Unity does not recognize twinview settings after crash and manual restart.

[Alistair Buxton]

I have a dual monitor setup with twinview. After Unity crashes and does not restart, I have to switch to a terminal and re-run Unity manually in order to interract with windows. Before I do this, windows maximize to only one monitor and I have a panel on both screens. (The top of my screens are not vertically aligned.) After restarting Unity, it treats the whole display as one big monitor. Windows maximize across both screens and there is only a panel on the first monitor (because it has disappeared off the top of the other one.)

To reproduce:

1. Do something that crashes Unity, such as https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nux/+bug/923567 (ie enable or disable the compiz window rules plugin)
2. Repeat step 1 until Unity no longer automatically reloads. (might not be necessary)
3. Switch to a console with ctrl-alt-f1 and log in.
4. DISPLAY=:0 unity
5. alt-f7 and maximize any window.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: unity 5.0.0-0ubuntu3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-12.20-generic 3.2.2
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-12-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
.proc.driver.nvidia.gpus.0: Error: [Errno 21] Is a directory: '/proc/driver/nvidia/gpus/0'
.proc.driver.nvidia.registry: Binary: ""
.proc.driver.nvidia.version:
 NVRM version: NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module 290.10 Wed Nov 16 17:39:29 PST 2011
 GCC version: gcc version 4.6.2 (Ubuntu/Linaro 4.6.2-12ubuntu1)
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 1.91-0ubuntu1
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: [core,bailer,detection,composite,opengl,compiztoolbox,decor,resize,snap,place,mousepoll,move,gnomecompat,grid,vpswitch,imgpng,wall,session,regex,animation,expo,workarounds,fade,ezoom,scale,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: compiz
Date: Mon Jan 30 01:55:40 2012
DistUpgraded: Log time: 2012-01-29 18:22:11.935436
DistroCodename: precise
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus:
 nvidia-current-updates, 290.10, 3.0.0-14-generic, x86_64: installed
 nvidia-current-updates, 290.10, 3.2.0-12-generic, x86_64: installed
 virtualbox, 4.1.8, 3.0.0-14-generic, x86_64: installed
 virtualbox, 4.1.8, 3.2.0-12-generic, x86_64: installed
GraphicsCard:
 nVidia Corporation GT215 [GeForce GT 240] [10de:0ca3] (rev a2) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Giga-byte Technology Device [1458:34e2]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Beta amd64 (20110921.2)
JockeyStatus:
 xorg:nvidia_current - NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (Proprietary, Disabled, Not in use)
 xorg:nvidia_current_updates - NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (post-release updates) (Proprietary, Enabled, In use)
MachineType: System manufacturer System Product Name
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-12-generic root=UUID=e201088a-cec2-4b74-a583-bc7991dabd32 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: unity
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2012-01-29 (0 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 11/25/2009
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 0704
dmi.board.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.board.name: M4A79XTD EVO
dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
dmi.board.version: Rev X.0X
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: Asset-1234567890
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Chassis Manufacture
dmi.chassis.version: Chassis Version
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvr0704:bd11/25/2009:svnSystemmanufacturer:pnSystemProductName:pvrSystemVersion:rvnASUSTeKComputerINC.:rnM4A79XTDEVO:rvrRevX.0X:cvnChassisManufacture:ct3:cvrChassisVersion:
dmi.product.name: System Product Name
dmi.product.version: System Version
dmi.sys.vendor: System manufacturer
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.6+bzr20110929-0ubuntu8
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs 20090808ubuntu33
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.30-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 7.11-0ubuntu4
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 7.11-0ubuntu4
version.nvidia-graphics-drivers: nvidia-graphics-drivers N/A
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.11.3-0ubuntu9
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.6.99.901-1ubuntu3
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.99~git20111219.aacbd629-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.17.0-1ubuntu3
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20111201+b5534a1-1build2

[Alistair Buxton (a-j-buxton)]

Logging out and then logging in again clears this problem (until the next time...)

[Bilal Akhtar (bilalakhtar)]

Can't reproduce on an Intel card.

Yet another reason why the Nvidia driver sucks because of the lack of xrandr support :(

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Not arguing that nvidia sucks due to its lack of xrandr-ness, but that issue is already covered by bug #567963 (and is *quite* well known upstream), so if the nvidia task was given just because nvidia uses twinview, I don't think the task is necessary, we can just consider that aspect dupe of #567963.

Until nvidia does support xrandr 1.2+, Unity just needs to be able to handle twinview setups. (And possibly needs to keep supporting it as long as nvidia/twinview is a supported option).

If there is something that needs investigated on the nvidia side, please elaborate.

[bugbot (bugbot)]

We're closing this bug since there has not been a response from the original reporter. However, the issue still exists please feel free to reopen with the requested information. If you're not the original reporter, we'd prefer you file a new bug report.

Some tips:

  * Report X.org bugs via the command: `ubuntu-bug xorg`

  * Test against the latest development Ubuntu. http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily-live/
    Bugs marked as affecting the development version tend to get priority attention.

  * The `xdiagnose` utility has functionality for enabling debugging and
    analyzing a few common X problems.

  * Tag your bugs with the Ubuntu versions you have reproduced the issue in.

  * See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Reporting for tips on writing good bug reports.

[Alistair Buxton (a-j-buxton)]

I've noticed this happens with metacity as well. Note that it only happens when restarting the window manager manually without restarting X, usually due to a crash and failure to auto-restart. It never happens during "normal" use.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Florian Rathgeber (florian-rathgeber)]

I can confirm the issue with Unity (compiz).

Additional symptom: I'm having the issue (which may or may not be related?) that Unity detects my 2 displays in twinview as a single display stretching across both screens called "Laptop" already before crashing. That does not seem to normally affect maximize behaviour (i.e. it works as expected before crashing).

[Stephen M. Webb (bregma)]

This is a pretty pathological condition acknowledged as a problem in the video drivers, and can be reproduced with applications other than Unity (see comments above). As such, I can't justify this as a bug in Unity.