Hello!

I'm new to the Linux universe and currently running Fedora 19 with KDE 4.14.1. Today i ran a casual update on my computer to keep everything updated (yum upgrade). I'm almost sure an KDE update was among the updating packages since I'm positive i wasn't running a version as new as the 4.14.1 the last time i checked. After the update, i rebooted my system to find that the window rendering went crazy. It felt just like my system lacked drivers: window tearing and most of the desktop effects off. So i went to Desktop Effects -> Advanced and under composition type, OpenGL 3.1 was selected. As i remenber, i could be wrong, the last time i played with this option it was set to 2.0. So tried to run it in 2.0 mode.

Unfortunatly when try OpenGL 2.0/Native i get:
Failed to activate desktop effects using the given configuration options. Settings will be reverted to their previous values.
Check your X configuration. You may also consider changing advanced options, especially changing the compositing type.
And when i try OpenGL 2.0/Raster, Kwin crashes and i get this info:

Application: KWin (kwin), signal: Segmentation fault
Using host libthread_db library "/lib64/libthread_db.so.1".
[KCrash Handler]
#5 0x00007f7ae1a6931c in gen7_update_renderbuffer_surface () from /usr/lib64/dri/i965_dri.so
#6 0x00007f7ae1a57c6d in brw_update_renderbuffer_surfaces () from /usr/lib64/dri/i965_dri.so
#7 0x00007f7ae1a24bba in brw_upload_state () from /usr/lib64/dri/i965_dri.so
#8 0x00007f7ae19d3c57 in brw_draw_prims () from /usr/lib64/dri/i965_dri.so
#9 0x00007f7ae182a973 in vbo_handle_primitive_restart () from /usr/lib64/dri/i965_dri.so
#10 0x00007f7ae182bcd3 in vbo_validated_drawrangeelements () from /usr/lib64/dri/i965_dri.so
#11 0x00007f7ae182c185 in vbo_exec_DrawElementsBaseVertex () from /usr/lib64/dri/i965_dri.so
#12 0x00000032e7a12563 in KWin::GLVertexBuffer::draw(QRegion const&, unsigned int, int, int, bool) () from /lib64/libkwinglutils.so.1
#13 0x00000032e90e17a3 in KWin::SceneOpenGL2Window::performPaint(int, QRegion, KWin::WindowPaintData) () from /lib64/libkdeinit4_kwin.so
#14 0x00000032e90e53c2 in KWin::SceneOpenGL2::performPaintWindow(KWin::EffectWindowImpl*, int, QRegion, KWin::WindowPaintData&) () from /lib64/libkdeinit4_kwin.so
#15 0x00000032e90e5579 in KWin::SceneOpenGL2::finalDrawWindow(KWin::EffectWindowImpl*, int, QRegion, KWin::WindowPaintData&) () from /lib64/libkdeinit4_kwin.so
#16 0x00000032e90f0389 in KWin::EffectsHandlerImpl::drawWindow(KWin::EffectWindow*, int, QRegion, KWin::WindowPaintData&) () from /lib64/libkdeinit4_kwin.so
#17 0x00000032e90ccbc1 in KWin::Scene::finalPaintWindow(KWin::EffectWindowImpl*, int, QRegion, KWin::WindowPaintData&) () from /lib64/libkdeinit4_kwin.so
#18 0x00000032e90f028a in KWin::EffectsHandlerImpl::paintWindow(KWin::EffectWindow*, int, QRegion, KWin::WindowPaintData&) () from /lib64/libkdeinit4_kwin.so
#19 0x00000032e90d0952 in KWin::Scene::paintWindow(KWin::Scene::Window*, int, QRegion, KWin::WindowQuadList) () from /lib64/libkdeinit4_kwin.so
