Desktop Effects - AIGLX, Xgl & Compiz, Beryl, Compiz-fusion

  • 6 min read
    • Compiz and Beryl are advanced window managers that add some very amazing 3D visual effects to your desktop. Recently, the Compiz and Beryl projects decided to merge into Compiz-Fusion, a window manager (and window decorator) that brings the best of both worlds! This guide will provide you with step-by-step information on how to install the newly-released compiz-fusion packages along with setting up AIGLX and/or Xgl.

    Desktop Effects - AIGLX, Xgl & Compiz, Beryl

    Need more help or want to ask a question? Discuss this topic here.
     

    Requirements

    • Yum configured to use the 3rd party Livna repository
    • A working graphics card (with direct rendering enabled). If you need help with this, please see the howtos for nVidia or ATI respectively
      Note: When using Xgl programs will always detect DRI to be disabled, even if it is functioning correctly. A test which can be performed to determine if it is really working is to run glxgears. If the animation is smooth, then DRI is working correctly even though it is not reported as so.
    • If using an nVidia card, please ensure your driver version is 1.0-9625 or greater.
    • livna-config-disply:
      su -
      yum install livna-config-display
      yum update livna-config-display
      exit
    • The kagesenshi repository:
      su -
      cd /etc/yum.repos.d/
      wget http://devel.foss.org.my/~kagesenshi/repo/pub/kagesenshi.repo
      exit
    • If you have previously followed this howto and wish to update to compiz fusion, simply remove the old packages and then follow the instructions over again:
      su -
      yum remove \*emerald\* \*beryl\* \*compiz\* heliodor aquamarine
      exit

    AIGLX

    AIGLX - Prep

    To ensure AIGLX is configured correctly, run:

    livna-config-display

    Select 'AIGLX' as the current configuration and apply it.

    AIGLX - Compiz Fusion

    If you use the Gnome desktop environment, install the compiz-gnome package:

    su -c "yum install compiz-gnome fusion-icon-gtk"

    Alternatively if you use KDE, use the compiz-kde package:

    su -c "yum install compiz-kde fusion-icon-qt"

    Users of both environments will also require the plugins and emerald decorator:

    su -c "yum install compiz-fusion-plugins-main\
           compiz-fusion-plugins-extra \
           compizconfig-settings-manager\
           emerald emerald-themes

    Warning: The text in italics below is outdated as pre-merge compiz and beryl are no longer actively supported.

    AIGLX - Compiz

    su -c "yum install compiz"
    gconftool-2 -s '/apps/metacity/general/compositing_manager' --type bool true
    desktop-effects 

    AIGLX - Beryl

    su -c "yum install beryl-gnome beryl-kde"
    beryl-manager
    beryl-settings
     

    Xgl

    Xgl - Prep

    To use Xgl, first the binaries must be installed as they are not (yet) included in the Fedora project. Please download the following packages from daMaestro's Xgl Files into your home directory:

    Note: 32bit packages are hosted here; For other builds, please use the src (source) rpms to rebuild packages for your distribution.
    Once you have downloaded the RPMs, run the following to install them:
    su -c 'rpm -Uhv Xgl-settings*noarch*.rpm xorg-x11-server-Xgl*.rpm'

     Now that Xgl is installed, your desktop manager must be configured to use it too. livna-config-display can automatically configure GDM and KDM; for other managers you will have to find how to do this step on your own.

    livna-config-display

    Select 'Xgl' as the current configuration and apply it.

    Xgl - Compiz Fusion

    If you use the Gnome desktop environment, install the compiz-gnome package:

    su -c "yum install compiz-gnome fusion-icon-gtk"

    Alternatively if you use KDE, use the compiz-kde package:

    su -c "yum install compiz-kde fusion-icon-qt"

    Users of both environments will also require the plugins and emerald decorator:

    su -c "yum install compiz-fusion-plugins-main\
           compiz-fusion-plugins-extra \
           compizconfig-settings-manager\
           emerald emerald-themes

    Warning: The text in italics below is outdated as pre-merge compiz and beryl are no longer actively supported.

