Kernel-rt issues solved, but configuring X still is a PITA

[Gerhard Lang]

Hi Ralf,
nvidia prop drivers for your card never will  build with new 
rt-kernels.  I see you compile customized kernels. I'd recommend trying 
2.3.36.xxx and even 2.6.37-rcxx with preempt settings. They run here on 
a geriatric amd64x2 machine under lucid (10.04) ubuntustudio/kx mashing  
with proprietary nvidia drivers, full rt support. Only missing against 
rt-kernels is the possibility to adjust rtirq settings which as I see 
*possibly* *might*  give *a* *little* benefit *only* for ffado/firewire 
devices. Nevertheless I hope someone will implemet this rtirq tweaking 
stuff into mainline kernels.
Regards Gerhard

Am 27.12.2010 22:37, schrieb Ralf:
> Hi :)
>
> I build a kernel-rt for an upgraded Ubuntu Studio 10.04 Lucid, testing 
> a knack still to get an initrd, when building it by make-kpkg. This 
> mail is on HTML to enable copy and paste.
>
> SOLVED
>
> I now can build an initrd for self build kernels.
> I now can start a kernel-rt from the repositories.
>
> NEW AND UNSOLVED ISSUE
>
> The monitor resolution for the GDM login menu is 'broken'.
>
> ### Preparing to build the kernel
>
> $ cd /usr/src
> $ ls linux -l
> lrwxrwxrwx 1 spinymouse src 19 2010-10-03 02:39 linux -> 
> linux-2.6.33.7-rt29
> $ rm linux
> $ ln -s linux-2.6.33.7.2-rt30 linux
> $ wget 
> ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/linux-2.6.33.7.tar.bz2 
> http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/projects/rt/patch-2.6.33.7.2-rt30.bz2
>
>
> ### Extracting the sources and patching the kernel
>
> $ tar xjf linux-2.6.33.7.tar.bz2
> $ rm linux-2.6.33.7.tar.bz2
> $ mv linux-2.6.33.7 linux-2.6.33.7.2-rt30
> $ cd linux
> $ bunzip2 ../patch-2.6.33.7.2-rt30.bz2
> $ patch -p1 < ../patch-2.6.33.7.2-rt30
> $ rm ../patch-2.6.33.7.2-rt30
>
>
> ### Editing a configuration
>
> $ uname -a
> Linux ubuntu 2.6.32-27-preempt #49-Ubuntu SMP PREEMPT Thu Dec 2 
> 03:21:34 UTC 2010 x86_64 GNU/Linux
> $ cp /boot/config-$(uname -r) .config
> $ make oldconfig
> Pushing enter only.
>
>
> ### Disabling staging, without testing if it's needed to to disable it 
> for building the current kernel
>
> $ gedit .config
> Editing
> CONFIG_STAGING=y
> to
> # CONFIG_STAGING is not set
> $ make oldconfig
> Nothing to do.
>
>
> ### Building the kernel
>
> $ make-kpkg clean
> $ export CONCURRENCY_LEVEL=2
> $ make-kpkg --rootcmd fakeroot --initrd kernel-image kernel-headers 
> kernel-source
>
>
> ### Unfortunately there wasn't enough free disk space when I first 
> build the kernel.
>
> OT: Btw. is there a list of apps that can be removed from Ubuntu 
> Studio, without getting issues? I e.g. don't need AppAmor, Firewalls 
> etc. and especially I would like to get rid of PulseAudio. [End OT]
>
>
> ### After removing some old kernel stuff and the already new build 
> image and headers, I build the kernel again, but I guess it would have 
> been ok, if I just would have installed the image and headers, because 
> only the unneeded source was missing. I also think,  that not running 
> 'make-kpkg clean' again, would have made the repeated compiling 
> faster, but I dunno.
>
> $ rm -r ../*rt29*
> $ rm ../linux-h* ../linux-i*
> $ make-kpkg clean
> $ echo $CONCURRENCY_LEVEL
> 2
> $ make-kpkg --rootcmd fakeroot --initrd kernel-image kernel-headers 
> kernel-source
> $ sudo dpkg -i 
> ../linux-image-2.6.33.7.2-rt30_2.6.33.7.2-rt30-10.00.Custom_amd64.deb
> $ ls -hAl /boot
> total 21M
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 632K 2010-12-02 07:02 abi-2.6.32-27-preempt
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 109K 2010-12-02 07:02 config-2.6.32-27-preempt
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 108K 2010-12-27 18:47 config-2.6.33.7.2-rt30
> drwxr-xr-x 3 root root  12K 2010-12-27 20:07 grub
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 8.0M 2010-12-27 09:28 initrd.img-2.6.32-27-preempt
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 157K 2010-03-23 10:40 memtest86+.bin
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2.1M 2010-12-02 07:02 System.map-2.6.32-27-preempt
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2.1M 2010-12-27 19:52 System.map-2.6.33.7.2-rt30
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1.4K 2010-12-02 07:08 vmcoreinfo-2.6.32-27-preempt
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4.0M 2010-12-02 07:02 vmlinuz-2.6.32-27-preempt
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4.0M 2010-12-27 19:52 vmlinuz-2.6.33.7.2-rt30
>
>
> ### The knack
>
> $ sudo update-initramfs -c -k 2.6.33.7.2-rt30
>
> FWIW it took 77 minutes + less but 48 seconds on my machine to compile 
> the kernel and 5.45 GiB to build and install  the kernel + initrd.
>
> $ ls -hAl /boot
> total 30M
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 632K 2010-12-02 07:02 abi-2.6.32-27-preempt
