Default nouveau video driver creates garbled display (White 24" iMac w/ NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT)

[Graham Leach]

My White iMac 24" is unable to start an X-Windows session with the Ubuntu Install DVD.

I am running Ubuntu 14.04.5 LTS (Trusty Tahir)

It looks like the kernel/initrd is loading the nouveau_304 driver, but this results in a garbled screen (see attachment). For even more information, please see:

http://mymanthemaker.blogspot.hk/2017/03/getting-white-24-core-2-duo-imac-to.html
http://mymanthemaker.blogspot.hk/2017/03/imac-ubuntu-install-gone-wrong-install.html

For exhaustive detail and many screen shots.

The error messages I see in dmesg (thousands of them) are:

nouveau 0000:01:00.0: fifo: DMA_PUSHER - ch 1 [Xorg[2121]] get 00018000 put 000180a0 state 80000000 (err: INVALID_CMD) push 00000000

and

nouveau 0000:01:00.0: Xorg[2121]: failed to idle channel 1 [Xorg[2121]]

and

EQ overflowing. Additional events will be discarded until existing events are processed.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: linux-image-4.4.0-31-generic 4.4.0-31.50~14.04.1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-31.50~14.04.1-generic 4.4.13
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-31-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.21
Architecture: amd64
Date: Sat Mar 25 06:39:17 2017
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: linux-lts-xenial
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Joseph Salisbury (jsalisbury)]

Did this issue start happening after an update/upgrade? Was there a prior kernel version where you were not having this particular problem?

Would it be possible for you to test the latest upstream kernel? Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds . Please test the latest v4.11 kernel[0].

If this bug is fixed in the mainline kernel, please add the following tag 'kernel-fixed-upstream'.

If the mainline kernel does not fix this bug, please add the tag: 'kernel-bug-exists-upstream'.

Once testing of the upstream kernel is complete, please mark this bug as "Confirmed".

Thanks in advance.

[0] http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.11-rc4

[Graham Leach (graham-r-leach)]

Hello Joseph,

*A) Current configuration:*

This is happening with the Precise Pangolin (12.04.5 LTS) and Trusty Tahir
(14.04.5 LTS) I*nstall Discs* on a White 24" iMac A1200.
I am using the following Install Disc image: http://cdimage.ubuntu.
com/releases/14.04/release/ubuntu-14.04.5-server-amd64+mac.iso
The video card in question is an *NVIDIA GeForce 7600GT* graphics
processor with
256 MB of GDDR3 SDRAM using PCI Express.

It is also happening with:

- Ubuntu (Trusty Tahir) - standard, alternative, net install
- Ubuntu (Xenial Xerus) - standard, alternative, net install
- Ubuntu (Mitaka) - standard, alternative, net install

The incident is fully documented at:
http://mymanthemaker.blogspot.hk/2017/03/getting-white-24-
core-2-duo-imac-to.html

The steps I have taken so far to obtain a working system is docmented at:
http://mymanthemaker.blogspot.hk/2017/03/imac-ubuntu-install-gone-wrong-install.html
http://mymanthemaker.blogspot.hk/2017/03/imac-ubuntu-install-gone-wrong-install_22.html

The nouveau driver family in question is:

NV40 GeForce 6, *GeForce 7* Curie
NV4B(G73) GeForce 7300 GT, *7600* (GS, GT, Go, Go GT), 7700 Go Quadro FX
(550M, 560, 560M)

The error(s) I am seeing are:

[ 34.295856] nouveau 0000:01:00.0: fifo: CACHE_ERROR - ch 0 [DRM] subc 3
mthd 0df8 data ffffffff
[ 34.297536] nouveau 0000:01:00.0: fifo: CACHE_ERROR - ch 0 [DRM] subc 3
mthd 0dfc data ffffffff

[ 33.691722] nouveau 0000:01:00.0: fifo: DMA_PUSHER - ch 0 [DRM] get
0000808c put 00007d88 state 80006e00 (err: INVALID_CMD) push 00000001

[ 33.620013] nouveau 0000:01:00.0: DRM: GPU lockup - switching to
software fbcon

[19993.568062] nouveau 0000:01:00.0: DRM: Calling LVDS script 6:
[19993.568067] nouveau 0000:01:00.0: DRM: 0xC165: Parsing digital output
script table

*B) Test new kernel:*

I can test the latest kernel, sure.

Best Regards,

Graham Leach

www.graham-leach.com | [phone] <6977%209076> | SKYPE: graham_leach |
  @graham_leach | hk.linkedin.com/in/grahamrleach | about.me/GrahamLeach

On Tue, Mar 28, 2017 at 4:46 AM, Joseph Salisbury <
<email address hidden>> wrote:

> Did this issue start happening after an update/upgrade? Was there a
> prior kernel version where you were not having this particular problem?
>
> Would it be possible for you to test the latest upstream kernel? Refer
> to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds . Please test the latest
> v4.11 kernel[0].
>
> If this bug is fixed in the mainline kernel, please add the following
> tag 'kernel-fixed-upstream'.
>
> If the mainline kernel does not fix this bug, please add the tag:
> 'kernel-bug-exists-upstream'.
>
> Once testing of the upstream kernel is complete, please mark this bug as
> "Confirmed".
>
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> [0] http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.11-rc4
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1675996
>
> Title:
> Default nouveau video driver creates garbled display (White 24" iMac
> w/ NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT)
>
> Status in linux-lts-trusty package in Ubuntu:
> New
>
> Bug description:
> My White iMac 24" is unable to star...