You are not logged in.

#1 2012-12-12 02:51:51

Cerales
Member
Registered: 2011-01-04
Posts: 32

[SOLVED] Problems starting Xorg on Macbook Air 3,2

Updated: solved, see below.

I've tried the solution in here: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=123306 (same problem as here, too)

But mesa-git requires LLVM 3.2+ with amd gpu support for some reason (even though I'm on nvidia), and llvm-amdgpu-git has some problem where it can't compile due to a missing header.

When I run with nouveau and nouveau-dri installed, I can start X, but I get very strange behaviour - vanilla X with xterm and DWM can both start, but they lock up fairly soon. If I start up via SLiM, the default background has crazy visual artifacts all over the screen. When I type into xterm / urxvtc, sometimes the text doesn't show. Sometimes when I launch urxvtc, there's a big black bar in the middle of the screen. Sometimes X will simply freeze up and I can't do anything, not even Ctrl-Alt-F1, without rebooting.

I tried installing the proprietary driver, but I wasn't really sure which one to use.

$ lspci | grep -i vga
02:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA COrporation MCP89 [GeForce 320M] (rev a2)

I just used the nvidia package and installed it per the wiki (properly removed nouveau and rebooted first), ran nvidia-xconfig, and X wouldn't even start. I wasn't really sure how to figure out whether I should be using a different proprietary driver.

Does anyone have any advice?

Last edited by Cerales (2012-12-27 06:28:08)

Offline

#2 2012-12-12 03:57:50

Cerales
Member
Registered: 2011-01-04
Posts: 32

Re: [SOLVED] Problems starting Xorg on Macbook Air 3,2

FYI, this is my Xorg.0.log after trying to start X with the proprietary driver:

[    35.180] 
This is a pre-release version of the X server from The X.Org Foundation.
It is not supported in any way.
Bugs may be filed in the bugzilla at http://bugs.freedesktop.org/.
Select the "xorg" product for bugs you find in this release.
Before reporting bugs in pre-release versions please check the
latest version in the X.Org Foundation git repository.
See http://wiki.x.org/wiki/GitPage for git access instructions.
[    35.181] 
X.Org X Server 1.13.0.902 (1.13.1 RC 2)
Release Date: 2012-12-06
[    35.186] X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0
[    35.188] Build Operating System: Linux 3.6.9-1-ARCH x86_64 
[    35.190] Current Operating System: Linux lihue 3.6.9-1-ARCH #1 SMP PREEMPT Tue Dec 4 08:04:10 CET 2012 x86_64
[    35.190] Kernel command line: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-linux root=UUID=6ed19149-ae64-411c-a2fd-15e16ba0f1ad ro quiet
[    35.193] Build Date: 08 December 2012  09:37:18AM
[    35.195]  
[    35.197] Current version of pixman: 0.28.0
[    35.200] 	Before reporting problems, check http://wiki.x.org
	to make sure that you have the latest version.
[    35.200] Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (==) default setting,
	(++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) informational,
	(WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
[    35.208] (==) Log file: "/var/log/Xorg.0.log", Time: Wed Dec 12 14:55:57 2012
[    35.212] (==) Using config file: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf"
[    35.213] (==) ServerLayout "Layout0"
[    35.213] (**) |-->Screen "Screen0" (0)
[    35.213] (**) |   |-->Monitor "Monitor0"
[    35.213] (**) |   |-->Device "Device0"
[    35.213] (**) |-->Input Device "Keyboard0"
[    35.213] (**) |-->Input Device "Mouse0"
[    35.214] (==) Automatically adding devices
[    35.214] (==) Automatically enabling devices
[    35.214] (==) Automatically adding GPU devices
[    35.219] (WW) The directory "/usr/share/fonts/OTF/" does not exist.
[    35.219] 	Entry deleted from font path.
[    35.219] (WW) The directory "/usr/share/fonts/Type1/" does not exist.
[    35.219] 	Entry deleted from font path.
[    35.220] (WW) `fonts.dir' not found (or not valid) in "/usr/share/fonts/100dpi/".
[    35.220] 	Entry deleted from font path.
[    35.220] 	(Run 'mkfontdir' on "/usr/share/fonts/100dpi/").
[    35.220] (WW) `fonts.dir' not found (or not valid) in "/usr/share/fonts/75dpi/".
[    35.220] 	Entry deleted from font path.
[    35.220] 	(Run 'mkfontdir' on "/usr/share/fonts/75dpi/").
[    35.220] (==) FontPath set to:
	/usr/share/fonts/misc/,
	/usr/share/fonts/TTF/
[    35.220] (==) ModulePath set to "/usr/lib/xorg/modules"
[    35.220] (WW) Hotplugging is on, devices using drivers 'kbd', 'mouse' or 'vmmouse' will be disabled.
[    35.220] (WW) Disabling Keyboard0
[    35.220] (WW) Disabling Mouse0
[    35.220] (II) Loader magic: 0x7fcc40
[    35.220] (II) Module ABI versions:
[    35.220] 	X.Org ANSI C Emulation: 0.4
[    35.220] 	X.Org Video Driver: 13.1
[    35.220] 	X.Org XInput driver : 18.0
[    35.220] 	X.Org Server Extension : 7.0
[    35.222] (--) PCI:*(0:2:0:0) 10de:08a3:106b:00d3 rev 162, Mem @ 0x92000000/16777216, 0x80000000/268435456, 0x90000000/33554432, I/O @ 0x00001000/128, BIOS @ 0x????????/131072
[    35.222] (WW) Open ACPI failed (/var/run/acpid.socket) (No such file or directory)
[    35.225] Initializing built-in extension Generic Event Extension
[    35.226] Initializing built-in extension SHAPE
[    35.228] Initializing built-in extension MIT-SHM
[    35.230] Initializing built-in extension XInputExtension
[    35.231] Initializing built-in extension XTEST
[    35.233] Initializing built-in extension BIG-REQUESTS
[    35.235] Initializing built-in extension SYNC
[    35.236] Initializing built-in extension XKEYBOARD
[    35.238] Initializing built-in extension XC-MISC
[    35.240] Initializing built-in extension SECURITY
[    35.241] Initializing built-in extension XINERAMA
[    35.243] Initializing built-in extension XFIXES
[    35.244] Initializing built-in extension RENDER
[    35.246] Initializing built-in extension RANDR
[    35.247] Initializing built-in extension COMPOSITE
[    35.249] Initializing built-in extension DAMAGE
[    35.250] Initializing built-in extension MIT-SCREEN-SAVER
[    35.252] Initializing built-in extension DOUBLE-BUFFER
[    35.253] Initializing built-in extension RECORD
[    35.254] Initializing built-in extension DPMS
[    35.256] Initializing built-in extension X-Resource
[    35.257] Initializing built-in extension XVideo
[    35.258] Initializing built-in extension XVideo-MotionCompensation
[    35.260] Initializing built-in extension XFree86-VidModeExtension
[    35.261] Initializing built-in extension XFree86-DGA
[    35.262] Initializing built-in extension XFree86-DRI
[    35.263] Initializing built-in extension DRI2
[    35.263] (II) LoadModule: "glx"
[    35.265] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/extensions/libglx.so
[    35.401] (II) Module glx: vendor="NVIDIA Corporation"
[    35.401] 	compiled for 4.0.2, module version = 1.0.0
[    35.401] 	Module class: X.Org Server Extension
[    35.401] (II) NVIDIA GLX Module  310.19  Thu Nov  8 01:12:43 PST 2012
[    35.402] Loading extension GLX
[    35.402] (II) LoadModule: "nvidia"
[    35.402] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/nvidia_drv.so
[    35.412] (II) Module nvidia: vendor="NVIDIA Corporation"
[    35.412] 	compiled for 4.0.2, module version = 1.0.0
[    35.412] 	Module class: X.Org Video Driver
[    35.415] (II) NVIDIA dlloader X Driver  310.19  Thu Nov  8 00:53:33 PST 2012
[    35.415] (II) NVIDIA Unified Driver for all Supported NVIDIA GPUs
[    35.415] (--) using VT number 2

[    35.421] (II) Loading sub module "wfb"
[    35.421] (II) LoadModule: "wfb"
[    35.421] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/libwfb.so
[    35.423] (II) Module wfb: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[    35.423] 	compiled for 1.13.0.902, module version = 1.0.0
[    35.423] 	ABI class: X.Org ANSI C Emulation, version 0.4
[    35.423] (II) Loading sub module "ramdac"
[    35.423] (II) LoadModule: "ramdac"
[    35.423] (II) Module "ramdac" already built-in
[    35.424] (**) NVIDIA(0): Depth 24, (--) framebuffer bpp 32
[    35.424] (==) NVIDIA(0): RGB weight 888
[    35.424] (==) NVIDIA(0): Default visual is TrueColor
[    35.424] (==) NVIDIA(0): Using gamma correction (1.0, 1.0, 1.0)
[    35.425] (**) NVIDIA(0): Enabling 2D acceleration

All I see is a black screen, and need to do a hard reset.