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 109K 2010-12-02 07:02 config-2.6.32-27-preempt
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 108K 2010-12-27 18:47 config-2.6.33.7.2-rt30
> drwxr-xr-x 3 root root  12K 2010-12-27 20:07 grub
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 8.0M 2010-12-27 09:28 initrd.img-2.6.32-27-preempt
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 8.2M 2010-12-27 20:12 initrd.img-2.6.33.7.2-rt30
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 157K 2010-03-23 10:40 memtest86+.bin
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2.1M 2010-12-02 07:02 System.map-2.6.32-27-preempt
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2.1M 2010-12-27 19:52 System.map-2.6.33.7.2-rt30
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1.4K 2010-12-02 07:08 vmcoreinfo-2.6.32-27-preempt
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4.0M 2010-12-02 07:02 vmlinuz-2.6.32-27-preempt
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 4.0M 2010-12-27 19:52 vmlinuz-2.6.33.7.2-rt30
>
> It's needed to add the initrd line to /boot/grub/grub.cfg. Startup 
> stopped, when I tried 'sudo startx' in tty1 I got 'Module nouveau not 
> found'. Because of a missing xorg.conf I copied the xorg.conf from my 
> 64 Studio 3.0. I didn't test 'sudo gdm start', but I needed nothing to 
> do for launching X after I copied the xorg.conf.
>
> $ sudo cp /media/studio3.0/etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf
> Additionally I needed to set up the monitor preferences by the GUI to 
> the wanted resolution, unfortunately it's only ok for the desktop, but 
> not für the GDM login menu. For 64 Studio 3.0 Hardy it's the same, 
> while for 3.3 Lucid and Suse 11.2 it's ok.  Architecture for all 
> installs is 64bit. I remember that it's possible to change this 
> behaviour, that's also annoying for e.g. tiling and tabbing window 
> manager that don't support such GUIs. Does anybody know how to change 
> the default resolution for the GDM login menu too?
>
> Today I don't like to test what will happen when I remove the virtual 
> screen from xorg.conf or if I'll find a solution by using search engines.
>
> $ cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf
> Section "InputDevice"
> Identifier "Generic Keyboard"
> Driver "kbd"
> Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
> Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
> Option "XkbLayout" "de"
> Option "XkbVariant" "ro"
> Option "XkbOptions" "lv3:ralt_switch"
> EndSection
>
> Section "InputDevice"
> Identifier "Configured Mouse"
> Driver "mouse"
> Option "CorePointer"
> EndSection
>
> Section "Device"
> Identifier "Configured Video Device"
> Boardname "GeForce 7300 SE"
>        #Busid "PCI:1:5:0"
> Driver "nv"
> Screen 0
> Option "MergedFB" "off"
> EndSection
>
> Section "Monitor"
>   DisplaySize  305 230
>   HorizSync    29-98
>   Identifier "Configured Monitor"
>   Modelname "Plug 'n' Play"
>   Vendorname "Plug 'n' Play"
>   VertRefresh  50-120
>   modeline "1152x864" 128.42 1152 1232 1360 1568 864 865 868 910
>   Gamma 1.0
> EndSection
>
> Section "Screen"
> Identifier "Default Screen"
> Monitor "Configured Monitor"
> Device "Configured Video Device"
> Defaultdepth 24
> SubSection "Display"
> Depth 24
> Modes      "1152x864"
>                 Virtual    3840 1200
> EndSubSection
> EndSection
>
> Section "ServerLayout"
> Identifier "Default Layout"
>   screen 0 "Default Screen" 0 0
> EndSection
> Section "Module"
> Load "glx"
> #Load "GLcore"
> #Load "v4l"
> EndSection
> Section "ServerFlags"
> EndSection
>
>
> On my machine currently are running
>
> 1.1 Ubuntu Studio 10.04, Kernel 2.6.32-27-preempt, from the 
> repositories obviously using nouveau as driver for X by default.
> 2.1 openSUSE 11.2,       Kernel 2.6.31.6-rt19, self build and using 
> the proprietary nvidia driver.
> 3.1 64 Studio 3.3 alpha, Kernel 2.6.31-2-multimedia-amd64, from the 
> repositories, it's a PREEMPT RT kernel, also using the proprietary 
> nvidia driver.
> 4.1 64 Studio 3.0-beta3, kernel 2.6.31.12-rt20
> 4.2 64 Studio 3.0-beta3, kernel 2.6.31.6-rt19
> 4.3 64 Studio 3.0-beta3, kernel 2.6.31.5-rt18
> 4.4 64 Studio 3.0-beta3, kernel 2.6.29-1-multimedia-amd64
>
> 64 Studio 3.0 is ok with the self build kernels-rt and the multimedia 
> PREEMPT RT from the repositories using the FLOSS nv driver.
> 64 Studio 3.0 is based on Ubuntu Hardy and 3.3 on Ubuntu Lucid too.
>
>
> As a test I installed the package 'linux-kernel-rt', currently it will 
> install 2.6.31-11-rt. Now I can run the kernel-rt from the repository 
> too, unfortunately still with the GDM login menu issue too.
>
> I need a solution for the 'nv' driver and I also will check out the 
> 'nvidia' driver, while the issue shouldn't be solved just by using the 
> proprietary driver ;).
>
> Any hints are welcome.
>
> Cheers!
>
> Ralf