Xen devel - Jan 2013 - mgag200 driver does not work properly with Xen

When using Xen Hypervisor, the video goes very slow after module load in
console.
Xorg does not run.

My boot process (in kernel 3.7.1 from elrepo, my default kernel.):
1. Hypervisor is loaded (from here, the screen resolution is 640x480 - text
scrolling fast)
2. Kernel is loaded
3. mgag200 module is loaded
4. Screens enter native resolution (from here, the screen resolution is
1280x768 - text scrolling is slow..).
5. Starting Xorg gives me: "failed to activate core devices".

Without Xen, the video works great, Xorg starts, everything works fast and
good.

Hardware:
Motherboard: S1200BTLR
Onboard video: ServerEngines LLC Pilot III (as written in manual)
CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1270v2

Software:
OS: Centos 6.3 64-bit
Xen: 4.2.1

Kernels tested (all with Xen Hypervisor Loaded - except 2.6.32):

Kernel 2.6.32-279 (shipped with CentOS - does not support XEN_DOM0):
- Screen is fast, but with 640x480 resolution.
- Xorg starts with mga driver

Kernel 3.0.57-1.el6.elrepo.x86_64 (from elrepo.org - with XEN_DOM0 support)
- "CONFIG_DRM_MGAG200" does not exist.
- Xorg starts with mga driver

Kernel 3.7.1-3.el6xen.x86_64 (from here:
https://www.crc.id.au/xen-on-rhel6-scientific-linux-6-centos-6-howto/
[^<https://www.crc.id.au/xen-on-rhel6-scientific-linux-6-centos-6-howto/>]
)
- Since "CONFIG_DRM_MGAG200 is not set", screen is fast, but with
640x480
resolution.
- Xorg does not start. "Failed to activate core devices".

Kernel 3.7.1-1.el6.elrepo.x86_64 (My favorite kernel - from elrepo.org)
- "CONFIG_DRM_MGAG200=m"
- Native resolution
- Screen refresh is slow
- Xorg does not start: "Failed to activate core devices."


UPDATE:
Tested Xen 4.2.1 with Ubuntu 12.10 32-bit kernel 3.7.1 and I got the
following results:

- Xorg with Unity works with poor performance with Xen hypervisor loaded.
- Xorg with Unity is very nice without Xen hypervisor loaded.

- Text-based console performance is bad (as in Centos). Screen refresh is
very slow, text scrolling also slow.
- Text-based console performance is normal without Xen.

Exactly the same issues as in CentOS.

Content from "lspci -vv" of video card

04:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Matrox Electronics Systems Ltd. MGA
G200e [Pilot] ServerEngines (SEP1) (rev 07) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
        Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device 0102
        Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 23
        Memory at c0000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16M]
        Memory at c1810000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
        Memory at c1000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=8M]
        Expansion ROM at c1800000 [disabled] [size=64K]
        Capabilities: [dc] Power Management version 2
        Capabilities: [e4] Express Legacy Endpoint, MSI 00
        Capabilities: [54] MSI: Enable- Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit-
        Kernel driver in use: mgag200
        Kernel modules: mgag200


Thanks and sorry for the [very] bad english.


_______________________________________________
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Xen-devel@lists.xen.org
http://lists.xen.org/xen-devel

On Wed, Jan 02, 2013 at 01:23:27PM -0300, Fernando Luiz Chaves Xavier Matos
wrote:
> When using Xen Hypervisor, the video goes very slow after module load in
> console.
> Xorg does not run.
> 
> My boot process (in kernel 3.7.1 from elrepo, my default kernel.):
> 1. Hypervisor is loaded (from here, the screen resolution is 640x480 - text
> scrolling fast)
> 2. Kernel is loaded
> 3. mgag200 module is loaded
From the dmesg (https://bugzilla.kernel.org/attachment.cgi?id=90181)

I see:

[   17.652965] fbcon: mgadrmfb (fb0) is primary device
[   18.032813] [drm] mga base 0

So it looks like the mgadrmfb is actually in usage?
> 4. Screens enter native resolution (from here, the screen resolution is
> 1280x768 - text scrolling is slow..).
That could be due to using the MGADRMFB instead of the DRM one. But
more worrysime is this (https://bugzilla.kernel.org/attachment.cgi?id=89931):

