on-demand mode doesn't work with nvidia-390

[jeremyszu]

[Impact]

 * In any Ubuntu series, if user using a old GPU (which supported by nvidia-390 only) then issuing glxinfo will get "Error: couldn't find RGB GLX visual or fbconfig". Which mean the Xorg doesn't load dri driver correctly.

[Test Plan]

 * install nvidia-390 on nvidia-390 supported system.
 * prime-select on-demand
 * reboot
 * glxinfo
 * after applying this patch, it will fall back to "ON" mode after reboot.

 * install nvidia-450 on nvidia-450 supported system.
 * prime-select on-demand
 * reboot the system
 * prime-select query (and check that on-demand mode is still in use).

[Where problems could occur]
 * Since nvidia-390 doesn't support on-demand mode (RTD3 either). If a user stays in on-demand mode with 390 without problem, the after upgrading u-d-c and reboot. The mode will fall back to "ON" mode.
 * From my point of view, it's fine because nvidia-390 doesn't support RTD3. Thus, the nvidia will always stay in "Active" stage no matter which mode it is.
* While there is no way to inform the user about this change, changing to the only supported default will avoid breaking GLX.

---

The regression from https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-drivers-common/+bug/1942789.

It impacts Jammy and Impish so far.

[Steps to reproduce]
1. Find a GPU supports nvidia-390
2. ubuntu-drivers install nvidia:390
3. prime-select on-demand
4. glxinfo

[Expected result]
Shows intel or nvidia drives monitor

[Actual result]
Error: couldn't find RGB GLX visual or fbconfig

Since we are all agree "on-demand" mode as default mode.
Pre-talk with Alberto, on-demand doesn't support with nvidia-390 (no matter RTD3).
We could consider to make it as performance mode and leave a note on nvidia-settings.
I'll prepare some test packages.

[Alberto Milone (albertomilone)]

This should be fixed in Jammy now:

ubuntu-drivers-common (1:0.9.4) jammy; urgency=medium

  [ Michael Hudson-Doyle ]
  * UbuntuDrivers/detect.py:
    - Optimize packages_for_modalias by compiling all the Modaliases
      into one big regexp that can be used to quickly reject most
      devices.

  [ Alberto Milone ]
  * UbuntuDrivers/kerneldetection.py:
    - Improve performance of _get_linux_metapackage.
  * gpu-manager.c:
    - Fall back from on-demand to on if nvidia < 450.

  [ Jeremy Szu ]
  * ubiquity/target-config/31ubuntu_driver_packages:
    - Install nvidia-prime in eariler stage.

[jeremyszu (os369510)]

put the test packages on https://launchpad.net/~os369510/+archive/ubuntu/lp1957094

Dirk, will help to give them a try.

[Dirk Su (dirksu)]

Setup focal on 201606-22459 in cert pool and install nvidia-driver-390 on target system. Then install nvidia-settings and ubuntu-drivers-common mentioned in #2. Try to switch on-demand mode with "prime-select on-demand" and nvidia-settings UI. After system reboot, GPU will keep in nvidia mode. And glxinfo works normally.

[Dirk Su (dirksu)]

Setup impish on 201606-22459 in cert pool. Then doing same test as #3, test result is positive. GPU will keep in nvidia mode, and glxinfo works normally.

[jeremyszu (os369510)]

MP send to https://github.com/tseliot/nvidia-settings

[jeremyszu (os369510)]

nvidia-settings for impish

[jeremyszu (os369510)]

ubuntu-drivers-common for impish

[jeremyszu (os369510)]

skip debdiff for jammy

[jeremyszu (os369510)]

ubuntu-drivers-common for focal

[jeremyszu (os369510)]

nvidia-settings for focal

[Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot (crichton)]

The attachment "18-lp1957094-adjust-on-demand-mode-description.patch" seems to be a patch. If it isn't, please remove the "patch" flag from the attachment, remove the "patch" tag, and if you are a member of the ~ubuntu-reviewers, unsubscribe the team.

[This is an automated message performed by a Launchpad user owned by ~brian-murray, for any issues please contact him.]

[Robie Basak (racb)]

Missing SRU information: no regression analysis (ie. "Where things go wrong" formerly "Regression Potential").

Please follow https://wiki.ubuntu.com/StableReleaseUpdates#Procedure properly.

[Robie Basak (racb)]

An upload of ubuntu-drivers-common to focal-proposed has been rejected from the upload queue for the following reason: "See https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-drivers-common/+bug/1957094/comments/12".

[Robie Basak (racb)]

An upload of ubuntu-drivers-common to impish-proposed has been rejected from the upload queue for the following reason: "See https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-drivers-common/+bug/1957094/comments/12".

[Robie Basak (racb)]

An upload of nvidia-settings to focal-proposed has been rejected from the upload queue for the following reason: "See https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-drivers-common/+bug/1957094/comments/12".

[Robie Basak (racb)]

An upload of nvidia-settings to impish-proposed has been rejected from the upload queue for the following reason: "See https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-drivers-common/+bug/1957094/comments/12".

