REGRESSION: "failed to allocate video resources" with latest fglrx

[JM Lopez Cepero]

Release: Ubuntu 13.04
Version: 2:2.21.6-0ubuntu4

Obtained result: X fails to start with the provided xserver-xorg-video-intel package when using custom built fglrx packages, which is a regression from previous versions.

Expected result: X starts correctly with available 3D acceleration.

Description:
I have a Radeon HD 7670M muxless hybrid graphic card. After upgrading to Raring, X fell back to low-graphics mode (which was half-expected) and the fglrx versions offered in the official Ubuntu repositories didn't work either (resulting in a X segfault).

After some testing, I created a package of the latest fglrx drivers as per https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BinaryDriverHowto/ATI , resulting in version 2:12.104. This also resulted on a X failure, although not with a segfault, but with the following error (log attached):

[ 55.455] (EE) fglrx(0): Failed to allocate caches, disabling RENDER acceleration
[ 55.459] (EE) fglrx(0): [intel] Failed to allocate video resources for front buffer 1366x768 at depth 24

Downgrading the xserver-xorg-video-intel package to the Quantal 2:2.20.2-1ubuntu1 version fixes the problem. I have not tried to pinpoint the exact version where the regression occurs; I chose 2.20.2 because it was suggested elsewhere and because 2.20.3 is known to be problematic with fglrx (as per #1068404 ).

This has also been reported in Gentoo:
http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-949372-start-0.html

Even though the bug involves fglrx, I am reporting it because it's xserver-xorg-video-intel which seems to blame and I can confirm that earlier versions of the package fix the issue. This same video card also worked well in Quantal, although it did need the packages from andrikos' PPA to behave.

From an usability standpoint, it's also important to note that, as I mentioned before, the Ubuntu-provided fglrx (both regular and -updates) plus the 2:2.21.6-0ubuntu4 version of the intel server resulted in a X segfault for me. The fglrx versions in Andrikos' PPA also segfaulted. I think that bug is unrelated to this one. However, I can check whether the Ubuntu-provided fglrx packages work with this server version, and try to reproduce the other bug and report it separately if you wish (I was dumb enough not to save the log).

[JM Lopez Cepero (andvaranaut)]

This seems to be the same issue: http://forum.ubuntu-fr.org/viewtopic.php?id=1262651

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[JG (frogsunamix)]

Found this solution after a bit of digging, haven't tried it yet: http://askubuntu.com/questions/205112/how-do-i-get-amd-intel-hybrid-graphics-drivers-working/288355#288355

[JM Lopez Cepero (andvaranaut)]

JG, the solution you linked is very similar to what I did (building latest fglrx .deb packages + downgrading the intel video server). Please report if it works, since the linked .deb for the intel server seems to be the same version as the one provided in raring by default (I have had success installing the 2.20.2 version, along with libudev0, from Quantal's repositories)

[christopher pijarski (kpijarski)]

andvaranaut, thatk you for this workaround! I've been searching for quite some time for a solution to this problem. (I also posted your solution to the big thread devoted to muxless amd systems, https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/fglrx-installer/+bug/1068404, of course with proper attribution)

Many thanks!

[JG (frogsunamix)]

andvaranaut,
I ended up just installing the old intel server & libudev0 from quantal's repositories, and my installation is now fully functional!
Although after installing fglrx I got a bug similar to the one originally posted in #1068404, on a guest account the bug was gone, so I wholesale deleted my home directories .compiz, .cache and .config (wasn't sure what was the problem) and everything works.

Thanks!

[JM Lopez Cepero (andvaranaut)]

I'm glad the report was helpful :)

For people looking for workarounds. If you lose Unity (the panel does not come up after logging in, and most key combinations don't work), what I have found is that sometimes starting a session while in low graphics mode will disable the Unity plugin. Invoking ccsm (by using the Terminal, which comes up with Alt+Ctrl+T), enabling Unity (it does not have a checkbox in the listed plugins, but you can click on it, then enable it by clicking the checkbox in the left column) and resolving conflicts seems to work.

[Mike C. Fletcher (mcfletch)]

This bug also affects Dell Inspiron 15R laptops (Ubuntu Certified Hardware for 12.04) when updated to 13.04. The machine winds up at a text-only console, so the user experience is rather poor.

Latest Beta drivers from AMD + explicitly installing the qauntal libudev0 and xserver-xorg-video-intel brings the machine up correctly (as in http://askubuntu.com/questions/205112/how-do-i-get-amd-intel-hybrid-graphics-drivers-working/288355#288355).

Would it be reasonable to declare a dependency on those explicit versions of the conflicting packages in the fglrx-installer package? Having people's laptops that have a very common hardware configuration (dual mode AMD/Intel graphics) turn console-only on upgrade seems a bit problematic.

Alternately, running "amdconfig --px-igpu" if the condition is detected (lspci has both Intel and AMD VGA drivers and the newer xorg-server-intel and libudev0 packages are installed) might be a workaround, preferably with a user-visible warning of some type.

[niniendowarrior (niniendowarrior)]

Can someone determine whether 13.8 beta drivers work with the current xserver-xorg-video-intel and libudev0?