[nouveau] Major graphics corruption and flickering after exiting unredirected fullscreen mode

[Daniel van Vugt]

Enabling Compiz option: CCSM > Composite > "Unredirect Fullscreen Windows"
seems to work at first.

But after you enter and leave fullscreen mode a few times the screen flickers uncontrollably, goes corrupt, and the system becomes useless. Restarting Compiz is not sufficient to fix the problem.

I've only found this problem with the nouveau driver so far.

TEST CASE:
1. Make sure you're using nouveau
2. CCSM > Composite > "Unredirect Fullscreen Windows" = ON
3. glxgears -fullscreen (Doesn't work with Unity!)
   (Or start a different OpenGL program that uses fullscreen)
4. While it's running tap Alt+Space a few times.
5. Press escape to exit the program

Expected: Screen returned to its original state.
Observed: Screen flickers and gets worse with use. Quickly becomes totally corrupt.

WORKAROUND:
Install the proprietary Nvidia driver: nvidia-current or nvidia-current-updates

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20111201+b5534a1-1build2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-31.50-generic 3.2.28
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-31-generic x86_64
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu13
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: [core,composite,opengl,compiztoolbox,decor,mousepoll,gnomecompat,resize,vpswitch,grid,move,imgpng,regex,animation,wall,place,fade,session,expo,workarounds,scale,ezoom,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: None
Date: Mon Sep 24 17:39:18 2012
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: precise
DistroVariant: ubuntu
ExtraDebuggingInterest: Yes,
GraphicsCard:
 NVIDIA Corporation GT218GL [Quadro FX 380 LP] [10de:0a78] (rev a2) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: NVIDIA Corporation Device [10de:0746]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Release amd64 (20120425)
MachineType: Dell Inc. OptiPlex 990
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_AU:en
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_AU.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-31-generic root=UUID=9f6f99e2-1189-4bf1-bff7-af137071f572 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 09/10/2011
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A07
dmi.board.name: 0D6H9T
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.board.version: A00
dmi.chassis.type: 15
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA07:bd09/10/2011:svnDellInc.:pnOptiPlex990:pvr01:rvnDellInc.:rn0D6H9T:rvrA00:cvnDellInc.:ct15:cvr:
dmi.product.name: OptiPlex 990
dmi.product.version: 01
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.7.8-0ubuntu1.4
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.32-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 8.0.3+8.0.2-0ubuntu3.2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 8.0.3+8.0.2-0ubuntu3.2
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.11.4-0ubuntu10.7
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.7.0-0ubuntu1.2
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.99~git20111219.aacbd629-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.17.0-1ubuntu4.1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20111201+b5534a1-1build2

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[madbiologist (me-again)]

Have the upstream nouveau developers said anything about this? Has it been retested on Quantal? (I don't have any NVIDIA hardware.)

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

I have tested this bug with a quantal in a live session. The bug was still there.

I am not going to push the bug upstream until I've upgraded my desktop to quantal and re-tested though. Upstream gets quite upset if you report bugs using older drivers (like in precise).

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

@Maarten, please help with testing of this bug, and getting it onto upstream's radar (or if you think you can fix it yourself, go for it). The fix should be evaluated for SRU feasibility as well.

[Maarten Lankhorst (mlankhorst)]

I can't reproduce it in quantal on my geforce 480 or my 9400gt, I take the default ubuntu-desktop, enable the unredirect setting in ccsm and disable the ubuntu unity plugin listed there. Is there anything I missed?

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Try repeating the test case a few times. It may take a few attempts and get worse each time.

[madbiologist (me-again)]

I think you are meant to test by enabling unredirect in ccsm while leaving the Unity plugin enabled.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

The trigger for this bug is to enter and leave fullscreen mode multiple times when Unredirect Fullscreen Windows is enabled.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

That's odd. Now I have a fully updated quantal machine with nouveau, I can't reproduce this. Seems to be only precise... \o/

[Steve Langasek (vorlon)]

The Precise Pangolin has reached end of life, so this bug will not be fixed for that release