Unity stopped working after upgrade

[Lucas Capalbo Lavezzo]

After an upgrade last week, Unity stopped working.
Ligthdm wallpaper (with ubuntu branding on bottom) after login, mouse visible, screen goes black every a few secs, then back to wallpaper and mouse again.
Everything worked fine before. Using Ubuntu 14.04.01 (up-to-date), Unity, Nvidia 304-updates drivers.

I installed gnome2 classic to be able to use my Pc in the meantime. Started unity from tty1 with --log option (output attached). Multiple compiz (opengl) - Error: FBO is incomplete: GL::FRAMEBUFFER_UNSUPPORTED (0x8cdd) seems suspicious.

What I tried:
* renamed .compiz, .config, .gconf and .local to force the creation of new default configs. Didn't work.
* I was able to disable Framebuffer objects in opengl compiz plugin. Got Unity to start, extremely slow and unusable, with the screen going black every few seconds, then normal again, then a black region moving from bottom to top. Enabled FBO option again.
* gnome fallback (compiz) didn't work either, only the Metacity version or gnome3 classic, so I guess it's some compiz-nvidia driver issue.
* Installed new kernel/xorg stack from hardware enablement stack (utopic versions), same issue.
* Tried nouveau drivers, worked "fine" (as fine as nouveau works on my pc, but at least Unity started normally)
* Moved to nvidia 304 drivers (no -updates), same issue there. Nvidia 173 is listed as option but won't install.
* Tried nomodeset kernel option.
* Downgraded kernel, x server and compiz to original trusty (no trusty-updates, just trusty), same issue there.
* Reinstalled ubuntu 14.04.01, same issue after enabling nvidia driver.
* downloaded ubuntu 14.04.02, same thing.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: compiz 1:0.9.11+14.04.20140409-0ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-46.75-generic 3.13.11-ckt15
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-46-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
.proc.driver.nvidia.gpus.0: Error: [Errno 21] Es un directorio: '/proc/driver/nvidia/gpus/0'
.proc.driver.nvidia.registry: Binary: ""
.proc.driver.nvidia.version:
 NVRM version: NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module 304.125 Mon Dec 1 19:58:28 PST 2014
 GCC version: gcc version 4.8.2 (Ubuntu 4.8.2-19ubuntu1)
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.7
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: None
CurrentDesktop: GNOME
Date: Wed Feb 25 17:59:24 2015
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: trusty
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus:
 nvidia-304-updates, 304.125, 3.13.0-45-generic, x86_64: installed
 nvidia-304-updates, 304.125, 3.13.0-46-generic, x86_64: installed
GraphicsCard:
 NVIDIA Corporation C68 [GeForce 7050 PV / nForce 630a] [10de:053b] (rev a2) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Device [1043:82b3]
InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-02-23 (2 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 14.04.1 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Release amd64+mac (20140722.2)
MachineType: System manufacturer System Product Name
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-46-generic root=UUID=6840a05d-d4c2-4c2c-bde3-34c38de5e0cd ro acpi=off noapic nomodeset quiet splash
SourcePackage: compiz
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 12/19/2008
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 0905
dmi.board.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.board.name: M2N-VM DVI
dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
dmi.board.version: Rev x.xx
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: Asset-1234567890
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Chassis Manufacture
dmi.chassis.version: Chassis Version
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvr0905:bd12/19/2008:svnSystemmanufacturer:pnSystemProductName:pvrSystemVersion:rvnASUSTeKComputerINC.:rnM2N-VMDVI:rvrRevx.xx:cvnChassisManufacture:ct3:cvrChassisVersion:
dmi.product.name: System Product Name
dmi.product.version: System Version
dmi.sys.vendor: System manufacturer
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.11+14.04.20140409-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.56-1~ubuntu2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 10.1.3-0ubuntu0.3
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 10.1.3-0ubuntu0.3
version.nvidia-graphics-drivers: nvidia-graphics-drivers N/A
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.15.1-0ubuntu2.7
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.8.2-1ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:7.3.0-1ubuntu3.1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.99.910-0ubuntu1.4
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.10-1ubuntu2
xserver.bootTime: Wed Feb 25 17:58:27 2015
xserver.configfile: default
xserver.devices:
 input HID Keyboard Device KEYBOARD, id 6
 input HID Keyboard Device KEYBOARD, id 7
 input sonixb KEYBOARD, id 8
 input USB Optical Mouse MOUSE, id 9
xserver.errors: open /dev/fb0: No such file or directory
xserver.logfile: /var/log/Xorg.0.log
xserver.outputs:

xserver.version: 2:1.15.1-0ubuntu2.7

[Christopher Townsend (townsend)]

Hi Lucas,

I see you have integrated Nvidia graphics and I'm wondering if you are affected by the X11 Sync Nvidia patch introduced in the last SRU. It seems that patch may not play nice with Nvidia integrated graphics for some reason.

If you are able to start CCSM, could you try going to OpenGL and unchecking X11 Sync objects? If you can't, I can provide instructions on how to set that via command line.

[Lucas Capalbo Lavezzo (lucas-capalbo)]

Thanks Christopher, that was fast!
Unchecking X11 Sync objects solved the problem, I'll try to reenable it later if I see some compiz/nvidia update.
Should I understand the correct bug is already reported? if not, should I add some package as affected by this ticket?

Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it! Regards

[Stephen M. Webb (bregma)]

If disabling the X11 synch fixes the problem, it probably falls under bug #1424013 (which is really about broken support for this feature on older integrated nVidia GPUs in the driver).

If you could follow the instructions in comment 10 of that bug, it could help with the fix.

[xantares (xantares09)]

Hi,
How did you disable X11 sync in compiz, preferably in command line ?

[Lucas Capalbo Lavezzo (lucas-capalbo)]

In the command line, I think it's:
dconf write /org/compiz/profiles/unity/plugins/opengl/enable-x11-sync false
I actually installed gnome-session-fallback and run compizconfig-settings-manager from that session. Make sure the Unity profile is selected under Preferences, then disable the option in the opengl plugin.

[xantares (xantares09)]

if you downgraded compiz and experienced the same issues, how can you tell it's from the compiz package ?
I uninstalled nvidia (304) drivers (lsmod shows nouveau), downgraded compiz & unity, and I'm still experiencing these issues
I also did dconf write /org/compiz/profiles/unity/plugins/opengl/enable-x11-sync false, same issues, maybe it's another bug, what do you think ?

[Lucas Capalbo Lavezzo (lucas-capalbo)]

Good point. Well, compiz was my best guess to make a bug report, as
- I was experiencing the same issue with gnome classic (Compiz) but not with Metacity, nor gnome3.
- The errors in unity log didn't look nice... Disabling framebuffer option in opelgl plugin improved the situation a little (does it for you?)
- When I downgraded compiz, there were a few packages with "compiz" on their name, but I didn't actually downgraded all of them as some tried to unninstall unity when I selected the old version.
- Using nouveau, Unity worked fine for me (apart from other issues I have with nouveau that make it unusable, but are unrelated to this)

BTW I used
   unity --replace --log=unity.log
in tty1 to save all unity output, maybe you can get some clues that way