OpenGL apps broken by November 4th update: nvidia-graphics-drivers-340 (340.98-0ubuntu0.14.04.1)

[Tim Wescott]

First: I don't know if I'm reporting this against the correct package. The bug report system needs a "unknown package" reporting system, for people who aren't freaking IT experts yet who are still smart enough to notice a real live problem.

I have a Radeon card, but things most definitely broke TODAY immediately after I did a software upgrade.

I use Scilab, which uses OpenGL heavily. After today's upgrade, it was unable to display graphics, reporting

"Caused by: javax.media.opengl.GLException: Profile GL_DEFAULT is not available on X11GraphicsDevice[type .x11, connection :0.0"

The symptom in Scilab was that the graphics window opened, but no graph was drawn upon it. glxinfo is unable to find an RGB visual; I assume that means that GL is broken -- glxinfo certainly works just fine on another machine upon which Scilab also works just fine.

ubuntu-drivers devices returns

== /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:01.0 ==
modalias : pci:v00001002d0000130Fsv00001043sd000085CBbc03sc00i00
vendor : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI]
driver : fglrx-updates - distro non-free
driver : xserver-xorg-video-ati - distro free builtin recommended
driver : fglrx - distro non-free

As near as I can tell, the xserver-xorg-video-ati is installed. I have not attempted to change over to fglrx.

glxinfo returns:
name of display: :0.0
Error: couldn't find RGB GLX visual or fbconfig
Error: couldn't find RGB GLX visual or fbconfig

lspci | grep VGA returns
00:01.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Kaveri [Radeon R7 Graphics]
---
ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.21
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: XFCE
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-06-04 (524 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Xubuntu 14.04.2 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Release amd64 (20150218.1)
Package: xorg-server
PackageArchitecture: amd64
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-45.66~14.04.1-generic 4.4.21
Tags: trusty third-party-packages
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-45-generic x86_64
UnreportableReason: This is not an official Ubuntu package. Please remove any third party package and try again.
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
UserGroups: adm bluetooth cdrom dialout dip lpadmin plugdev sambashare sudo
_MarkForUpload: True

[Tim Wescott (ww3ib0-tim)]

Forgot: the pertinent section of /var/log/apt/history.log:

Start-Date: 2016-11-04 10:30:28
Commandline: aptdaemon role='role-commit-packages' sender=':1.134'
Install: screen-resolution-extra:amd64 (0.17.1, automatic), nvidia-settings:amd64 (331.20-0ubuntu8, automatic), libcuda1-367:amd64 (367.57-0ubuntu0.14.04.1), nvidia-367:amd64 (367.57-0ubuntu0.14.04.1), bbswitch-dkms:amd64 (0.7-2ubuntu1), nvidia-opencl-icd-340:amd64 (340.98-0ubuntu0.14.04.1), nvidia-prime:amd64 (0.6.2, automatic)
Upgrade: libnl-genl-3-200:amd64 (3.2.21-1ubuntu3, 3.2.21-1ubuntu4), nvidia-opencl-icd-331-updates:amd64 (340.96-0ubuntu0.14.04.1, 340.98-0ubuntu0.14.04.1), nvidia-opencl-icd-340-updates:amd64 (340.96-0ubuntu0.14.04.1, 340.98-0ubuntu0.14.04.1), libnl-3-200:amd64 (3.2.21-1ubuntu3, 3.2.21-1ubuntu4), libcurl3:amd64 (7.35.0-1ubuntu2.9, 7.35.0-1ubuntu2.10), libnl-route-3-200:amd64 (3.2.21-1ubuntu3, 3.2.21-1ubuntu4), libcurl3-gnutls:amd64 (7.35.0-1ubuntu2.9, 7.35.0-1ubuntu2.10)
End-Date: 2016-11-04 10:33:20

[Tim Wescott (ww3ib0-tim)]

This also makes freecad bomb on entry, with an message that includes "No valid GL context found!":

freecad: /build/freecad-Zlw3by/freecad-0.16.6703/src/Gui/Quarter/QuarterWidget.cpp:707: virtual void SIM::Coin3D::Quarter::QuarterWidget::paintEvent(QPaintEvent*): Assertion `w->isValid() && "No valid GL context found!"' failed.
Aborted (core dumped)

