Vino doesn't work with compositing using Intel driver

[Pierre Fischer]

Vino, the built in VNC server in Ubuntu, has had a problem for many releases : if compositing is enabled, it doesn't correctly update the display when connected remotely. The present bug is filed for configurations using the Intel driver.

Other bugs report exactly the same issue but in other graphics configurations :
- Bug #915906 is related to the ATI open source driver,
- Bug #772873 to the fglrx driver. Please refer to it for more information.

The present bug has been observed on Oneiric, on a computer with an i915 chipset, in the following configuration :

$ lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu 11.10
Release: 11.10

$ apt-cache policy xserver-xorg-core
xserver-xorg-core:
  Installé : 2:1.10.4-1ubuntu4.2
  Candidat : 2:1.10.4-1ubuntu4.2

$ apt-cache policy xserver-xorg-video-intel
xserver-xorg-video-intel:
  Installé : 2:2.15.901-1ubuntu2.1
  Candidat : 2:2.15.901-1ubuntu2.1

$ apt-cache policy vino
vino:
  Installé : 3.2.0-0ubuntu1
  Candidat : 3.2.0-0ubuntu1

$ sudo lspci -v
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 915GM/GMS/910GML Express Graphics Controller (rev 04) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
 Subsystem: Rioworks Device 203d
 Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 16
 Memory at b0080000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=512K]
 I/O ports at 1800 [size=8]
 Memory at c0000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
 Memory at b0040000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256K]
 Expansion ROM at <unassigned> [disabled]
 Capabilities: [d0] Power Management version 2
 Kernel driver in use: i915
 Kernel modules: intelfb, i915

If the same bug appears in other Intel hardware configurations, please add appropriate comments.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Iulian D. (iulianu-gmail)]

Relevant snippet from the output of `lspci -v` on my system:

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 02) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
 Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device 0038
 Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 44
 Memory at fe000000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4M]
 Memory at d0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
 I/O ports at f100 [size=8]
 Expansion ROM at <unassigned> [disabled]
 Capabilities: <access denied>
 Kernel driver in use: i915
 Kernel modules: i915

[Alexander Kubashin (kubashin-a)]

Affect for me to.

lspci -v:

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
        Subsystem: Fujitsu Technology Solutions Device 114c
        Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 44
        Memory at fc000000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4M]
        Memory at e0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
        I/O ports at 18d0 [size=8]
        Expansion ROM at <unassigned> [disabled]
        Capabilities: <access denied>
        Kernel driver in use: i915
        Kernel modules: i915

I connect to desktop simultaneously through x2go-client (nx-protocol) and vnc viewer and see same result: some desktop regions don't repainting in both client.

[Alexander Kubashin (kubashin-a)]

I found workaround, by disabling option "SwapbuffersWait".
Simple method for this: create file "/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/intel.conf" with following content:

Section "Device"
        Identifier "GMA4500"
        Driver "intel"
        Option "SwapbuffersWait" "false"
EndSection

[Unkraut (unkraut2)]

This bug is still present in Ubuntu 12.04.

[Dick Tang (dictcp)]

I confirm the workaround from #4 works for me.
I am using Ubuntu 12.04 amd64

Thanks, Alexander Kbashin