    Xgl - Compiz

    su -c "yum install compiz"
    gconftool-2 -s '/apps/metacity/general/compositing_manager' --type bool true
    desktop-effects

    Xgl - Beryl

    su -c "yum install beryl-gnome beryl-kde"
    beryl-manager
    beryl-settings

    Common Questions

    Q: What's the "Desktop Effects" people keep talking about?
    A: I've used "Desktop Effects" in the title of this thread because the 3D effects are commonly called this, although technically Desktop Effects is just the name of the program used to start Compiz(-fusion), one of many window managers. The actual window manager (ie. Beryl or Compiz) are what really provide the 3D effects.

    Q: What's the difference between Compiz and Beryl? I've heard one is better than the other.
    A: Compiz and Beryl are both new, advanced window managers so in that sense they are identical. Window managers control how window decorations (such as the minimize, maximize and close buttons on the title bar) and also how the windows are displayed - This is why they offer so many neat effects. Compiz and Beryl both use OpenGL (a free implementation of 3D) calls to create zoom, "wobbly", fade and transparency effects for example. The difference lies in the fact that Beryl is a community-maintained fork of Compiz, so naturally it has many more options, plugins and effects but consequently it is also less stable at the moment. Although now that they have officially merged, most issues should be worked out quickly bringing a stable stable window manager with amazing effects!
    Q: So then how do AIGLX and Xgl differ? 
    A: First, let's define the X server: it is basically what programs use to display themselves on your screen. To use all these neat and fancy 3D calls, a new layer has to be introduced into the traditional X server for things to work properly.
    Note: This is just my understanding... The X server is very complex and I could be (and probably am) incorrect at some point or other of this explanation, so this isn't necessarily all fact just more or less the "big picture".
    AIGLX is an extension of the Xorg server, so essentially the change to AIGLX will be transparent to the user. It adds on to the existing Xorg code to add support for the fancy 3D calls. Xgl on the other hand is a complete rewrite of the X server to add support for the fancy 3D calls. While the Xorg and Xgl project share lots of code, in my opinion replacing the X server isn't the best option for two reasons: (1) AIGLX is a more incremental change then all-out replacing the X server and (2) replacing the X server means you're going to be affected by Xgl-related bugs that users of AIGLX won't. You can't be affected by what you don't run, right? This is why I think if it's possible, lean towards using AIGLX. However that's just my opinion and the final decision remains up to you.
     
    Need more help or want to ask a question? Discuss this topic here.

Getting ATI cards to work in Fedora

  • 4 min read
    • Ensuring that your graphic card works the way you want it to in Linux can be a long and tenious task if you are encountering problems. This guide will show you how to setup the radeon or the proprietary fglrx driver with your ATI graphics card to make sure your card is functioning as it should.

    Getting ATI cards to work

    Need more help or want to ask a question? Discuss this topic here.
     

    Requirements

    • Yum configured to use the 3rd party Livna repository
    • If building the drivers using the packages directly from ATI/AMD's site, please install a few packages first:
      su -c 'yum install qt-devel compat-libstdc++-33 -y'

     

    The 'radeon' driver

    Radeon is an open-source alternative to the proprietary fglrx driver, offering support for many (but not all) ATI cards including some that aren't supported any longer in the latest fglrx drivers! While it's performance may not match exactly that of fglrx, its performance is still very decent. It is included in part of the standard Xorg driver packages in Fedora, so it requires almost no configuration at all! Simply edit the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file and in the "Device" section you will come across a line like this:
    Driver "DriverNameHere"

     Change this line to:

    Driver "radeon"

    Once you restart the computer everything should be functioning.

