Bug 214118 – mkxf86config doesn't choose the correct video driver of those detected

• Product: Gentoo Release Media
• Status: RESOLVED OBSOLETE

[Description Kristoffer 2008-03-21 02:20:08 UTC]

This happens when running Gentoo LiveCDs and LiveCDs I personally have built with catalyst:

The video driver is detected by hwsetup and put in /etc/sysconfig/gentoo. However, hwsetup seems to detect mutiple possible video drivers. I've got this for example:

[...]
XMODULE="i810"
[...]
XMODULE="vesa"
[...]

When /etc/sysconfig/gentoo is sourced by the mkxf86config script later, XMODULE will be "vesa" instead of "i810" becuase of their order. While, vesa works, the i810 is superior (e.g. allows my unusual widescreen resolution on my laptop). mkxf86config should try to get XMODULE (and possibly other variables) in some better way than simply sourcing /etc/sysconfig/gentoo, e.g. scanning it and choosing the "best" alternatives in some intelligent way (e.g. choosing anything non-vesa before vesa).

Of course, if one is lucky and for whatever reason get XMODULE="i810" (in my case) after XMODULE="vesa", it works, but a deterministic behaviour is needed.

This is with x11-misc/mkxf86config-0.9.9 and sys-apps/hwsetup-1.2.

BTW, is mkxf86config really a "gentoo project" as indicated by the ebuild (homepage = gentoo.org)? I couldn't for my life find the sources in the gentoo cvs which I would expect if that was the case. Perhaps this is not a gentoo problem, but upstream (who ever that would be)?

Reproducible: Sometimes

Steps to Reproduce:
1. boot a Gentoo LiveCD (or one generated by catalyst)
2. have bad luch with the order hwsetup enters XMODULE into /etc/sysconfig/gentoo
3. check that the video driver in xorg.conf is set to vesa instead of the better alternative

[Comment 1 Andrew Gaffney (RETIRED) 2008-03-21 02:31:41 UTC]

I believe this happens when there are multiple video cards detected. Can you post your lspci output?

[Comment 2 Kristoffer 2008-03-21 03:38:33 UTC]

Created attachment 146733 [details]
lspci ouput of my effected Dell Latitude X1 laptop

Sure. This is on a Dell Latitude X1 laptop.

So are both the VGA compatible controller and Display controller counted as video cards by hwsetup? Also included very verbose lspci output for these at the bottom of the attached file in case it helps.

[Comment 3 Andrew Gaffney (RETIRED) 2008-03-21 13:19:37 UTC]

Yes, hwsetup is detecting both of them. I'm betting you'd get 2 Device sections in your xorg.conf if you ran 'X -configure'.

I'm not sure we want to put in a workaround for this. This is a bit of "weird" situation. A workaround for something like this is bound to do the wrong thing in some circumstances. The worst that happens now is that you only get vesa video on the LiveCD.

[Comment 4 Kristoffer 2008-03-21 15:45:05 UTC]

Yes, I completely understand. I'd say that this is an up-stream hwsetup issue if anything.

X -configure produced a xorg.conf which only has one device section for video card, and that one uses the driver "intel", not "vesa". This driver seems to work just as well as "i810" (I get the correct wide-screen resolution etc). The resulting xorg.conf actually works very well (although it misses a DRI section), so perhaps it is time to investigate whether mkxf86config is needed at all any longer?  

[Comment 5 Chris Gianelloni (RETIRED) 2008-04-03 16:48:33 UTC]

Can you give the output of /etc/sysconfig/xserver please?  I'd like to see what hwsetup *thinks* it is detecting.

[Comment 6 Kristoffer 2008-04-03 20:19:53 UTC]

Created attachment 148500 [details]
contents of /etc/sysconfig/{gentoo,xserver}

Right. Also included /etc/sysconfig/gentoo so you can see the order of what it detects more clearly than my earlier explanation (should probably have included this in the first place).

[Comment 7 Samuli Suominen (RETIRED) 2013-03-22 10:32:39 UTC]

mkxf86config was removed, but if it is restored, this bug should be at least reopened if not fixed