Do you folks think this is ready for a blog post? Now that Linus has Linux running on a Macbook Air, it may be good to show Macbook Pros with hybrid graphics have half-decent Linux support as well... :-p
On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 9:34 PM, Andreas Heider <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Peter, > > I blacklisted both nvidia and nouveau during boot and did exactly these > eight steps. I used dd to save the config space, if that is of any > importance (e.g. "dd if=/sys/bus/pci/devices/0000:01:00.0/config > of=7-restored"). > > Because I'm not sure wether the pci_save/restore_state functions work I did > the test twice. You can find the results for the run with > pci_save/restore_state at http://andreas.meetr.de/nouveau/pcs/ and the one > without at http://andreas.meetr.de/nouveau/pcs-2. > > Both lead to the same result, the vbios is not > accessible. http://andreas.meetr.de/nouveau/nouveau.dmesg shows how a normal > boot with nouveau looks like. > > Cheers, > Andreas > > Am 08.03.2012 um 21:31 schrieb Lekensteyn: > > Hi Andreas, > > What about nouveau? The blob sometimes do not get completely unloaded > (/dev/nvidia* devices then still > exist). > > What if the following steps are followed: > > 1. ensure that the blob has not been loaded (reboot if necessary) > 2. unload nouveau if necessary > 3. save pci configuration space > 4. disable card > 5. save pci configuration space, it should be all 1's (ff in xxd) > 6. enable card > 7. save pci configuration space, it should be similar to (3) > 8. load the nouveau driver, does it work? > > Regards, > Peter > > On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 7:17 PM, Andreas Heider <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Hi Peter, >> >> I'm already saving the pci configuration space with pci_save/restore_state >> and I've also tried manually changing it through /sys/bus/pci/..., but I >> still have the problem that the blob can't load the vbios. >> >> I've uploaded dumps of it, maybe you can spot something thats obviously >> wrong with it: >> 1. After boot: http://andreas.meetr.de/gmux/nv.config >> 2. After one powercycle: http://andreas.meetr.de/gmux/nv.bad.config >> 3. After one powercycle and copying the first config space >> back: http://andreas.meetr.de/gmux/nv.bad.config_restored >> >> Unfortunately this still gives me the NVRM: RmInitAdapter failed! >> (0x30:0xffffffff:858) error. >> >> Thanks, >> Andreas >> >> >> Am 08.03.2012 um 12:38 schrieb Lekensteyn: >> >> Hi Andreas, >> >> I've documented about the PCI configuration space issue on >> http://wiki.bumblebee-project.org/ACPI-for-Developers. Bumblebee also >> saves >> and restores the PCI configuration space before enabling/after disabling. >> >> Regards, >> Peter >> >> On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 2:47 AM, Andreas Heider <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> Hi everyone, >>> >>> I'll just continue using this mailing list as a blog. After a lot of >>> wild guesses in all directions I now have a setup that could be a base >>> for useful graphics switching on Macbook Pros. It's not completely >>> reliable yet but hopefully that will improve in the future. >>> >>> Switching between two running GPUs works pretty well and just needs a >>> bit more work. But that shouldn't be a big issue. >>> >>> The main problem I fought with is that after powering down the external >>> GPU the vbios vanishes and it's impossible to load the proprietary >>> nvidia driver: >>> >>> [ 214.505208] NVRM: failed to copy vbios to system memory. >>> [ 214.507347] NVRM: RmInitAdapter failed! (0x30:0xffffffff:858) >>> [ 214.507357] NVRM: rm_init_adapter(0) failed >>> >>> The same problem exists with nouveau, after the first power cycle >>> nouveau doesn't load again if I unload it. I guess this is actually a >>> BIOS/EFI/firmware bug, since Apple's switching driver just keeps the >>> driver loaded. >>> >>> So it's necessary to load the driver once and keep it loaded. This works >>> well with nouveau+vga_switcheroo but is a bit problematic with the >>> blob. >>> >>> At the moment I have the blob running with the patch from my first mail >>> and noticed that it survives a powercycle if X _is_ loaded while the GPU >>> is powered down. If I shutdown X I get this error when I try to start it >>> again afterwards: >>> >>> [ 144.390920] NVRM: RmInitAdapter failed! (0x26:0xffffffff:1170) >>> [ 144.390930] NVRM: rm_init_adapter(0) failed >>> >>> I'm not 100% certain that this really works but at the moment it's the >>> only possibility