HDMI output disables by itself after some time

[markus2330]

I use bumblebee 3.2.1 on a HP ZBook 15 G4 with Debian GNU/Linux 9.9 (stretch) on a fairly standard setup (I installed bumblebee with apt-get and only changed one setting in the BIOS to turn on Optimus). I use intel-virtual-output to turn on HDMI. There are some graphicals errors on HDMI which I can live with (a colorful box next to the mouse). What is, however, extremely annoying is that HDMI output disables by itself after a few minutes if the build-in keyboard/mouse is not used. This means that for presentations with the presenter, the presentation goes black all the time.

Is there some setting to disable this?

In the config I only changed:

diff --git a/bumblebee/xorg.conf.nvidia b/bumblebee/xorg.conf.nvidia
index c3107f9..3a54d51 100644
--- a/bumblebee/xorg.conf.nvidia
+++ b/bumblebee/xorg.conf.nvidia
@@ -29,6 +29,12 @@ Section "Device"
     Option "ProbeAllGpus" "false"
 
     Option "NoLogo" "true"
-    Option "UseEDID" "false"
-    Option "UseDisplayDevice" "none"
+    #Option "UseEDID" "false"
+    #Option "UseDisplayDevice" "none"
+    Option "AllowEmptyInitialConfiguration"
+EndSection
+
+Section "Screen"
+    Identifier "Screen0"
+    Device "DiscreteNVidia"
 EndSection

Further Information:

=== lspci overview ===
00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v6/7th Gen Core Processor Host Bridge/DRAM Registers [8086:5910] (rev 05)
00:01.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v5/E3-1500 v5/6th Gen Core Processor PCIe Controller (x16) [8086:1901] (rev 05)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation Device [8086:591b] (rev 04)
00:14.0 USB controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H USB 3.0 xHCI Controller [8086:a12f] (rev 31)
00:14.2 Signal processing controller [1180]: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H Thermal subsystem [8086:a131] (rev 31)
00:16.0 Communication controller [0780]: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H CSME HECI #1 [8086:a13a] (rev 31)
00:17.0 SATA controller [0106]: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H SATA controller [AHCI mode] [8086:a102] (rev 31)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #1 [8086:a110] (rev f1)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #2 [8086:a111] (rev f1)
00:1c.4 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #5 [8086:a114] (rev f1)
00:1d.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #9 [8086:a118] (rev f1)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge [0601]: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H LPC Controller [8086:a154] (rev 31)
00:1f.2 Memory controller [0580]: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PMC [8086:a121] (rev 31)
00:1f.3 Audio device [0403]: Intel Corporation CM238 HD Audio Controller [8086:a171] (rev 31)
00:1f.4 SMBus [0c05]: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H SMBus [8086:a123] (rev 31)
00:1f.6 Ethernet controller [0200]: Intel Corporation Ethernet Connection (2) I219-LM [8086:15b7] (rev 31)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: NVIDIA Corporation GM206GLM [Quadro M2200 Mobile] [10de:1436] (rev a1)
02:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Intel Corporation Wireless 8265 / 8275 [8086:24fd] (rev 78)
03:00.0 Unassigned class [ff00]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTS525A PCI Express Card Reader [10ec:525a] (rev 01)
6f:00.0 Non-Volatile memory controller [0108]: Toshiba America Info Systems Device [1179:0115] (rev 01)

