[fglrx] Unity flickering on window updates with fglrx and VBO enabled

[John Mitchell]

[Description]
When hovering over icons on unity or using an application which does a lot of re-drawing there is significant flickering and graphic corruption. This only happens in 12.10 downgrading to 12.04 fixes the issue.

[Work Around]
unity --replace sometimes fixes the issue (ie you have to do it two or three times, but eventually it does fix it and the issues doesn't re-appear for that desktop session).

[Easiest way to force the flicker]
I have found the easiest way to force a flicker is to drag a window frame to the right hand side of the screen so the yellow bounding box appears on the right half of the screen, when this happens a lot of flickering occurs.

[Possibly duplicates]
I've found a few bugs with similar problems, however these are for different versions so wasn't sure if they were duplicates or not bug #963093 ; bug #1059467

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.10
Package: unity 6.8.0-0ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.5.0-17.28-generic 3.5.5
Uname: Linux 3.5.0-17-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: fglrx
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.6.1-0ubuntu3
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: [core,composite,opengl,compiztoolbox,decor,vpswitch,snap,mousepoll,resize,place,move,wall,grid,regex,imgpng,session,gnomecompat,animation,fade,unitymtgrabhandles,workarounds,scale,expo,ezoom,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: compiz
Date: Tue Oct 23 11:22:38 2012
DistUpgraded: 2012-10-19 23:06:44,859 DEBUG enabling apt cron job
DistroCodename: quantal
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus:
 fglrx-updates, 9.000, 3.2.0-32-generic, x86_64: installed
 fglrx-updates, 9.000, 3.5.0-17-generic, x86_64: installed
 vboxhost, 4.2.2: added
GraphicsCard:
 Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI Cypress PRO [Radeon HD 5800 Series] [1002:6899] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: PC Partner Limited Device [174b:e140]
 Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI RV710 [Mobility Radeon HD 4500/5100 Series] [1002:9553] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: PC Partner Limited Device [174b:3092]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.04.1 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Release amd64 (20120823.1)
JockeyStatus:
 kmod:fglrx - Video driver for the AMD graphics accelerators (Proprietary, Disabled, Not in use)
 kmod:fglrx_updates - ATI Fire GL (Proprietary, Enabled, Not in use)
MachineType: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. X58A-UD7
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.5.0-17-generic root=UUID=39619dd8-dd3a-4057-b02c-dc3b954bf2b0 ro console=tty1
SourcePackage: unity
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to quantal on 2012-10-19 (3 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 11/10/2009
dmi.bios.vendor: Award Software International, Inc.
dmi.bios.version: F2
dmi.board.name: X58A-UD7
dmi.board.vendor: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
dmi.board.version: x.x
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAwardSoftwareInternational,Inc.:bvrF2:bd11/10/2009:svnGigabyteTechnologyCo.,Ltd.:pnX58A-UD7:pvr:rvnGigabyteTechnologyCo.,Ltd.:rnX58A-UD7:rvrx.x:cvnGigabyteTechnologyCo.,Ltd.:ct3:cvr:
dmi.product.name: X58A-UD7
dmi.sys.vendor: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.8.4-0ubuntu3
version.fglrx-installer: fglrx-installer N/A
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs 20090808ubuntu36
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.39-0ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 9.0-0ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 9.0-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.13.0-0ubuntu6
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.7.3-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.99.99~git20120913.8637f772-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.20.9-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.2-0ubuntu3

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Could you please provide a video?

Is it the launch, panel, or both? Would you say it's only the parts of unity near window edges (ie. related to the window shadows)?

[John Mitchell (mitchellj)]

I have uploaded a video at http://youtu.be/AYWoYbsBnAo and http://youtu.be/pEzgq8fAY2k You can see from these videos that the flickering appears on the entire screen. Sometimes it stays black.

However after 2 or 3 attempts at unity --replace all the flicking goes away and does not return until either reboot or session stop.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

John,

This appears to be a Catalyst (fglrx) driver bug. Please try removing the driver and using radeon instead.

Alternatively you can try reverting back to the rendering method used in Ubuntu 12.04:
CCSM > OpenGL >
  framebuffer_object = OFF
  vertex_buffer_object = OFF
  always_swap_buffers = OFF

[John Mitchell (mitchellj)]

This appears to be caused by the Vertex_buffer_output. But I'm not at a loss on how to report this bug, or if I should report it anywhere else? Any advice would be greatfully recieved!

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

John,

Could you please uninstall fglrx and test the default (radeon) driver?

[John Mitchell (mitchellj)]

When using the latest radeon driver it does not flicker, having said that though, the animations are not quite as existant as graphic update is so slow it'd be difficult to see when the flickering happens.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

John,

Sorry to be a pain, but... are you sure it was toggling vertex_buffer_object that solved it? You don't mean framebuffer_object?

[John Mitchell (mitchellj)]

Definately Vertex Buffer Object that solved it. I've still got Framebuffer and Buffer swapping still checked.

Lighting []
Sync to VBlank [X]
Texture Compression []
Framebuffer Object [X]
Vertex Buffer Object []
Always use buffer swapping [X]

Is my current setup, if I check the VBO option the flickers return.

[Kai Mast (kai-mast)]

I have the flickering on nvidia, too. Is there another bugreport for this?

[Yuta Ross (ylar34)]

Workaround:
1. Run Ubuntu Software Center
2. Install CompizConfig Settings Manager
3. Run CompizConfig Settings Manager (ccsm)
4. Click OpenGL
5. Ensure Vertex Buffer Object is unchecked

[Simon Strandman (nejsimon)]

I don't have any flickering/corruption with fglrx and VBO but the performance is terrible with that option enabled. Disabling VBO (that option only, not sync to vblank or anything else) makes unity/compiz a lot smoother. So obviously the fglrx driver has some problems with VBO (the radeon drivers works). 12.10 and 13.04 have the same problem. The hardware is a AMD E350/Radeon HD6310.

[Will Cooke (willcooke)]

Sorry folks, but as part of the bug clean up ahead of 16.04 I'm marking this as invalid because it affects an Ubuntu release which is now unsupported. If you can still recreate this bug in a supported release please do open a new bug and we can triage it for consideration in the 16.04 development cycle.