Blank Virtual Consoles

dbourgeo · 2013-03-17 21:22:53

I have a similar problem to https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php … 1#p1245351 . Once I start X, my virtual consoles become invisible, though I can access them by typing blindly.

I have used systemd for a long time. When I boot my virtual console appears just fine. I get the usual booting messages. It switches to VT7 to run X, as I use lxdm.

My mouse freezes briefly now and again, which could be part of the problem.

I am running the nvidia driver for a GT630.

Either from lxdm, or from my running X session, switching to VT1-6 causes my monitor to go into sleep mode. If I type blindly, I can login. When I switch back to VT7, X reappears. When I reboot/shutdown, my terminals also don't reappear.

I tried setterm, xset, and also the xscreen saver. No settings will prevent the blanking, which seems more terminal mode/resolution related.

I tried sudo xset -dpms; xset s off and also turning off DPMS for xscreensaver (apparently separate need) via xscreensaver-demo (reloading the daemon). There was no luck with doing either or both of these at the same time. I looked through all of nvidia's settings in Xorg.conf and found "Option DPMS" for my Monitor 0, so I commented that out. No luck there, either. I also tried typing setterm commands blindly, to no avail.

Blindly typing fbset won't work either. It stubbornly stays in "1024x768-76". [Using a script to set and retrieve blindly.]

Things stopped working when I put arch on a new computer with a new monitor. I am using the nvidia driver:

Section "Monitor"
    # HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid
    Identifier     "Monitor0"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "LG Electronics IPS235"
    HorizSync       30.0 - 83.0
    VertRefresh     56.0 - 61.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device1"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      "GeForce GT 630"
    BusID          "PCI:1:0:0"
    Screen          1
EndSection

mich41 · 2013-03-17 21:43:43

AFAIK the proprietary drivers from NV and AMD aren't guaranteed to work with framebuffer console. Try switching to VGA text mode.

dbourgeo · 2013-03-17 23:30:42

I don't use FB console, I just tried it just in case. No luck with VGA text mode or FB console.

I was just wondering if anyone else has this trouble with the propietary drivers before I think of trying nouveau?

kuba_66 · 2013-03-22 08:45:28

The same happens here. VCs are blank, that is there is a (large) cursor blinking to the right of the screen; when I tap the keyboard it moves, but no characters are visible. I'm on nvidia-legacy (nvidia-304xx 304.84-1). Everything was normal until a few updates ago. Otherwise X is working correctly. I hope somebody can pin it down to something. I'm also using kdm for a display manager, if it matters. I was using lightdm, but couldn't get it to work after some recent updates. I'll try and disable all DMs and see what happens.

kuba_66 · 2013-03-22 09:34:10

I tried different DMs. It doesn't seem to do with them. Lightdm still not working. lxdm and kdm put me to VC7, gdm to VC1 and startx to VC2. Remaining VCs were blank under all DMs I tried.
I'm on pure systemd.

Last edited by kuba_66 (2013-03-22 09:35:33)

sirocco · 2013-03-22 10:17:56

Also nvidia-304xx 304.84-1 and blank VC with a (large) cursor blinking.

morfik · 2013-03-22 12:30:38

I have similar problem -- after upgrading nvidia-304xx 304.64 to nvidia-304xx 304.84, my tty consoles just seem to suffer from lack of power :) -- after switching, they simply turn off my monitor. I'm new to arch, and I have installed only base system and xorg, openbox, and, of course, nvidia drivers.

Last edited by morfik (2013-03-22 12:31:12)

berbae · 2013-03-22 14:48:17

If you cannot live without tty console access and/or cannot wait for a future correction from Nvidia, you can switch to the 'nouveau' driver which restores the lost tty console access.

sirocco · 2013-03-23 07:23:31

Related topic.

Last edited by sirocco (2013-03-23 07:25:27)

beroal · 2013-03-25 16:27:32

Workaround: I downgraded "nvidia" and "linux" packages breaking dependencies. It works somehow.

