[SOLVED] No desktop effects + flickering in Plasma 5.23 with Intel VGA

snack · 2021-10-25 06:52:05

I am not able to properly configure my system with Intel UHD Graphics 630 to work with Plasma desktop. Up to Plasma 5.22 I used the XRender backend and everything worked fine, but it has been removed in Plasma 5.23 and now only OpenGL 3.1 and 2.0 are available. However, when I enable one I get this error on the journal:

ott 25 08:42:23 stryke kwin_x11[3162]: kwin_core: Failed to initialize compositing, compositing disabled

The result is that I cannot use any effect, and very often the image of a window of a KDE application (e.g. Konsole) is not stable, but somehow bounces between its current state and its state as it was some seconds ago, so that when I'm typing something I see what I just typed, then I see the typed text as it was some seconds before with the last additions missing, then the latest edits come back etc.

I currently don't have an Xorg configuration file since the wiki says it should not be necessary, and also I have not installed the xf86_video_intel package so I should be using the modesetting driver. My kernel parameters are:

rw  quiet mem_sleep_default=deep pcie_port_pm=on nmi_watchdog=0

Any help is really appreciated. Thanks.

Last edited by snack (2021-10-26 07:36:15)

seth · 2021-10-25 07:01:54

For the uncomposited flickering, try to disable PSR: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_ … flickering

snack · 2021-10-25 07:33:44

@seth thank you, I'll wait to see if someone suggests how to fix the OpenGL issue before trying your suggestion, since if I correctly understand the flickering should not happen when the compositor is active, right?

seth · 2021-10-25 07:42:28

The compositor might gloss over it, though it might get worse w/ GL compositing (in that case the cause is more likely the iris driver, https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_ … ver_(i965) )
I'm frankly not sure whether the kwin situation is salvageable w/o upstream fixes, https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=270497 (your chip should™ support certainly GL 2.1)
Are you running 5.23.1? https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=270561

snack · 2021-10-25 08:16:04

I am on 5.23.1. My VGA is integrate in an 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8750H processor from 2018, so I'd say it surely supports OpenGL 2.1. That's why I think it's a configuration issue and not a hardware deficiency. About the Iris driver, at the link you posted it is explained how to disable it before launching an application, but how can it be disabled overall so that also kwin will use i965? I guess with a kernel parameter, but I can't find that.

Lone_Wolf · 2021-10-25 10:28:34

but how can it be disabled overall so that also kwin will use i965? I guess with a kernel parameter, but I can't find that.

That setting uses an environment variable, check https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Environment_variables , especially section 2.2.1 .

snack · 2021-10-25 10:50:08

@Lone_Wolf: thanks, I created ~/.xinitrc with content:

export MESA_LOADER_DRIVER_OVERRIDE=i965

but still the compositor cannot be started.

seth · 2021-10-25 14:11:27

Unless you're using startx/xinit/xdm, ~/.xinitrc isn't used at all.
Try ~/.config/plasma-workspace/env/, https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Autostart or just /etc/profile.d/

Edit: oh, and that setting was more meant for flicker-control

Last edited by seth (2021-10-25 14:14:33)

snack · 2021-10-25 17:36:12

I created ~/.config/plasma-workspace/env/mesaoverride.sh with content:

#!/bin/bash
export MESA_LOADER_DRIVER_OVERRIDE=i965

and then chmod +x, but it didn't solve. I tried also without the shebang, same outcome.

By the way, I also tried to create a .drirc as explained here, again with no success.

