minor upgrade problem (nuveau)

I upgraded from 12.1 -> 12.2 -> 12.3 and somehow lost the nuveau x drivers. I have a Zotoc NVidia clone. I haven’t bothered installing accelerated drivers since the late 11.x versions of OpenSuSE (I think I forgot how). Is there a way to get back to nuveau? I tried copying /etc/X11/xorg.conf.install -> /etc/X11/xorg.conf but I still have only 1600x1200 option (or disabled) in Configure Desktop / Display and Monitor

Also, does it matter if I select the GRUB2 or ‘default’ or ‘desktop’ during the boot process?

Don’t do that. This is the config for failsafe/recovery mode which WILL NOT use nouveau in any case.
Remove /etc/X11/xorg.conf again.

but I still have only 1600x1200 option (or disabled) in Configure Desktop / Display and Monitor

Shouldn’t this be 1024x768 if the nouveau driver is not in use?
Maybe you have some vga= or video= kernel boot parameter? Try to remove them if present.

Also, please upload your /var/log/Xorg.0.log to SUSE Paste or similar and post a link.
That one should provide a clue as to what is wrong.

Also, does it matter if I select the GRUB2 or ‘default’ or ‘desktop’ during the boot process?

Not for your problem. Except if you have “kernel-desktop-base” or “kernel-default-base” installed. Those miss most of the kernel modules, so that would explain your problem with the nouveau driver.
So check in YaST->Software Management that both are the full kernel packages. (“kernel-default” and “kernel-desktop”)

The desktop kernel is compiled with parameters especially tweaked for desktop usage (like latency and so on).
You could uninstall kernel-desktop or kernel-default though, you don’t need both.

I tried deleting xorg.conf and rebooting - same (1600x1200) is the only option in Configure Desktop.

I made sure that the standard kernel packages (not the -base packages) were installed (I didn’t have to change anything).

Here’s that file…
SUSE Paste

You were right! I didn’t look carefully enough - there was a setting in the grub boot line forcing 1600x1200. I removed it while leaving nomodeset and now I have regular vga 640x480 up to 1024x768 appearing in the Desktop Settings - not much progress but it at least makes more sense…

That logfile suggests it’s looking for an nvidia driver, not the nuveau…

On my box with an nvidia card, to get back to nouveau I did:


# cd /etc/modprobe.d
# grep nouveau *
#### edit files to remove blacklist lines, or delete files
# cd /etc/X11
# rm xorg.conf

I’m not sure that always works, though it happened to work for me.

BTW: Is nomodeset still required for NVidia cards?
Maybe I should install from the nvidia repo? Then try your trick?

OS121:/home/patti # cd /etc/modprobe.d
OS121:/etc/modprobe.d # grep nouveau *
OS121:/etc/modprobe.d # cd /etc/X11
OS121:/etc/X11 # la
total 108
drwxr-xr-x  11 root root  4096 Jul 14 15:21 .
drwxr-xr-x 156 root root 20480 Jul 14 15:52 ..
drwxr-xr-x   2 root root  4096 Jul 13 20:08 fs
drwxr-xr-x   2 root root  4096 Jul 13 20:11 lbxproxy
drwxr-xr-x   2 root root  4096 Jul 13 20:12 proxymngr
-rw-r--r--   1 root root   797 Aug 28  2012 qt_plugins_3.3rc
-rw-------   1 root root     0 Aug 28  2012 .qt_plugins_3.3rc.lock
-rw-r--r--   1 root root   954 Jan 27 05:10 qtrc
-rw-------   1 root root     0 Aug 28  2012 .qtrc.lock
drwxr-xr-x   4 root root  4096 Jul 13 20:03 rstart
drwxr-xr-x   2 root root  4096 Jul 13 20:16 xdm
-rw-r--r--   1 root root  5708 Jan 26 07:17 xim
drwxr-xr-x   2 root root  4096 Jul 13 19:59 xim.d
drwxr-xr-x   3 root root  4096 Jul 13 20:14 xinit
-rw-r--r--   1 root root  1353 Jan 26 17:40 Xmodmap
-rw-r--r--   1 root root  1049 Jan 26 17:40 Xmodmap.remote
-rw-r--r--   1 root root     0 Sep  7  2012 xorg.conf.backup
-rw-r--r--   1 root root  1325 Sep  7  2012 xorg.conf-broke
-rw-r--r--   1 root root  1325 Jul 13 16:49 xorg.conf-broke2
-rw-r--r--   1 root root  1325 Sep  7  2012 xorg.conf.broke2
drwxr-xr-x   2 root root  4096 Jul 13 20:16 xorg.conf.d
-rw-r--r--   1 root root   849 Jun 11  2012 xorg.conf.install
-rw-r--r--   1 root root  1325 Jul 13 17:32 xorg.conf.nvidia-postun
-rw-r--r--   1 root root     0 Jul 13 16:49 xorg.conf.nvidia-xconfig-original
-rw-r--r--   1 root root  4017 Apr 22  2009 Xresources
drwxr-xr-x   2 root root  4096 Jul 13 20:12 xsm
OS121:/etc/X11 # rm xorg.conf
rm: cannot remove ‘xorg.conf’: No such file or directory

Your output looks okay. I don’t see anything obvious that would prevent nouveau from loading.

I meant to ask - should I use the “default” kernel (instead of the “desktop” kernel) if I’m doing CFD calculations (say, to maximize numerical speed)?

See what is set in xorg.conf.d if no xorg.conf then settings in that directory will be used unless using nomodest

Aggh! User Error! (dumbgirl error) - There was “nomodeset” in the grub boot parameters. Apparently at one time I had installed the NVidia repo driver, which, I believe, needed that… I took nomodeset out and the neuveau driver is working again. :shame:

I used to game a lot, and I couldn’t get UT2004 running correctly with the “new” sound system (that was added in 12.x), so I just got rid of the NVidia driver, and I guess I didn’t get rid of all of it.

Patricia

I am running the “NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-325.08.run” and “nomodeset” is and never was needed
not for 11.3,11.4 12.1,12.2,or 12.3

now in thew “failsafe” boot “nomodeset” and “x11failsafe” are used
but not in the normal boot line

Does anyone use the NVidia repo drivers? (I’m thinking 3D gaming here…) The neuveau drivers seem really fast for desktop displays, except for really cheap video cards.

I seem to remember there was a trick needed to turn off nouveau driver - the old trick of running that NVIDIAxxxxx.run file in a root console (x not running) would not actually turn off the nouveau driver - maybe because the nvidia driver uses xorg.conf whereas nouveau does not. Not sure. I think the nomodeset was an easy way to get the system to use xorg.conf + nvidia driver instead of nouveau, but I’m reaching pretty far back in my memory - maybe to the first 12.1 prerelease?

Turning off modesetting is most definitely needed for the prop. Nvidia drivers.

And I’m willing to bet you 50,000 Kronkites that if you do:

grep nouveau /etc/modprobe.d/*

you will find:

blacklist nouveau
options nouveau modeset=0

Using the nomodeset boot parameter, instead, achieves the functional equivalent of the above

The nouveau DRM kernel driver supports KMS (kernel mode setting). The nvidia drivers do not (they are of the UMS variety; user mode setting). “nomodeset” has nothing to do with the use of xorg.conf … it only prevents KMS from occurring.

Nowadays, neither nvidia or nouveau drivers need to use an xorg.conf file – X configuration is pretty much handled automagically … though, if you want to use an xorg configuration, you most certainly can

If you do 3D gaming nuveau does not cut it you need the NVIDIA driver.