[jeremyszu (os369510)]

Hi Robie,

I'm apologize to missed this information.
I've add them in the bug description.

[Robie Basak (racb)]

Hi Jeremy,

It's not your fault. This is something your sponsor is supposed to have checked.

@Alberto

Please could you properly review this, make sure it meets SRU policy, try to anticipate and answer any questions the SRU team might have in advance, and then work with Jeremy to resubmit to the queue? It's not good enough just to sponsor and leave - for example in this case it'd just get lost because Jeremy isn't aware that the upload needs to be resubmitted. You need to stick with your sponsorees all the way through until SRUs land in -updates and no regressions have been found please.

[Alberto Milone (albertomilone)]

@Robie I am not sure what rejecting the uploads actually accomplished (other than forcing me to re-upload the exact same sources) for something that can be amended in the bug description on Launchpad.

This said, I did not notice that the section was missing. While mistakes can happen, please restrain from implying that I "just sponsor and leave". Thank you.

[Chris Halse Rogers (raof)]

Hello jeremyszu, or anyone else affected,

Accepted ubuntu-drivers-common into impish-proposed. The package will build now and be available at https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-drivers-common/1:0.9.2.3 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation on how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug, mentioning the version of the package you tested, what testing has been performed on the package and change the tag from verification-needed-impish to verification-done-impish. If it does not fix the bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to verification-failed-impish. In either case, without details of your testing we will not be able to proceed.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance for helping!

N.B. The updated package will be released to -updates after the bug(s) fixed by this package have been verified and the package has been in -proposed for a minimum of 7 days.

[Chris Halse Rogers (raof)]

I've accepted this, but have amended the test plan to try and ensure this doesn't change the behaviour on the -450 series drivers.

I'm not entirely sure what the "<CHECK THAT ON-DEMAND HAS STUCK>" check should be. @Alberto, @Jeremy: Could you please replace that part of the test-plan with the steps required to check that on-demand still works for -450?

[Chris Halse Rogers (raof)]

Hello jeremyszu, or anyone else affected,

Accepted ubuntu-drivers-common into focal-proposed. The package will build now and be available at https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-drivers-common/1:0.9.0~0.20.04.5 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation on how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug, mentioning the version of the package you tested, what testing has been performed on the package and change the tag from verification-needed-focal to verification-done-focal. If it does not fix the bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to verification-failed-focal. In either case, without details of your testing we will not be able to proceed.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance for helping!

N.B. The updated package will be released to -updates after the bug(s) fixed by this package have been verified and the package has been in -proposed for a minimum of 7 days.

[Chris Halse Rogers (raof)]

For the nvidia-settings upload, the new wording looks somewhat strange:

++ " in on-demand mode (only if nvidia version >= 450; "
++ "otherwise, the behavior will approach to "
++ "performance mode). This option is applied after "
++ "a system restart.");

Perhaps better wording would be something along the lines of “(only using nvidia driver versions >= 450. On earlier drivers this behaves the same as performance mode)”?

Also: is this a translatable string?

Alternatively: how hard would it be to *detect* the driver version, as ubuntu-drivers-common does, and grey out the option?

[Alberto Milone (albertomilone)]

I suppose I could simply detect the version in nvidia-settings. I already have code that does that in a different patch that I wrote for nvidia-settings.

[Alberto Milone (albertomilone)]

I have also fixed the part of the test-plan that Chris mentioned.

[Łukasz Zemczak (sil2100)]

Ok, I think this is looking good, thanks! I have one question before we can proceed: I see that nvidia-settings in jammy is still on 470.57.01-0ubuntu3. Will this be uploaded to jammy as 0ubuntu3.1 (or maybe even 0ubuntu4)? Is there an ETA for that?

I checked and couldn't find any translations for nvidia-settings in our langpacks , so I don't think this is a translatable string right now - so should not be a problem.

[Alberto Milone (albertomilone)]

@Łukasz: I have uploaded nvidia-settings 470.57.01-0ubuntu4 to Jammy (with the same contents as the uploads in this SRU). I haven't had the time to make the change that Chris suggested yet, though. That will be something for a future release.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package nvidia-settings - 470.57.01-0ubuntu4

---------------
nvidia-settings (470.57.01-0ubuntu4) jammy; urgency=medium

  [ Jeremy Szu ]
  * debian/patches/18_remove_power-saving_if_on-demand.patch,
    debian/patches/19_lp1957094-adjust-on-demand-mode-description.patch:
     - Disable the item of power saving mode if on-demand is supported
       (LP: #1957094).
     - Leave the item there because the user might issue 'prime-select
       intel' manually. Thus, leave it there could prevent selection
       confuse.
     - Explain the on-demand mode if driver < 450.

