Arch Linux

Daren

Member

From: Notts, UK

Registered: 2006-01-02

Posts: 73

[Solved] Another Nvidia and GLX issue

Running glx gears gives me an average of about 11FPS, although the card isn't particularly brilliant (MX-440 if I remember rightly), I used to be able to run the OpenGL screensavers (on Ubuntu, and I'm sure when I first installed Arch) quite comfortably.

Nvidia driver is in the xorg.conf, and is loading (getting the splash screen), glxinfo tells me I am using the nvidia gl libs and direct rendering is enabled:

name of display: :0.0
display: :0  screen: 0
direct rendering: Yes
server glx vendor string: NVIDIA Corporation
server glx version string: 1.3
server glx extensions:
    GLX_EXT_visual_info, GLX_EXT_visual_rating, GLX_SGIX_fbconfig,
    GLX_SGIX_pbuffer, GLX_SGI_video_sync, GLX_SGI_swap_control
client glx vendor string: NVIDIA Corporation
client glx version string: 1.3
client glx extensions:

The only slightly odd thing (to me) is this in the Xorg.0.log:

II) NVIDIA(0): Setting mode "1280x1024"
(II) Loading extension NV-GLX
(II) NVIDIA(0): NVIDIA 3D Acceleration Architecture Initialized
(II) NVIDIA(0): Using the NVIDIA 2D acceleration architecture
(==) NVIDIA(0): Backing store disabled
(==) NVIDIA(0): Silken mouse enabled
(**) Option "dpms"
(**) NVIDIA(0): DPMS enabled
(II) Loading extension NV-CONTROL
(==) RandR enabled
(II) Initializing built-in extension MIT-SHM
(II) Initializing built-in extension XInputExtension
(II) Initializing built-in extension XTEST
(II) Initializing built-in extension XKEYBOARD
(II) Initializing built-in extension LBX
(II) Initializing built-in extension XC-APPGROUP
(II) Initializing built-in extension SECURITY
(II) Initializing built-in extension XINERAMA
(II) Initializing built-in extension XFIXES
(II) Initializing built-in extension XFree86-Bigfont
(II) Initializing built-in extension RENDER
(II) Initializing built-in extension RANDR
(II) Initializing built-in extension COMPOSITE
(II) Initializing built-in extension DAMAGE

I'm not sure if 'Backing store disabled' means anything major, and it mentions it is initialising the COMPOSITE extension, which I believe is not exactly Nvidia friendly.

I tried putting Composite disable in an Extensions section in the xorg.conf but it made no difference.

Oh, and the agp module is loaded:

lsmod | grep agp
via_agp                 8320  1
agpgart                29904  2 nvidia,via_agp

Any ideas?

Well, it turned out to be an Amarok script which was seriously hogging resources of all things....   :oops:

Snarkout

Member

Registered: 2005-11-13

Posts: 542

Re: [Solved] Another Nvidia and GLX issue

That looks exactly like my log w/ the exception of the dpms line is which is

Option "dpms" "true"

in mine.  I believe that the effect is the same though.  Do you have these lines in your log:

(II) Initializing built-in extension XEVIE
(II) Initializing extension GLX

?

Post the relevant portions of your xorg.conf file and someone may be able to shed some light on the issue.

---

Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.
-Albert Einstein

Daren

Member

From: Notts, UK

Registered: 2006-01-02

Posts: 73

Re: [Solved] Another Nvidia and GLX issue

I do...

(II) Loading extension NV-GLX
(II) NVIDIA(0): NVIDIA 3D Acceleration Architecture Initialized
(II) NVIDIA(0): Using the NVIDIA 2D acceleration architecture
(==) NVIDIA(0): Backing store disabled
(==) NVIDIA(0): Silken mouse enabled
(**) Option "dpms"
(**) NVIDIA(0): DPMS enabled
(II) Loading extension NV-CONTROL
(==) RandR enabled
(II) Initializing built-in extension MIT-SHM
(II) Initializing built-in extension XInputExtension
(II) Initializing built-in extension XTEST
(II) Initializing built-in extension XKEYBOARD
(II) Initializing built-in extension LBX
(II) Initializing built-in extension XC-APPGROUP
(II) Initializing built-in extension SECURITY
(II) Initializing built-in extension XINERAMA
(II) Initializing built-in extension XFIXES
(II) Initializing built-in extension XFree86-Bigfont
(II) Initializing built-in extension RENDER
(II) Initializing built-in extension RANDR
(II) Initializing built-in extension COMPOSITE
(II) Initializing built-in extension DAMAGE
(II) Initializing built-in extension XEVIE
(II) Initializing extension GLX
(**) Option "Protocol" "ExplorerPS/2"

and then after the keyboard and mouse stuff:

