[SOLVED] Kernel 6.5.9 GT210 not supported by noveau? Blank screen. Fedora 38

IlyaZ · 11-07-2023, 02:00 PM

Hey,

So I got a GT210 passive GPU just for the VGA/DVI port. Technically used a server, but with some desktop applications occasionally.

6.5.9 gives me a blank screen (eventually ending up with some left top corner ASCII string gibberish to various font colors and color backgrounds). I had normal boots on earlier kernels 6.5.x(?), but with the latest kernel update the oldest working kernel was replaced by a new non working one. Now it only starts in the kernel belonging to the recovery alternative.

I switched over to the latest nvidia drivers, which at least gave me a visible LUKS prompt, but ended up stuck with the same top left gibberish.

Turns out the latest Nvidia drivers don't support GT210 anyway. And the 340 driver isn't compatible with the latest kernel (without perhaps some patching - which I haven't tried). If I patch it, should I expect to keep patching to keep this afloat?

Should I expect that noveau support gets dropped, if not now, then at some point, for ancient GPUs? Trash the GT210 (which is perfectly fine for my needs) to replace it with a more power hungry and noisy GTX 670 which I have lying around somewhere?

Before this I tried connecting remotely, through VNC?, but it kept dropping connection as soon as the local user got idle and the graphical interface locked. Ages ago I remember using Xming to run startx through terminal which was fine.

Should I give up on NVidia drivers and noveau, or get another card for a couple of years, or is there a real possibility of scrapping the graphics altogether, just keeping the GT210 for BIOS and other emergency issues.

mrmazda · 11-07-2023, 11:26 PM

I have a GT218. In F38, 6.4.16 fails as described for your 6.5.9, but 6.3.12 here is OK. In F39 on same PC, F38's 6.4.16 is OK, as is F39's 6.5.10.

Code:

# inxi -GSaz --vs --zl --hostname
inxi 3.3.31-00 (2023-11-02)
System:
  Host: hp945 Kernel: 6.5.10-300.fc39.x86_64 arch: x86_64 bits: 64
    compiler: gcc v: 2.40-13.fc39 clocksource: tsc available: hpet,acpi_pm
    parameters: ro root=LABEL=<filter> ipv6.disable=1 net.ifnames=0 audit=0
    selinux=0 noresume consoleblank=0 mitigations=off
  Desktop: KDE Plasma v: 5.27.8 tk: Qt v: 5.15.11 wm: kwin_x11 vt: 7 dm:
    1: KDM 2: XDM Distro: Fedora release 39 (Thirty Nine)
Graphics:
  Device-1: NVIDIA GT218 [GeForce 210] vendor: eVga.com. driver: nouveau
    v: kernel non-free: series: 340.xx status: legacy (EOL~2019-12-xx) last:
    release: 340.108 kernel: 5.4 xorg: 1.20 arch: Tesla process: 40-80nm
    built: 2006-2013 pcie: gen: 1 speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 16 ports:
    active: DVI-I-1,HDMI-A-1 empty: VGA-1 bus-ID: 01:00.0 chip-ID: 10de:0a65
    class-ID: 0300 temp: 71.0 C
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.20.14 with: Xwayland v: 23.2.2
    compositor: kwin_x11 driver: X: loaded: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa
    dri: nouveau gpu: nouveau display-ID: :0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 3600x1200 s-dpi: 120 s-size: 762x254mm (30.00x10.00")
    s-diag: 803mm (31.62")
  Monitor-1: DVI-I-1 pos: right model: Dell P2213 serial: <filter>
    built: 2012 res: 1680x1050 hz: 60 dpi: 90 gamma: 1.2
    size: 473x296mm (18.62x11.65") diag: 558mm (22") ratio: 16:10 modes:
    max: 1680x1050 min: 720x400
  Monitor-2: HDMI-A-1 mapped: HDMI-1 pos: primary,left model: NEC EA243WM
    serial: <filter> built: 2011 res: 1920x1200 hz: 60 dpi: 94 gamma: 1.2
    size: 519x324mm (20.43x12.76") diag: 612mm (24.1") ratio: 16:10 modes:
    max: 1920x1200 min: 640x480
  API: EGL v: 1.5 hw: drv: nvidia nouveau platforms: device: 0 egl: 1.4
    drv: nouveau device: 1 drv: swrast gbm: egl: 1.4 drv: nouveau surfaceless:
    egl: 1.4 drv: nouveau x11: egl: 1.4 drv: nouveau inactive: wayland
  API: OpenGL v: 4.5 compat-v: 3.3 vendor: mesa v: 23.2.1 glx-v: 1.4
    direct-render: yes renderer: NVA8 device-ID: 10de:0a65 memory: 983.4 MiB
    unified: no
#

With a different PC, and different Tesla, G98 (GeForce 8400), F38's 6.4.16 was OK, but 6.5.10 failed same as your 6.5.9. Also I found a reliable workaround: appending to end of linu line after striking E key in Grub menu: vga=791. I'm guessing if you rebuild initrd to force include nouveau kernel module that it will have the same effect by forcing earlier graphics setup by kernel.

This explains that there is no "the" nouveau driver, but multiple nouveau drivers.

mrmazda · 11-08-2023, 12:10 AM

It turns out the PC with G98 and F39 with 6.5.10 also exhibits the problem if vga= isn't included on the kernel cmdline.

IlyaZ · 11-08-2023, 09:43 AM

Didn't realize there was a F39. Uninstalled the nvidia driver, upgraded to F39 and seemed to work for a couple of times. Now it's a bit sketchy, the startup process is very slow. Can't tell if vga=791 makes any difference yet, probably entered it on the wrong line.

mrmazda · 11-08-2023, 10:35 AM

The linu line it belongs on usually wraps, so be careful it's part of that line and has space before, and if not at the actual end, also after. If Plymouth is installed, you might try appending also or instead plymouth.enable=0. I don't have Plymouth installed. You won't have to append for each boot if you include it in /etc/default/grub's GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT= line and then regenerate grub.cfg.

I just did an update from 6.4.12 to 6.5.10 on a GF108 Fermi. All apparently OK.