 -- Alberto Milone <email address hidden> Thu, 03 Feb 2022 16:28:33 +0100

[Timo Aaltonen (tjaalton)]

Hello jeremyszu, or anyone else affected,

Accepted nvidia-settings into impish-proposed. The package will build now and be available at https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nvidia-settings/470.57.01-0ubuntu3.1~0.21.10.1 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation on how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug, mentioning the version of the package you tested, what testing has been performed on the package and change the tag from verification-needed-impish to verification-done-impish. If it does not fix the bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to verification-failed-impish. In either case, without details of your testing we will not be able to proceed.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance for helping!

N.B. The updated package will be released to -updates after the bug(s) fixed by this package have been verified and the package has been in -proposed for a minimum of 7 days.

[Timo Aaltonen (tjaalton)]

Hello jeremyszu, or anyone else affected,

Accepted nvidia-settings into focal-proposed. The package will build now and be available at https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nvidia-settings/470.57.01-0ubuntu0.20.04.3 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation on how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug, mentioning the version of the package you tested, what testing has been performed on the package and change the tag from verification-needed-focal to verification-done-focal. If it does not fix the bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to verification-failed-focal. In either case, without details of your testing we will not be able to proceed.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance for helping!

N.B. The updated package will be released to -updates after the bug(s) fixed by this package have been verified and the package has been in -proposed for a minimum of 7 days.

[Dirk Su (dirksu)]

Setup focal on 201606-22344 in cert pool, this system's GPU can supported both with nvidia-driver-390 and nvidia-driver-470. Installed ubuntu-drivers-common, nvidia-settings from focal-proposed repository. With nvidia-driver-390, try to setup on-demand mode with "prime-select on-demand", system will fall back to nvidia mode after reboot. With nvidia-driver-470, setup on-demand mode with "prime-select on-demand", system will change to on-demand mode after system reboot. The behaviour of nvidia-drivers-common and nvidia-settings in focal-proposed is as expected.

[Dirk Su (dirksu)]

Setup impish on 201606-22344 in cert pool, this system's GPU can supported both with nvidia-driver-390 and nvidia-driver-470. Installed ubuntu-drivers-common, nvidia-settings from impish-proposed repository. With nvidia-driver-390, try to setup on-demand mode with "prime-select on-demand", system will fall back to nvidia mode after reboot. With nvidia-driver-470, setup on-demand mode with "prime-select on-demand", system will change to on-demand mode after system reboot. The behaviour of nvidia-drivers-common and nvidia-settings in impish-proposed is as expected.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package nvidia-settings - 470.57.01-0ubuntu0.20.04.3

---------------
nvidia-settings (470.57.01-0ubuntu0.20.04.3) focal; urgency=medium

  [ Jeremy Szu ]
  * debian/patches/18_remove_power-saving_if_on-demand.patch,
    debian/patches/19_lp1957094-adjust-on-demand-mode-description.patch:
     - Disable the item of power saving mode if on-demand is supported
       (LP: #1957094).
     - Leave the item there because the user might issue 'prime-select
       intel' manually. Thus, leave it there could prevent selection
       confuse.
     - Explain the on-demand mode if driver < 450.

 -- Alberto Milone <email address hidden> Tue, 18 Jan 2022 15:43:01 +0000

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

The verification of the Stable Release Update for nvidia-settings has completed successfully and the package is now being released to -updates. Subsequently, the Ubuntu Stable Release Updates Team is being unsubscribed and will not receive messages about this bug report. In the event that you encounter a regression using the package from -updates please report a new bug using ubuntu-bug and tag the bug report regression-update so we can easily find any regressions.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package ubuntu-drivers-common - 1:0.9.0~0.20.04.5

---------------
ubuntu-drivers-common (1:0.9.0~0.20.04.5) focal; urgency=medium

  * gpu-manager.c:
    - Fall back from on-demand to on if nvidia < 450 (LP: #1957094).

 -- Alberto Milone <email address hidden> Tue, 18 Jan 2022 08:58:23 +0000

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package ubuntu-drivers-common - 1:0.9.2.3

---------------
ubuntu-drivers-common (1:0.9.2.3) impish; urgency=medium

  * gpu-manager.c:
    - Fall back from on-demand to on if nvidia < 450 (LP: #1957094).

 -- Alberto Milone <email address hidden> Tue, 18 Jan 2022 09:09:16 +0000

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package nvidia-settings - 470.57.01-0ubuntu3.1~0.21.10.1

---------------
nvidia-settings (470.57.01-0ubuntu3.1~0.21.10.1) impish; urgency=medium

  [ Jeremy Szu ]
  * debian/patches/18_remove_power-saving_if_on-demand.patch,
    debian/patches/19_lp1957094-adjust-on-demand-mode-description.patch:
     - Disable the item of power saving mode if on-demand is supported
       (LP: #1957094).
     - Leave the item there because the user might issue 'prime-select
       intel' manually. Thus, leave it there could prevent selection
       confuse.
     - Explain the on-demand mode if driver < 450.

 -- Alberto Milone <email address hidden> Tue, 18 Jan 2022 14:25:40 +0000