Last edited by Cerales (2012-12-12 03:58:18)

Offline

#3 2012-12-13 23:31:30

Cerales
Member
Registered: 2011-01-04
Posts: 32

Re: [SOLVED] Problems starting Xorg on Macbook Air 3,2

Little update - I tried starting from scratch with BIOS-compatible boot as I'd read reports from a couple of years ago indicating that the nouveau driver was known not to work in EFI mode. Problem is that in BIOS-compatible mode, the boot process couldn't find /dev/sda3 (my root volume) despite detecting the SCSI drive at /root/sda. Tried it both with UUID and volume number; tried everything I could think of in the hooks and modules of mkinitpcio.conf.

Hmph.

Offline

#4 2012-12-18 07:14:24

Cerales
Member
Registered: 2011-01-04
Posts: 32

Re: [SOLVED] Problems starting Xorg on Macbook Air 3,2

I've now also tried nouveau with mesa-full and mesa-git from the AUR; neither of them made any difference to what is shown when I launch with nouveau (odd appearance, no ability to move the mouse).

Offline

#5 2012-12-18 10:53:02

litemotiv
Forum Fellow
Registered: 2008-08-01
Posts: 5,026

Re: [SOLVED] Problems starting Xorg on Macbook Air 3,2

You could try to boot in bios-mode with the fallback kernel, bios-mode doesn't support AHCI and you would need to have the generic ATA driver to get your HDD working. After booting you should be able to start X with the Nvidia driver. If this works, then you could issue a:

# mkinitcpio -p linux 

To generate a new initramfs with the correct modules, so that you can boot the regular image instead of the fallback.


ᶘ ᵒᴥᵒᶅ

Offline

#6 2012-12-18 10:59:40

Cerales
Member
Registered: 2011-01-04
Posts: 32

Re: [SOLVED] Problems starting Xorg on Macbook Air 3,2

I tried the fallback kernel when I was booting in BIOS compatibility mode and it was still unable to mount the drive.

Other things I tried:

* mounting with volume (/dev/sda1) instead of volume UUID
* putting USB and usbinput early on in hooks
* booting with syslinux
* adding various drivers to modules

I'm at a bit of a loss at this stage; everything aside from video runs beautifully under efs with grub2 and it boots in seconds. If I just knew a way to diagnose the problem with X...

Offline

#7 2012-12-18 11:03:21

Cerales
Member
Registered: 2011-01-04
Posts: 32

Re: [SOLVED] Problems starting Xorg on Macbook Air 3,2

By the way, here is my xorg.log from nouveau:

http://codepad.org/QFdP9Fax

Offline

#8 2012-12-27 02:47:12

tjim
Member
Registered: 2011-05-10
Posts: 10

Re: [SOLVED] Problems starting Xorg on Macbook Air 3,2

I've been running on a Macbook Air 3,1 for a couple of years. Haven't reinstalled recently, but for what it's worth my current setup is:

bios boot

driver: extra/nvidia-304xx

kernel options (with encrypted disk):

    linux (${root})//vmlinuz-linux root=/dev/mapper/vg0-root cryptdevice=/dev/sda5:vg0 rootfstype=ext4 ro nomodeset add_efi_memmap noefi reboot=pci resume=/dev/mapper/vg0-swap elevator=noop

I never did get nouveau working.

Hope this helps.

Offline

#9 2012-12-27 06:19:25

Cerales
Member
Registered: 2011-01-04
Posts: 32

Re: [SOLVED] Problems starting Xorg on Macbook Air 3,2

I've figured it out thanks to someone on the Arch mailing list; marking the topic as Solved.

The solution was the following:

- Install xf86-video-fbdev (and nouveau)
- Put the attached file in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/

And here is the attached file, which I saved as

20-fbdev.conf

:

Section "Device"
    Identifier "gfx"
    Driver "fbdev"
EndSection

Works perfectly in EFI mode with no crashes or artifacts.

Offline

Board footer

Powered by FluxBB