Optimus is sub-optimal for me!

[jesmith]

I'm trying to get a new Optimus (nVIDIA GeForce 675M) notebook running. http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php? ... ame=NP9150

When I boot Porteus, I see the boot messages right up to where it goes to run level 3, and then the laptop monitor freaks out. (It sort of turns into a discotheque light show.)

If I connect a monitor to the DisplayPort and boot, I get output there after run level 3 (notebook monitor still in "disco" mode).

If I choose the boot to VESA mode from the boot menu, I don't get anything on either screen.

I spent some time over at the NVIDIA forums, and learned that I'm pretty much screwed, because the laptop uses Optimus, which means the NVIDIA chip is hardwired to send its output to the Intel chip, and the intel chip sends its output to the display devices:

http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=178417

Undeterred, I figure I have these challenges ahead:

1. Get the displays working using intel's drivers. I've never done that before. What's the best way to use Intel's display drivers in Porteus?

2. Not sure yet, let's focus on step 1.

[francois]

Are you working with the porteus 32 or 64 bit edition? For the 64 bit:
http://www.nvidia.in/object/linux-displ ... er-in.html

A.Are you able to boot into text mode for now? If not maybe you could build the driver module from another computer. See last post of link:
http://www.slax.org/forum.php?action=vi ... ntID=32106

The steps are:

1) Get the nvidia package.

2) Get into console mode without changes: for a usb install boot to text mode, but at boot use Tab to edit to delete any from= changes statement or for a frugal install change the menu.lst to get the same result.

3) Change to the directory of the downloaded file, and then use the command:./NVIDIA* (a shortcut for the file). Be patient.

4) Then follow the instructions and answer:
a.Accept (software agreement) ... ,
b.no for downloading the module (they do not have the prepacked module for slax on the nvidia site)
c.yes to build the module,
d.yes to continue even if the gcc compiler version is more recent
e.yes to change xconfig

5) Then startx, it should work. The nvidia server settings can be found under kmenu>system.

6) Then immediately make a custom lzm from /mnt/live/memory/changes. To make the my-nvidia.lzm module use the following command:

#dir2lzm /mnt/live/memory/changes /mnt/usbstick/porteus/modules/my-nvidia.lzm

Where usbstick is the name of the partition where is mounted you usbkey or your frugal install.

7) Reboot. The new porteus nvidia module should work.

B. Or wait until someone builds it for you. Which I might try if I can get some time.

Note: Edited 120418 at 13h04 Montreal time. Please mention if you are really interested

[jesmith]

It appears you misunderstood my question.

I *know* how to build the NVIDIA driver. Trouble is, it doesn't work, because the NVIDIA chip is "Optimus".

What I need to do is use the Intel video drivers, so I can get the *other* GPU in this laptop working. So the question is, what's the preferred way to build *Intel* graphics drivers in Porteus?

[beny]

hi, i think you know this link but:
https://github.com/Bumblebee-Project/Bumblebee
on slackware site there are some tread that it focused on the dual gpu issue.

Posted after 15 minutes 58 seconds:
and if you use the porteus 64 bit version, one slacky user have done the bumblebee 3 packages for the slackware 13.37 64 bit,you can convert to xzm format and try to use,this is the link: http://www.teoxonline.com/appunti.php?id=25

[jesmith]

Right, I know about bumblebee. However, I want to start by just getting the internal INTEL chipset working. Forget the NVIDIA chipset for now. I just want the notebook's own LCD to work, and to do that, I apparently need to use a different driver than Porteus is using by default. (Since I don't consider flashing disco lights to be "working.")

[francois]

Sorry to be off topic. I only wanted to help you. It happens that I do not read between the lines.

Beny is the nvidia expert, you are in good hands.

I imagine tht you also know about:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Intel

[beny]

hi take a look at this:
http://www.google.it/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=s ... Ig&cad=rja

[jesmith]

Progress! Thanks for those links.

blacklisting i915 got the laptop display to stop going nuts at run level 3, and booting to text mode stays on the notebook screen.

With that done, I've confirmed that there is no way to get the NVIDIA drivers up and running on this hardware. They insist they need a screen.

So now I'll go look at bumblebee...

[francois]

Keep us informed we would like to know the final issue.

[jesmith]

Update. I've built bumblebee. It was hell. There are a ton of dependencies. If you want my xzm or my notes on everything I had to do, let me know. I don't recommend the experience.

And it doesn't work.

The trouble is that the nvidia driver says there aren't any "screens" that it can use. There is a very similar issue over at the bumblebee tracker, and I've added to my nvnews thread, but this is feeling like a show-stopper right now.

Interestingly, one of the first things I tried with this hardware was getting it to run as a headless server. That's basically what bumblebee does, and my efforts failed for the same reason. X won't run without a "screen" and the driver says there aren't any. Well, actually, it says there are some but it can't use them, but it won't say what they are. I suspect they just have a screwed-up error message.

Since the chipset I'm using is Optimus, and NVIDIA says they don't support Optimus in Linux, whatever this driver bug is that makes the screens not work is probably not going to get fixed.

[beny]

hi jesmith have you follow this link instruction?
http://www.google.it/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=b ... HA&cad=rja

Posted after 5 minutes 3 seconds:
and...if you want you can install the txz packages via pkgtool,i know that not is the right way on porteus but if you wish you can,with the packages that make the system core,i mean the software that porteus use everyday.

[jesmith]

Yes, that's exactly what I did. It may be that bumblebee does not support this chipset/motherboard combo. https://github.com/Bumblebee-Project/Bu ... issues/127

[brokenman]

This is the boot script i use to get the integrated card working instead of the 'power sucking' card. I don't have nvidia so this may not be your solution.

mount -t debugfs none /sys/kernel/debug
echo OFF > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch

As of Porteus 1.2rc1 support for this should be built into the kernel.