(II) NVIDIA(0): Setting mode "1280x1024"
(II) 3rd Button detected: disabling emulate3Button
(WW) Open APM failed (/dev/apm_bios) (No such file or directory)
(II) NVIDIA(0): Setting mode "1280x1024"
(II) Loading extension NV-GLX
(II) NVIDIA(0): NVIDIA 3D Acceleration Architecture Initialized
(II) NVIDIA(0): Using the NVIDIA 2D acceleration architecture
(**) NVIDIA(0): DPMS enabled
(==) RandR enabled
(II) Initializing extension GLX
(II) Mouse1: ps2EnableDataReporting: succeeded
Could not init font path element /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/CID, removing from list!
Could not init font path element /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/local, removing from list!
(II) NVIDIA(0): Setting mode "1280x1024"
SetClientVersion: 0 8
SetGrabKeysState - disabled
SetGrabKeysState - enabled
(II) 3rd Button detected: disabling emulate3Button

after that it's just some 'SetGrabKeysState' messages, which don't sound like anything to do with it...

It's odd, I've never had an issue getting accelerated GLX going with an Nvidia card before.

Also checking the /dev/nvidia* nodes shows they are all 0666 permissions.

jaboua

Member

Registered: 2005-11-05

Posts: 634

Re: [Solved] Another Nvidia and GLX issue

I don't use composite, but I do remember hearing something about composite disabling GLX so you had to add an option "compositewithglx" or something...

EDIT: after some googling:

I just upgraded my NVidia drivers only to find that GLX didn't work. After some fiddling I thought I'd take a gander at the new docs for the GLX driver. Near the bottom it mentions that GLX won't work if the composite extension is loaded too. It recommended that the AllowGLXWithComposite option be set to True. That got GLX working making me happy.

Daren

Member

From: Notts, UK

Registered: 2006-01-02

Posts: 73

Re: [Solved] Another Nvidia and GLX issue

Yeah, I read that in the Nvidia readme file.

Thing is, I haven't specifically (at any point) enabled Composite.

I had tried the option on the off-chance, but it made no difference at all.

I've just tried specifically enabling composite, with the Extensions section, and got the message that GLX was now disabled, so I'm not sure it is specifically to do with that   :?

I imagine if the card was faulty, it wouldn't work at all, and not just bork the 3d accel??

Lone_Wolf

Administrator

From: Netherlands, Europe

Registered: 2005-10-04

Posts: 13,031

Re: [Solved] Another Nvidia and GLX issue

lsmod | grep agp
agpgart                29904  1 nvidia

glxgears > 3000 fps
Ti 4200

Try blacklisting/disabling via-agp in rc.conf
On my pc that increased glxgears from around 800 to the current 3100 value.

---

Disliking systemd intensely, but not satisfied with alternatives so focusing on taming systemd.

clean chroot building not flexible enough ?
Try clean chroot manager by graysky

Daren

Member

From: Notts, UK

Registered: 2006-01-02

Posts: 73

Re: [Solved] Another Nvidia and GLX issue

That's definately something I wouldn't have considered  :shock:

I'm not with that particular PC at the mo, but I'll give it a go tomorrow and report back....

Thanks for the suggestion

Daren

Member

From: Notts, UK

Registered: 2006-01-02

Posts: 73

Re: [Solved] Another Nvidia and GLX issue

Oh well, disabling via_agp made no difference.

I've also tried each of the NvAGP options (including disabled) and got exactly the same result, which leads me to believe it is something to do the AGP.

However:

$ cat driver/nvidia/agp/status
Status:          Enabled
Driver:          AGPGART
AGP Rate:        4x
Fast Writes:     Disabled
SBA:             Disabled

suggests it is enabled and functioning.

Just tried downgrading the drivers to 'nvidia-legacy' with the same result as well.

It's probably something stupidly simple, but I'm out of ideas....

Daren

Member

From: Notts, UK

Registered: 2006-01-02

Posts: 73

Re: [Solved] Another Nvidia and GLX issue

Ok, I think it's something to do with KDE.

Out of curiosity, I tried a 'failsafe' session, and got average 410fps.

Went back to KDE, launched a terminal before it finished starting up, started glxgears which started about 100fps, and then swiftly dropped back to 10.

So, the question is, what in KDE could be causing this apparent loss of hardware acceleration?

jaboua

Member

Registered: 2005-11-05

Posts: 634

Re: [Solved] Another Nvidia and GLX issue

Ok, I think it's something to do with KDE.

Out of curiosity, I tried a 'failsafe' session, and got average 410fps.

Went back to KDE, launched a terminal before it finished starting up, started glxgears which started about 100fps, and then swiftly dropped back to 10.

So, the question is, what in KDE could be causing this apparent loss of hardware acceleration?

Try to check a system monitor, maybe it for some reason is using very much CPU? That's happened to me before with different background processes using much CPU and slowing everything down...

Daren

Member

From: Notts, UK

Registered: 2006-01-02

Posts: 73

Re: [Solved] Another Nvidia and GLX issue

bang on target!!

It was a script running in the background in Amarok.  Not the sort of thing I would have thought of (too simple!!)    :oops: