[Thinkpad T420] External video inoperative with Noveau

[Jeff Lane ]

Doing cert testing on the T420. With the nouveau driver, external VGA and DisplayPort video is non-functional. There is no proprietary nvidia driver available to try with. So, there is effectively no external video on the T420 with Oneiric.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: xorg 1:7.6+7ubuntu7
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-12.20-generic 3.0.4
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-12-generic i686
.tmp.unity.support.test.1:

ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu3
Architecture: i386
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: None
Date: Sat Oct 15 16:53:46 2011
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: oneiric
DistroVariant: ubuntu
ExtraDebuggingInterest: Yes, whatever it takes to get this fixed in Ubuntu
GraphicsCard:
 nVidia Corporation Device [10de:1057] (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Lenovo Device [17aa:21ce]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release i386 (20111012)
Lsusb:
 Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
 Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
 Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
 Bus 002 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
 Bus 001 Device 003: ID 147e:2016 Upek Biometric Touchchip/Touchstrip Fingerprint Sensor
MachineType: LENOVO 4177Q3U
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-12-generic root=UUID=4207055a-05cf-4461-995c-f5e0b6ec704a ro quiet splash initcall_debug vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: xorg
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 02/17/2011
dmi.bios.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.bios.version: 83ET45WW (1.15 )
dmi.board.asset.tag: Not Available
dmi.board.name: 4177Q3U
dmi.board.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.board.version: Not Available
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Information
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.chassis.version: Not Available
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnLENOVO:bvr83ET45WW(1.15):bd02/17/2011:svnLENOVO:pn4177Q3U:pvrThinkPadT420:rvnLENOVO:rn4177Q3U:rvrNotAvailable:cvnLENOVO:ct10:cvrNotAvailable:
dmi.product.name: 4177Q3U
dmi.product.version: ThinkPad T420
dmi.sys.vendor: LENOVO
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.6+bzr20110929-0ubuntu3
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.26-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 7.11-0ubuntu3
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 7.11-0ubuntu3
version.xserver-xorg: xserver-xorg 1:7.6+7ubuntu7
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.6.0-1ubuntu13
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.99~git20110811.g93fc084-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.15.901-1ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20110411+8378443-1

[Timo Aaltonen (tjaalton)]

What do you mean by "there is no proprietary driver available"? The nvidia driver in 11.10 should support it.

That said, I can try nouveau on my t420s, should be the same chip.

[Andreas Hasenack (ahasenack)]

On my t420 running 11.10 (oneiric), after I enabled nvidia in the bios (as a discrete card, not optimus), jockey still can't find it:

andreas@nsn7:~$ jockey-text
Additional Drivers
Searching for available drivers...
andreas@nsn7:~$

Maybe that's what the OP meant.

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation Device 1057 (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
        Subsystem: Lenovo Device 21ce
        Flags: fast devsel, IRQ 16
        Memory at f2000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16M]
        Memory at e0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
        Memory at f0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=32M]
        I/O ports at 5000 [size=128]
        Expansion ROM at f3080000 [disabled] [size=512K]
        Capabilities: [60] Power Management version 3
        Capabilities: [68] MSI: Enable- Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit+
        Capabilities: [78] Express Endpoint, MSI 00
        Capabilities: [b4] Vendor Specific Information: Len=14 <?>
        Capabilities: [100] Virtual Channel
        Capabilities: [128] Power Budgeting <?>
        Capabilities: [600] Vendor Specific Information: ID=0001 Rev=1 Len=024 <?>
        Kernel modules: nouveau, nvidiafb

[James M. Leddy (jm-leddy)]

Hi Timo,

Perhaps jockey is misconfigured? The driver might be available for installation manually but we have independent reports that jockey can't find it.

[Timo Aaltonen (tjaalton)]

this is fixed long ago, nvidia supports the chip, nouveau needs a more current kernel and raring userspace to drive the external monitor