It looks like I need to install the chip-specific drivers to get google earth to display correctly (to fill its own graphics window). Can someone mention which drivers would I select and deselect in YaST to get the chip-specific drivers? (Or do I need to download a manufacturer’s driver? I would prefer to stick with the LEAP repos, of possible) I’m confused by the mention of both Intel and NVIDIA chips. (Currently, Nouveau, but I understand GE doesn’t play well with that driver, although Nouveau works flawlessly everywhere else.)
In YaST, I see an Intel driver (xf86-video-intel) and an NVIDIA driver (x86-video-nv). Are one of these what I want? (or both?)
Also, do I check the “remove” icon for libdrm_nouveau2, libdrm_nouveau2-32bit, and xf86-video-nouveau? (in YaST - or does YaST handle dependencies correctly if I just select a new video chipset driver?)
(I notice a LOT of xf86-video-**** options in YaST - I assume these are all different video chipset drivers.)
I’m sorry, I forgot to mention this is an HP ZBooK 15 FHD 15.6" (1920 x 1080) Work Station Laptop NoteBook (Intel Core i7-4700MQ, 16GB Ram, Nvidia Quadro K610M).
Now that I look closely, I assume I should install the xf86-video-nv driver - but does YaST correctly uninstall Nouveau (etc.)? Nouveau seems to be what’s incompatible with google earth.
Or maybe I should use bumblebee? For simplicity, I’d like to stick with whatever functioning driver is in YaST (I don’t need super high performance, just google earth compatibility). https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:NVIDIA_Bumblebee
You have “Optimus” hardware. There are many threads in these forums started by people with Optimus hardware. From what I’ve gathered participating here, I don’t believe any frequent/regular helpers here actually have any Optimus hardware. If there are, the count is minimal. Nevertheless, we do what we can when we can, along with the irregulars, to try to help Optimus users.
The xf86-video-nv driver is for very old NVidia gfxchips, certainly not for Optimus owners. Possible (competent) drivers for Xorg for non-ancient NVidia chips are xf86-video-nouveau, the chip-specific proprietary NVidia drivers, and the generic driver integrated in the Xorg server called “modesetting”. The integrated modesetting driver is also appropriate for Intel gfxchips much older than your 4th gen i7-4700MQ Haswell all the way up through at least 8th gen/Coffee Lake.
If your laptop was mine, my starting point would be to try removing, if installed, both xf86-video-intel and xf86-video-nouveau, so that the modesetting driver would be used, then give GE a try. If not good enough, then I’d try to follow the Bumblebee page instructions that omit the proprietary NVidia driver.
It might be of use in any follow-up here to include output from
inxi -Gxx
Inxi is not installed by default, but is included in standard repos, and reports exactly which NVidia and Intel chips are available by ID, which driver(s) the kernel is using, and which driver Xorg is using, without over-supplying gfxchip information of no use in working through which driver(s) to use or what special configuration might be necessary (as does e.g. hwinfo --gfxcard).
Thank you very much for the kind reply, MR. I hadn’t managed to make the connection to “Optimus.” I guess I’m only looking for the minimum driver “upgrade” to get google-earth working, and from what I gather in searches, the problem is that google earth is not compatible with the Nouveau graphics driver. I’m very happy with the Nouveau driver otherwise. I don’t need mode switching on my graphics since this laptop is always plugged in, but it might be OK. (I am only using an external monitor.)
Your suggestion to only remove the xf86-video-intel and xf86-video-nouveau packages sounds simple enough - I’m trying to avoid borking KDE, then spending a day trying to get a functioning system going again…
# inxi -Gxx
Resuming in non X mode: xdpyinfo not found. For package install advice run: inxi --recommends
Graphics: Card-1: Intel 4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:0416
Card-2: NVIDIA GK208GLM [Quadro K610M] bus-ID: 01:00.0 chip-ID: 10de:12b9
Display Server: X.org 1.18.3 drivers: modesetting,nouveau (unloaded: fbdev,vesa)
#
Thank you SO MUCH mrmazda - I simply removed the xf86-video-nouveau driver (in YaST, but checking the “x” box next to it - xf86-video-intel was not installed), rebooted, and now GE works fine. The compositor seems to be working fine also. Very interesting. As you suggested, the modesetting driver seems to correctly be used…
~> inxi -Gxx
Resuming in non X mode: xdpyinfo not found. For package install advice run: inxi --recommends
Graphics: Card-1: Intel 4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:0416
Card-2: NVIDIA GK208GLM [Quadro K610M] bus-ID: 01:00.0 chip-ID: 10de:12b9
Display Server: X.org 1.18.3 drivers: modesetting (unloaded: fbdev,vesa) Resolution: 120x30
~>
I just wanted to mention that after installing LEAP15, I had to remove the xf86-video-intel-x32 (dont’ know why the 32-bit was there) and xf86-video-nouveau drivers in YaST. I rebooted and it appears to use the modesetting driver. This was necessary for google earth, but also for UCAR’s Vapor visualization software. https://www.vapor.ucar.edu/
