For NVIDIA users with suicidal tendencies: you have a new driver called "modesetting"

Darth Vader · 11-28-2010, 04:12 PM

I do not know if many know, but after the last update of the Slackware-current, we have a new NVIDIA driver in ... Mesa!?!

Browse the directory /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers. You'll find a new driver called modesetting_drv.so.

You know what is it? Surprise!

It is the (future) NVIDIA driver, built on top of KMS and Gallium, which is the next generation of MESA.

You can use it in a classic way, i.e. add on the /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/50-monitor.conf:

Code:

Section "Device"
  Identifier "Card0"
  Driver     "modesetting"
EndSection

Well, to note: It doesn't support any option and of course requires KMS and the Gallium Nouveau.

And finally, it is ALPHA.

Someone interested to test it?

sahko · 11-28-2010, 04:36 PM

I tested nouveau with KDE earlier and system locked with 3d enabled and disabled.

Darth Vader · 11-28-2010, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sahko

I tested nouveau with KDE earlier and system locked with 3d enabled and disabled.

You used the nouveau or this modesetting video driver?

vehn · 11-29-2010, 01:06 AM

I have ~600 fps with 'modesetting' and ~2100 fps with 'nouveau' in glxgears. So strange results. I have:

Quote:

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation G84 [GeForce 8600 GT] (rev a1)

and 2 monitors connected to it. Also with 'modesetting' I have terrible fourfold cursor

p.s. imho it is not quite correct to name 'modesetting' -- new driver. I think it is 'nouveau' compiled with Gallium. But I can be at fault, correct me if this is not so.

sahko · 11-29-2010, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darth Vader

You used the nouveau or this modesetting video driver?

I used nouveau, which despite of KDE being much more snappier than with the blob, eventually proved suicidal enough.
I think i'll pass on modesetting for now.

H_TeXMeX_H · 11-29-2010, 05:54 AM

I think I'll wait until it has been beta for a few months, then I'll try it.

devnull10 · 11-29-2010, 06:21 AM

Having hit so many problems with the recent -current updates to X which seemed to screw the NVIDIA driver every which way they could, I think I'll avoid this for the time being.

allend · 11-29-2010, 06:23 AM

After researching this, I am disputing the claim that modesetting_drv.so is a new driver.
Rather, I believe it be a state tracker (actually the Xorg state tracker that retains the name modesetting_drv in the Mesa source). It is generic code for any video device that can be handled by KMS.

Inspection of the Mesa 7.9 source shows modesetting_drv.so takes driver pipes defined for both Intel and nVidia hardware.

Quote:

bash-4.1$ grep -lR modesetting_drv *
src/gallium/targets/xorg-nouveau/Makefile
src/gallium/targets/xorg-i915/Makefile

For a description of how state trackers fit in with Mesa core and gallium drivers see
http://www.phoronix.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23598

From http://www.radeonhd.org/?page=archiv...9&d=2009-12-27

Quote:

bridgman: airlied, I was under the impression that the xorg state tracker had replaced the modesetting_drv driver, is that not the case ?
...
airlied: bridgman: prety much, we just had the name modesetting_drv.so still
airlied: in gallium