    Please remember that if you previously were using another driver, you may need to use the livna-config-display tool to switch back to the 'AIGLX' configuration:

    livna-config-display --tui -a

     

    The 'fglrx' driver

    To install the fglrx driver, simply run the following commands:
    su -
    yum install kmod-fglrx xorg-x11-drv-fglrx
    fglrx-config-display enable
    service fglrx restart

    Please note that for a xen kernel, 'kmod-fglrx-xen' will need to be installed. This rule is applied to all the kernel variants, such as PAE (kmod-fglrx-PAE) and so on. 

    Additionally, if you are running a x86_64 (a 64-bit) operating system the 32bit libraries can be installed for compatibility reasons:

    yum install -y xorg-x11-drv-fglrx-libs.i386

    Common Questions

    Q: How can I test if the driver works now that it's installed?

    A: Simply run 'glxgears' like this:

    glxgears 

    Alternatively you can also check the output of 'glxinfo':

    glxinfo | grep direct -i
    glxinfo | grep OpenGL -i
    It should return "direct rendering: yes" and also various OpenGL information concerning "ATI Technologies" and not "Mesa".
     
    Q: Help! I followed the instructions and DRI still isn't working!
    A: If you're using the drivers from the ATI/AMD website or if you've previously installed them, please see this post on the RedHat mailinglists as to why it could be a problem. In short, those drivers tend to overwrite other system files which can cause problems, where as the packaged drivers from Livna or other third party repositories do not. If you think this is your problem, pease reinstall all Mesa GL and Xorg server packages to restore the replaced system files.
    Q: What if it still doesn't work?
    A: If you are not using the Livna drivers, then your xorg.conf may not be automatically edited for you. You may need to add this option to your /etc/X11/xorg.conf under the "Device" section:
    Option "VideoOverlay" "On"
     
    Need more help or want to ask a question? Discuss this topic here.

Getting nVidia cards to work in Fedora

  • 5 min read
    • Ensuring that your graphic card works the way you want it to in Linux can be a long and tenious task if you are encountering problems. This guide will show you how to setup the nv, nouveau or proprietary nvidia driver with your nVidia graphics card to make sure your card is functioning as it should.

    Getting nVidia cards to work

    Need more help or want to ask a question? Discuss this topic here.
     

    Requirements

    The 'nv' or 'nouveau' driver

    The nv and nouveau drivers are the open-source alternatives to the proprietary nvidia driver, offering support for many of the nVidia cards. The downside to the nv driver is that unlike the open source 'radeon' driver for ATI cards, it does not support direct rendering, also called DRI or hardware-accelerated rendering. The nouveau project, however, aims to fix this by developing a new free driver with working DRI for nVidia cards. Currently, it is (as the name goes ;) ) a new project and it's not ready for everyday use quite yet.
     
    Either way, both of these drivers are included in part of the standard Xorg driver packages in Fedora, so they requires almost no configuration at all! Simply edit the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file and in the "Device" section you will come across a line like this:
    Driver "DriverNameHere"

     Change this line to:

    Driver "Name"

    Where 'Name' is either 'nv' (recommended) or 'nouveau' if you're feeling lucky. Once you restart the computer everything should be functioning (or maybe not if you chose the 'nouveau' driver)

     

    The 'nvidia' driver

    A note on legacy drivers:

    Please note that any card below the GeForce FX series is no longer supported by the mainstream nvidia drivers.

    If you have a Riva or TNT card, you are going to have to use the nvidia legacy drivers. Simply follow the instructions below like normal but replace all instances of:

    • kmod-nvidia with kmod-nvidia-legacy
    • xorg-x11-drv-nvidia with xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-legacy
    • xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-libs.i386 with xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-legacy-libs.i386
    • service nvidia [action] with service nvidia-legacy [action]

    A full product support list for legacy is available here.

    If you are using a GeForce2, 3 or 4 (including MX) card, a you are going to have to use the 96xx series nvidia drivers as your card is not designated as legacy but is no longer supported by the 97xx series drivers.
    Simply follow the instructions like normal but replace:

    • kmod-nvidia with kmod-nvidia-96xx
    • xorg-x11-drv-nvidia with xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-96xx
    • xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-libs.i386 with xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-96xx-libs.i386
    • service nvidia [action] with service nvidia-96xx [action]

    A full product support list for the 96xx series driver is available here.

