nouveau with triple head = blank screen

[Daniel D.]

Unfortunately apport can't report from the right driver because nouveau ends up with a blank screen when running with three heads, and removing one or two doesn't recover without a reboot, and with a single head the system fails to get to a useable state because either unity or some other gui thing launches on boot repeatedly crashes.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: xorg 1:7.7+13ubuntu3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-18.34-generic 4.4.6
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-18-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia_uvm nvidia_modeset nvidia
.proc.driver.nvidia.gpus.0000.01.00.0: Error: [Errno 21] Is a directory: '/proc/driver/nvidia/gpus/0000:01:00.0'
.proc.driver.nvidia.registry: Binary: ""
.proc.driver.nvidia.version:
 NVRM version: NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module 361.42 Tue Mar 22 18:10:58 PDT 2016
 GCC version: gcc version 5.3.1 20160413 (Ubuntu 5.3.1-14ubuntu2)
.tmp.unity_support_test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: compiz
CompositorUnredirectDriverBlacklist: '(nouveau|Intel).*Mesa 8.0'
CompositorUnredirectFSW: true
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Sat Apr 16 06:38:07 2016
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: xenial
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus:
 bbswitch, 0.8, 4.4.0-18-generic, x86_64: installed
 nvidia-361, 361.42, 4.4.0-18-generic, x86_64: installed
ExtraDebuggingInterest: No
GraphicsCard:
 NVIDIA Corporation GM204M [GeForce GTX 970M] [10de:1618] (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: CLEVO/KAPOK Computer GM204M [GeForce GTX 970M] [1558:7703]
InstallationDate: Installed on 2016-03-11 (35 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 14.04.4 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Release amd64 (20160217.1)
MachineType: System76, Inc. Serval WS
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-4.4.0-18-generic.efi.signed root=/dev/mapper/ubuntu--vg-root ro noprompt persistent quiet splash
SourcePackage: xorg
Symptom: display
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 01/18/2016
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 1.05.09RSA
dmi.board.asset.tag: Tag 12345
dmi.board.name: Serval WS
dmi.board.vendor: System76, Inc.
dmi.board.version: serw9
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Tag
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: System76, Inc.
dmi.chassis.version: N/A
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvr1.05.09RSA:bd01/18/2016:svnSystem76,Inc.:pnServalWS:pvrserw9:rvnSystem76,Inc.:rnServalWS:rvrserw9:cvnSystem76,Inc.:ct10:cvrN/A:
dmi.product.name: Serval WS
dmi.product.version: serw9
dmi.sys.vendor: System76, Inc.
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.12.2+16.04.20160331-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.67-1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 11.2.0-1ubuntu2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 11.2.0-1ubuntu2
version.nvidia-graphics-drivers: nvidia-graphics-drivers-* N/A
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.18.3-1ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.10.1-1ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati N/A
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel N/A
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.12-1build2
xserver.bootTime: Sat Apr 16 05:54:13 2016
xserver.configfile: /etc/X11/xorg.conf
xserver.errors:

xserver.logfile: /var/log/Xorg.0.log
xserver.outputs:

xserver.version: 2:1.18.3-1ubuntu2

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Daniel Curran-Dickinson, thank you for reporting this and helping make Ubuntu better.

To clarify, does using the nvidia proprietary driver provide a WORKAROUND?

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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