nouveau has trouble driving NV17 in PowerBook5,1

[beej]

Binary package hint: linux-image-2.6.32-21-powerpc

with a default fresh installation of 10.04 on my PowerBook5,1, video is quite unstable and locks up so often that it's basically unusable. making nouveau load with noaccel=1 works around the issue

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
Package: xorg 1:7.5+5ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-21.32-powerpc 2.6.32.11+drm33.2
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-21-powerpc ppc
Architecture: powerpc
Date: Tue May 11 04:53:22 2010
DkmsStatus: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release powerpc (20100428)
Lsusb:
 Bus 003 Device 002: ID 05ac:8203 Apple, Inc. Bluetooth HCI
 Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
 Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
 Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
PccardctlIdent:
 Socket 0:
   no product info available
PccardctlStatus:
 Socket 0:
   no card
ProcCmdLine: root=/dev/hda3 ro quiet splash
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
RelatedPackageVersions:
 xserver-xorg 1:7.5+5ubuntu1
 libgl1-mesa-glx 7.7.1-1ubuntu2
 libdrm2 2.4.18-1ubuntu3
 xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.13.0-1ubuntu5
 xserver-xorg-video-nouveau N/A
SourcePackage: xorg
Symptom: display
Xrandr:
 Error: command ['xrandr', '--verbose'] failed with exit code 1: Xlib: extension "RANDR" missing on display "localhost:10.0".
 RandR extension missing
glxinfo: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
system:
 distro: Ubuntu
 codename: lucid
 architecture: ppc
 kernel: 2.6.32-21-powerpc

[Jeremy Foshee (jeremyfoshee)]

Hi beej,

If you could also please test the latest upstream kernel available that would be great. It will allow additional upstream developers to examine the issue. Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds . Once you've tested the upstream kernel, please remove the 'needs-upstream-testing' tag. This can be done by clicking on the yellow pencil icon next to the tag located at the bottom of the bug description and deleting the 'needs-upstream-testing' text. Please let us know your results.

Thanks in advance.

    [This is an automated message. Apologies if it has reached you inappropriately; please just reply to this message indicating so.]

[beej (beej)]

hi jeremy,

the instructions at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds appear not to apply to PPC. i instead followed the instructions at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PowerPCFAQ#How%20can%20I%20configure%20and%20compile%20my%20own%20kernel%20under%20PowerPC%20Linux? , but i ended up without an initrd in /boot and yaboot.conf was not updated, as far as i can tell. i guess this is another bug?

[Jeremy Foshee (jeremyfoshee)]

Actually, beej, you were right and i changed it away from ports. I will change it back.

I think your results from the wiki do indeed warrant new bugs in the ports.

Thanks!

~JFo

[beej (beej)]

FYI: bug 591008 was filed for the issue i ran into installing an upstream kernel, but like this bug, there's never been any traction. linux-ports gets little launchpad love, it seems :(

[beej (beej)]

i stopped using this laptop regularly and just shipped it to curro, the nouveau developer who just took ownership of this bug. fingers crossed that he finds time to whip the driver into shape so that the next person that tries Linux on this hardware has better luck than i did :)