X: how to really switch from nouveau to modesetting?

From	"D. R. Evans" <doc.evans@gmail.com>
Newsgroups	linux.debian.user
Subject	X: how to really switch from nouveau to modesetting?
Date	2023-09-11 19:50 +0200
Message-ID	<HcTcS-8jb2-7@gated-at.bofh.it> (permalink)
Organization	linux.* mail to news gateway

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This is a follow-on to the thread that started with:
   https://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2023/05/msg00657.html

Following the upgrade to bookworm that I recently performed, I was hoping that 
the problem described in the first post in that thread would magically go 
away. It didn't :-(

Felix suggested removing the nouveau driver and using "modesetting" as the 
driver. I have removed the nouveau driver -- or at least I thought I did -- by 
executing:
   apt-get remove xserver-xorg-video-nouveau
which moved the packages:
   xserver-xorg-video-nouveau
   xserver-xorg-video-all

Upon rebooting into bookworm, though, I still see the original problem, as 
described in the original post.

If I look to see what driver is being used:

----

[ZB:~] inxi -SGaz
System:
   Kernel: 6.1.0-12-amd64 arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 12.2.0
     parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/BOOT/debian@/vmlinuz-6.1.0-12-amd64
     root=ZFS=/ROOT/debian ro root=ZFS=rpool/ROOT/debian
   Desktop: Trinity info: kicker wm: Twin vt: 7 dm: LightDM v: 1.26.0
     Distro: Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm)
Graphics:
   Device-1: NVIDIA GF108 [GeForce GT 430] vendor: Gigabyte driver: nouveau
     v: kernel non-free: series: 390.xx+ status: legacy-active (EOL~late 2022)
     arch: Fermi code: GF1xx process: 40/28nm built: 2010-16 pcie: gen: 1
     speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 16 ports: active: HDMI-A-1 empty: DVI-I-1,VGA-1
     bus-ID: 04:00.0 chip-ID: 10de:0de1 class-ID: 0300
   Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.21.1.7 with: Xwayland v: 22.1.9 driver: X:
     loaded: modesetting dri: nouveau gpu: nouveau display-ID: :0 screens: 1
   Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1920x1080 s-dpi: 96 s-size: 508x317mm (20.00x12.48")
     s-diag: 599mm (23.57")
   Monitor-1: HDMI-A-1 mapped: HDMI-1 model: VGA TO HDMI built: 2013
     res: 1920x1080 hz: 60 dpi: 96 gamma: 1.2 size: 509x286mm (20.04x11.26")
     diag: 584mm (23") ratio: 16:9 modes: max: 1920x1080 min: 640x480
   API: OpenGL v: 4.3 Mesa 22.3.6 renderer: NVC1 direct-render: Yes
[ZB:~]

----

So the nouveau driver still seems to be available and in use, despite being 
removed.

My xorg.conf file currently looks like this:

----

[ZB:~] cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Section "ServerLayout"
         Identifier     "X.org Configured"
         Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
         Screen      1  "Screen1" RightOf "Screen0"
         InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
         InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

Section "Files"
         ModulePath   "/usr/lib/xorg/modules"
         FontPath     "/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc"
         FontPath     "/usr/share/fonts/X11/cyrillic"
         FontPath     "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi/:unscaled"
         FontPath     "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi/:unscaled"
         FontPath     "/usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1"
         FontPath     "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi"
         FontPath     "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi"
         FontPath     "built-ins"
EndSection

Section "Module"
         Load  "glx" 

EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
         Identifier  "Keyboard0"
         Driver      "kbd"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
         Identifier  "Mouse0"
         Driver      "mouse"
         Option      "Protocol" "auto"
         Option      "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
         Option      "ZAxisMapping" "4 5 6 7"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
         Identifier   "Monitor0"
         VendorName   "Monitor Vendor"
         ModelName    "Monitor Model"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
         Identifier   "Monitor1"
         VendorName   "Monitor Vendor"
         ModelName    "Monitor Model"
EndSection

 
 