[   445.347] (EE) MGA(0): V_BIOS address 0x0 out of range

which seems to be wrong. Let me ask you on the Bugzilla
(https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=52121)

for the baremetal bootup to get an idea of what it gets.
> 5. Starting Xorg gives me: "failed to activate core devices".
> 
> Without Xen, the video works great, Xorg starts, everything works fast and
> good.
> 
> Hardware:
> Motherboard: S1200BTLR
> Onboard video: ServerEngines LLC Pilot III (as written in manual)
> CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1270v2
> 
> Software:
> OS: Centos 6.3 64-bit
> Xen: 4.2.1
> 
> Kernels tested (all with Xen Hypervisor Loaded - except 2.6.32):
> 
> Kernel 2.6.32-279 (shipped with CentOS - does not support XEN_DOM0):
> - Screen is fast, but with 640x480 resolution.
> - Xorg starts with mga driver
> 
> Kernel 3.0.57-1.el6.elrepo.x86_64 (from elrepo.org - with XEN_DOM0 support)
> - "CONFIG_DRM_MGAG200" does not exist.
> - Xorg starts with mga driver
> 
> Kernel 3.7.1-3.el6xen.x86_64 (from here:
> https://www.crc.id.au/xen-on-rhel6-scientific-linux-6-centos-6-howto/
>
[^<https://www.crc.id.au/xen-on-rhel6-scientific-linux-6-centos-6-howto/>]
> )
> - Since "CONFIG_DRM_MGAG200 is not set", screen is fast, but with
640x480
> resolution.
> - Xorg does not start. "Failed to activate core devices".
> 
> Kernel 3.7.1-1.el6.elrepo.x86_64 (My favorite kernel - from elrepo.org)
> - "CONFIG_DRM_MGAG200=m"
> - Native resolution
> - Screen refresh is slow
> - Xorg does not start: "Failed to activate core devices."
> 
> 
> UPDATE:
> Tested Xen 4.2.1 with Ubuntu 12.10 32-bit kernel 3.7.1 and I got the
> following results:
> 
> - Xorg with Unity works with poor performance with Xen hypervisor loaded.
> - Xorg with Unity is very nice without Xen hypervisor loaded.
> 
> - Text-based console performance is bad (as in Centos). Screen refresh is
> very slow, text scrolling also slow.
> - Text-based console performance is normal without Xen.
> 
> Exactly the same issues as in CentOS.
> 
> Content from "lspci -vv" of video card
> 
> 04:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Matrox Electronics Systems Ltd. MGA
> G200e [Pilot] ServerEngines (SEP1) (rev 07) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
>         Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device 0102
>         Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 23
>         Memory at c0000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16M]
>         Memory at c1810000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
>         Memory at c1000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=8M]
>         Expansion ROM at c1800000 [disabled] [size=64K]
>         Capabilities: [dc] Power Management version 2
>         Capabilities: [e4] Express Legacy Endpoint, MSI 00
>         Capabilities: [54] MSI: Enable- Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit-
>         Kernel driver in use: mgag200
>         Kernel modules: mgag200
> 
> 
> Thanks and sorry for the [very] bad english.
> _______________________________________________
> Xen-devel mailing list
> Xen-devel@lists.xen.org
> http://lists.xen.org/xen-devel

> )
> - Xorg does not start. "Failed to activate core devices".
I had the same problem some time ago. Reason was that xkbcomp crashed (i think 
when callong mmap) because of a issue with PAT.

It worked for me when i booted the kernel with the  "nopat" option in
the
kernel commandline.

Probably is the issue that is described here 
http://wiki.xen.org/wiki/Xen_Development_Projects#PAT_writecombine_fixup. I 
also had some writecombine error-messages after the failing Xorg-starts.

I would like to inform that this motherboard uses UEFI.

And, obviously, I''m using legacy boot.

This requires some video emulation, right?

There is any known issue with Xen about motherboards that uses UEFI? If I
install an UEFI-aware bootloader, like rEFInd or grub-efi, can I boot the
hypervisor?

Big observations made since last message sent:
- BIOS-aware bootloaders (GRUB Legacy, GRUB 2, ISOLINUX, PXELINUX) have a
slower keyboard response AND very slow screen refresh. keystrokes under those
bootloaders have a ~500ms response delay. Also screen refresh is [much] slower,
when entering submenus. This is caused by the "EFI legacy boot" of
course.
- All behaviors previously mentioned disappears when plugging a video card.
Tested with a 12 year-old ATI Rage XL 16MB PCI and a Geforce 7200LE.


