AMD Catalyst 12.6 For Linux Disappoints

[RussianNeuroMancer]

Well, yes nVidia's proprietary driver can't switch because I don't have a nVidia APU.

Catalyst can do switch between Intel and Radeon GPU's too.

The point is that I've bought an AMD platform with an APU and a GPU and I expected it to work. This is the whole point of Trinity, but it doesn't work.

Usually for new hardware it's looking like this: http://phoronix.com/forums/showthrea...-on-HP-Envy-15 (read whole thread before continue). So if you have problems - you need to deal with tech. support or bugtracker, but you hope someone else already get same problem, send report, and AMD already fix it for next driver release. It might have happened, or might not happened. If you need a result, do not rely on luck.
And about not working Acer driver - you need to ask Acer about that, not AMD. Acer do testing of your laptop before ship hardware, not AMD.

I don't know about you but on desktops and notebooks, nVidia's blob just worked out of the box with custom-compiled kernels.

nvnews is down, but if read Linux subforum of nvnews, you should know - nVidia driver not always (far, far away from "always") "just worked out of the box with custom-compiled kernels". Maybe it work for you, but not for everyone.

[Agross]

Yeah, yeah, when I have time I'll try a 'clean' install, though it is rather pointelss if I can't use custom kernels.

Well, yes nVidia's proprietary driver can't switch because I don't have a nVidia APU. The point is that I've bought an AMD platform with an APU and a GPU and I expected it to work. This is the whole point of Trinity, but it doesn't work.

I don't know about you but on desktops and notebooks, nVidia's blob just worked out of the box with custom-compiled kernels. I have greap features and performance in native apps, in Wine, in OpenCL. Clearly AMD is far behind in these matters, but I understand, since they are in a lot of financial trouble and non-Windows drivers are probably the least of their problems.

I hope the radeon free driver will pick up speed.

[RussianNeuroMancer]

I did a 'plain' install, not generated distro-specific packages.

Use Kano script or follow this manual next time.

I had to hack one 'by hand' from the previous beta 12.6, but X crashes when it tries to load fglrx and, frankly, I've given up on trying to make it work, I'm going to wait for 12.7.

There will be no 12.7 (new release shedule in action) so you need to register proper detailed bugreports with all needed information and atigetsysteminfo.sh reports, if you want too see bugs fixed in 12.8. I strongly suggest you re-check bugs with driver installed from generated packages and don't forget to use this workaround.

It can't handle switching between integrated gpu in the apu and the discrete gpu, you have to manually select one
In 12.6 ( release and beta ) GPU switching is done manually in CCC. You have a radio group to choose between 'maximum performance : discrete card ' and 'maximum battery : apu' ( or something to that effect ) and the change only happens after reboot. It does work, but it is disappointing overall.

Just for your information: nVidia proprietary driver doesn't have even this (radio button in driver control panel for manual switch) for Optimus hardware.

I've also tried the latest 'stable' ( 6.14.6 ) but support for my particular hardware is very poor and, the most annoying thing is that it can't shut down the discrete gpu to the effect that the laptop overheats on light video usage.

Again: you can, you need to put

echo "OFF" > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch

to /etc/rc.local.

However, this is a far cry from nVidia's blob that 'just works' and always did.

As I person who have more GeForce GPU's than Radeon GPU's I want to say: nVidia properietary driver 'just works' so well, so I have no choice but move to nouveau on few laptops.

[Agross]

Obviously, the user is the problem. For a moment I thought I bought an Apple product, should I hold my hand the other way around ?

nVidia's binary blob works just fine on a debian x64 with 3 custom-built kernels and I installed catalyst 12.6 beta just fine on a Mint with two kernels. 12.6 stable doesn't work, thus 12.6 is the problem.

12.6 beta works fine with 3.4 kernel ( custom-build )

And, yes, I might know what I am doing ...

