[Software] blank screen after installing a DE in a Minimal Install

[davidtmyers]

Status update: I just went ahead and backed up my installation, wiped my drives, and did a fresh install of Debian 12.5 from the KDE LiveCD. Everything works, including the GPU.

Looks like my initial hunch in post #1 was correct: "I believe I'm just missing a key step in moving from a minimal install to a working Desktop Environment."

Does anyone know what packages need to be installed to go from a minimal install (no GUI) to a minimal KDE desktop environment on Debian 12.5? X11 seems to break in this scenario (i.e., going from minimal install to DE), so I'd strongly prefer to use Wayland.

[davidtmyers]

Last idea-
not going in the direction you want to go, but I would disconnect the ast and test that something else is not amiss. You should remove the xorg file first and rely on detection. Then, add the ast back in working backwards.

Thanks for the suggestion CwF, but I ended up just wiping my installation and starting fresh. I reinstalled Debian 12.5 from the KDE LiveCD just to confirm the GPU works under Wayland, and lo and behold, it does.

This confirms the entire chain from DE -> OS -> motherboard -> GPU -> cables -> monitor all work as expected. I'm like... 99% certain the thing that was broken was X11 and the steps that I took to go from a minimal install to a working KDE install.

My original question remains: how does one go from a minimal install (no desktop environment) to a working KDE desktop environment. As indicated in Post #1, these steps alone do not work:

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apt-get install firmware-amd-graphics amd64-microcode xserver-xorg-video-radeon
apt-get install plasma-desktop plasma-nm

I wonder what else one needs to do?

[dlu2021]

I believe the package you want is kde-plasma-desktop:

https://packages.debian.org/bookworm/kde-plasma-desktop

It defaults to X11 though, not sure how to run it on Wayland.

[davidtmyers]

I believe the package you want is kde-plasma-desktop:

https://packages.debian.org/bookworm/kde-plasma-desktop

It defaults to X11 though, not sure how to run it on Wayland.

Interesting, ok, thanks for the hint. Your suggestion just helped me discover a few more meta packages as outlined in this Reddit post. Enumerating them here in case it helps people in the future who discover this thread via Google or ChatGPT. Is the below consistent with your understanding?

1. task-kde-desktop: KDE Plasma Task - the most complete KDE package, which includes the full KDE Plasma installation with additional software provided by Debian. This is the default when installing from the installer or afterwards from the command line (with apt install kde-plasma-desktop -y or with tasksel). See: https://packages.debian.org/bullseye/ta ... de-desktop
2. kde-full: Full KDE Package - the standard full release from KDE, providing all KDE workspace, applications and framework. Does not include additional software provided by Debian. https://packages.debian.org/bullseye/tasks/kde-full
3. kde-standard: Standard KDE Package - a selection of common KDE packages. This contains only the most useful and essential apps. https://packages.debian.org/bullseye/tasks/kde-standard
4. kde-plasma-desktop: KDE Plasma Desktop Package - the most bare-bones/minimal desktop environment, which contains only the absolute essentials needed for KDE to work properly. Also known as the KDE "minimal install." https://packages.debian.org/bullseye/ta ... ma-desktop

[dlu2021]

Yes, that is my understanding.

I would also add that I don't currently use KDE as my daily driver. My personal preference for whichever DE that I am using, is to install the smallest meta package possible and build it up from there, which implies that I always start out with a minimal install (standard system utilities only). Verses installing task-kde-desktop, for example, and having to uninstall all of the stuff that I am never going to use.

[davidtmyers]

My personal preference for whichever DE that I am using, is to install the smallest meta package possible and build it up from there, which implies that I always start out with a minimal install (standard system utilities only). Verses installing task-kde-desktop, for example, and having to uninstall all of the stuff that I am never going to use.

I'm the exact same way. I like starting out with as minimal of an install as possible (text console + ssh) and then only installing what I need from there. Once I've got my machine configured into a state I like, I'll add everything to Ansible so that 1) I have a record of my config and 2) blowing things away and re-provisioning things becomes trivial.

[sunrat]

+1 on installing from netinstall and then install kde-plasma-desktop. It will give a fully working KDE Plasma with minimal extra packages. It's how I have done it for years.
IIRC, KDE is still working on Wayland support and it is mostly implemented although many have reported using it successfully. I still stick with X11. I still have doubts Wayland is quite ready for primetime; Gnome uses it as default now but we've seen a number of issues posted with that anyway.

