which is one less error than with mesa-23.0.0. Still quite heavy on CPU but not pegging at 100% of a core on bbc.co.uk/news. Subsides quite quickly.

I get the impression that this hardware has reached the end of the road with mesa and so I'm marking this as solved.

Thanks all.

Petri Kaukasoina · 03-26-2023, 01:46 PM

If you only want to use firefox, you can turn off hardware acceleration. Under the hamburger menu button: Settings, General, Performance, unselect 'Use recommended performance settings', unselect "Use hardware acceleration when available".

keithpeter · 03-26-2023, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Petri Kaukasoina

If you only want to use firefox, you can turn off hardware acceleration. Under the hamburger menu button: Settings, General, Performance, unselect 'Use recommended performance settings', unselect "Use hardware acceleration when available".

Thanks again for reply.

That is actually how this all started. I noticed the fan running loud when the only application I had open was Firefox with one tab on bbc.co.uk/news/ (not a heavy page especially).

So I disabled hardware acceleration in Firefox and it was similar CPU use.

Then switched hardware acceleration back on, quit Firefox and ran it from the terminal and got the 'no i915 driver' found errors in the first post...

Cheers

basharx · 04-01-2023, 04:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keithpeter

I'm testing Slackware current 32bit on a Thinkpad X60 dual core laptop.

Code:

bash-5.2$ lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/PM/GMS, 943/940GML and 945GT Express Memory Controller Hub (rev 03)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/GME, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)

You can also try turning on OpenGL 2.1 with 945GM and see what happens, OpenGL 1.4 is now the default setting in Mesa.
See the reasoning behind it and how to turn it on here:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Mesa-i915-OpenGL-2-Drop
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/int...th_i915_driver
run "glxinfo | grep OpenGL" to check the version

keithpeter · 04-02-2023, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by basharx

You can also try turning on OpenGL 2.1 with 945GM and see what happens, OpenGL 1.4 is now the default setting in Mesa.
See the reasoning behind it and how to turn it on here:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Mesa-i915-OpenGL-2-Drop
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/int...th_i915_driver
run "glxinfo | grep OpenGL" to check the version

Thankyou for reply.

Current updated to 31st March with mesa 23.0.1

Based on the archwiki page you linked to I made a ~/.drirc file like this...

Code:

bash-5.2$ cat .drirc
<driconf>
    <device driver="i915">
        <application name="Default">
            <option name="stub_occlusion_query" value="true" />
            <option name="fragment_shader" value="true" />
        </application>
    </device>
</driconf>

The result of your suggested glxinfo command is this...

Code:

bash-5.2$ glxinfo | grep OpenGL
libGL error: did not find extension DRI_Mesa version 1
libGL error: failed to load driver: i915
OpenGL vendor string: Mesa
OpenGL renderer string: llvmpipe (LLVM 16.0.0, 128 bits)
OpenGL core profile version string: 4.5 (Core Profile) Mesa 23.0.1
OpenGL core profile shading language version string: 4.50
OpenGL core profile context flags: (none)
OpenGL core profile profile mask: core profile
OpenGL core profile extensions:
OpenGL version string: 4.5 (Compatibility Profile) Mesa 23.0.1
OpenGL shading language version string: 4.50
OpenGL context flags: (none)
OpenGL profile mask: compatibility profile
OpenGL extensions:
OpenGL ES profile version string: OpenGL ES 3.2 Mesa 23.0.1
OpenGL ES profile shading language version string: OpenGL ES GLSL ES 3.20
OpenGL ES profile extensions:
bash-5.2$

From which I conclude that mesa-23.0 is not supporting my graphics card and that applications that require accelerated graphics are falling back to llvmpipe software rendering.

Firefox and xpdf from current-20230331 are giving the familiar error messages that I noted at the beginning of this post. However firefox seems to be less 'jumpy' and does not saturate a core on www.bbc.co.uk/news as I saw at first so some improvement.

basharx · 04-03-2023, 02:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keithpeter

Code:

bash-5.2$ glxinfo | grep OpenGL
libGL error: did not find extension DRI_Mesa version 1
libGL error: failed to load driver: i915
OpenGL vendor string: Mesa
OpenGL renderer string: llvmpipe (LLVM 16.0.0, 128 bits)
OpenGL core profile version string: 4.5 (Core Profile) Mesa 23.0.1
bash-5.2$

From which I conclude that mesa-23.0 is not supporting my graphics card and that applications that require accelerated graphics are falling back to llvmpipe software rendering.

Firefox and xpdf from current-20230331 are giving the familiar error messages that I noted at the beginning of this post. However firefox seems to be less 'jumpy' and does not saturate a core on www.bbc.co.uk/news as I saw at first so some improvement.

It could also be a Mesa 23.x problem, I don't get the libGL error on a Slackware 15.0 32-bit/945GM with Mesa 21.3.5 (which reports OpenGL version 2.1).

You can still see if setting LIBGL_DRIVERS_PATH to something sensible like /usr/lib/dri helps, see:
https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/mesa/mesa/-/issues/8295

Or try this and see how is the performance:
LIBGL_ALWAYS_INDIRECT=1 firefox