System using software rendering since dist-upgrade to 14.10

[Aaron Hastings]

Since dist-upgrade to 14.10 Utopic, my system appears to be using software rendering. Symptoms of this include a Unity dash/launcher with no transparency (see attached screenshot) and Steam complaining to me about software rendering on startup.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.10
Package: unity 7.3.1+14.10.20141016-0ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.16.0-23.31-generic 3.16.4
Uname: Linux 3.16.0-23-generic x86_64
.tmp.unity.support.test.1:

ApportVersion: 2.14.7-0ubuntu8
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: compiz
CompositorUnredirectDriverBlacklist: '(nouveau|Intel).*Mesa 8.0'
CompositorUnredirectFSW: true
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Fri Oct 24 10:29:43 2014
DistUpgraded: 2014-10-23 22:33:27,126 DEBUG enabling apt cron job
DistroCodename: utopic
DistroVariant: ubuntu
GraphicsCard:
 Intel Corporation 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller [8086:0166] (rev 09) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:054d]
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-04-25 (181 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 14.04 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Release amd64 (20140417)
MachineType: Dell Inc. XPS L421X
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-3.16.0-23-generic.efi.signed root=/dev/mapper/vg_scotty-lv_root ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
Renderer: Software
SourcePackage: unity
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to utopic on 2014-10-23 (0 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 12/07/2012
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A13
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.type: 8
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.version: A13
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA13:bd12/07/2012:svnDellInc.:pnXPSL421X:pvrA13:rvnDellInc.:rn:rvr:cvnDellInc.:ct8:cvrA13:
dmi.product.name: XPS L421X
dmi.product.version: A13
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.12+14.10.20140918-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.58+git1409301830.00847f~gd~u
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 10.4~git1410231930.bbe931~gd~u
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 10.4~git1410231930.bbe931~gd~u
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.16.0-1ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.9.0-1ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati N/A
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel N/A
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau N/A

[Aaron Hastings (thecosmicfrog)]

Right, I appear to have fixed this, at least provisionally.

I'm running an Optimus system, so I purged bumblebee* and bbswitch-dkms as well as removing any mesa or *vdpau* packages. I then installed xserver-xorg-video-intel (it wasn't installed for some reason) and restarted X. I have transparency back now, so I assume hardware rendering is all fine and dandy again.