X Server wont start upon bootup after Updates

English Install/Boot/Login
1

HARDWARE:

ASUS P8Z77 Motherboard
Intel i5 Quad-Core
ATI/Radeon 7850 PCI Video Card

System Info & Video Card (System Info):

Operating System: openSUSE Tumbleweed 20201022
KDE Plasma Version: 5.20.1
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.75.0
Qt Version: 5.15.1
Kernel Version: 5.9.1-1.g8e0635b-default
OS Type: 64-bit
Processors: 4 × Intel® Core™ i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz
Memory: 7.6 GiB of RAM
Graphics Processor: AMD PITCAIRN

ATI/Radeon 7850 PCI Video Card (from 2012)

After an update i was not able to have X Server startup

Please tell me where to upload log files to

INFO:

https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/359989/what-is-firmware-in-linux-terminology

Intel PC - Boot GUI issue:

Booting into kernel version 5.8.15-1-default makes no
differance

After updatinf heaps of apps/system mods which also included upgrading from kernel version 5.9.0.x to kernel
5.9.1-1.g8e0635b-default, then i could no longer boot into
X Server

I was able to successfully boot into X server by booting
into kernel 5.9.0.x again from the GRUB menu
However, after some more updates, booting into kernel
5.9.0.x resulted in also not booting X Server

AFTER BOOTING INTO X WITH startx:

Cannot Write to USB HDD’s due to write Permission issue
A system theme of some kind is active (different looking icon sets in Yast Control Centre)
I have to goto System Settings > Icons and re-apply an icon set in order to see most of the icons on my taskbar

Intel PC - Boot Issue - Kernel Upgrade:

from kernel kernel-default 5.9.1-1.1.g8e0635b
kernel-default 5.9.1-2.1.g3f21462 - About 12.14 AN NZT

This made no differance

Intel PC - X server won’t start - journalctl:

  • is this the result of the version of systemd installed ? -

"systemd-xdg-aut[1654] Configuration file /etc/xdg/autostart/klipper.desktop is marked executable. Please remove executable permission bits. Proceeding anyway.

ALL OF THE FOLLOWING HAVE THIS IN FRONT:

“systemd-xdg-aut[1654] Not Generating service for XDG”

Not Generating service for XDG autostart app-powerdevil-autostart, only Type=Application is
supported.

app-at\x2dspi\x2ddbus\x2dbus-autostart.service, startup phases are not supported

app-pulseaudio-autostart.service, startup phases are not
supported

Not generating service for XDG autostart app-gnome\x2dkeyring\x2dpkcs11-autostart.service,
startup phases not supported

autostart app-org.opensuse.opensuse_welcome-autostart.service, it is hidden

auto startapp-gnome\x2dkeyring\x2dssh-autostart.service,
startup phases are not supported

autostart app-gnome\x2dkeyring\x2dsecrets-autostart.service,
startup phases are not supported

autostart app-kaccess-autostart.service, only Type=Application is supported

autostart app-xdg\x2duser\x2ddirs-autostart.service,
startup phases are not supported

I wont to be able to find out what the problem is exactly so i can manually fix this problem again if another updates break it
instead of simply re-installing the Tumbleweed again from scratch

TEMP WORKAROUND:

at terminal prompt:

sudo modprobe radeon

  • changes screen resolution to HD (1920 x 1080)

startx

  • will fail first time with terminal output

startx

  • starts up x server (desktop)

I love OpenSuSE :slight_smile:

2

I suppose the fix for https://bugzilla.opensuse.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1177384 could have caused a regression. You might want to comment there, or open a new bug and note your GPU is nearly the same as the one in the other bug.

First I’d try an Xorg driver switch. Check with inxi -G or scanning through Xorg.0.log to see whether you’re using radeon or modesetting DDX, then switch to the other. This primer provides some guidance on what they are and what it takes to switch.

Another thing, if your motherboard has a video output, try removing the Radeon to see if the behavior changes using Intel graphics. The modesetting DDX supports both ATI/AMD and Intel graphics hardware, so it wouldn’t require any software reconfiguration if the modesetting DDX is already being employed. It’s actually the default DDX driver upstream.

3

GUI boots normally again, after merely entering a tiny bit of extra info the the very end on the GRUB
kernel boot options list

Well, Im very very surprised actually - far more than i expected

https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/541438-AMD-Intel-amp-NVidia-X-graphics-driver-primer/page2

I got up to page number 2

https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/541438-AMD-Intel-amp-NVidia-X-graphics-driver-primer/page2

21-Jul-2020, 09:27 #15

dcurtisfra jest offline Omniscient Penguin

Join Date
Feb 2010
Location
Germany
Posts
3,370

Default Re: AMD, Intel & NVidia X graphics driver primer

Quote Originally Posted by mrmazda View Post
With which GPU device ID?
It's an Oland PRO [Radeon R7 240/340] – Southern Islands – and therefore GCN 1st generation.