#20 0x00000032e90cec2b in KWin::Scene::paintSimpleScreen(int, QRegion) () from /lib64/libkdeinit4_kwin.so
#21 0x00000032e90cca65 in KWin::Scene::finalPaintScreen(int, QRegion, KWin::ScreenPaintData&) () from /lib64/libkdeinit4_kwin.so
#22 0x00000032e90f019d in KWin::EffectsHandlerImpl::paintScreen(int, QRegion, KWin::ScreenPaintData&) () from /lib64/libkdeinit4_kwin.so
#23 0x00000032e90cf0b6 in KWin::Scene::paintScreen(int*, QRegion const&, QRegion const&, QRegion*, QRegion*) () from /lib64/libkdeinit4_kwin.so
#24 0x00000032e90e28fe in KWin::SceneOpenGL::paint(QRegion, QList<KWin::Toplevel*>) () from /lib64/libkdeinit4_kwin.so
#25 0x00000032e90c660b in KWin::Compositor::performCompositing() () from /lib64/libkdeinit4_kwin.so
#26 0x00000032e90c79ee in KWin::Compositor::slotCompositingOptionsInitialized() () from /lib64/libkdeinit4_kwin.so
#27 0x00000032e904bb4d in KWin::Compositor::qt_static_metacall(QObject*, QMetaObject::Call, int, void**) [clone .part.110] () from /lib64/libkdeinit4_kwin.so
#28 0x00000034fad9b37a in QMetaObject::activate(QObject*, QMetaObject const*, int, void**) () from /lib64/libQtCore.so.4
#29 0x00000034fac6c820 in QFutureWatcherBase::event(QEvent*) () from /lib64/libQtCore.so.4
#30 0x00000034fe1cae5c in QApplicationPrivate::notify_helper(QObject*, QEvent*) () from /lib64/libQtGui.so.4
#31 0x00000034fe1d17b5 in QApplication::notify(QObject*, QEvent*) () from /lib64/libQtGui.so.4
#32 0x00000032e444a59a in KApplication::notify(QObject*, QEvent*) () from /lib64/libkdeui.so.5
#33 0x00000034fad868fd in QCoreApplication::notifyInternal(QObject*, QEvent*) () from /lib64/libQtCore.so.4
#34 0x00000034fad89ae5 in QCoreApplicationPrivate::sendPostedEvents(QObject*, int, QThreadData*) () from /lib64/libQtCore.so.4
#35 0x00000034fe26d3cc in QEventDispatcherX11::processEvents(QFlags<QEventLoop::ProcessEventsFlag>) () from /lib64/libQtGui.so.4
#36 0x00000034fad8538f in QEventLoop::processEvents(QFlags<QEventLoop::ProcessEventsFlag>) () from /lib64/libQtCore.so.4
#37 0x00000034fad856dd in QEventLoop::exec(QFlags<QEventLoop::ProcessEventsFlag>) () from /lib64/libQtCore.so.4
#38 0x00000034fad8ada9 in QCoreApplication::exec() () from /lib64/libQtCore.so.4
#39 0x00000032e907e39e in kdemain () from /lib64/libkdeinit4_kwin.so
#40 0x00000034f0821d65 in __libc_start_main () from /lib64/libc.so.6
#41 0x0000000000400a01 in _start ()

I've already browsed the web trying to find some solution with no luck. Everything works fine when i leave it to Xrender/raster. However in this mode some apps do not work properly, for example, vlc does not out video. What could this be?

That's a driver bug (mesa/intel-dri)

Since GL3.1 was enabled, ensure to set the compositor to sth. different (eg. Xrender is fine, GL 1/2 would be as well) and reboot (yes)
Then see whether you can revert to OpenGL 2.0

Raster or native should make no difference.
I wonder whether VLC is any related to xrender (you may prefer xrender w/ the native graphicssystem, though) compositing and not rather to the screwed driver.