$ pacman -Udd nvidia-304.64-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.xz nvidia-utils-304.64-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.xz opencl-nvidia-304.64-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.xz linux-3.6.6-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.xz linux-api-headers-3.6.3-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.xz

$ testdb
missing dependency for glibc : linux-api-headers>=3.7

I would like to hear when the Nvidia bug will be fixed.

Last edited by beroal (2013-03-25 16:28:52)

berbae · 2013-03-25 21:44:32

Nobody can tell, but they should be aware of the problem now...
Personally I preferred the switch to 'nouveau' and to keep an up to date installation.
I intend to stay with 'nouveau' if no major problems arise.

Last edited by berbae (2013-03-25 21:47:49)

kuba_66 · 2013-04-19 10:48:59

It's magically working again - should be marked as solved.

berbae · 2013-04-19 14:57:14

Yes the tty console access works again with the nvidia legacy 304.88 driver, but I am not sure at all that the problem is really solved, because the fix included in this release doesn't seem to adress that bug, as far as I can see. If it is so, the bug may appear again in future release.

By the way, I switched back to nvidia from the nouveau driver, because, with nouveau I have doubts about my GPU heat and possible power-offs during streaming video playings; and with nouveau, the gvim editor I like doesn't work (gedit is far far behind vim, in my opinion, and I always used vi like editors).

dbourgeo · 2015-04-08 03:42:47

For informational purposes, I still have this issue, and I think it is KMS related. Apparently the nvidia propietary drivers use their own similar method, instead. My card also has issues with the nouveau driver and detecting KMS (X logs report nouveau complains there is no KMS). I also tried the very latest install media. This insists on loading nouveau, and I get blanking and powersaving unless I set the kernel parameter for nomodeset. So, even trying to boot in the FB console will cause blanking now. (It also happens at least back to 2013 install media, I have one I tried.)

(Of course, I don't do things like vga=xxx or anything that would turn KMS off with regards to any X or frame buffer problems.)

LATER: I just went to http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/CodeNames/. I have a GK107 GeForce GT 630 OEM. This is a weird little OEM card nvidia created, and it doesn't fit on the matrix anywhere, amongst all the other 630's, being a Kepler. I believe the 630M Fermi is more common, and all the 630's except one are Fermi's. My Kepler version isn't there, it seems, though a GK208 is listed as the sole GT 630 Kepler.

So, it is likely that if you have a card like mine, you are out of luck running nouveau, and may even have blank screens on booting from the official install media. (Use nomodeset.)

(I do have built-in motherboard graphics. Disabling that doesn't help: ie. choose PCIe in the UEFI BIOS. But maybe there is an oddity there causing my problem.)

Last edited by dbourgeo (2015-04-08 17:45:46)

Arch Linux

#1 2013-03-17 21:22:53

Blank Virtual Consoles

#2 2013-03-17 21:43:43

Re: Blank Virtual Consoles

#3 2013-03-17 23:30:42

Re: Blank Virtual Consoles

#4 2013-03-22 08:45:28

Re: Blank Virtual Consoles

#5 2013-03-22 09:34:10

Re: Blank Virtual Consoles

#6 2013-03-22 10:17:56

Re: Blank Virtual Consoles

#7 2013-03-22 12:30:38

Re: Blank Virtual Consoles

#8 2013-03-22 14:48:17

Re: Blank Virtual Consoles

#9 2013-03-23 07:23:31

Re: Blank Virtual Consoles

#10 2013-03-25 16:27:32

Re: Blank Virtual Consoles

#11 2013-03-25 21:44:32

Re: Blank Virtual Consoles

#12 2013-04-19 10:48:59

Re: Blank Virtual Consoles

#13 2013-04-19 14:57:14

Re: Blank Virtual Consoles

#14 2015-04-08 03:42:47

Re: Blank Virtual Consoles

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