[Kano]

Basically you do all wrong that could be done wrong. Some basics:

a) if you want to install a gfx driver be sure that only 1 kernel is installed (or you really know how to trigger dkms, which i highly doubt that you know that)

b) never install without correct packageing, for ubuntu that is relatively easy with --buildpkg Ubuntu option

c) do not run the installer on debian. it will not help anyway because for wheezy/sid you have got fglrx 12-6 in the repository, but the xserver is too new. well there is a libpciaccess hack for 64 bit that makes it work, but i doubt you have got any clue how to use it. For squeeze it should work but look at a). for squeeze + ubuntu (but NOT on wheezy/sid) you can use my script. i have got a fallback when aticonfig does not work.

http://kanotix.com/files/install-fglrx-debian.sh

use -z option and reboot. for 12-6 final/beta do not use a kernel newer than 3.3. for 12-6 legacy (-v5 override to script) you can use kernel 3.4 as well. save /etc/ati/control from a version without problems.

[Agross]

@VodkaGibson:

About the fglrx blob :

I did a 'plain' install, not generated distro-specific packages.

Multi-monitor is very flaky, again, compared to nVidia's blob. It does work, but misbehaves when I plug in a HDMI display, it needs 'enabling' with a restart of X to work ( the first time ) and so on. Again, not a deal breaker, I'm a technical user, but certainly far behind nVidia's blob.

The 12.6 proper ( not beta ) was tested on Mint x64 ( kernel 3.2 and custom-built 3.4 ), Debian x64 ( kernel 2.6.32 and custom-built 3.4 ) and Gentoo with custom-built 3.4. The default installer completes OK ( as far as output goes ) , the fglr.ko is loaded but neither the installer nor manually `amdconfig --initial` generate a correct xorg.conf file. I had to hack one 'by hand' from the previous beta 12.6, but X crashes when it tries to load fglrx and, frankly, I've given up on trying to make it work, I'm going to wait for 12.7.

In 12.6 ( release and beta ) GPU switching is done manually in CCC. You have a radio group to choose between 'maximum performance : discrete card ' and 'maximum battery : apu' ( or something to that effect ) and the change only happens after reboot. It does work, but it is disappointing overall.

As for the open-source radeon driver, I had to wait for 6.14.4, which is the first one with 'official' Trinity support. I've also tried the latest 'stable' ( 6.14.6 ) but support for my particular hardware is very poor and, the most annoying thing is that it can't shut down the discrete gpu to the effect that the laptop overheats on light video usage.

I'm going to wait for 12.7 and, when I have time, I'll try to do a clean install and test 12.6 stable with 3.4 to see exactly what happens. However, this is a far cry from nVidia's blob that 'just works' and always did.

I understand that AMD is in deep trouble and non-windows driver developers is probably very, very low in the priority list, but it still disappointing.

[barkas]

THIS is why when building my desktop this summer I went with an eVGA GTX670 FTW. No more ultracraptastic linux(and windows although not quite as awful as linux) drivers. Never AMD/ATI again, esp. with their dropping support left and right!

Freaking nVidia drivers support back to what? GF2 FFS!

AMD/ATI are just allaround phail. They phail at CPU R&D(hence 3930k in desktop), and they phail as drivers. The only thing that seem to get kind of right is price for their CPUs(but they're forced into that by subpar design, hey how are those P4 clock speed jokes working for you guys now? (I had an AMD x2 back then as they still had a clue about R&D.) And their actual GPU design seems to be OK, but that's COMPLETELY foiled by the craptastic drivers.

i.e. when the MSI GT725 goes for it's scheduled replacement next summer, that shiny new notebook won't be sporting any AMD crap, unless by some miracle they actually pull a competitive CPU design out of their ---es. GPU's never going to happen again. Burned too many times by ATI and their driver delivery hasn't gotten appreciatively better over the last decade. (I abandoned them for years, before because of their crap software, then gave them a shot with the mobility 4850, but that just showed me how right it was to stick w/nVidia. I really don't give a rat's --- about OSS driver either as long as they're supplying enough to get their BLOBs running with newer kernels and X.org...)

[EDIT]
As to the DIY stuff and linux: I might've bought that 18 years ago when you had to bootstrap everything, i.e. build gcc to selfhosting, re-compile kernel, build X11R6, etc.