I'm beginning to think that one of these methods actually succeeded in setting the i965 driver, but that my issue with the compositor is related to something different that the driver itself. Unfortunately the log on journalctl is not very descriptive. I'm going to see if it's possible to increase kwin's verbosity.

snack · 2021-10-25 17:44:12

So increasing the verbosity level and then restarting kwin as:

$ export QT_LOGGING_RULES="kwin_*.debug=true"
$ kwin_x11 --replace

I get:

kwin_core: Available scene plugin: "/usr/lib/qt/plugins/org.kde.kwin.scenes/KWinSceneOpenGL.so"
kwin_core: Available scene plugin: "/usr/lib/qt/plugins/org.kde.kwin.scenes/KWinSceneQPainter.so"
kwin_core: Attempting to load the OpenGL scene
kwin_scene_opengl: Initializing OpenGL compositing
kwin_platform_x11_standalone: Global share context format: QSurfaceFormat(version 3.0, options QFlags<QSurfaceFormat::FormatOption>(DeprecatedFunctions|ResetNotification), depthBufferSize 0, redBufferSize 8, greenBufferSize 8, blueBufferSize 8, alphaBufferSize 0, stencilBufferSize 0, samples -1, swapBehavior QSurfaceFormat::DefaultSwapBehavior, swapInterval 0, colorSpace QSurfaceFormat::DefaultColorSpace, profile  QSurfaceFormat::NoProfile)
kwin_core: Starting without compositing...
kwin_core: Failed to initialize compositing, compositing disabled

Nothing useful as far as I can tell. I'm starting to feel a bit frustrated...

seth · 2021-10-25 21:22:43

but that my issue with the compositor is related to something different

seth wrote:

Edit: oh, and that setting was more meant for flicker-control

and seth before wrote:

I'm frankly not sure whether the kwin situation is salvageable w/o upstream fixes, https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=270497

snack · 2021-10-25 21:27:42

@seth Sorry I didn't catch the reference to flicker control. Anyway i965 does not help at all even with that. Tomorrow I'll try to disable PSR as you suggested in post #2.

snack · 2021-10-26 07:12:37

I found that in ~/.config/kwinrc the GLPlatformInterface variable in the [Compositing] section was set to egl. I set it to glx and the compositor started working again. Also flickering seems to be gone.

Thanks to everybody for the support!

seth · 2021-10-26 07:34:26

Please always remember to mark resolved threads by editing your initial posts subject - so others will know that there's no task left, but maybe a solution to find.
Thanks.

snack · 2021-10-26 07:35:35

@seth I tried, but unfortunately the title is too long and I can't add anything to it. I will shorten the original one.

Arch Linux

#1 2021-10-25 06:52:05

[SOLVED] No desktop effects + flickering in Plasma 5.23 with Intel VGA

#2 2021-10-25 07:01:54

Re: [SOLVED] No desktop effects + flickering in Plasma 5.23 with Intel VGA

#3 2021-10-25 07:33:44

Re: [SOLVED] No desktop effects + flickering in Plasma 5.23 with Intel VGA

#4 2021-10-25 07:42:28

Re: [SOLVED] No desktop effects + flickering in Plasma 5.23 with Intel VGA

#5 2021-10-25 08:16:04

Re: [SOLVED] No desktop effects + flickering in Plasma 5.23 with Intel VGA

#6 2021-10-25 10:28:34

Re: [SOLVED] No desktop effects + flickering in Plasma 5.23 with Intel VGA

#7 2021-10-25 10:50:08

Re: [SOLVED] No desktop effects + flickering in Plasma 5.23 with Intel VGA

#8 2021-10-25 14:11:27

Re: [SOLVED] No desktop effects + flickering in Plasma 5.23 with Intel VGA

#9 2021-10-25 17:36:12

Re: [SOLVED] No desktop effects + flickering in Plasma 5.23 with Intel VGA

#10 2021-10-25 17:44:12

Re: [SOLVED] No desktop effects + flickering in Plasma 5.23 with Intel VGA

#11 2021-10-25 21:22:43

Re: [SOLVED] No desktop effects + flickering in Plasma 5.23 with Intel VGA

#12 2021-10-25 21:27:42

Re: [SOLVED] No desktop effects + flickering in Plasma 5.23 with Intel VGA

#13 2021-10-26 07:12:37

Re: [SOLVED] No desktop effects + flickering in Plasma 5.23 with Intel VGA

#14 2021-10-26 07:34:26

Re: [SOLVED] No desktop effects + flickering in Plasma 5.23 with Intel VGA

#15 2021-10-26 07:35:35

Re: [SOLVED] No desktop effects + flickering in Plasma 5.23 with Intel VGA

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