New on-demand default causes RTD3 never to be enabled

[Alberto Milone]

As per LP: #1942307 we now set on-demand as the default. This however, causes "prime-select on-demand", called by ubuntu-drivers, not to even try to detect RTD3 and to enable it, since "on-demand" is already set.

We cannot make informed choices about RTD3 in the postinstallation script of nvidia-prime, therefore we should simply drop the check that prime-select makes to abort if the new profile is determined to be the same as the current profile.

---

[Impact]

 * Ubuntu will set GPU mode to performance as default which may use more power
 * User can't use GPU for other purpose (eg: deep-learning) if RTD3 is not supported
 * According to Nvidia README, the RTD3 doesn't support on non-laptop machine

[Test Plan]

 * Install Ubuntu, and then execute 'ubuntu-drivers install' to install GPU driver. After the installation, reboot the system. Execute "prime-select query" should get "on-demand"
 * Old GPU (which supported by nvidia-390 only) will keep in performance mode, refer LP:1957094. Execute "prime-select query" should get "nvidia"
 * On non-laptop machine. Can set GPU mode to on-demand
 * On laptop with GPU in runtime PM support list. Set GPU mode to on-demand and Nvidia driver is loaded with "NVreg_DynamicPowerManagement=0x02"

[Where problems could occur]

 * With GPU supported RTD3 not able enable runtime PM on non-laptop. But based on the Nvidia README, this case shall not happened.

[Other Info]

Changelogs:

nvidia-prime (0.8.16~0.20.04.2) focal; urgency=medium

  [ Jeremy Szu ]
  * Set on-demand mode as default nvidia mode (LP: #1942307)

  [ Alberto Milone ]
  * prime-select:
    - Detect chassis type and enable RTD3 only
      on laptops (LP: #1942788).
    - on-demand mode doesn't need to depend on
      RTD3 (LP: #1942789).
    - Use bootvga detection when last_gfx_boot
      is not available.
    - Don't check the current profile when setting
      a profile (LP: #1946476).
    - Handle BrokenPipeError (LP: #1965520).

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package nvidia-prime - 0.8.17.1

---------------
nvidia-prime (0.8.17.1) impish; urgency=medium

  * prime-select:
    - Don't check the current profile when setting
      a profile (LP: #1946476).

 -- Alberto Milone <email address hidden> Fri, 08 Oct 2021 14:25:10 +0200

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

Thanks for uploading the fix for this bug report to -proposed. However, when reviewing the package in -proposed and the details of this bug report I noticed that the bug description is missing information required for the SRU process. You can find full details at http://wiki.ubuntu.com/StableReleaseUpdates#Procedure but essentially this bug is missing some of the following: a statement of impact, a test case and details regarding where problems may occur. Thanks in advance!

[Dirk Su (dirksu)]

@Brian

I updated the description. Do you think the information in description is enough to continue the SRU process?
And the packages is uploaded to queue.
Focal: https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/focal/+upload/27068997/+files/nvidia-prime_0.8.16~0.20.04.2_source.changes
Hirsute: https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/hirsute/+upload/27068995/+files/nvidia-prime_0.8.16.2~0.21.04.1_source.changes

[Chris Halse Rogers (raof)]

Hello Alberto, or anyone else affected,

Accepted nvidia-prime into focal-proposed. The package will build now and be available at https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nvidia-prime/0.8.16~0.20.04.2 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 on 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, what testing has been performed on the package and change the tag from verification-needed-focal to verification-done-focal. If it does not fix the bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to verification-failed-focal. In either case, without details of your testing we will not be able to proceed.

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

N.B. The updated package will be released to -updates after the bug(s) fixed by this package have been verified and the package has been in -proposed for a minimum of 7 days.

[Dirk Su (dirksu)]

Install Focal on Dell notebook Precision 7750 (202004-27817). Enable focal-proposed channel, install nvidia with "sudo ubuntu-drivers install nvidia" then reboot system. Check system is in on-demand with "prime-select query". Check nvidia module parameter with "cat /proc/driver/nvidia/params | grep DynamicPowerManagement" and get result 2 which means GPU enabled with RTD3.

[Dirk Su (dirksu)]

Install Focal on HP EliteOne 800 G6 All-in-One (202008-28167). Enable focal-proposed channel, install nvidia with "sudo ubuntu-drivers install nvidia" then reboot system. Check system is in on-demand with "prime-select query". Since this machine has all-in-one in chassis type, only enabled off-load mode and disabled RTD3.

[Łukasz Zemczak (sil2100)]

The verification of the Stable Release Update for nvidia-prime has completed successfully and the package is now being 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 regressions.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package nvidia-prime - 0.8.16~0.20.04.2

---------------
nvidia-prime (0.8.16~0.20.04.2) focal; urgency=medium

  [ Jeremy Szu ]
  * Set on-demand mode as default nvidia mode (LP: #1942307)

  [ Alberto Milone ]
  * prime-select:
    - Detect chassis type and enable RTD3 only
      on laptops (LP: #1942788).
    - on-demand mode doesn't need to depend on
      RTD3 (LP: #1942789).
    - Don't check the current profile when setting
      a profile (LP: #1946476).
    - Handle BrokenPipeError (LP: #1965520).

 -- Alberto Milone <email address hidden> Thu, 28 Oct 2021 16:40:04 +0200