 
  [54/136]
Section "Device"
         ### Available Driver options are:-
         ### Values: <i>: integer, <f>: float, <bool>: "True"/"False",
         ### <string>: "String", <freq>: "<f> Hz/kHz/MHz",
         ### <percent>: "<f>%"
         ### [arg]: arg optional
         #Option     "SWcursor"                  # [<bool>]
         #Option     "HWcursor"                  # [<bool>]
         #Option     "NoAccel"                   # [<bool>]
         #Option     "ShadowFB"                  # [<bool>]
         #Option     "VideoKey"                  # <i>
         #Option     "WrappedFB"                 # [<bool>]
         #Option     "GLXVBlank"                 # [<bool>]
         #Option     "ZaphodHeads"               # <str>
         #Option     "PageFlip"                  # [<bool>]
         #Option     "SwapLimit"                 # <i>
         #Option     "AsyncUTSDFS"               # [<bool>]
         #Option     "AccelMethod"               # <str>
         #Option     "DRI"                       # <i>
         Identifier  "Card0"
#       Driver      "nouveau"
         Driver      "modesetting"
         BusID       "PCI:4:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Device"
         ### Available Driver options are:-
         ### Values: <i>: integer, <f>: float, <bool>: "True"/"False",
         ### <string>: "String", <freq>: "<f> Hz/kHz/MHz",
         ### <percent>: "<f>%"
         ### [arg]: arg optional
         #Option     "SWcursor"                  # [<bool>]
         #Option     "kmsdev"                    # <str>
         #Option     "ShadowFB"                  # [<bool>]
         #Option     "AccelMethod"               # <str>
         #Option     "PageFlip"                  # [<bool>]
         #Option     "ZaphodHeads"               # <str>
         #Option     "DoubleShadow"              # [<bool>]
         Identifier  "Card1"
         Driver      "modesetting"
         BusID       "PCI:0:2:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
         Identifier "Screen0"
         Device     "Card0"
         Monitor    "Monitor0"
         SubSection "Display"
                 Viewport   0 0
                 Depth     1
                 Modes     "1920x1200"
         EndSubSection
         SubSection "Display"
                 Viewport   0 0
                 Depth     4
                 Modes     "1920x1200"
         EndSubSection
         SubSection "Display"
                 Viewport   0 0
                 Depth     8
                 Modes     "1920x1200"
         EndSubSection
         SubSection "Display"
                 Viewport   0 0
                 Depth     15
                 Modes     "1920x1200"
         EndSubSection
         SubSection "Display"
                 Viewport   0 0
                 Depth     16
                 Modes     "1920x1200"
         EndSubSection
         SubSection "Display"
                 Viewport   0 0
                 Depth     24
                 Modes     "1920x1200"
         EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
         Identifier "Screen1"
         Device     "Card1"
         Monitor    "Monitor1"
         SubSection "Display"
                 Viewport   0 0
                 Depth     1
         EndSubSection
         SubSection "Display"
                 Viewport   0 0
                 Depth     4
         EndSubSection
         SubSection "Display"
                 Viewport   0 0
                 Depth     8
         EndSubSection
         SubSection "Display"
                 Viewport   0 0
                 Depth     15
         EndSubSection
         SubSection "Display"
                 Viewport   0 0
                 Depth     16
         EndSubSection
         SubSection "Display"
                 Viewport   0 0
                 Depth     24
         EndSubSection
EndSection

----

And the file that Felix suggested I install, 
/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/50-device.conf, looks like this:

----

Section "Device"
   Identifier "DDX"
         Driver "modesetting"
#       Driver "nouveau"
EndSection

----

The one obvious improvement after upgrading to bookworm is that my desktop 
comes up correctly after setting the driver to "modesetting" in the xorg.conf 
files, whereas in bullseye X would not start after executing the
   apt-get remove xserver-xorg-video-nouveau
command. So that's good. But as the original problem of a tail appearing after 
lines of text still remains, I haven't really made any progress :-(

Felix, if I understand what he said correctly, says that the "modesetting" 
driver should work fine, so I think I need some more-precise instructions as 
to how to ensure that the system comes up using that driver instead of nouveau.

   Doc

-- 
Web:  http://enginehousebooks.com/drevans

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Thread

X: how to *really* switch from nouveau to modesetting? "D. R. Evans" <doc.evans@gmail.com> - 2023-09-11 19:50 +0200
  Re: X: how to *really* switch from nouveau to modesetting? Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2023-09-12 04:10 +0200
    Re: X: how to *really* switch from nouveau to modesetting? "D. R. Evans" <doc.evans@gmail.com> - 2023-09-12 19:20 +0200
      Re: X: how to *really* switch from nouveau to modesetting? Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2023-09-12 20:00 +0200
        Re: X: how to *really* switch from nouveau to modesetting? "D. R. Evans" <doc.evans@gmail.com> - 2023-09-13 17:00 +0200
          Re: video issue following latest bullseye update Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2023-09-13 19:10 +0200

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