It didn't work D:

I left it on xRender/raster and rebooted. When the desktop came up, the window tearing/lagging and lack of desktop effects were back. I went back to Desktop Effects -> Advanced and strangely it was set to xRender/raster. I tried both OpenGL 2.0 and 3.1 / native and raster; and the same errors ocurred. When I try anything with on native mode (even xRender) it says:
Failed to activate desktop effects using the given configuration options. Settings will be reverted to their previous values.
Check your X configuration. You may also consider changing advanced options, especially changing the compositing type.
When i try OpenGL X.X/raster it applies but Kwin crashes instantly and i get the tearing, etc.
Finally, the only combination that works is xRender/raster.

PS. I don't know if it helps but now even VLC crashes in any setting listed above. It worked fine when using the bugged OpenGL and i only got audio when using xrender. Now when i try to open any video it crashes.

Notice that when kwin crashes "too often™" in a row, it disables initial compositing ("kcmshell4 kwincompositing", 1st tab, first item) for safety (you can start the compositor anytime pressing Shift+Alt+F12)

Can you please post the output of "glxinfo" and content of /var/log/Xorg.0.log (in "code" tags, please)

Sure!
glxinfo: http://pastebin.com/nx8Las3i
Xorg.0.log: http://pastebin.com/8v9VnhdK

Oh nice. Dual GPU and GLAMOR...

Give those configlets a try:

/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-intel.conf

Code: Select all

Section "Device"
   Identifier  "Intel Graphics"
   Driver      "intel"
   Option      "AccelMethod"  "sna"
EndSection


If you're trying to run KWin on AMD (primus - no idea whether that meanwhile works at all)

/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-radeon.conf:

Code: Select all

Section "Device"
   Identifier  "AMD Graphics"
   Driver   "radeon"
   Option   "SWcursor"              "off"
   Option   "EnablePageFlip"        "on"
   Option   "AccelMethod"           "EXA"
   Option   "RenderAccel"           "on"
   Option   "ColorTiling"           "on"
   Option   "EXAVSync"              "off"
   Option   "EXAPixmaps"            "on"
EndSection


It worked, friend, thanks!

Now, i'm able to select OpenGL X.x /raster without Kwin crashing. VLC stopped crashing as well and works fine. I've created both configlets.
Was i supposed to try them by themselves?
I still cant select the Native variant in any of the composition settings. Is that an issue?
Does this mean Kwin is running on the AMD GPU?
I've had trouble running 3D apps on the dedicated GPU (eg Games), they always run on Ivy Bridge graphics, perhaps this fixed this as well?
Could you please summarize what the issue possibly was and what your fix did for me to understand and for future reference?

Thanks once again, cheers!

lethuss wrote:Was i supposed to try them by themselves?

The intel one might have been sufficient.

lethuss wrote:I still cant select the Native variant in any of the composition settings. Is that an issue?

Bug: yes. Issue: no. This might be a false positive, though (ie. you could run on the native graphicssystem but the restart takes longer than the config dialog grants to believe that everything went right (thus falls back to the known good)

lethuss wrote:Does this mean Kwin is running on the AMD GPU?

Unlikely, to test check "qdbus org.kde.KWin /KWin supportInformation" (in konsole) - it will print a lot of stuff about the current KWin setup - including the GPU.

lethuss wrote:I've had trouble running 3D apps on the dedicated GPU (eg Games), they always run on Ivy Bridge graphics, perhaps this fixed this as well?

Afaiu, to explicitly run them on the AMD GPU, you must call them like "primusrun quake"
It's however been reported that this doesn't work for the compositor (KWin) - likely because the compositor must fetch the window textures from the intel GPU and transfer them to the AMD GPU (what doesn't sound very efficient anyway)

lethuss wrote:Could you please summarize what the issue possibly was and what your fix did for me to understand and for future reference?

The GLAMOR acceleration uses OpenGL to do the "normal" acceleration, what means that every application is ultiamtely a GL application and applications w/ an extra GL context suddenly have two GL contexts.
There quite some bugreports that suggest the intel driver (or maybe all mesa) has severe issues with handling more than one context (in one process)