But in the last 10y the fact of the matter is that I rarely bother to do any custom builds. The slight potential perf. gains just aren't worth the trouble
[/EDIT]

I'm so happy for you. Please post that story in every thread in every ATI subforum here.

[cutterjohn]

OK, I essentially joined this forum for this one post to AMD.

So just to be clear, a few years of doggy binary blobs that only just started to work correctly and then support gets dropped in fav of a opensource driver that should have been worked on in the first place _before_ release, much like Intel which seem to be just fine at doing just this.

This is so fucking ridiculous, you are essentially criminals who are not selling products fit for consumers.
Someone has to say it direct, sorry!

I simply don't go out and buy a car and then get told;
"sorry, write the EMC firmware yourself and oh be thankful we are so nice these days we _may_ provide docs 6 months later on the EMC for your DIY car."

Get it throw your heads, Your billion dollar company should *NOT* be selling DIY products, this is not the 1980's any more when computers were kits.
I fully expect to buy a product and have working drivers, cabals, plugs or whatever else is expected for your products to preform their `advertised' and thus required duties, END OF!

I don't know what everyones problem is with Nvidia, they sell a product with associated policies (which I can understand people could disagree with). However, their products work just perfectly as `advertised'. The lack of Optimus support is really half a issue with Linux and lack of API's in both Xorg and the kernel which granted have recently got better. However that is unfair to blame Nvidia for lack of kernel knobs.

How about this, AMD FUCK YOU! That also goes to people sticking up for a company that has ample `fiscal' resource, who quite frankly is screwing you too.
To quote Wilfred Owen; "To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori."
That is to say, don't get patriotic about a company. A company is not a human. Cut the fan boy crap guys.

Oh and by the way, I could not give a shit about excuses of legal problems about HDMI code or whatever, if you can't make hardware/software that is workable to the person paying you money then don't release, license or whatever that design because no one cares about a god given designed that can't be used.

Its 2012, Sort it out!

Apologies for the colorful language to other perhaps younger sorts. </rant>

THIS is why when building my desktop this summer I went with an eVGA GTX670 FTW. No more ultracraptastic linux(and windows although not quite as awful as linux) drivers. Never AMD/ATI again, esp. with their dropping support left and right!

Freaking nVidia drivers support back to what? GF2 FFS!

AMD/ATI are just allaround phail. They phail at CPU R&D(hence 3930k in desktop), and they phail as drivers. The only thing that seem to get kind of right is price for their CPUs(but they're forced into that by subpar design, hey how are those P4 clock speed jokes working for you guys now? (I had an AMD x2 back then as they still had a clue about R&D.) And their actual GPU design seems to be OK, but that's COMPLETELY foiled by the craptastic drivers.

i.e. when the MSI GT725 goes for it's scheduled replacement next summer, that shiny new notebook won't be sporting any AMD crap, unless by some miracle they actually pull a competitive CPU design out of their ---es. GPU's never going to happen again. Burned too many times by ATI and their driver delivery hasn't gotten appreciatively better over the last decade. (I abandoned them for years, before because of their crap software, then gave them a shot with the mobility 4850, but that just showed me how right it was to stick w/nVidia. I really don't give a rat's --- about OSS driver either as long as they're supplying enough to get their BLOBs running with newer kernels and X.org...)

[EDIT]
As to the DIY stuff and linux: I might've bought that 18 years ago when you had to bootstrap everything, i.e. build gcc to selfhosting, re-compile kernel, build X11R6, etc.

But in the last 10y the fact of the matter is that I rarely bother to do any custom builds. The slight potential perf. gains just aren't worth the trouble
[/EDIT]

[GrrlTlak]

When I see something like this, I want to reply WORKSFORME. (After looking into your posts history) You talking about Gnome Shell bug, right? (Commentary 14.)

No, not only Gnome-Shell - those posts were just the beginning. If it works for you - congratulations!

[RussianNeuroMancer]

non-functionality

When I see something like this, I want to reply WORKSFORME. (After looking into your posts history) You talking about Gnome Shell bug, right? (Commentary 14.)