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[Bug 770685] Re: there is no optimus support in linux

 

** Description changed:

  Over a year after its release, there is still no Optimus support in
  Linux, either in nvidia-current or in the nouveau driver. Unless there
  is a BIOS setting that allows you to turn off the Intel iGPU, the only
  workaround is to use the Intel iGPU and, if possible, save power by
  turning off the nvidia card via an ACPI call. It appears that in most
  cases, to cut costs, the manufacturers don't supply the hardware MUX
  that allows you to select nvidia graphics, so there is no such BIOS
  option. http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1657660 has a summary
  of the issue.
  
  Apart from being a great annoyance to people who buy a laptop with an
  nvidia card and discovering it just doesn't work in Linux, this is a big
  problem because other basic functions like running an external monitor
  via HDMI will most likely not work (eg see https://lists.launchpad.net
  /hybrid-graphics-linux/msg00701.html - HDMI is attached via the non-
  working nvidia card).
  
  I don't mind so much about only being able to use the Intel graphics
  (even despite the driver being less stable than nvidia-current), but not
  being able to connect an external monitor is a show-stopper for me.
  
  Last year it was possible to get a laptop with an i7-series CPU and a
  working nvidia card, because it the i7 CPU last year didn't have an
  iGPU. But Sandy Bridge CPUs all come with internal graphics and are now
  the norm (and if you are buying a performance laptop, why wouldn't you
  want a SB CPU?), so it is almost impossible now to buy a performance
  laptop with a working nvidia card (ie working HDMI).
  
  Will this slow the future uptake of Ubuntu? I would suspect that it must
  do at least for users who have performance laptops, since Ubuntu now
  can't drive external monitors on a reasonably large portion of new
  laptops. Will people stop using Ubuntu on performance laptops because of
  this? By the same logic, there must be current Ubuntu users  who will be
  forced to use Windoze just so they can get external monitors working.
  (Sadly, it looks like I might fall into this category when my company
  upgrades its laptops soon.)
  
  nvidia has stated that they have no plans to support optimus on Linux,
  but that one day they might have to. Is there a way to give them an
  incentive to do so, other than by moaning on the nvidia forums (eg
  http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=144750).
  