     
    To install the nvidia driver, simply run the following commands:
    su -
    yum install kmod-nvidia xorg-x11-drv-nvidia
    nvidia-config-display enable
    service nvidia restart

    Please note that for a xen kernel, 'kmod-nvidia-xen' will need to be installed. This rule is applied to all the kernel variants, such as PAE (kmod-nvidia-PAE) and so on. 

    Additionally, if you are running a x86_64 (a 64-bit) operating system the 32bit libraries can be installed for compatibility reasons:

    yum install -y xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-libs.i386

    Common Questions

    Q: How can I test if the driver works now that it's installed?

    A: Simply run 'glxgears' like this:

    glxgears 

    Alternatively you can also check the output of 'glxinfo':

    glxinfo | grep direct -i
    glxinfo | grep OpenGL -i
    It should return "direct rendering: yes" and also various OpenGL information concerning "NVIDIA Corporation" along with your card name and version - NOT "Mesa Indirect".
     
    Q: Help! I followed the instructions and DRI still isn't working!
    A: If you're using the drivers from the nVidia website or if you've previously installed them, please see this post on the RedHat mailinglists as to why it could be a problem. In short, those drivers tend to overwrite other system files which can cause problems, where as the packaged drivers from Livna or other third party repositories do not. If you think this is your problem, pease reinstall all Mesa GL and Xorg server packages to restore the replaced system files.
    Q: What if it still doesn't work?
    A: If you are not using the Livna drivers, then your xorg.conf may not be automatically edited for you. You may need to add this option to your /etc/X11/xorg.conf under the "Device" section:
    Option      "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "True"
    Option      "DisableGLXRootClipping" "True"
    Q: How come I can't use Beryl or Compiz?
    A: Please take a look at your xorg.conf and remove the 'Module' section if you have it. Xorg can autoconfigure and guess at a lot of things and even run without a xorg.conf (but that's not recommended). Without a Module section, you're sure that Xorg will load all the modules you need where as with one it will only load what is specified, not more.
     
    Need more help or want to ask a question? Discuss this topic here.

Getting nVidia cards to work in Fedora

  • 5 min read
    • Ensuring that your graphic card works the way you want it to in Linux can be a long and tenious task if you are encountering problems. This guide will show you how to setup the nv, nouveau or proprietary nvidia driver with your nVidia graphics card to make sure your card is functioning as it should.

    Getting nVidia cards to work

    Need more help or want to ask a question? Discuss this topic here.
     

    Requirements

    The 'nv' or 'nouveau' driver

    The nv and nouveau drivers are the open-source alternatives to the proprietary nvidia driver, offering support for many of the nVidia cards. The downside to the nv driver is that unlike the open source 'radeon' driver for ATI cards, it does not support direct rendering, also called DRI or hardware-accelerated rendering. The nouveau project, however, aims to fix this by developing a new free driver with working DRI for nVidia cards. Currently, it is (as the name goes ;) ) a new project and it's not ready for everyday use quite yet.
     
    Either way, both of these drivers are included in part of the standard Xorg driver packages in Fedora, so they requires almost no configuration at all! Simply edit the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file and in the "Device" section you will come across a line like this:
    Driver "DriverNameHere"

     Change this line to:

    Driver "Name"

    Where 'Name' is either 'nv' (recommended) or 'nouveau' if you're feeling lucky. Once you restart the computer everything should be functioning (or maybe not if you chose the 'nouveau' driver)

     

    The 'nvidia' driver

    A note on legacy drivers:

    Please note that any card below the GeForce FX series is no longer supported by the mainstream nvidia drivers.

    If you have a Riva or TNT card, you are going to have to use the nvidia legacy drivers. Simply follow the instructions below like normal but replace all instances of:

    • kmod-nvidia with kmod-nvidia-legacy
    • xorg-x11-drv-nvidia with xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-legacy
    • xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-libs-32bit with xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-legacy-libs-32bit
    • service nvidia [action] with service nvidia-legacy [action]

    A full product support list for legacy is available here.