2013/1/2 Fernando Luiz Chaves Xavier Matos
<fernando@supergg.com.br>
>
> When using Xen Hypervisor, the video goes very slow after module load in
console.
> Xorg does not run.
>
> My boot process (in kernel 3.7.1 from elrepo, my default kernel.):
> 1. Hypervisor is loaded (from here, the screen resolution is 640x480 - text
scrolling fast)
> 2. Kernel is loaded
> 3. mgag200 module is loaded
> 4. Screens enter native resolution (from here, the screen resolution is
1280x768 - text scrolling is slow..).
> 5. Starting Xorg gives me: "failed to activate core devices".
>
> Without Xen, the video works great, Xorg starts, everything works fast and
good.
>
> Hardware:
> Motherboard: S1200BTLR
> Onboard video: ServerEngines LLC Pilot III (as written in manual)
> CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1270v2
>
> Software:
> OS: Centos 6.3 64-bit
> Xen: 4.2.1
>
> Kernels tested (all with Xen Hypervisor Loaded - except 2.6.32):
>
> Kernel 2.6.32-279 (shipped with CentOS - does not support XEN_DOM0):
> - Screen is fast, but with 640x480 resolution.
> - Xorg starts with mga driver
>
> Kernel 3.0.57-1.el6.elrepo.x86_64 (from elrepo.org - with XEN_DOM0 support)
> - "CONFIG_DRM_MGAG200" does not exist.
> - Xorg starts with mga driver
>
> Kernel 3.7.1-3.el6xen.x86_64 (from here:
https://www.crc.id.au/xen-on-rhel6-scientific-linux-6-centos-6-howto/ [^] )
> - Since "CONFIG_DRM_MGAG200 is not set", screen is fast, but with
640x480 resolution.
> - Xorg does not start. "Failed to activate core devices".
>
> Kernel 3.7.1-1.el6.elrepo.x86_64 (My favorite kernel - from elrepo.org)
> - "CONFIG_DRM_MGAG200=m"
> - Native resolution
> - Screen refresh is slow
> - Xorg does not start: "Failed to activate core devices."
>
>
> UPDATE:
> Tested Xen 4.2.1 with Ubuntu 12.10 32-bit kernel 3.7.1 and I got the
following results:
>
> - Xorg with Unity works with poor performance with Xen hypervisor loaded.
> - Xorg with Unity is very nice without Xen hypervisor loaded.
>
> - Text-based console performance is bad (as in Centos). Screen refresh is
very slow, text scrolling also slow.
> - Text-based console performance is normal without Xen.
>
> Exactly the same issues as in CentOS.
>
> Content from "lspci -vv" of video card
>
> 04:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Matrox Electronics Systems Ltd. MGA
G200e [Pilot] ServerEngines (SEP1) (rev 07) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
>         Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device 0102
>         Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 23
>         Memory at c0000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16M]
>         Memory at c1810000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
>         Memory at c1000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=8M]
>         Expansion ROM at c1800000 [disabled] [size=64K]
>         Capabilities: [dc] Power Management version 2
>         Capabilities: [e4] Express Legacy Endpoint, MSI 00
>         Capabilities: [54] MSI: Enable- Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit-
>         Kernel driver in use: mgag200
>         Kernel modules: mgag200
>
>
> Thanks and sorry for the [very] bad english.

>>> On 23.01.13 at 19:19, Fernando Luiz Chaves Xavier Matos
<fernando@supergg.com.br> wrote:
> I would like to inform that this motherboard uses UEFI.
> 
> And, obviously, I''m using legacy boot.
Obviously?
> This requires some video emulation, right?
Depends on the UEFI implementation.
> There is any known issue with Xen about motherboards that uses UEFI? If I
> install an UEFI-aware bootloader, like rEFInd or grub-efi, can I boot the
> hypervisor?
You don''t need any boot loader to boot Xen from UEFI - all you
need is a new enough tool chain to build xen.efi. See
docs/misc/efi.markdown (or its processed incarnation on the web).

Jan

Well...

Same thing with EFI boot. Video still slow.

I think I should use a VGA card for a while (or forever).



2013/1/24 Jan Beulich <JBeulich@suse.com>:
>>>> On 23.01.13 at 19:19, Fernando Luiz Chaves Xavier Matos
> <fernando@supergg.com.br> wrote:
>> I would like to inform that this motherboard uses UEFI.
>>
>> And, obviously, I''m using legacy boot.
>
> Obviously?
>
>> This requires some video emulation, right?
>
> Depends on the UEFI implementation.
>
>> There is any known issue with Xen about motherboards that uses UEFI? If
I
>> install an UEFI-aware bootloader, like rEFInd or grub-efi, can I boot
the
>> hypervisor?
>
> You don''t need any boot loader to boot Xen from UEFI - all you
> need is a new enough tool chain to build xen.efi. See
> docs/misc/efi.markdown (or its processed incarnation on the web).
>
> Jan
>