Linux Hybrid Graphics

This team is a group of hybrid graphics laptop owners and/or
developers interested in getting them to work 100% under Linux.

Please join this team if you are new by clicking on the "Join Team"
link at the right of the Launchpad page. It's important to have as
many users in the community as possible to request for appropriate
support.

### RESOURCES: acpi_call -- byo-switcheroo -- ironhide/bumblebee:

There are two modules for switching on/off the discrete card,
acpi_call and byo-switcheroo:

You can try them like this:
### a) acpi_call
sudo apt-get install git
# type password
git clone https://github.com/mkottman/acpi_call.git
cd acpi_call
make
sudo insmod acpi_call.ko
### To check that the status of your VGA devices, run this command:
lspci -vnnn | grep VGA
### Now run this script:
./test_off.sh

### If you see a "works!" message, it's found a method. To check that
### the status of your VGA devices has changed, run this command
### again:

lspci -vnnn | grep VGA

### On an unplugged laptop, clicking on the battery indicator before
### and after running the test.sh script, should show a difference of
### about an extra 1-3 hours battery life.

### b) byo-switcheroo:
git clone https://github.com/awilliam/asus-switcheroo.git
cd asus-switcheroo
make
### To install, pick your distro from:
sudo make install-fedora
sudo make install-ubuntu
sudo make install-arch
### To switch off the card:
echo OFF > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch
### more instructions in the README file

### On an unplugged laptop, clicking on the battery indicator before
### and after running the switch, should show a difference of about an
### extra 1-3 hours battery life.

For a list of DSDT ON/OFF methods, subscribe to the mailing list at
the bottom of the Launchpad page
http://launchpad.net/~hybrid-graphics-linux and also follow the
blogspot page http://linux-hybrid-graphics.blogspot.com/

We are gathering technical information to improve Linux support for
hybrid graphics systems. If you have a switchable graphics laptop,
please submit your laptop's DSDT.dsl and SSDT tables as an attachment
to this bug report:

http://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/752542

To compile your DSDT and SSDTs information, install if you haven't
already the acpidump and iasl tools:

sudo apt-get install acpidump iasl
### or
sudo yum install pmtools iasl

Then run the following commands on a bash terminal:

mkdir ~/acpiinfo ; cd ~/acpiinfo
sudo acpidump > acpidump.txt
# enter password
sudo acpixtract acpidump.txt
ls *.dat | while read i; do iasl -d "${i}"; done
pid=sudo dmidecode -s system-product-name
vid=sudo dmidecode -s system-version
name={pid// /}.{vid// /}
mkdir "{name}" && cp *.dsl "{name}"/
tar czf "{name}.tar.gz" "{name}"/ && ls -l "( pwd )/{name}".tar.gz

This will create a tar.gz file that you can attach to the bug report.

Finally, for posting the information in the bug report, you can check
the laptop and graphics card model identifiers with these commands:

sudo dmidecode -s system-product-name && sudo dmidecode -s system-version
lspci -vnnn | perl -lne 'print if /^d+:.+([S+:S+])/' | grep VGA

This information will allow the full development of hybrid graphics
features for Linux. Thanks for your help!

--------------------
STATUS
--------------------
ATI hybrid:
The PowerXpress pre-4.0 models have a mux solution to switch between
discrete and integrated card.
For most ATI/Intel hybrid configurations:

a) try the latest closed-source Catalyst Driver for login/logout card switching,
or
b) try vga_switcheroo and open-source graphics drivers (kernel 2.6.35 or newer).

The PowerXpress 4.0+ models have a muxless solution to use both cards
and switch on/off the discrete card.
For Muxless PowerXpress 4.0+ models, please submit your DSDT tables
information as described here:
http://linux-hybrid-graphics.blogspot.com/

NVIDIA hybrid:
For nvidia hybrid configurations:
### a) try acpi_call or byo-switcheroo for switching on/off
### b) try ironhide/bumblebee for simultaneously using the intel and nvidia cards:

### For ironhide (Ubuntu Natty/Oneiric instructions):
sudo apt-get remove bumblebee
### reboot
sudo apt-get install dialog
### or
sudo apt-get install cdialog
sudo apt-add-repository ppa:mj-casalogic/ironhide
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install ironhide

### For bumblebee (git installation):
sudo apt-get install git
# type password
git clone http://github.com/MrMEEE/bumblebee.git
cd bumblebee/
sudo ./install.sh
### For a WebGL benchmark, install google-chrome or use a
### WebGL-enabled browser and can try it with/without optirun and
### report the FPS values on the mailing list:

optirun google-chrome http://webglsamples.googlecode.com/hg/aquarium/aquarium.html
# close window
google-chrome http://webglsamples.googlecode.com/hg/aquarium/aquarium.html

There is ongoing work to support for Nvidia Optimus/Intel hybrid
offloading for nouveau drivers:
http://airlied.livejournal.com/74176.html

We are looking for Linux users with Nvidia Optimus-enabled or AMD
BACON muxless laptops willing to provide debugging information for the
multi-gpu support features being worked on. Please join the team by
clicking on "Join" on the right, fill in this doodle:
http://www.doodle.com/63fyczzrxqaquhqx
and send an email to the mailing list specifying your laptop model
with these commands:
sudo dmidecode -s system-product-name && sudo dmidecode -s system-version
lspci -vnnn | perl -lne 'print if /^d+:.+([S+:S+])/' | grep VGA

Using acpi_call module to switch on/off discrete graphics card in Linux

sudo apt-get install git
# type password

git clone http://github.com/mkottman/acpi_call.git
cd acpi_call
make
sudo insmod acpi_call.ko

# To check that the status of your VGA devices, run this command:

lspci -vnnn | grep VGA

# Unplug laptop, click on the battery indicator and take note of
# estimated remaining time.
# Now run this script:

./test_off.sh

# If you see a "works!" message, it's found a method.
To check that the status of your VGA devices has changed,
run this command again and check for the differences:

lspci -vnnn | grep VGA

Click on the battery indicator after running the test.sh script,
it should show a difference of about an extra 1-3 hours battery life.

Please join the hybrid graphics team if you are new by clicking on the
"Join Team" link at the right in this URL:

http://launchpad.net/~hybrid-graphics-linux

If you have any comments/questions, the best way to get an answer is to
subscribe to the mailing list at the bottom of that page and send an email there.

 

 

copy from: http://linux-hybrid-graphics.blogspot.com/2010/07/using-acpicall-module-to-switch-onoff.html