No desktop with Radeon video chips on LiveCD

[Lars Noodén]

The graphical installer fails to bring up a usable box for installation. See the attached screenshot. This is from the PPC Desktop image from 20120821

http://iso.qa.ubuntu.com/qatracker/milestones/219/builds/21606/downloads

[Ubuntu QA Website (ubuntuqa)]

This bug has been reported on the Ubuntu ISO testing tracker.

A list of all reports related to this bug can be found here:
http://iso.qa.ubuntu.com/qatracker/reports/bugs/1040544

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

I tried to reproduce this in qemu, but I couldn't. The installer is very slow (due in part to a regression caused by the Python 3 port, which I've fixed for our next upload), but it does start.

Can you reproduce this behaviour reliably? Can you provide any installer log files?

[Lars Noodén (larsnooden)]

Yes, it happens every time, even with the 2012-09-05.1 Desktop image. The frame of the dialog box comes up but there is no content, just messed up graphics.

[ojordan (ojordan12345)]

I suspect this is only a radeon PowerPC problem. Userspace Mode Setting has been removed and the current kernel config doesn't allow KMS to function (the radeonfb module is built-in). What is happening is that the fbdev driver is used instead in 8 bit pseudo colour. Why that causes ubiquity to not display anythng I don't know. The window sort of grabs the image of background or other windows/menus that are placed over it, but doesn't display images of its own.

Using the yaboot parameters "video=ofonly radeon.agpmode=-1" (which enables KMS and a functioning radeon driver) ubiquity works fine.

[ojordan (ojordan12345)]

Trying to organise things a bit, this is the general bug of gripes caused by UMS being dropped https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-video-ati/+bug/1046951 . It should end up being assigned to the kernel, but it will also need the boot message on the PowerPC CDs changed. Should the latter be raised against "ubuntu-cdimage" project?

[ojordan (ojordan12345)]

Network applet windows have the same proplem.

[ojordan (ojordan12345)]

If I remember rightly (which I probably don't), qemu emulates a G4 imac. They use a nouveau card. Using the 'nomodeset' yaboot parameter should drop you into the same 8-bit depth fbdev/offb combination.

[ojordan (ojordan12345)]

It would be interesting to know if other 'regular' architectures could replicate this bug if they use fbdev in 8 bit mode? Does 'nomodeset' cause 8 bit depth for them?

[ojordan (ojordan12345)]

We can add the disk utility to the applications that don't work in lubuntu in 8 bit pseudo colour.

[Lars Noodén (larsnooden)]

Booting with the parameters 'live video=ofonly' makes the installer dialog readable. This is only a work-around.

[2blue (arild-lindseth)]

Neither if the work-arounds I have been suggested make intsaller work, "video=ofonly radeon.agpmode=-1" gives an error message; "video=ofonly:2,/vmlinux: Unable to open file, Invalid device"

[ojordan (ojordan12345)]

Just correcting my post #8. Of course the radeon card is using a fbdev/radeonfb combination and the nvidia cards (using 'nomodeset') will use a fbdev/offb combination. The openfirmware framebuffer (offb) is seemingly limited to 16 colours so the graphics are even worse. Ubiquity doesn't show anything using fbdev/offb either.

@2blue https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PowerPCFAQ#What_yaboot_parameters_should_I_use_for_graphics_problems.3F

[Greg Faith (gregfaith)]

Okay I have the ATI Radeon RV250 on this PowerBook G4.

I can get to a clean live session with the following kernel command line

live video=radeonfb:1024x768-32@60

I can then make a clean install. but have no obvious graphics module in lsmod.

sudo modprobe radeon does get the module running and the helpers modules.

On reboot ( as expected it is gone)

sudo su
echo radeon >> /etc/modules
exit

and i have bootable install with the radeon module and helpers in lsmod.
Hope this might help.

[Ron Mitchell (rm2892)]

Did not work here Greg. Had to go back to my <radeonfb:yada yada>

Wierd or what?

Ron M.

On Wed, 03 Oct 2012 04:19:19 -0000
Greg Faith <email address hidden> wrote:

> Okay I have the ATI Radeon RV250 on this PowerBook G4.
>
> I can get to a clean live session with the following kernel command line
>
> live video=radeonfb:1024x768-32@60
>
> I can then make a clean install. but have no obvious graphics module in
> lsmod.
>
> sudo modprobe radeon does get the module running and the helpers
> modules.
>
> On reboot ( as expected it is gone)
>
> sudo su
> echo radeon >> /etc/modules
> exit
>
> and i have bootable install with the radeon module and helpers in lsmod.
> Hope this might help.
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to a
> duplicate bug report (1047636).
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1040544
>
> Title:
> Installer dialog does not come up on PPC
>
> Status in “ubiquity” package in Ubuntu:
> Confirmed
>
> Bug description:
> The graphical installer fails to bring up a usable box for
> installation. See the attached screenshot. This is from the PPC
> Desktop image from 20120821
>
> http://iso.qa.ubuntu.com/qatracker/milestones/219/builds/21606/downloads
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+bug/1040544/+subscriptions

--
Ron Mitchell <email address hidden>

[ojordan (ojordan12345)]

@gregfaith if you want to use the radeon modules then you need to disable the radeonfb framebuffer. If you don't do this then the radeon modules don't do anything.

[Ron Mitchell (rm2892)]

video=ofonly

kills my machine. Can't even get a command line interface up after that.

(Radeon 9200)

Ron Mitchell

[Andrea Gottardo (gozzi)]

I can confirm the bug is still present in Lubuntu 13.04 on my iMac G5 (RevC) with an ATI X600. I still have to check if the proposed kernel options will fix the problem, I will keep you updated.

[Lars Noodén (larsnooden)]

Here is the description in the documentation:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Lubuntu/Documentation/FAQ/PPC

[Marcus Tomlinson (marcustomlinson)]

This release of Ubuntu is no longer receiving maintenance updates. If this is still an issue on a maintained version of Ubuntu please let us know.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for ubiquity (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]