    The GRUB CLI option “amdgpu.si_support=1” is present to specifically enable Southern Islands support

After adding “amdgpu.si_support=1” to the very end of the GRUB kernel paramater options list, and then re-booting
RESULT: Everything at least ‘appears’ to boot up perfectly fine
The OpenSUSE Graphics screen (with the lazy 8 logo) is also displaying in the correct resolution - as it should be

The AMD/RADEON HD 7850 PCI Video Card is a “Southern Islands” video card (I have looked this up before)

UPDATES & KERNEL UPGRADES - NOTE: I accepted more updates again - System Info:

Operating System: openSUSE Tumbleweed 20201024
KDE Plasma Version: 5.20.1
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.75.0
Qt Version: 5.15.1
Kernel Version: 5.10.0-rc1-1.g3c50825-default
OS Type: 64-bit
Processors: 4 × Intel® Core™ i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz
Memory: 7.6 GiB of RAM
Graphics Processor: AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series

These updates themselves did not appear to solve anything

But then afterwards, I added the text to the GRUB Kernel Boot Parameter Options list, which at least Appears to have fixed the issue

inxi -G - TERMINAL OUTPUT:

StarMan@benshost:~> inxi -G
Graphics: Device-1: Intel Xeon E3-1200 v2/3rd Gen Core processor Graphics driver: i915 v: kernel
Device-2: AMD Pitcairn PRO [Radeon HD 7850 / R7 265 / R9 270 1024SP] driver: radeon v: kernel
Display: x11 server: X.org 1.20.9 driver: ati,modesetting,radeon unloaded: fbdev,vesa
resolution: <xdpyinfo missing>
OpenGL: renderer: AMD PITCAIRN (DRM 2.50.0 5.10.0-rc1-1.g3c50825-default LLVM 10.0.1) v: 4.5 Mesa 20.2.1

Xorg LOGS - Pastbin:

xorg.0.log: https://susepaste.org/34783494
xorg.1.log: https://susepaste.org/94689769

While this does seem to have at least fixed the issue for now, it find this a very strange phenomenon
I was about to try to switch the DDX over by Uninstalling the X-org drivers

Im interested in the “Had to remove “modprobe.blacklist=radeon” to get a KDE Plasma GUI up and running.”
as i did have a driver blacklisted months ago, which i UN-blacklisted (cant recall what it was for unfortunately)
but that was not with this installation, and i have not needed to un-black list anything since (note i have upgraded to the latest openSuSE tumbleweed install ISO)

I was going to take the video card out of the PC to see how my native Motherboard Intel Chipset (iGPU) responded to the boot situation

I can still do that of course - for testing purposes
Do you feel that I have provided an adequate amount infomation to justify a bug report as this point, noting that many things, the drivers and the kernel versions haev all changed since the date of July on page 2 of the link you sent me ?
I mean, i dont know if the text i added to the very end of the grub kernel boot parameters options list is merely a work around for an underlying problem/issue ?

inxi -G - TERMINAL OUTPUT - AFTER SUCCESSFUL X SERVER BOOT WITH NOTED KERNEL BOOT OPTION ADDITION:

StarMan@benshost:~> inxi -G
Graphics: Device-1: Intel Xeon E3-1200 v2/3rd Gen Core processor Graphics driver: i915 v: kernel
Device-2: AMD Pitcairn PRO [Radeon HD 7850 / R7 265 / R9 270 1024SP] driver: amdgpu v: kernel
Display: x11 server: X.org 1.20.9 driver: amdgpu,modesetting FAILED: ati unloaded: fbdev,vesa
resolution: <xdpyinfo missing>
OpenGL: renderer: AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series (PITCAIRN DRM 3.40.0 5.10.0-rc1-1.g3c50825-default LLVM 10.0.1)
v: 4.6 Mesa 20.2.1
StarMan@benshost:~>

Is there anything else i should check for GPU Display Performance Issues or other underlying problems/issues ?

