Hybrid graphics support strategy planning

Registered by Alberto Milone

Many new laptop models come with two gfx chips, one with lower power consumption and other with more gfx processing power. What options exist to provide a better user experience to switch between the two, and what can be accomplished within the S timeframe.

Blueprint information

Status:
Not started
Approver:
None
Priority:
Undefined
Drafter:
Alberto Milone
Direction:
Needs approval
Assignee:
Alberto Milone
Definition:
Approved
Series goal:
Proposed for precise
Implementation:
Unknown
Milestone target:
milestone icon ubuntu-12.04.3

Related branches

Sprints

Whiteboard

* Saucy's kernel and xserver already include the required patches to enable basic support for Hybrid GFX
  - Maybe add a couple more patches for X?
    http://lists.x.org/archives/xorg-devel/2013-April/036101.html
    http://lists.x.org/archives/xorg-devel/2013-May/036119.html
* Support in Lightdm
* The gnome-settings-daemon needs to learn about RandR providers
* fglrx & NVIDIA have some support for hybrid now, are we able to support that?
* Nvidia 319.12 documentation: http://us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/319.12/README/randr14.html
* Correct instructions plus using Intel instead of Modesetting: http://paste.ubuntu.com/5601226/
* Update xrandr to 1.4.0
* What is the status of support Hybrid graphics in MIR ?

(?)

Work Items

Work items:
[mlankhorst] get the kernel pieces ready and upstream: INPROGRESS
[canonical-kernel-team] to look at http://cgit.freedesktop.org/~mlankhorst/linux v10-wip: TODO
[ubuntu-x-swat] look at fixing drawing glitches where offsets are wrong or pixmaps not shared: TODO