  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
  Package: nvidia-current 270.41.06-0ubuntu1
  Uname: Linux 2.6.39-rc4-generic x86_64
  NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
  .proc.driver.nvidia.gpus.0: Error: [Errno 21] Is a directory: '/proc/driver/nvidia/gpus/0'
  .proc.driver.nvidia.registry: Binary: ""
  .proc.driver.nvidia.version:
-  NVRM version: NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module  270.41.06  Mon Apr 18 14:53:56 PDT 2011
-  GCC version:  gcc version 4.5.2 (Ubuntu/Linaro 4.5.2-8ubuntu4)
+  NVRM version: NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module  270.41.06  Mon Apr 18 14:53:56 PDT 2011
+  GCC version:  gcc version 4.5.2 (Ubuntu/Linaro 4.5.2-8ubuntu4)
  Architecture: amd64
  CheckboxSubmission: 1bd8e90541d49b96c13cbfcc9baf103b
  CheckboxSystem: d00f84de8a555815fa1c4660280da308
  CompizPlugins: [core,bailer,detection,composite,opengl,imgjpeg,compiztoolbox,maximumize,decor,grid,place,imgpng,session,mousepoll,resize,vpswitch,move,wall,snap,gnomecompat,regex,text,thumbnail,imgsvg,extrawm,animation,workarounds,expo,ezoom,staticswitcher,fade,scale,unityshell]
  CompositorRunning: compiz
  Date: Tue Apr 26 12:51:11 2011
  DistUpgraded: Log time: 2011-03-20 09:19:31.967259
  DistroCodename: natty
  DistroVariant: ubuntu
  DkmsStatus:
-  nvidia-current, 270.41.06, 2.6.39-rc4-generic, x86_64: installed 
-  nvidia-current, 270.41.06, 2.6.38.3-generic, x86_64: installed 
-  nvidia-current, 270.41.06, 2.6.38.4-generic, x86_64: installed 
-  vboxhost, 4.0.6, 2.6.39-rc4-generic, x86_64: installed
+  nvidia-current, 270.41.06, 2.6.39-rc4-generic, x86_64: installed
+  nvidia-current, 270.41.06, 2.6.38.3-generic, x86_64: installed
+  nvidia-current, 270.41.06, 2.6.38.4-generic, x86_64: installed
+  vboxhost, 4.0.6, 2.6.39-rc4-generic, x86_64: installed
  GraphicsCard:
-  nVidia Corporation G84 [GeForce 8600M GT] [10de:0407] (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
-    Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:022e]
+  nVidia Corporation G84 [GeForce 8600M GT] [10de:0407] (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
+    Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:022e]
  InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" - Alpha amd64 (20100224.1)
  JockeyStatus:
-  xorg:nvidia_173 - NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (Proprietary, Disabled, Not in use)
-  xorg:nvidia_current - NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (Proprietary, Enabled, Not in use)
+  xorg:nvidia_173 - NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (Proprietary, Disabled, Not in use)
+  xorg:nvidia_current - NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (Proprietary, Enabled, Not in use)
  MachineType: Dell Inc. XPS M1530
  ProcEnviron:
-  LANGUAGE=en_AU:en
-  LANG=en_AU.UTF-8
-  SHELL=/bin/bash
+  LANGUAGE=en_AU:en
+  LANG=en_AU.UTF-8
+  SHELL=/bin/bash
  ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.39-rc4-generic root=UUID=776cd2eb-157e-4c4b-b37f-9d074a6802e9 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
  Renderer: Unknown
  SourcePackage: nvidia-graphics-drivers
  UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to natty on 2011-04-22 (4 days ago)
  dmi.bios.date: 11/19/2008
  dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
  dmi.bios.version: A12
  dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
  dmi.chassis.type: 8
  dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
  dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA12:bd11/19/2008:svnDellInc.:pnXPSM1530:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn:rvr:cvnDellInc.:ct8:cvr:
  dmi.product.name: XPS M1530
  dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
  version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.4+bzr20110415-0ubuntu2
  version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs 20090808ubuntu13
  version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.23-1ubuntu6
  version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 7.10.2-0ubuntu2
  version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
  version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 7.10.2-0ubuntu2
  version.nvidia-graphics-drivers: nvidia-graphics-drivers N/A
  version.xserver-xorg: xserver-xorg 1:7.6+4ubuntu3
  version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.0-0ubuntu4
  version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.14.0-4ubuntu7
  version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20110107+b795ca6e-0ubuntu7

** Description changed:

  Over a year after its release, there is still no Optimus support in
  Linux, either in nvidia-current or in the nouveau driver. Unless there
  is a BIOS setting that allows you to turn off the Intel iGPU, the only
  workaround is to use the Intel iGPU and, if possible, save power by
  turning off the nvidia card via an ACPI call. It appears that in most
  cases, to cut costs, the manufacturers don't supply the hardware MUX
  that allows you to select nvidia graphics, so there is no such BIOS
  option. http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1657660 has a summary
  of the issue.
  
  Apart from being a great annoyance to people who buy a laptop with an
  nvidia card and discovering it just doesn't work in Linux, this is a big
  problem because other basic functions like running an external monitor
  via HDMI will most likely not work (eg see https://lists.launchpad.net
  /hybrid-graphics-linux/msg00701.html - HDMI is attached via the non-
  working nvidia card).
  
  I don't mind so much about only being able to use the Intel graphics
  (even despite the driver being less stable than nvidia-current), but not
  being able to connect an external monitor is a show-stopper for me.
  
  Last year it was possible to get a laptop with an i7-series CPU and a
  working nvidia card, because it the i7 CPU last year didn't have an
  iGPU. But Sandy Bridge CPUs all come with internal graphics and are now
  the norm (and if you are buying a performance laptop, why wouldn't you
  want a SB CPU?), so it is almost impossible now to buy a performance
  laptop with a working nvidia card (ie working HDMI).
  
