No hardware mouse cursor with modesetting X driver

[Shevek]

Worked with linux-image-3.19.0-9-generic
Does not work with linux-image-3.19.0-12-generic

Adding Option "SWCursor" "on" to xorg.conf makes it work again.

X.Org X Server 1.17.1
Release Date: 2015-02-10

Section "Device"
        Identifier "intel"
        Driver "modesetting"
        Option "SWCursor" "on"
        # Driver "intel"
        # Option "AccelMethod" "none"
EndSection

Not using intel driver because entirely too crashy.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 15.04
Package: linux-image-3.19.0-12-generic 3.19.0-12.12
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.19.0-12.12-generic 3.19.3
Uname: Linux 3.19.0-12-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.17-0ubuntu1
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC1: shevek 3269 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/controlC0: shevek 3269 F.... pulseaudio
CurrentDesktop: XFCE
Date: Sat Apr 4 14:45:05 2015
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=cd97b65a-0d29-4887-a0e6-7c9eea8707b0
InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-03-05 (30 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Xubuntu 14.04.2 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Release amd64 (20150218.1)
MachineType: LENOVO 20CKCTO1WW
ProcFB: 0 inteldrmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-3.19.0-12-generic.efi.signed root=/dev/mapper/xubuntu--vg-root ro quiet splash crashkernel=384M-:128M nomdmonddf nomdmonisw crashkernel=384M-:128M nomdmonddf nomdmonisw crashkernel=384M-:128M nomdmonddf nomdmonisw crashkernel=384M-:128M
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-3.19.0-12-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-3.19.0-12-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 1.143
SourcePackage: linux
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to vivid on 2015-03-19 (16 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 12/26/2014
dmi.bios.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.bios.version: N11ET29W (1.05 )
dmi.board.asset.tag: Not Available
dmi.board.name: 20CKCTO1WW
dmi.board.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.board.version: SDK0E50512 STD
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Information
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.chassis.version: None
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnLENOVO:bvrN11ET29W(1.05):bd12/26/2014:svnLENOVO:pn20CKCTO1WW:pvrThinkPadT550:rvnLENOVO:rn20CKCTO1WW:rvrSDK0E50512STD:cvnLENOVO:ct10:cvrNone:
dmi.product.name: 20CKCTO1WW
dmi.product.version: ThinkPad T550
dmi.sys.vendor: LENOVO

[Shevek (r-launchpad-anarres-org)]

Mouse cursor was still active, because system has touchscreen, and using that works, and if I know where the "invisible" mouse cursor is, moving a regular mouse gives me hover (etc) effects. Just the mouse cursor isn't rendered.

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

This change was made by a bot.

[Shevek (r-launchpad-anarres-org)]

Adding linux as it was the kernel upgrade which caused the breakage.
Adding xorg-xserver and xorg-xserver-video-modesetting as the modesetting driver has moved around in recent time.

[Shevek (r-launchpad-anarres-org)]

Nothing in the BIOS changelog affects the video card. Also, this worked on the .9 kernel, so it clearly works with this BIOS.

[Joseph Salisbury (jsalisbury)]

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

If you are unable to test the mainline kernel, for example it will not boot, please add the tag: 'kernel-unable-to-test-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/v4.0-rc7-vivid/

[Bjoern Voigt (bjoern)]

Are you sure, that the hidden hardware mouse pointer problem started with Kernel 3.19? I have this issue since Kernel 4.0 (Intel HD Graphics 4400). My setup isn't really comparable (no Ubuntu, but openSUSE 13.2).

[Shevek (r-launchpad-anarres-org)]

@bjoern: I have the bug and I'm running 3.19.0-14 although that's not to say that Ubuntu haven't backported anything from 4.0 into it.

[Shevek (r-launchpad-anarres-org)]

@bjoern: Please press the 'affects me' button at the top of this bug in the hope that another user confirming it will mean it doesn't just expire like all my other bugs.

[Bjoern Voigt (bjoern)]

This may be the upstream report: https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=94731

[Shevek (r-launchpad-anarres-org)]

BIOS updated. Bug still exists in 4.2.0

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Shevek, please provide the output of the following terminal command:
sudo dmidecode -s bios-version && sudo dmidecode -s bios-release-date

[Shevek (r-launchpad-anarres-org)]

shevek@raven:~$ sudo dmidecode -s bios-version && sudo dmidecode -s bios-release-date
[sudo] password for shevek:
N11ET34W (1.10 )
08/20/2015

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Shevek, to see if this is already resolved upstream, could you please test the latest mainline kernel (4.4) and advise to the results?

[Shevek (r-launchpad-anarres-org)]

Bug resolved in 4.4.

Linux raven 4.4.0-040400-generic #201601101930 SMP Mon Jan 11 00:32:41 UTC 2016 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Many other graphical glitches persist in the modesetting driver, but this particular one is fixed.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Shevek, to see if this is already resolved, could you please test http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily-live/current/ and advise to the results?

[Shevek (r-launchpad-anarres-org)]

Turns out resolved in 4.2, my error before.
i rechecked.

[Shevek (r-launchpad-anarres-org)]

Both the intel and the modesetting driver are stable in 4.2
4.0 wouldn't boot because it couldn't deal with (multiple) encrypted disks via crypttab
I went back to trying X servers again in an attempt to see whether there was any correlation with #1535426
It may have been fixed in a later 3.19 but couldn't test due to #1386005 but having solved that, I may now test a 3.19 again with the new BIOS.