    If you are using a GeForce2, 3 or 4 (including MX) card, a you are going to have to use the 96xx series nvidia drivers as your card is not designated as legacy but is no longer supported by the 97xx series drivers.
    Simply follow the instructions like normal but replace:

    • kmod-nvidia with kmod-nvidia-96xx
    • xorg-x11-drv-nvidia with xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-96xx
    • xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-libs-32bit with xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-96xx-libs-32bit
    • service nvidia [action] with service nvidia-96xx [action]

    A full product support list for the 96xx series driver is available here.

     
    To install the nvidia driver, simply run the following commands:
    su -
    yum install kmod-nvidia xorg-x11-drv-nvidia
    nvidia-config-display enable
    service nvidia restart

    Please note that for a xen kernel, 'kmod-nvidia-xen' will need to be installed. This rule is applied to all the kernel variants, such as PAE (kmod-nvidia-PAE) and so on. 

    Additionally, if you are running a x86_64 (a 64-bit) operating system the 32bit libraries can be installed for compatibility reasons:

    yum install -y xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-libs-32bit

    Common Questions

    Q: What does transaction error with conflicting files mean?
    A: If you're seeing lots of messages like this when trying to install or upgrade the nvidia driver:

    Transaction Check Error: package kernel-2.6.19-1.2911.6.5.fc6 is already installed

    file /boot/System.map-2.6.19-1.2911.6.5.fc6 from nstall of kernel-2.6.19-1.2911.6.5.fc6
    conflicts with file from package kernel-2.6.19-1.2911.6.5.fc6

    file /boot/config-2.6.19-1.2911.6.5.fc6 from install of kernel-2.6.19-1.2911.6.5.fc6
    conflicts with file from package kernel-2.6.19-1.2911.6.5.fc6
    [...]

    it means you have been hit by the Anaconda i586/i686 bug. Please see this page for instructions on solving the issue.

     

    Q: How can I test if the driver works now that it's installed?

    A: Simply run 'glxgears' like this:

    glxgears 

    Alternatively you can also check the output of 'glxinfo':

    glxinfo | grep direct -i
    glxinfo | grep OpenGL -i
    It should return "direct rendering: yes" and also various OpenGL information concerning "NVIDIA Corporation" along with your card name and version - NOT "Mesa Indirect".
     
    Q: Help! I followed the instructions and DRI still isn't working!
    A: If you're using the drivers from the nVidia website or if you've previously installed them, please see this post on the RedHat mailinglists as to why it could be a problem. In short, those drivers tend to overwrite other system files which can cause problems, where as the packaged drivers from Livna or other third party repositories do not. If you think this is your problem, pease reinstall all Mesa GL and Xorg server packages to restore the replaced system files.
    Q: What if it still doesn't work?
    A: If you are not using the Livna drivers, then your xorg.conf may not be automatically edited for you. You may need to add this option to your /etc/X11/xorg.conf under the "Device" section:
    Option      "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "True"
    Option      "DisableGLXRootClipping" "True"
     
    Need more help or want to ask a question? Discuss this topic here.

Desktop Effects - AIGLX, Xgl & Compiz, Beryl

  • 5 min read
    • Compiz and Beryl are advanced window managers that add some very amazing 3D visual effects to your desktop. This guide will provide you with step-by-step information on how to install these window managers along with setting up AIGLX and Xgl and also how to choose which one is right for you.

    Desktop Effects - AIGLX, Xgl & Compiz, Beryl

    Need more help or want to ask a question? Discuss this topic here.
     