Thank you a LOT for your help - It’s highly appreciated :slight_smile:

4

Whenever posting command output, please enclose commands with their output in code tags ( # ] icon above the input window), like as follows:

# cat /proc/cmdline
**radeon.si_support=0 amdgpu.si_support=1** noresume mitigations=auto consoleblank=0
# xrandr | egrep 'onnect|creen|\*' | grep -v disconn | sort -r
**Screen** 0: minimum 320 x 200, current **2560 x 2640**, maximum 16384 x 16384
**DisplayPort-0** connected primary 2560x1440+0+1200 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 598mm x 336mm
**DVI-I-0** connected 1920x1200+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 519mm x 324mm
   2560x1440     59.95*+  74.92
   1920x1200     59.95*+
# inxi -SIGay
System:
  Host: fi965 Kernel: 5.8.14-1-default x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 10.2.1
  parameters: **radeon.si_support=0 amdgpu.si_support=1** noresume mitigations=auto
  consoleblank=0
  Desktop: KDE Plasma 5.20.0 tk: Qt 5.15.1 wm: kwin_x11 dm: N/A
  Distro: openSUSE **Tumbleweed** 20201014
Graphics:
  Device-1: **AMD Oland** [Radeon HD 8570 / R5 430 OEM / R7 240/340 / Radeon 520 OEM]
  vendor: Dell driver: amdgpu v: kernel alternate: radeon bus ID: 01:00.0 **chip ID: 1002:6611**
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.9 compositor: kwin_x11 **driver: amdgpu**
  display ID: :0 screens: 1
  **Screen**-1: 0 **s-res: 2560x2640** s-dpi: 120 s-size: 541x558mm (21.3x22.0")
  s-diag: 777mm (30.6")
  Monitor-1: DisplayPort-0 res: 2560x1440 hz: 60 dpi: 109
  size: 598x336mm (23.5x13.2") diag: 686mm (27")
  Monitor-2: DVI-I-0 res: 1920x1200 hz: 60 dpi: 94
  size: 519x324mm (20.4x12.8") diag: 612mm (24.1")
  OpenGL: renderer: AMD Radeon HD 8500 Series (OLAND DRM 3.38.0
  5.8.14-1-default LLVM 10.0.1)
  v: 4.6 Mesa 20.1.8 direct render: Yes
Info:...running in: konsole **inxi: 3.1.08**

No bug report is indicated. You just need to include radeon.si_support=0 with amdgpu.si_support=1 in your /etc/default/grub GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT= lines. Your xorg.?.logs will look better once this is done. AFAIK, all GCN1 & GCN2 cards need these specifications for the amdgpu DDX driver to work correctly.

I don’t know why the poster in the primer thread blacklisted radeon. With all my GCN cards it is sufficient to use radeon.si_support=0 along with amdgpu.si_support=1 to disable the Radeon kernel module.

It’s probably just as well to use the Modesetting DDX driver with these old Oland GCN1 cards:

# cat /proc/cmdline
**radeon.si_support=0 amdgpu.si_support=1** noresume mitigations=auto consoleblank=0
# xrandr | egrep 'onnect|creen|\*' | grep -v disconn | sort -r
**Screen** 0: minimum 320 x 200, current **2560 x 2640**, maximum 16384 x 16384
**DVI-I-1** connected 1920x1200+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 519mm x 324mm
**DP-1** connected primary 2560x1440+0+1200 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 598mm x 336mm
   2560x1440     59.95*+  74.92
   1920x1200     59.95*+
# inxi -SIGay
System:
  Host: fi965 Kernel: 5.8.14-1-default x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 10.2.1
  parameters: **radeon.si_support=0 amdgpu.si_support=1** noresume mitigations=auto 
  Desktop: KDE Plasma 5.20.0 tk: Qt 5.15.1 wm: kwin_x11 dm: N/A
  Distro: openSUSE **Tumbleweed** 20201014
Graphics:
  Device-1: **AMD Oland** [Radeon HD 8570 / R5 430 OEM / R7 240/340 / Radeon 520 OEM]
  vendor: Dell driver: amdgpu v: kernel alternate: radeon bus ID: 01:00.0 chip ID: 1002:6611
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.9 compositor: kwin_x11 **driver: modesetting**
  display ID: :0 screens: 1
  **Screen-1: 0 s-res: 2560x2640** s-dpi: 120 s-size: 541x558mm (21.3x22.0")
  s-diag: 777mm (30.6")
  Monitor-1: DP-1 res: 2560x1440 hz: 60 dpi: 109 size: 598x336mm (23.5x13.2")
  diag: 686mm (27")
  Monitor-2: DVI-I-1 res: 1920x1200 hz: 60 dpi: 94
  size: 519x324mm (20.4x12.8") diag: 612mm (24.1")
  OpenGL: renderer: AMD Radeon HD 8500 Series (OLAND DRM 3.38.0
  5.8.14-1-default LLVM 10.0.1)
  v: 4.6 Mesa 20.1.8 direct render: Yes
Info:...running in: konsole **inxi: 3.1.08**

You should be good to go either with the cmdline change as indicated above and otherwise as you are, or with that and a switch to the Modesetting DDX driver.

Re: OP: I have no idea ATM why updates would have broken anything. Are you using files in /etc/X11/ for configuring your two displays?