Unity fails to start with ATI proprietary drivers - GL_ARB_vertex_buffer_object not supported

[Rafał Cieślak]

Unity shell fails to start when using FGLRX driver on Ubuntu Oneiric. The compiz runs, and seems to work okay, but neither the unity panel nor launcher shows up (it runs unity2d instaed). When trying to run 'unity -replace', the error message is:

compiz (unityshell) - Error: GL_ARB_vertex_buffer_object not supported

compiz (core) - Error: InitPlugin 'unityshell' failed
compiz (core) - Error: Couldn't activate plugin 'unityshell'

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: unity 4.8.2-0ubuntu4
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-9.14-generic 3.0.3
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-9-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: fglrx wl
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: [core,bailer,detection,composite,opengl,decor,resize,mousepoll,grid,snap,imgpng,place,gnomecompat,compiztoolbox,vpswitch,regex,wall,session,move,unitymtgrabhandles,animation,expo,workarounds,ezoom,staticswitcher,fade,scale,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: compiz
Date: Wed Aug 24 13:08:32 2011
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: oneiric
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus:
 bcmwl, 5.100.82.38+bdcom, 3.0.0-8-generic, x86_64: installed
 bcmwl, 5.100.82.38+bdcom, 3.0.0-9-generic, x86_64: installed
 fglrx, 8.872, 3.0.0-9-generic, x86_64: installed
GraphicsCard:
 ATI Technologies Inc Mobility Radeon HD 3650 [1002:9591] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:02a0]
MachineType: Dell Inc. Studio 1737
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-9-generic root=UUID=5475739e-9d60-42fb-87a7-b3b60dce11c0 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: unity
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 02/11/2009
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A05
dmi.board.name: 0P786H
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.board.version: A05
dmi.chassis.type: 8
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.version: A05
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA05:bd02/11/2009:svnDellInc.:pnStudio1737:pvrA05:rvnDellInc.:rn0P786H:rvrA05:cvnDellInc.:ct8:cvrA05:
dmi.product.name: Studio 1737
dmi.product.version: A05
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.5.92+bzr2791-0ubuntu1
version.fglrx-installer: fglrx-installer N/A
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs 20090808ubuntu16
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.26-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 7.11-0ubuntu3
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 7.11-0ubuntu3
version.xserver-xorg: xserver-xorg 1:7.6+7ubuntu6
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.6.0-1ubuntu13
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati N/A
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.15.901-1ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20110411+8378443-1

[Omer Akram (om26er)]

very similar or same as bug 737401

[Rafał Cieślak (rafalcieslak256)]

Oh, I can't tell, Launchpad says this page does not exist (so I guess that bug report is private).

[Mirco Müller (macslow)]

This really seems to be a bug in the driver not supporting a needed GL-extension.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Manuel Lucena (mlucena)]

I have an ATI RV620 LE [Radeon HD 3450], with no fglrx, and have the same error.

[Alberto González Palomo (matmota)]

I have a ThinkPad W500 with switchable graphics, that is, with two graphic chips:
- ATI FireGL V5700 [mostly the same as Radeon 3650]
- Intel GMA 4500MHD

In the BIOS you can select whether it should enable only one of them and which, or activate both and let the OS switch them on and off. Since AFAIK Linux doesn't support the switching, I enable only one of them at a time.

I have this problem with both chips, using the Free drivers. I have no custom kernel or driver or anything like that.

Before upgrading to 10.11 from 10.04, I had the Gnome desktop running with Compiz, with no problem.
The only way to get a working desktop now is to select Unity-2D which works fine.

Trying to dianose it I ran glxinfo, but it hung up: just like when starting Unity, it did nothing for a few seconds before giving the error message.
Before posting this comment I just tried glxinfo again, and it now works fine. I updated everything yesterday.
I'm sending this message for the record and re-login choosing Unity to see if it works.

[Alberto González Palomo (matmota)]

It still does not work: if I select "Ubuntu" as session, I just get the background image and the mouse pointer: no menus, windows, or anything. Clicking any of the mouse buttons does nothing.

Then I switch to a console, set DISPLAY to :0 and try to start unity. I attach the console text.
It hangs after "Initializing composite options...done", just before "Initializing opengl options", until I switch to the vt runing X11 and back, where it continues writing as written in the attachment.

glxinfo also does not run from the vt: it just says "Name of display: :0" and stays there until I stop it with control-c.
After starting an "Ubuntu 2D" session, glxinfo works fine.
I attach also the output of glxinfo after starting the Unity 2D session, run from a Gnome terminal. If I switch to the text-mode vt it still hangs, but xlogo does work.

If I try "unity --replace" from the Gnome terminal, I get the same output as from the vt except that it does not hang. At the end I get the same segmentation fault, and the window decorations are gone.
I can type in both the terminal and Firefox, and the indicators panel works, but I can't rearrange the windows. Firefox stays behind the terminal as it was before.

[Alberto González Palomo (matmota)]

Here is my glxinfo, with only the Intel chip enabled.

[Le Gluon Du Net (legluondunet)]

A friend upgraded to oneiric yesterday and when it logged, nothing appeared, it was the same bug as you. I tried the soluce of this topic:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1743380

and it works.
Hope this help.

LGDN

[William Culver (cedeon)]

I had the same error after upgrading some packages (i think Xorg, but not sure)

I am using the proprietary amd 'fglrx' driver and that had NOT been upgraded and WAS working previously so I don't think the error was a missing driver feature (at least in my case).

I remedied this problem by restarting in recovery mode and re-running the amd proprietary package '.run' with the '--force' option from a root text mode shell.

This fix has now helped me multiple times as it seems to me that the slightest touch to X/compiz/kernel creates problems when using the proprietary drivers.