    Requirements

    • Yum configured to use the 3rd party Livna repository
    • A working graphics card (with direct rendering enabled). If you need help with this, please see the howtos for nVidia or ATI respectively
      Note: When using Xgl programs will always detect DRI to be disabled, even if it is functioning correctly. A test which can be performed to determine if it is really working is to run glxgears. If the animation is smooth, then DRI is working correctly even though it is not reported as so.
    • If using an nVidia card, please ensure your driver version is 1.0-9625 or greater.
    • livna-config-disply:
      su -
      yum install livna-config-display
      yum update livna-config-display
      exit

    AIGLX

    AIGLX - Prep

    To ensure AIGLX is configured correctly, run:

    livna-config-display

    Select 'AIGLX' as the current configuration and apply it.

    AIGLX - Compiz

    su -c "yum install compiz"
    gconftool-2 -s '/apps/metacity/general/compositing_manager' --type bool true
    desktop-effects 

    AIGLX - Beryl

    su -c "yum install beryl-gnome beryl-kde"
    beryl-manager
    beryl-settings
     

    Xgl

    Xgl - Prep

    To use Xgl, first the binaries must be installed as they are not (yet) included in the Fedora project. Please download the following packages from daMaestro's Xgl Files into your home directory:

    Note: 32bit packages are hosted here; For other builds, please use the src (source) rpms to rebuild packages for your distribution.
    Once you have downloaded the RPMs, run the following to install them:
    su -c 'rpm -Uhv Xgl-settings*noarch*.rpm xorg-x11-server-Xgl*.rpm'

     Now that Xgl is installed, your desktop manager must be configured to use it too. livna-config-display can automatically configure GDM and KDM; for other managers you will have to find how to do this step on your own.

    livna-config-display

    Select 'Xgl' as the current configuration and apply it.

    Xgl - Compiz

    su -c "yum install compiz"
    gconftool-2 -s '/apps/metacity/general/compositing_manager' --type bool true
    desktop-effects

    Xgl - Beryl

    su -c "yum install beryl-gnome beryl-kde"
    beryl-manager
    beryl-settings

    Common Questions

    Q: What's the "Desktop Effects" people keep talking about?
    A: I've used "Desktop Effects" in the title of this thread because the 3D effects are commonly called this, although technically Desktop Effects is just the name of the program used to start Compiz, one of many window managers. The window manager, such as Beryl or Compiz are what really provide the 3D effects.

    Q: What's the difference between Compiz and Beryl? I've heard one is better than the other.
    A: Compiz and Beryl are both new, advanced window managers so in that sense they are identical. Window managers control how window decorations (such as the minimize, maximize and close buttons on the title bar) and also how the windows are displayed - This is why they offer so many neat effects. Compiz and Beryl both use OpenGL (a free implementation of 3D) calls to create zoom, "wobbly", fade and transparency effects for example. The difference lies in the fact that Beryl is a community-maintained fork of Compiz, so naturally it has many more options, plugins and effects but consequently it is also less stable at the moment.
    Note: Beryl and Compiz will merge into one big project soon.
    Q: So then how do AIGLX and Xgl differ? 
    A: First, let's define the X server: it is basically what programs use to display themselves on your screen. To use all these neat and fancy 3D calls, a new layer has to be introduced into the traditional X server for things to work properly.
    Note: This is just my understanding... The X server is very complex and I could be (and probably am) incorrect at some point or other of this explanation, so this isn't necessarily all fact just more or less the "big picture".
    AIGLX is an extension of the Xorg server, so essentially the change to AIGLX will be transparent to the user. It adds on to the existing Xorg code to add support for the fancy 3D calls. Xgl on the other hand is a complete rewrite of the X server to add support for the fancy 3D calls. While the Xorg and Xgl project share lots of code, in my opinion replacing the X server isn't the best option for two reasons: (1) AIGLX is a more incremental change then all-out replacing the X server and (2) replacing the X server means you're going to be affected by Xgl-related bugs that users of AIGLX won't. You can't be affected by what you don't run, right? This is why I think if it's possible, lean towards using AIGLX. However that's just my opinion and the final decision remains up to you.
     
    Need more help or want to ask a question? Discuss this topic here.