fglrx: Out of memory when allocating device heads

[Michael-352]

Hello

i guess this is no new issue, but even after some extensive websearch i couldn't find a comprehensive answer as to what i've to do to get it running.

After some over-due update, X stopped working on my laptop.

* Thinkpad T60 with ATI FireGL X1300
* Debian testing/unstable
* xorg-server 1.6.1.901  Build Date: 14 May 2009  05:49:41PM
* fglrx 8.56.4 [Dec  1 2008]


Some tests revealed the following 2 issues:


(1) #root: modprobe fglrx

Kernel 2.6.29-2:

[ 3838.545456] [fglrx] Maximum main memory to use for locked dma buffers: 1413 MBytes.
[ 3838.546986] [fglrx:drm_alloc] *ERROR* [driver] Allocating 0 bytes
[ 3838.547708] [fglrx:firegl_init_device_list] *ERROR* Out of memory when allocating device heads
[ 3838.548758] [fglrx:firegl_init_module] *ERROR* firegl_init_devices failed


Kernel 2.6.26-2:

[  554.979633] [fglrx] Maximum main memory to use for locked dma buffers: 1413 MBytes.
[  554.979959] [fglrx]   vendor: 1002 device: 7149 count: 1
[  554.980476] [fglrx] ioport: bar 1, base 0x2000, size: 0x100
[  554.981110] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:01:00.0[A] -> GSI 16 (level, low) -> IRQ 16
[  554.983174] [fglrx] Driver built-in PAT support is enabled successfully
[  554.984182] [fglrx] module loaded - fglrx 8.56.4 [Dec  1 2008] with 1 minors


(2) #user: /usr/bin/xinit (with kernel 2.6.26)

X.Org X Server 1.6.1.901 (1.6.2 RC 1)
Release Date: 2009-5-8
X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0
Build Operating System: Linux 2.6.26-2-686 i686 Debian
Current Operating System: Linux lynx 2.6.26-2-686 #1 SMP Thu Mar 26 01:08:11 UTC 2009 i686
Build Date: 14 May 2009  05:49:41PM
xorg-server 2:1.6.1.901-2 (jcristau@...)


xserver log:

(II) LoadModule: "fglrx"
(II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers//fglrx_drv.so
(II) Module fglrx: vendor="FireGL - ATI Technologies Inc."
        compiled for 1.4.99.906, module version = 8.61.2
        Module class: X.Org Video Driver
(II) Primary Device is: PCI 01@00:00:0
(WW) Falling back to old probe method for fglrx
(II) ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Version Identifier:8.61.2
(II) ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Release Identifier: 8.612
(II) ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Build Date: Apr 28 2009 21:43:49
(II) PCS database file /etc/ati/amdpcsdb not found
(II)   Creating PCS database from initial defaults instead
(WW) This ATI Proprietary Linux Driver does not guarantee support of video driver ABI higher than 2.0
(WW) Video driver ABI version of the X server is 5.0


I should note that i use this laptop for production, on travel, and need fast graphic rendering, and i'd be happy to have a full OpenGL running...also, to run google earth, which for me is most useful especially on travel. But if nothing helps i'd be satisfied at least to have any X at all.

Any suggestions ?

tia,

Micha


--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-laptop-REQUEST@...
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@...

[Michael-352]

I purged all related packages (fglrx, sources, amd stuff), also remaining artefacts in /etc/ati,  and reinstalled things to try it from the scratch.

Now the status seems to be, it doesn't build with 2.6.26 anymore. It builds with 2.6.29, but then it doesn't load.






 


--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-laptop-REQUEST@...
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@...

[Martin Fluch]

Hello Michael,

Try this one: http://mfluch.wordpress.com/linux-on-the-t60/

- Martin

Michael wrote:

> I purged all related packages (fglrx, sources, amd stuff), also remaining artefacts in /etc/ati,  and reinstalled things to try it from the scratch.
>
> Now the status seems to be, it doesn't build with 2.6.26 anymore. It builds with 2.6.29, but then it doesn't load.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>  
>
>

--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-laptop-REQUEST@...
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@...

[Michael-352]

Hello Martin !

Many thanks !

So it's radeonhd now and it even has 3d accel. I'll try it later, and tell how it works.


Martin:
> Try this one: http://mfluch.wordpress.com/linux-on-the-t60/


--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-laptop-REQUEST@...
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@...

[Michael-352]

It still does not really work.  The 'radeonhd' driver appears to have no GL direct rendering. Google earth, for example, barfs that it will be using a slow emulation.

When i used the 'radeon' driver it would not enable the maximal resolution (1400x1050@16) so i stick with 'radeonhd'. Interestingly this one does not depend on the firmware-linux package, and i deinstalled it.