  Will this slow the future uptake of Ubuntu? I would suspect that it must
  do at least for users who have performance laptops, since Ubuntu now
  can't drive external monitors on a reasonably large portion of new
  laptops. Will people stop using Ubuntu on performance laptops because of
  this? By the same logic, there must be current Ubuntu users  who will be
  forced to use Windoze just so they can get external monitors working.
  (Sadly, it looks like I might fall into this category when my company
  upgrades its laptops soon.)
  
  nvidia has stated that they have no plans to support optimus on Linux,
  but that one day they might have to. Is there a way to give them an
  incentive to do so, other than by moaning on the nvidia forums (eg
  http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=144750).
+ 
+ 
+ Update: See Martin Juhl's page for a workaround for the first issue (not being able to use nvidia acceleration on the laptop screen): https://github.com/MrMEEE/bumblebee
+ 
  
  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
  Package: nvidia-current 270.41.06-0ubuntu1
  Uname: Linux 2.6.39-rc4-generic x86_64
  NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
  .proc.driver.nvidia.gpus.0: Error: [Errno 21] Is a directory: '/proc/driver/nvidia/gpus/0'
  .proc.driver.nvidia.registry: Binary: ""
  .proc.driver.nvidia.version:
   NVRM version: NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module  270.41.06  Mon Apr 18 14:53:56 PDT 2011
   GCC version:  gcc version 4.5.2 (Ubuntu/Linaro 4.5.2-8ubuntu4)
  Architecture: amd64
  CheckboxSubmission: 1bd8e90541d49b96c13cbfcc9baf103b
  CheckboxSystem: d00f84de8a555815fa1c4660280da308
  CompizPlugins: [core,bailer,detection,composite,opengl,imgjpeg,compiztoolbox,maximumize,decor,grid,place,imgpng,session,mousepoll,resize,vpswitch,move,wall,snap,gnomecompat,regex,text,thumbnail,imgsvg,extrawm,animation,workarounds,expo,ezoom,staticswitcher,fade,scale,unityshell]
  CompositorRunning: compiz
  Date: Tue Apr 26 12:51:11 2011
  DistUpgraded: Log time: 2011-03-20 09:19:31.967259
  DistroCodename: natty
  DistroVariant: ubuntu
  DkmsStatus:
   nvidia-current, 270.41.06, 2.6.39-rc4-generic, x86_64: installed
   nvidia-current, 270.41.06, 2.6.38.3-generic, x86_64: installed
   nvidia-current, 270.41.06, 2.6.38.4-generic, x86_64: installed
   vboxhost, 4.0.6, 2.6.39-rc4-generic, x86_64: installed
  GraphicsCard:
   nVidia Corporation G84 [GeForce 8600M GT] [10de:0407] (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
     Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:022e]
  InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" - Alpha amd64 (20100224.1)
  JockeyStatus:
   xorg:nvidia_173 - NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (Proprietary, Disabled, Not in use)
   xorg:nvidia_current - NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (Proprietary, Enabled, Not in use)
  MachineType: Dell Inc. XPS M1530
  ProcEnviron:
   LANGUAGE=en_AU:en
   LANG=en_AU.UTF-8
   SHELL=/bin/bash
  ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.39-rc4-generic root=UUID=776cd2eb-157e-4c4b-b37f-9d074a6802e9 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
  Renderer: Unknown
  SourcePackage: nvidia-graphics-drivers
  UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to natty on 2011-04-22 (4 days ago)
  dmi.bios.date: 11/19/2008
  dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
  dmi.bios.version: A12
  dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
  dmi.chassis.type: 8
  dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
  dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA12:bd11/19/2008:svnDellInc.:pnXPSM1530:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn:rvr:cvnDellInc.:ct8:cvr:
  dmi.product.name: XPS M1530
  dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
  version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.4+bzr20110415-0ubuntu2
  version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs 20090808ubuntu13
  version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.23-1ubuntu6
  version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 7.10.2-0ubuntu2
  version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
  version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 7.10.2-0ubuntu2
  version.nvidia-graphics-drivers: nvidia-graphics-drivers N/A
  version.xserver-xorg: xserver-xorg 1:7.6+4ubuntu3
  version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.0-0ubuntu4
  version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.14.0-4ubuntu7
  version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20110107+b795ca6e-0ubuntu7

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu-X,
which is subscribed to nvidia-graphics-drivers in Ubuntu.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/770685

Title:
  there is no optimus support in linux


References