Karmic

Revision 5 as of 2009-06-04 00:38:39

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Summary

This specification provides a roadmap of X.org changes for Karmic, as well as a compatibility requirements listing of versions of dependencies we will want our video drivers to support.

Roadmap

[Formatted for emailing] 

Karmic Target Versions for Release
----------------------------------
   kernel:              2.6.31
   libdrm:              2.6.12
   mesa:                7.6
   x-server:            1.7   (Brings libxi 2.0, inputproto 2.0, evdev 2.3)
   xorg:                7.5

   (We are carrying rc versions of the above currently, but anticipate
    these versions will be released in time for Karmic.)

Karmic Important Dates
----------------------
   June 19th            xserver 1.6.99.901 + xorg 7.5 beta 1
   July 15th            xserver 1.7 + xorg 7.5 release
   Sept 7th             Ubuntu Deadline for driver version updates
   Oct 1st              Ubuntu Beta
   Oct 29th             Ubuntu Final Release

Driver-Specific Requirements
----------------------------
   -intel:              All Intel chipsets >= i810
          AccelMethod:  UXA
          DRI:          DRI2
          Memory:       GEM
          KMS:          "On" for all chipsets by default
          Duallink DVI: Chipsets >= i830
          TV-Out:       Chipsets >= i830
          DisplayPort:  Best efforts (G40-series)

   -ati:                All Radeon chipsets
          AccelMethod:  EXA
          DRI:          3D on chipsets R5xx and older only
                        Best efforts for newer chipsets
          Memory:       Unspecified
          KMS:          "On" for chipsets R5xx and older only
                        Best efforts for newer chipsets
          Duallink DVI: R400 and newer
          TV-Out:       All chipsets
          DisplayPort:  No

   -fglrx:              Radeon chipsets R600 and newer only
          AccelMethod:  Unspecified
          DRI:          Unspecified
          Memory:       Unspecified
          KMS:          No
          Duallink DVI: R600 and newer
          TV-Out:       R600 and newer
          DisplayPort:  DCE 3.0 chipsets and newer

   -nouveau:            All Nvidia chipsets >= NV04
          AccelMethod:  EXA
          DRI:          2D only
                        Best efforts for 3D
          Memory:       Unspecified
          KMS:          "On" for NV40 and newer
                        Best efforts for older chipsets
          Duallink DVI: R600 and newer
          TV-Out:       R600 and newer
          DisplayPort:  G98 only

   -nvidia (legacy):    Older Nvidia chipsets
          AccelMethod:  Unspecified
          DRI:          Unspecified
          Memory:       Unspecified
          KMS:          No

   -nvidia (current):   Newer Nvidia chipsets
          AccelMethod:  Unspecified
          DRI:          Unspecified
          Memory:       Unspecified
          KMS:          No

1.  KMS / Flicker-Free Boot

    Kernel mode-setting (KMS) is a major target objective for this release.
    We may be updating to newer versions of mesa if needed for KMS support.

    We anticipate that not all drivers will support KMS, so the kernel will
    be determining whether to use KMS or not on a per-driver basis, and if
    KMS is not in use, will boot similar to how it's been done up to now.

2.  Fast Boot / Fast Resume

    Improving boot and suspend/resume speed is another major goal for
    Karmic.  Our objective is to boot fast enough that no splash screen
    is required.  Therefore we will not be integrating plymouth into our
    boot process.  Where boot speeds cannot be sufficiently reduced we
    will continue to use usplash.

    We anticipate KMS will help in achieving this objective, and are
    looking for additional ideas for improving X.org boot speed further.

3.  Virtual Terminals

    In Karmic, VT1 will be used for X, VT2 as a console login, and VT3
    for kernel log messages.

Specific dates of Ubuntu Alpha releases are at:
  https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KarmicReleaseSchedule

Ubuntu Alpha release ISOs are available at:
  http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/9.10/

Design / Rationale

-intel version 2.9 may be available in time for Karmic. There are no major features planned for that release; mostly it will be removing non-KMS code (not something we care about). However it may contain some worthwhile bug fixes, so may be worth consideration if it is released with sufficient time for integration; we'll plan on 2.8 for now and see how things go.

Implementation Tasks

  • (DONE) Write roadmap
  • Send roadmap to video driver partners, Mobile team, and any other X.org requirements consumers
  • Pull intel-gpu-tools into Karmic/Universe
  • Follow up with jbarnes regarding automatic GPU lockup resetting / apport triggering
  • Ogasawara says she can obtain a listing indicating the most common video hardware; this needs following up on
  • Provide jbarnes with a listing of the hardware Canonical certifies against

Outstanding Issues

BoF agenda and discussion

CategorySpec