Meanwhile i tried compiling fglrx with Debian kernel 2.6.30-2, in a recent Sid, but it's still the same ("Cannot allocate memory").

According to
http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/linux/legacy/Pages/radeon_linux.aspx?type=2.4.2&product=2.4.2.3.9&lan
ATI has dropped support for most of the X series Radeon cards.

"AMD has moved a number of DX9 ATI Radeon™ graphics accelerators products to a legacy driver support structure.  This change impacts Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Linux distributions.
(...) No new features will be provided in future driver updates.  The Linux ATI Catalyst™ driver will only be supported in Linux distributions prior to February 2009 for the legacy products listed above."

However why does that necessarily imply that the latest fglrx packages do not work anymore.
I have 2 questions:

(1) 'modprobe fglrx' results in the 'Cannot allocate memory' failure, it seems to be a kernel related problem. Would it be possible to fix that on the kernel side ?

(2) The previous fglrx versions worked in the past, is it possible to prepare a working package for Sid ?

I tried to downgrade Xorg and any fglrx packages to 'stable' but then fglrx-source would no more build. It also seemed that reinstalling fglrx messed up radeonhd somehow, and i had to purge all fglrx-* packages to get it clean again.


--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-laptop-REQUEST@...
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@...

[Marvin Renich]

* Michael <codejodler@...> [091006 04:20]:

> I have 2 questions:
>
> (1) 'modprobe fglrx' results in the 'Cannot allocate memory' failure,
> it seems to be a kernel related problem. Would it be possible to fix
> that on the kernel side ?
>
> (2) The previous fglrx versions worked in the past, is it possible to
> prepare a working package for Sid ?
>
> I tried to downgrade Xorg and any fglrx packages to 'stable' but then
> fglrx-source would no more build. It also seemed that reinstalling
> fglrx messed up radeonhd somehow, and i had to purge all fglrx-*
> packages to get it clean again.

The Debian fglrx maintainers are active and were very responsive when I
had trouble recently.  They were also very nice when I determined that
the problem was with my window manager.  I suggest you file a bug with
the details (including versions of kernel, Xorg, etc.).

Before you do, take a look at bug 548410 and see if that is similar to
your problem.  If so, add your info to that bug.

...Marvin


--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-laptop-REQUEST@...
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@...

Hey,

On Tuesday 06 October 2009 04:20:10 Michael wrote:
> It still does not really work.  The 'radeonhd' driver appears to have no GL direct rendering. Google earth, for example, barfs that it will be using a slow emulation.
>
> When i used the 'radeon' driver it would not enable the maximal resolution (1400x1050@16) so i stick with 'radeonhd'. Interestingly this one does not depend on the firmware-linux package, and i deinstalled it.
radeonhd will still probably need firmware-linux, even though it doesn't depend on it.  In order to enable acceleration, the firmware for your card has to be uploaded to the card's ram, requiring the firmware-linux package.
<snip
>
> I tried to downgrade Xorg and any fglrx packages to 'stable' but then fglrx-source would no more build. It also seemed that reinstalling fglrx messed up radeonhd somehow, and i had to purge all fglrx-* packages to get it clean again.
The fglrx-glx will cause the radeonhd driver to misbehave as it replaces the implementation of GL with an ati specific version.  If you use radeonhd that package has to be uninstalled.
>
>
>

Matthew

[Michael-352]

thx, Marvin and Matthew.


Actually i'm not motivated to file a bug since there already are lots of 'Cannot allocate memory' bugs filed. I also don't think this would be a debian package bug, it should go anywhere else - it is not the Debian maintainers fault that fglrx is not updated against new kernels and Xorg ABIs.

Since fglrx is the prop ATI driver, the bug probably need to go to ATI and i lack the arguments as to why they should do anything about it - besides that their decision leaves a bad image and that people who experienced the consequences would dissuade from buying an ATI board for Linux, generally, now. And this is especially sad since AMD is the only competitor of Intel, and i always felt it is a good thing to support them just for some balance.

I think all hope rests on the free driver now, i hope they will be able to implement some DRI in the future. But maybe they would not work on the now-older X cards either.

Well, any short-time solution would probably only get a chance if ATI would release their Catalyst driver completely to the community. But how can we convince them to do that, after so many years. Maybe AMD has an ear.

btw. I was told that i can't exchange the Grafik chip on that Thinkpad (T60p) is that true ? Does anybody know how could i have it done in Germany (w/o shipping it to Taiwan or so) ?
I think this would be another, shorthand solution...


--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-laptop-REQUEST@...
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@...