vboxvideo driver not auto-loaded due to missing mod alias

[Tim Lunn]

Since Xorg 1.13 landed in Quantal, the vboxvideo drm driver fails to autoload, unless manually added to /etc/modules.

vboxvideo is missing modalias export, thus udev does not know what driver to load for this. I think previously Xorg would load the drm drivers if they weren't already, but that doesnt seem to be happening anymore.

This can be fixed by exporting mod alias from the drm driver. See attached patch.

[Impact]
The graphics acceleration doesn't work in guests.

[Test Case]
The vboxvideo needs to be loaded (check with "lsmod | grep vboxvideo")

This error doesn't appear in the X log:
(EE) VBoxVideo(0): DRIScreenInit failed, disabling DRI.
Check with: grep EE /var/log/Xorg.0.log

[Development Fix]
Fixed during Raring cycle.

[Stable Fix]
Is being fixed in 4.1.18-dfsg-1ubuntu1.2 upload to quantal-proposed.

[Regression Potential]
Very low, the fix is to add an init script that loads the vboxvideo kernel module.

[Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot (crichton)]

The attachment "export mod alias from vboxvideo drm driver" of this bug report has been identified as being a patch. The ubuntu-reviewers team has been subscribed to the bug report so that they can review the patch. In the event that this is in fact not a patch you can resolve this situation by removing the tag 'patch' from the bug report and editing the attachment so that it is not flagged as a patch. Additionally, if you are member of the ubuntu-reviewers team please also unsubscribe the team from this bug report.

[This is an automated message performed by a Launchpad user owned by Brian Murray. Please contact him regarding any issues with the action taken in this bug report.]

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package virtualbox - 4.1.22-dfsg-0ubuntu2

---------------
virtualbox (4.1.22-dfsg-0ubuntu2) raring; urgency=low

  * Fix broken DNS in guests when the NetworkManager dnsmasq resolver
    is used on the host. (LP: #1031217)
  * Add an init script to virtuabox-guest-x11 which loads the vboxvideo
    kernel module. The X Server 1.13 doesn't load it anymore. (LP: #1049067)
 -- Felix Geyer <email address hidden> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:08:10 +0100

[Clint Byrum (clint-fewbar)]

Hello! This bug is missing the required information as specified in the Ubuntu Stable Release Updates policy:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/StableReleaseUpdates

Please add the required information. The queued upload to quantal-proposed cannot be accepted until this is completed.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

Hello Tim, or anyone else affected,

Accepted virtualbox into quantal-proposed. The package will build now and be available at http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/virtualbox/4.1.18-dfsg-1ubuntu1.2 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug, mentioning the version of the package you tested, and change the tag from verification-needed to verification-done. If it does not fix the bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to verification-failed. In either case, details of your testing will help us make a better decision.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance!

[Felix Geyer (debfx)]

I have verified that the vboxvideo module is loaded before X starts and direct rendering works again.

[Scott Kitterman (kitterman)]

The verification of this Stable Release Update has completed successfully and the package has now been released to -updates. Subsequently, the Ubuntu Stable Release Updates Team is being unsubscribed and will not receive messages about this bug report. In the event that you encounter a regression using the package from -updates please report a new bug using ubuntu-bug and tag the bug report regression-update so we can easily find any regresssions.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package virtualbox - 4.1.18-dfsg-1ubuntu1.2

---------------
virtualbox (4.1.18-dfsg-1ubuntu1.2) quantal-proposed; urgency=low

  * Fix broken DNS in guests when the NetworkManager dnsmasq resolver
    is used on the host. (LP: #1031217)
  * Add an init script to virtuabox-guest-x11 which loads the vboxvideo
    kernel module. The X Server 1.13 doesn't load it anymore. (LP: #1049067)
 -- Felix Geyer <email address hidden> Sun, 31 Mar 2013 15:49:35 +0200

[Frederick Gleason (fcgleason)]

I am new to using Ubuntu 12.04 and Linux. My Unity "Appearance" does not show the Icon size so that I can adjust it smaller. I found some reference to 3d acceleration no working and issued a suggested command

/usr/lib/nux/unity_support_test -p
Result:
OpenGL Warning: Failed to connect to host. Make sure 3D acceleration is enabled for this VM.
libGL error: failed to load driver: vboxvideo
libGL error: Try again with LIBGL_DEBUG=verbose for more details.
OpenGL vendor string: VMware, Inc.
OpenGL renderer string: Gallium 0.4 on llvmpipe (LLVM 0x301)
OpenGL version string: 2.1 Mesa 9.0.3
Not software rendered: no
Not blacklisted: yes
GLX fbconfig: yes
GLX texture from pixmap: yes
GL npot or rect textures: yes
GL vertex program: yes
GL fragment program: yes
GL vertex buffer object: yes
GL framebuffer object: yes
GL version is 1.4+: yes
Unity 3D supported: no

So then I tried to read up on VirtualBox support of graphics acceleration, and found my way here.
I do use the most recent version of VirtualBox on a Windows7x64bit host Dell IXPS 15 Laptop with NVIDIA GeForce GT540M 2GB graphics with optimus and an Integrated Intel Graphics Card. I am running it with the NVIDIA card enabled.

I would like to be able to reduce the size of Unity Icons, however I'd also like to know that the programs I am running are using acceleration.