=== lspci on nvidia devices ===
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: NVIDIA Corporation GM206GLM [Quadro M2200 Mobile] [10de:1436] (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
	Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company Device [103c:8275]
	Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
	Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
	Latency: 0
	Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 142
	Region 0: Memory at df000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16M]
	Region 1: Memory at 80000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
	Region 3: Memory at 90000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=32M]
	Region 5: I/O ports at 5000 [size=128]
	[virtual] Expansion ROM at e0000000 [disabled] [size=512K]
	Capabilities: [60] Power Management version 3
		Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1- D2- AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
		Status: D0 NoSoftRst+ PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
	Capabilities: [68] MSI: Enable+ Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit+
		Address: 00000000fee004d8  Data: 0000
	Capabilities: [78] Express (v2) Endpoint, MSI 00
		DevCap:	MaxPayload 256 bytes, PhantFunc 0, Latency L0s unlimited, L1 <64us
			ExtTag+ AttnBtn- AttnInd- PwrInd- RBE+ FLReset- SlotPowerLimit 75.000W
		DevCtl:	Report errors: Correctable- Non-Fatal- Fatal- Unsupported-
			RlxdOrd+ ExtTag+ PhantFunc- AuxPwr- NoSnoop-
			MaxPayload 256 bytes, MaxReadReq 512 bytes
		DevSta:	CorrErr- UncorrErr- FatalErr- UnsuppReq- AuxPwr- TransPend-
		LnkCap:	Port #0, Speed 8GT/s, Width x16, ASPM L0s L1, Exit Latency L0s <512ns, L1 <16us
			ClockPM+ Surprise- LLActRep- BwNot- ASPMOptComp+
		LnkCtl:	ASPM L0s L1 Enabled; RCB 64 bytes Disabled- CommClk+
			ExtSynch- ClockPM+ AutWidDis- BWInt- AutBWInt-
		LnkSta:	Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x16, TrErr- Train- SlotClk+ DLActive- BWMgmt- ABWMgmt-
		DevCap2: Completion Timeout: Range AB, TimeoutDis+, LTR-, OBFF Via message
		DevCtl2: Completion Timeout: 50us to 50ms, TimeoutDis-, LTR-, OBFF Disabled
		LnkCtl2: Target Link Speed: 8GT/s, EnterCompliance- SpeedDis-
			 Transmit Margin: Normal Operating Range, EnterModifiedCompliance- ComplianceSOS-
			 Compliance De-emphasis: -6dB
		LnkSta2: Current De-emphasis Level: -3.5dB, EqualizationComplete+, EqualizationPhase1+
			 EqualizationPhase2+, EqualizationPhase3+, LinkEqualizationRequest-
	Capabilities: [100 v1] Virtual Channel
		Caps:	LPEVC=0 RefClk=100ns PATEntryBits=1
		Arb:	Fixed- WRR32- WRR64- WRR128-
		Ctrl:	ArbSelect=Fixed
		Status:	InProgress-
		VC0:	Caps:	PATOffset=00 MaxTimeSlots=1 RejSnoopTrans-
			Arb:	Fixed- WRR32- WRR64- WRR128- TWRR128- WRR256-
			Ctrl:	Enable+ ID=0 ArbSelect=Fixed TC/VC=ff
			Status:	NegoPending- InProgress-
	Capabilities: [258 v1] L1 PM Substates
		L1SubCap: PCI-PM_L1.2+ PCI-PM_L1.1+ ASPM_L1.2+ ASPM_L1.1+ L1_PM_Substates+
			  PortCommonModeRestoreTime=255us PortTPowerOnTime=10us
		L1SubCtl1: PCI-PM_L1.2- PCI-PM_L1.1- ASPM_L1.2- ASPM_L1.1-
			   T_CommonMode=0us LTR1.2_Threshold=0ns
		L1SubCtl2: T_PwrOn=10us
	Capabilities: [128 v1] Power Budgeting <?>
	Capabilities: [420 v2] Advanced Error Reporting
		UESta:	DLP- SDES- TLP- FCP- CmpltTO- CmpltAbrt- UnxCmplt- RxOF- MalfTLP- ECRC- UnsupReq- ACSViol-
		UEMsk:	DLP- SDES- TLP- FCP- CmpltTO- CmpltAbrt- UnxCmplt- RxOF- MalfTLP- ECRC- UnsupReq- ACSViol-
		UESvrt:	DLP+ SDES+ TLP- FCP+ CmpltTO- CmpltAbrt- UnxCmplt- RxOF+ MalfTLP+ ECRC- UnsupReq- ACSViol-
		CESta:	RxErr- BadTLP- BadDLLP- Rollover- Timeout- NonFatalErr-
		CEMsk:	RxErr- BadTLP- BadDLLP- Rollover- Timeout- NonFatalErr+
		AERCap:	First Error Pointer: 00, GenCap- CGenEn- ChkCap- ChkEn-
	Capabilities: [600 v1] Vendor Specific Information: ID=0001 Rev=1 Len=024 <?>
	Capabilities: [900 v1] #19
	Kernel driver in use: nvidia
	Kernel modules: nvidia


=== Process information info ===
USER       PID %CPU %MEM    VSZ   RSS TTY      STAT START   TIME COMMAND
root       727  0.0  0.0  38592  3912 ?        Ss   May03   0:00 /usr/sbin/bumblebeed

[markus2330]

The other way round there are also problems: When executing xset dpms force off HDMI is not switched off.

Wanted behavior: when the other outputs are on/off, HDMI should also be on/off.

[markus2330]

With the upgrade to Debian Buster, now xset dpms force off turns off HDMI. Nevertheless, the outputs are still not always in the same state, I'll try to reproduce.

Bumblebee Version 3.2.1-20

[markus2330]

I removed Bumblebee for now. If you give me some directions how I could fix the problem, I'll try again. Bumblebee improved battery life a lot, I will miss it.