for getting full switching support with the blob. >>> >>> Speaking of nvidia bugs, I also had problems with the blob not reliably >>> loading when I boot with EFI. >>> Luckily it's possible to also enable the integrated card in BIOS >>> emulation mode. After staring a lot at the output of lspci -xxx from >>> both EFI and BIOS boot I noticed that this just requires flipping one >>> bit in the pci configuration space. This can be done by adding "setpci >>> -d 8086:0044 54.b=0b" in grub. This value will most likely only work for >>> this exact model, a MBP 6,2. For more information see >>> http://download.intel.com/design/processor/datashts/322813.pdf page 62. >>> >>> If anyone has some hints how to better deal with the blob that would be >>> greatly appreciated. >>> >>> On Wed, 2012-02-29 at 10:33 +0100, Lekensteyn wrote: >>> > Hi Andreas, >>> > >>> > I'm using nouveau + bbswitch (switcheroo also works, but not after >>> > resume), not on >>> > a mac, but a Clevo B7130 (branded as "BTO P-BOOK 17CL34"). >>> > >>> > The restoration of the PCI configuration space is a hack to allow the >>> > driver to load >>> > in case it was accidentally loaded while the card was off. This is >>> > especially necessary >>> > for the nvidia blob driver which loads itself if you try to >>> > access /dev/nvidia* devices. >>> > >>> > In the case of switcheroo, no driver is attempted to be unloaded (see >>> > the second field >>> > of the switching_method struct and line 30 of src/switch/switching.c. >>> >>> Sorry, that was my fault. I changed that for testing purposes and then >>> forgot about it. >>> >>> > >>> > gmux can be integrated into BB. Writing a new switcher module >>> > (src/switch/gmux.c) >>> > which also takes care of loading the switcheroo module (only if that >>> > is a safe operation!) >>> > should do the trick. Just be careful not to conflict with switcheroo. >>> > The other way is leave >>> > BB as it and require users to load gmux before BB. >>> >>> Because of vbios situation and nouveau already working pretty well with >>> switcheroo I'd prefer to keep using that. >>> > >>> > Regards, >>> > Peter >>> >>> Cheers, >>> Andreas >>> >>> > >>> > On Wed, Feb 29, 2012 at 12:25 AM, Andreas Heider <[email protected]> >>> > wrote: >>> > Hi Peter, >>> > >>> > I took another look at bumblebee today and got it running with >>> > nouveau! >>> > Bumblebee automatically powers the nvidia card down when it's >>> > not in >>> > use and starting programs with optirun works well. >>> > >>> > This required a dirty hack to bumblebee which you can find >>> > here: >>> > >>> > https://github.com/ah-/Bumblebee/commit/c5ab6f0e7f841045cee6905bb367c79091b0eb6b >>> > >>> > The problem is that bumblebee wants to save/restore the pci >>> > configuration >>> > space, which is already done by nouveau. (See >>> > https://gist.github.com/1935992) >>> > >>> > It also shouldn't try to unload the driver. >>> > >>> > Do you think this could somehow be integrated into bumblebee? >>> > >>> > Cheers, >>> > Andreas >>> > >>> > On Tue, 2012-02-28 at 16:14 +0100, Lekensteyn wrote: >>> > > Hi Andreas, >>> > > >>> > > vga_switcheroo is a supported method since Bumblebee 3.0, >>> > but I >>> > > assumed that >>> > > it would not be used for the nvidia driver. If you wish to >>> > use the >>> > > nvidia blob with >>> > > switcheroo, you have to recompile Bumblebee and apply commit >>> > > 85636d1f21b0644e7dd47e3931479860c55b7a05 (or use the develop >>> > branch). >>> > > The >>> > > next version will have this change too. >>> > > >>> > > One shortcoming of vga_switcheroo now is that the state is >>> > messed up >>> > > after >>> > > suspend: switcheroo remembered that the card was off, but in >>> > reality >>> > > the card >>> > > is on. The module bbswitch worked around this by enabling >>> > the card >>> > > before >>> > > suspend and disabling the card on resume. >>> > > >>> > > In some cases, while the card was turned off with switcheroo >>> > caused >>> > > the machine >>> > > to lock when the card is tried to be accessed. If switcheroo >>> > is not an >>> > > option for >>> > > Bumblebee, you can write your own switching code. See the >>> > src/switch/ >>> > > directory >>> > > for examples. >>> > > >>> > > Regards, >>> > > Peter >>> > > (Bumblebee and bbswitch developer) >>> > > >>> > > On Tue, Feb 28, 2012 at 3:16 PM, Andreas Heider >>> > <[email protected]> >>> > > wrote: >>> > > Hello everybody, >>> > > >>> > > I'm developing a vga_switcheroo driver for the Apple >>> > Macbook >>> > > Pro models >>> > > with switchable graphics and have a few questions >>> > about how to >>> > > integrate >>> > > it with the current linux hybrid graphics >>> > infrastructure. >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > Apple implemented the switching using a "chip" >>> > dubbed the >>> > > "gmux" (probably short for graphics multiplexer or >>> > something >>> > > similar). >>> > > The gmux can power down the external graphics card, >>> > switch the >>> > > DDC, >>> > > internal and external display connections >>> > (individually) >>> > > between both >>> > > cards and set the backlight brightness. Unlike most >>> > newer >>> > > laptops with >>> > > hybrid graphics, Apple's Macbook Pros use a physical >>> > mux. >>> > > >>> > > Luckily the gmux has remained mostly the same >>> > between all >>> > > models with >>> > > switchable graphics, so it should be possible to >>> > develop one >>> > > driver that >>> > > supports all of them. >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > This driver has actually been lying around in >>> > unfinished state >>> > > for some >>> > > time now, until Seth Forshee from Canonical recently >>> > rewrote >>> > > it into a >>> > > clean, backlight-only driver that will hopefully >>> > find it's way >>> > > into >>> > > mainline soon. >>> > > >>> > > My goal is to use Seth's work as a base and add the >>> > other >>> > > features back >>> > > again and make it work well. A first version is >>> > already >>> > > working and up >>> > > at https://github.com/ah-/gmux >>> > > >>> > > This driver supports all vga_switcheroo operations >>> > (discrete >>> > > power >>> > > on/off, display switching) and they all work on my >>> > MBP 6,2 >>> > > using the >>> > > intel and nouveau drivers. >>> > > >>> > > But unfortunately, it doesn't work with bumbleebee >>> > and/or the >>> > > proprietary >>> > > nvidia driver yet. >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > Because I'm using CUDA in other projects, getting >>> > the >>> > > proprietary NVIDIA >>> > > driver running well is very interesting to me. The >>> > setup >>> > > bumblebee plus >>> > > intel + nvidia_current without power management >>> > works well on >>> > > my laptop >>> > > if I switch to the intel card in grub. (It's just >>> > three >>> > > outbs). But that >>> > > breaks suspend and uses 10W more power than >>> > necessary. >>> > > >>> > > Does/should bumblebee work with a vga_switcheroo >>> > driver just >>> > > for ON/OFF? >>> > > >>> > > One thing I stumbled upon is a patch for the >>> > proprietary >>> > > NVIDIA >>> > > driver originally written by "Kayo >>> > <[email protected]>" which >>> > > adds >>> > > some kind of vga_switcheroo support to it. I >>> > modified it to >>> > > just register >>> > > with switcheroo (patch is attached), and that part >>> > works well. >>> > > Turning >>> > > off the card works, but turning it on afterwards >>> > doesn't. Any >>> > > Ideas? >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > Ultimately I'd like to get two scenarios/workflows >>> > to work >>> > > well: >>> > > >>> > > 1. Real switching, by disabling one card completely >>> > and only >>> > > using >>> > > the other one, requiring a logout/login. >>> > > Preferably using the NVIDIA driver. >>> > > >>> > > 2. Bumblebee switching with working power management >>> > when the >>> > > NVIDIA >>> > > GPU is not in usw. >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > I'd appreciate any comments and thoughts on how to >>> > implement >>> > > this and >>> > > how to integrate it with the current hybrid graphics >>> > > environment. >>> > > >>> > > Cheers, >>> > > Andreas >>> > > >>> > > _______________________________________________ >>> > > Mailing list: >>> > https://launchpad.net/~hybrid-graphics-linux >>> > > Post to : >>> > [email protected] >>> > > Unsubscribe : >>> > https://launchpad.net/~hybrid-graphics-linux >>> > > More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp >>> > > >>> > > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> >>> >> >> > > > > _______________________________________________ > Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~hybrid-graphics-linux > Post to : [email protected] > Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~hybrid-graphics-linux > More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp > _______________________________________________ Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~hybrid-graphics-linux Post to : [email protected] Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~hybrid-graphics-linux More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
