i915kms not loading/DisplayPort or HDMI console not mounting post boot

FlameSoulis

Re: Local HDMI console "disabled" after pfSense booted with monitor off

So, after reinstalling pfSense from following other guides, I am still trying to get past this particular issue, as referenced above.

kldstat -v|grep vga
                420 nexus/vtvga
                670 vgapci/vgapm
                669 isa/vga
                666 scrndr-vga
                652 vgapci/agp_i810
                269 pci/vgapci

kldstat
Id Refs Address                Size Name
 1   37 0xffffffff80200000  339ce08 kernel
 2    1 0xffffffff8359d000   5d7790 zfs.ko
 3    1 0xffffffff83b75000    1e2b0 opensolaris.ko
 4    1 0xffffffff84902000     2220 cpuctl.ko
 5    1 0xffffffff84905000     3240 ichsmb.ko
 6    1 0xffffffff84909000     2178 smbus.ko
 7    1 0xffffffff8490c000     9288 aesni.ko
 8    1 0xffffffff84916000     20e8 coretemp.ko
 9    1 0xffffffff84919000     42cc if_stf.ko
10    1 0xffffffff8491e000    13808 dummynet.ko

I've followed both the notes regarding loading the i915kms, especially after seeing the mod mentioned in the post-installation message. However, it suggests using kld_list="i915kms" in /etc/rc.conf, with pfSense's documents mentioning adding such to /boot/loader.conf.local. However, even after doing that along with i915kms_load="YES", I still do not seem to have the issue resolved, even after testing both the HDMI and Displayport of my system (it does not have a direct VGA port).

cat /boot/loader.conf.local
kld_list="i915kms"
i915kms_load="YES"
drm.i915.enable_unsupported=1

Is there something I'm missing? I've been running around for the past 4 hours (which was mostly attempting to recover the system instead of reinstalling the entire OS, because this should have only required removing the typoed line but no guide covers mounting ZFS systems to fix the issue) and this is the final hurdle on my network setup, due to issues from the KVM disconnecting the monitor when switching to another device.

stephenw10

What pfSense version are you running?

What does your loader.conf.local file look like?

What hardware are you using? The driver may not actually support it.

FlameSoulis

@stephenw10 Good evening!

The version of pfSense is 2.7.2-RELEASE (amd64) on FreeBSD 14.0-CURRENT.

The CPU is an Intel N100, and there are no other graphical devices. More specific, the hardware is a fanless mini PC with an Intel I225 for network. I haven't done any BIOS updates, as there seem to be none (v5.27 - released on May 25, 2024).

The contents of loader.conf.local:

kld_list="i915kms"
i915kms_load="YES"
drm.i915.enable_unsupported=1

stephenw10

Hmm, I'm not sure what that kld_list line does there. It shouldn't be required. On the hardware we shipped that needed this (MBT-2220/42200 the loader lines are shown here:
https://docs.netgate.com/platforms/minnowboard/pfsense-dual-ethernet.html#add-necessary-hdmi-settings

I wasn't aware that N100 platforms needed it at all. Has this always been required?

FlameSoulis

@stephenw10 The only reason I included all the lines was due to shear desperation of fixing the issue. When I ran the setup another time (due to adding a line that caused the system to no longer boot), the setup mentioned adding kld_lists to rc.conf, which I later found in the documentation regarding 23.01's release notes that continued use of the drivers would require the line to be added due to it being made its own module.

Message from drm-510-kmod-5.10.163_8:
--
The drm-510-kmod port can be enabled for amdgpu (for AMD GPUs starting with HD7000 series/Tahiti) or i915kms (for Intel APUs starting with HD3000/Sandy Bridge) through kld_list in /etc/rc.conf. radeonkms for older AMD GPUs can be loaded and there are some positive reports if EFI boot is NOT enabled (similar to amdgpu).

For amdgpu: kld_list="amdgpu"
For Intel: kld_list="i915kms"
For radeonkms: kld_list="radeonkms"

Please ensure that all users requiring graphics are members of the "video" group.

The information I acquired were mostly from reddit posts with some sources going to older forum discussions. As for if the N100 requires this fix, I'm unsure. I can only attest to my current situation, with this being the first time I'm using a system with this CPU. Otherwise, it runs very well and honestly has allowed me to really start tinkering with pfSense's systems more (it just runs so much better than my last setup).

stephenw10

Hmm, interesting. You probably want either that or the regular loader line to load it at different times in the boot.

Try loading that module after booting with: kldload i915kms.ko

Does it load? Any error?

FlameSoulis

@stephenw10 said in i915kms not loading/DisplayPort or HDMI console not mounting post boot:

kldload i915kms.ko

Good evening!

I gave a try in the console, and no error was made. However, the screen continues to no longer resumes when plugged back in on the DisplayPort or HDMI, but does remain functional if left untouched (It'll load the entire boot process and even the menu, so long as I don't unplug the monitor).

I did clear the loader.conf.local file prior to rebooting and trying the command as root in ssh. Is there anything I can run to diagnose the situation further?

Gblenn

@FlameSoulis Do you have both HDMI and Display port on the machine? Try changing to Display port if HDMI is not working...
I think I had a similar issue on one of my builds (for Proxmox), with a totally different Intel CPU. Can't remember if I managed to solve it with some change in BIOS or if I just "worked around it".

stephenw10

If its actually being used you would see a bunch of logs indicating the new device when that module is loaded.