Re: Problems opening Linuxquestions link [WAS Re: Attempt to use the chipset NVIDIA Corp MCP79 [GeForce 8200M G] (rev b1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller]) with Dix. Teacher-Guide, Mr. Felix Miata]
Hi,
19 avr. 2021, 11:31 de amacater@einval.com:
> On Mon, Apr 19, 2021 at 11:04:23AM +0530, Susmita/Rajib wrote:
>
>> > A visit to the following may prove fruitful moving forward:
>> > <https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/blog/mrmazda-1035595/amd-intel-and-nvidia-x-graphics-driver-primer-38306/>
>> [...]
>>
>> But the website requires creation of an account in order for me to
>> read the post. I wouldn't like to create an account just for this
>> purpose, unless required. Could the essential steps be posted to this
>> thread please?
>>
> Pasting that link into Google Search found it for me with no particular
> problems - Felix Miata talking to a Jeremy Ardley about similar problems,
> I think and how to sort out driver issues.
>
Are you sure? I cannot access it through Google from my side and this is not a discussion between 2 people but a LinuxQuestion user blog post. Maybe are you mistaken? ;)
Here is the content as requested exceptionally (I recommend creating an account for next time as this is globally an excellent community):
AMD, Intel & NVidia X graphics driver primer
Posted 18-07-20 at 00:52 by mrmazda
Updated Today at 06:56 by mrmazda ((mainly) in re modesetting DIX)
Tags graphics, video, xorg
"Drivers" for the subject brands of GPUs for X, whether Wayland or Xorg, consist of multiple components or layers. This primer discusses only the first two layers, and only for the FOSS types included in the installation media for most GNU Linux distributions and their standard FOSS repositories.
First layer is the kernel. Each kernel comes with one or more of its own modules for each brand of GPU. For AMD, there is amdgpu for current and recent GPUs/APUs/IGPs, and radeon for older. For Intel there is gma500 for many SOC configurations, and i915 for the rest. For NVidia there is only nouveau. These kernel modules provide Kernel ModeSetting (KMS) functionality that the foundational X driver layer unconditionally depends upon.
These foundational X drivers are traditionally hardware device dependent, and thus are called DDX, for device dependent X (driver). Again, for AMD there is amdgpu for current and radeon for older; for Intel there is only intel; and for NVidia there is only nouveau. Each of these is provided by an upstream optional xf86-video-* source package. However, there is a newer technology device independent X driver, now more than six years old, that functions as if it was device dependent, but which is in fact created for supporting AMD, Intel, NVidia (and others), not surprisingly, called modesetting. This modesetting DIX is provided by the X server source package rather than a separate one, so is not optional, unlike the xf86-video-* packages. Because it is relatively new, older GPUs (roughly prior to Gen4 for Intel, or 2007 or 2008 for others) are not supported by it.
Even though upstream modesetting is the default X driver, and the xf86-video-* packages are technically optional, most Linux installations include a metapackage that installs every one of the xf86-video-* packages. This metapackage causes older GPUs unsupported by the modesetting DIX to be supported by a default installation, which in effect in many cases preempts the upstream default modesetting DIX that supports most non-ancient GPUs that are not too new for standard support.
Because of the prevalence of this preemptive override, most people speaking of video "drivers" don't even know the modesetting DIX exists. And because of the similar naming for kernel modules and DDXes, discussion of graphics "drivers" is often lacking clarity. This is particularly true for those for NVidia GPUs. Discussion of kernel driver is often intended when technically speaking of a DDX or DIX, and vice versa.
Those who wish to employ the modesetting DIX can most easily do so by uninstalling the video DDX metapackage and whichever discrete video package is applicable to the installed GPU(s). Whether the modesetting DIX will perform "better" than a GPU-specific video package can only be determined by trying both and comparing behavior. It is not unusual that tearing or other buggy behavior can be eliminated or reduced by a switch between DDX and DIX or vice versa.
For X there is additionally a pair of limited functionality drivers that do not depend on KMS that support AMD, Intel, NVidia and more. These are FBDEV and VESA. These are unaccelerated, and support few, if any, modern widescreen resolutions, typically limited to 4:3 modes 1280x1024, 1600x1200, or less, often only 1024x768. Most find these acceptable only for rescue operations, or for servers where X is in use little to none. Not infrequently it is one of these two that are required for installation to proceed. When this happens, usually the bootloader on the installed system is configured to include nomodeset on each of the linux lines. The result of nomodeset in the bootloader is the competent DDX's and DIX's support is precluded, making the user unhappy with graphics performance, or confronted with a black screen where a login greeter is expected, until it is discovered why and how to remove nomodeset from the boot process.
In summary, "drivers" required for competent X operation are:
* amdgpu (kernel) plus amdgpu (DDX) or modesetting (DIX) for current and non-ancient AMD APUs/GPUs/IGPs
* radeon (kernel) plus modesetting (DIX) or radeon (DDX) for ancient AMD/ATI GPUs/IGPs
* gma500 (kernel) or i915 (kernel) plus intel (DDX) or modesetting (DIX) for Intel GPUs/IGPs
* nouveau (kernel) plus modesetting (DIX) or nouveau (DDX) for NVidia GPUs
Best regards,
l0f4r0
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