Linux Display Detection issue

Zeugma ^ | 01/15/19 | Self

[greedo]

I wasn't able to find "modesetting" in kern.log

That may or may not be a problem, but it is sort of weird. One way for that to happen is to install a video card with a proprietary driver that generates a new grub.cfg with kernel parameter "nomodeset" during the driver installation.

This is what that little script spits out when I ran it on an old motherboard with onboard video. This is on a minimal install of Ubuntu 16.04 LTS with ratpoison as the window manager, no display manager, and no xorg.conf.

Jan 16 06:20:34 nostr0mo kernel: [    1.816935] [drm] radeon kernel modesetting enabled.
Jan 16 06:20:34 nostr0mo kernel: [    1.822090] [drm] initializing kernel modesetting (RS780 0x1002:0x9616 0x1458:0xD000).
[    14.018] (II) RADEON(0): Modeline "1600x900"x60.0  108.00  1600 1624 1704 1800  900 901 904 1000 +hsync +vsync (60.0 kHz eP)
[    14.018] (II) RADEON(0): Modeline "1280x1024"x60.0  108.00  1280 1328 1440 1688  1024 1025 1028 1066 +hsync +vsync (64.0 kHz e)
[    14.018] (II) RADEON(0): Modeline "1440x900"x59.9  106.50  1440 1520 1672 1904  900 903 909 934 -hsync +vsync (55.9 kHz e)
[    14.018] (II) RADEON(0): Modeline "1280x720"x60.0   74.25  1280 1390 1430 1650  720 725 730 750 +hsync +vsync (45.0 kHz e)
[    14.018] (II) RADEON(0): Modeline "1024x768"x60.0   65.00  1024 1048 1184 1344  768 771 777 806 -hsync -vsync (48.4 kHz e)
[    14.018] (II) RADEON(0): Modeline "800x600"x60.3   40.00  800 840 968 1056  600 601 605 628 +hsync +vsync (37.9 kHz e)
[    14.018] (II) RADEON(0): Modeline "640x480"x60.0   25.20  640 656 752 800  480 490 492 525 -hsync -vsync (31.5 kHz e)
[    14.018] (II) RADEON(0): Modeline "720x400"x70.1   28.32  720 738 846 900  400 412 414 449 -hsync +vsync (31.5 kHz e)
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1600 x 900, maximum 8192 x 8192
VGA-0 connected primary 1600x900+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 443mm x 249mm
   1600x900      60.00*+
   1280x1024     60.02  
   1440x900      59.89  
   1280x720      60.00  
   1024x768      60.00  
   800x600       60.32  
   640x480       60.00  
   720x400       70.08

I assume that the kernel modesetting has something to do with getting the correct display resolution without an xorg.conf.

If you look at

man Xorg

there is a -configure option that will create an xorg.conf file for you.

caveat: I have never done this, and I don't know how it works.

[zeugma]

I looked at the Xorg command yesterday and get the following when I run it. I guess I could drop to runlevel 2 or 1, and try it again. It seems like it doesn't want X to be running already when you run it. Will try that tonight. (might try it in a VM first to check out behaviour)

NUC:~$ Xorg -configure 
(EE) 
Fatal server error:
(EE) Server is already active for display 0
        If this server is no longer running, remove /tmp/.X0-lock
        and start again.
(EE) 
(EE) 
Please consult the The X.Org Foundation support 
         at http://wiki.x.org
 for help. 
(EE) 

[greedo]

My minimal Ubuntu boots into the /dev/tty1 console on runlevel 5 (automatically as root with no password lol) and I use it to fsck/fdisk/mke2fs other partitions. Running startx gives me X and ratpoison. Anyway, I booted into the console and tried this:

Xorg :0 -configure

which ran and the last line in the log said

No devices to configure.  Configuration failed.

I searched around, and so far have not found anyone who got an xorg.conf successfully created with -configure.

If you actually get it to work, let us know how you did it.

[Hermes37]

You can force the EDID with a kernel command line in your grub configuration.

https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/v4.14/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.html

Scroll down to;
drm_kms_helper.edid_firmware=yadda yadda

Does your audio have any options relating to the HDMI and/or EDID? I have had similar issues with HDMI/DVI and having a KVM in the mix. Can be solved on the KVM config side.

Is your NUC the one with TOSLINK? Does your Yammy have an optical port?

Lots of ways to skin the feline.
I have not needed to edit an Xorg.conf in many years.

YMMV
:)

[zeugma]

If you actually get it to work, let us know how you did it.

So far I'm getting similar results.

NVidia has a really cool program for generating an xorg.conf file for you, but unfortunately this isn't an NVidia Vid.

At this point, I'm pretty sure my solution is going to be to generate a good and tight xorg.conf file, but I'm going to have to do some more research on that. Again, my biggest problem is the way the problem presents. I only get the 'rain' on screen after the thing has sat overnight, or a similar long period of time has passed. Fortunately, I really don't use the console on this box very much. It's pretty much an over-engineered music player for the most part, though I do have a bunch of vids on it for when I run out of books to read. (which doesn't happen often).