[Tim Wescott (ww3ib0-tim)]

Found inspiration for a work-around on this page:

http://askubuntu.com/questions/475972/error-couldnt-find-rgb-glx-visual-or-fbconfig-ubuntu-12-04/476916#476916

This is NOT TRIVIAL. I started by trying to follow that page's recommendations, replacing "xserver-xorg" with "xserver-common", and BORKED X entirely, to the point where I couldn't use the keyboard or see things on the screen. Fortunately I was able to ssh into the system.

I did a lot of mucking about, but what will probably work is:

sudo apt-get remove --purge xserver-common
sudo apt-get install xorg

I do NOT recommend this if you're shy around computers, or if you don't have a reliable way to ssh into your sick box. I'm sure there's a very-much-better way of solving the problem, but I'm not good enough to know it.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Can you please run this command so we can find out more about the affected machine?

  apport-collect 1628794

Also, I notice your hardware is AMD graphics but you have the Nvidia driver(s) installed. That can easily cause such OpenGL library issues. If you don't need it, try to remove/avoid installing the Nvidia driver.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Oops. Sorry, please run:

   apport-collect 1639371

[Tim Wescott (ww3ib0-tim)]

apport information

[Tim Wescott (ww3ib0-tim)]

apport information

[Tim Wescott (ww3ib0-tim)]

Apport-collect done. The Nvidia just came with the Ubuntu install, I was kinda surprised to see it there at all.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Sorry apport-collect failed to gather all the right information, probably because this bug is logged against multiple unrelated components. Can you please attach output from:
   dpkg -l > allpackages.txt

[Tim Wescott (ww3ib0-tim)]

I admit to shotgunning the components against which it's logged, because it's just not clear to me what it should be logged against.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Thanks. Yes indeed package nvidia-graphics-drivers-340 for Ubuntu 14.04 got updated on 4th November so let's focus on that.

As a possible workaround you can download the previous version of that driver before the November 4th update here:
   https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-security/+archive/ubuntu/ppa/+build/8305883

Now assigning the bug to the correct project (I think).

[Tim Wescott (ww3ib0-tim)]

I have a combination that is working now, and this is my primary work computer. I'm a contract engineer, and when this thing is down I'm not earning my pay. So I really, really don't want to mess with it -- I'm sorry about that, but I hope you understand.

However, as I get time, I'd be willing to install things on a USB stick and see if I can't replicate the problem there.

Based on my own experience (I do embedded software work, but I'm just a user when it comes to Linux) I suspect that the actual problem is not the new driver itself, but that something in the installation process diddled with some global OpenGL settings that then broke either the Radeon driver, or OpenGL itself (I don't know if that makes sense, because I'm a USER. Call me if you're designing washing machine motor drive that buzzes on the spin cycle and I'll help you out, though).

So the process that I'd suggest, if you're willing to help me out with the details, would be to install an entire pre-November 4 version of Xubuntu onto a USB stick, verify that OpenGL works, then do the November 4 upgrade, and test OpenGL again.

I do have IT help on hand, whose familiar with Linux -- I just have to come up with appropriate bribes. So if it's too hard to describe to a knowledgeable user, describe it for someone who installs Arch onto a spare machine so that he can use that as a tool to talk to an obsolete Sun box that he's installing Gentoo upon -- he'll have the background to rapidly get things I don't.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

I agree with your theory, theoretically...

If the NVIDIA driver was installed manually (from nvidia.com) then I can confirm that easily causes installation/uninstallation problems and incorrect GL libraries. I ruined a whole machine by doing that this year.

However your NVIDIA driver is installed as a deb from the official Ubuntu archive so it should not experience such installation problems, usually. Alberto will be able to provide more information as he built the driver package in question.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Merrattic (merrattic)]

Something happened during an update:

Compton, mplayer, genymotion all affected so far.

I have the proprietory Nvidia drivers

[Alberto Milone (albertomilone)]

It is probably related to LP: #1639051 . I have already reported the problem to NVIDIA.