[mrmazda]

All my Debian installations begin as minimal net. I first add IceWM to get Xorg/X11 fully working, then instead of KDE, I install TDE. I just did a 32 bit apt-get full-upgrade in a PC with an X1300 Radeon. After ensuring the upgrade went well, I shutdown and swapped out the X1300, put in an X300, and booted to get the following:

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# inxi -GSaz --vs --zl --hostname
inxi 3.3.33-00 (2024-02-06)
System:
  Host: gx28b Kernel: 6.1.0-18-686 arch: i686 bits: 32 compiler: gcc v: 12.2.0
    clocksource: tsc avail: hpet,acpi_pm parameters: root=LABEL=<filter>
    ipv6.disable=1 noresume consoleblank=0 mitigations=off
  Desktop: Trinity v: N/A tk: Qt wm: Twin v: 3.0 with: kicker vt: 7 dm:
    1: TDM 2: XDM Distro: Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm)
Graphics:
  Device-1: AMD RV370 [Radeon X300] driver: radeon v: kernel
    alternate: radeonfb,amdgpu arch: Rage-9 code: Radeon IGP process: TSMC 110nm
    built: 2003-08 pcie: gen: 1 speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 16 ports:
    active: DVI-I-1,VGA-1 empty: SVIDEO-1 bus-ID: 01:00.0 chip-ID: 1002:5b60
    class-ID: 0300
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.21.1.7 compositor: Twin v: 3.0 driver: X:
    loaded: modesetting dri: swrast gpu: radeon display-ID: :0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 3600x1200 s-dpi: 120 s-size: 761x253mm (29.96x9.96")
    s-diag: 802mm (31.57")
  Monitor-1: DVI-I-1 pos: primary,left model: NEC EA243WM serial: <filter>
    built: 2011 res: 1920x1200 hz: 60 dpi: 94 gamma: 1.2
    size: 519x324mm (20.43x12.76") diag: 612mm (24.1") ratio: 16:10 modes:
    max: 1920x1200 min: 640x480
  Monitor-2: VGA-1 pos: right model: Dell P2213 serial: <filter> built: 2012
    res: 1680x1050 hz: 60 dpi: 90 gamma: 1.2 size: 473x296mm (18.62x11.65")
    diag: 558mm (22") ratio: 16:10 modes: max: 1680x1050 min: 720x400
  API: EGL v: 1.5 hw: drv: amd r300 platforms: device: 0 egl: 1.4 drv: r300
    device: 1 drv: swrast gbm: egl: 1.4 drv: r300 surfaceless: egl: 1.4
    drv: r300 x11: drv: swrast inactive: wayland
  API: OpenGL v: 4.5 vendor: x.org mesa v: 22.3.6 glx-v: 1.4 es-v: 3.2
    direct-render: yes renderer: llvmpipe (LLVM 15.0.6 128 bits)
    device-ID: ffffffff:ffffffff memory: 1.43 GiB unified: yes
# dpkg-query -W | egrep -i 'xorg|x11|wayland|mesa|mwar|radeon'
alsa-firmware-loaders   1.2.5-3
firmware-amd-graphics   20230210-5
firmware-linux-free     20200122-1
firmware-linux-nonfree  20230210-5
firmware-misc-nonfree   20230210-5
glmark2-x11     2023.01+dfsg-1
libdrm-radeon1:i386     2.4.114-1+b1
libegl-mesa0:i386       22.3.6-1+deb12u1
libegl1-mesa:i386       22.3.6-1+deb12u1
libgl1-mesa-dri:i386    22.3.6-1+deb12u1
libglapi-mesa:i386      22.3.6-1+deb12u1
libglu1-mesa:i386       9.0.2-1.1
libglx-mesa0:i386       22.3.6-1+deb12u1
libqt5waylandclient5:i386       5.15.8-2
libqt5x11extras5:i386   5.15.8-2
libva-wayland2:i386     2.17.0-1
libva-x11-1:i386        1.7.3-2
libva-x11-2:i386        2.17.0-1
libwayland-client0:i386 1.21.0-1
libwayland-cursor0:i386 1.21.0-1
libwayland-egl1:i386    1.21.0-1
libwayland-egl1-mesa:i386       22.3.6-1+deb12u1
libwayland-server0:i386 1.21.0-1
libx11-6:i386   2:1.8.4-2+deb12u2
libx11-data     2:1.8.4-2+deb12u2
libx11-xcb1:i386        2:1.8.4-2+deb12u2
libxkbcommon-x11-0:i386 1.5.0-1
mesa-utils      8.5.0-1
mesa-utils-bin:i386     8.5.0-1
x11-apps        7.7+9
x11-common      1:7.7+23
x11-session-utils       7.7+5
x11-utils       7.7+5
x11-xkb-utils   7.7+7
x11-xserver-utils       7.7+9+b1
xserver-xorg-core       2:21.1.7-3+deb12u5
xserver-xorg-input-libinput     1.2.1-1+b1
xserver-xorg-legacy     2:21.1.7-3+deb12u5
xserver-xorg-video-fbdev        1:0.5.0-2
xserver-xorg-video-radeon       1:19.1.0-3
xserver-xorg-video-vesa 1:2.5.0-1+b1
# lsmod | sort | grep deo
drm                   364544  10 drm_ttm_helper,amdgpu,drm_display_helper,radeon,gpu_sched,ttm,drm_buddy,drm_kms_helper
drm_display_helper    106496  2 amdgpu,radeon
drm_kms_helper        110592  3 amdgpu,drm_display_helper,radeon
drm_ttm_helper         16384  2 amdgpu,radeon
i2c_algo_bit           16384  2 amdgpu,radeon
radeon               1355776  2
ttm                    57344  3 drm_ttm_helper,amdgpu,radeon
video                  57344  2 amdgpu,radeon
wmi                    24576  1 video
#

The card swap caused no need to add/change/remove any software or settings.

With TDE, I have no worries about my DE forcing me to switch to Wayland.