compiz broken with latest updates and nvidia display config

[Jason S. Wagner]

Binary package hint: compiz

I'm not positive which broke me, but here's what I did:

Installed latest updates.
Configured secondary display (Seperate X Screen/Xinerama).
Logged off and back in for changes to take effect.

After logging in, I have no desktop effects. From System > Preferences > Appearance > Visual Effects, 'None' is selected. Attempting to enable either 'Normal' or 'Extra' effects results in a message box that reads, "The Composite extension is not available". Same experience after a reboot.

I suffer from the ongoing plymouth/nouveau issues that prevent me from booting with the second display attached, and didn't get around to reconfiguring until just now. However, I did previously have this same configuration on this computer since Beta 1 was released.

Further, the UI doesn't handle the fault gracefully -- clicking the OK button on "The Composite extension is not available" dialog does nothing, I must close it using the window control. The radio button retains the position I clicked on, which implies that effects are actually enabled, despite the error I just received.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
Package: compiz 1:0.8.4-0ubuntu13
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-19.28-generic 2.6.32.10+drm33.1
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-19-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: [core,ccp,move,resize,place,decoration,imgjpeg,text,gnomecompat,neg,shift,mousepoll,session,dbus,png,resizeinfo,regex,commands,svg,workarounds,vpswitch,animation,wobbly,snap,animationaddon,fade,trailfocus,cube,rotate,scale,expo,3d,scaleaddon,ezoom,staticswitcher]
Date: Thu Apr 8 17:54:21 2010
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
InstallationMedia:

MachineType: MSI MS-7586
PackageArchitecture: all
PciDisplay: 01:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: nVidia Corporation G94 [GeForce 9600 GT] [10de:0622] (rev a1)
ProcCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-19-generic root=UUID=ec7de000-c474-4930-b0b5-4c8a7f6b384a ro quiet splash
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_US.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
RelatedPackageVersions:
 xserver-xorg 1:7.5+3ubuntu1
 libgl1-mesa-glx 7.7-4ubuntu1
 libdrm2 2.4.18-1ubuntu2
 xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.9.1-3ubuntu1
 xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.12.192-2ubuntu2
SourcePackage: compiz
Xrandr:
 Error: command ['xrandr', '--verbose'] failed with exit code 1: Xlib: extension "RANDR" missing on display ":0.0".
 RandR extension missing
dmi.bios.date: 07/28/2009
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: V1.0
dmi.board.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.board.name: P55-CD53 (MS-7586)
dmi.board.vendor: MSI
dmi.board.version: 1.0
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: MSI
dmi.chassis.version: 1.0
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvrV1.0:bd07/28/2009:svnMSI:pnMS-7586:pvr1.0:rvnMSI:rnP55-CD53(MS-7586):rvr1.0:cvnMSI:ct3:cvr1.0:
dmi.product.name: MS-7586
dmi.product.version: 1.0
dmi.sys.vendor: MSI
glxinfo: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
system: distro = Ubuntu, architecture = x86_64, kernel = 2.6.32-19-generic

[Jason S. Wagner (jasonswagner)]

Further testing: Simply disabling Xinerama restored Compiz.

Any ideas?

[Colt Ramsden (ramsdenct)]

This bug is not limited to the nvidia drivers. I have the same issue with ati. Disabling Xinerama fixes the issue.

[Colt Ramsden (ramsdenct)]

Also: It appears this may be the same problem as bug #231697.

[Colt Ramsden (ramsdenct)]

On further investigation it appears that Xinerama does not play nice with compiz. I was able to solve the issue with the ati box by:

-Opening Catalyst Control Panel
-Display Manager
-Multi-Display tab
-Set to "Multi-display desktop with display(s) 1"

It appears that you should be able to use NVIDIA X Server Settings to configure TwinView rather than the Separate X screen's + Xinerama. It's under the "X Server Display Configuration" -> "Configure" button.

[Jason S. Wagner (jasonswagner)]

True, I can suffer with any other multi-mon mode if I must have Compiz, but I prefer Xinerama. As I said earlier, Compiz has worked with Xinerama on this hardware as recently as Beta 1 + a few days of updates. This incident came from the 20100331.2 daily ISO with updates from the daily firehose.

The bug you linked appears to be for nvidia driver 180. I'm using whatever driver is "recommended" by the proprietary drivers window (either 185 or 190, I can't confirm right now). Are we sure this might not be a separate bug?

[Jason S. Wagner (jasonswagner)]

I'm suspicious since you can reproduce it on your ATI card :)

[Colt Ramsden (ramsdenct)]

Yeah - although everything I've read (since originally posting) on this particular problem in relation to ATI cards suggests that the Xinerama+Compiz functionality has never been available for ATI cards and that the only solution for these cards is to use the alternative multi-display mode. This was a bit of a surprise since I don't regularly use ATI cads.

It does seem like a separate & new bug from what you've mentioned. Have you had a look at your package update history to see if anything stands out?

[a.strotmann (andreas-strotmann)]

I, too, have this problem with an ATI card. While using Colt Ramsden's advice "works", that alternate configuration has one side effect that prevents me from using it: it is not possible in that mode to resize a window to cover more than one screen by dragging its borders (the dragged border will snap to the edge of a physical screen). In particular, this means that I can't use Google Earth with true full screen (i.e., covering both screens) unless I configure Xinerama. When I do, other 3D programs, too, work just fine, even with both screens fully covered, so I fail to see why compiz would fail to work in this mode.

[gverig (gverig)]

Mmm... Why is this bug dubbed as a dupe of 563023? That thread gives same message from the gnome-appearance-properties as the issue I have but it has no mention of a conflict with Xinerama or multiple monitors and actually has proposed resolutions (install missing compiz-gnome) that did not apply in my case. Should this be de-duped?

[gverig (gverig)]

Furthermore, after disabling Xinerama I get the same error message (no drivers) but I do get my effects.

It does seem that Xinerama knocks out XRANDR extension and that might be required for Compiz (correlation does not mean causation but with Xinerama ON neither XRANDR nor Compiz work and with it OFF they both come back). In the interest of full disclosure- I have no clue how the two (three?) are related and have very vague understanding of how linux desktop is structured.

[mrmatthew007 (matthew-j-mellor)]

This definately seems like it is not a duplicate of #563023. I am Having the same problem with a fresh install of 10.04 and the restricted drivers from ati. I can also confirm that it doesn't work with the latest drivers from ati either as I had those on my last install.
My video card:
ATI Technologies Inc R700 [Radeon HD 4850] Quad output dvi

Is there a different way to use all 4 of my displays as "one" extended desktop without xinerama. Having multiple displays is pretty useless if I can't move things freely from one to the next. I would love to know how they do this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p3X7CdE2oc

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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