Request: add `vulkan-wsi-layer` extension as dependency of `vulkan-loader` - devel - Fedora mailing-lists

11 May 2026


      hi,
on default F44 install,
$ distro
    	Name: Fedora Linux 44 (Forty Four)
    	Version: 44
    	Codename:
    $ uname -rm
    	7.0.4-200.fc44.x86_64 x86_64
with Intel DG2 GPU h/w, e.g.
$ lspci -k -s 09:00.0
    	09:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation DG2 [Arc A380] (rev 05)
    			Subsystem: ASRock Incorporation Device 6004
    			Kernel driver in use: xe
    			Kernel modules: i915, xe
    $
vulkan accel is via software render
vulkan accel's provided by mesa-vulkan-drivers pkg, which ships llvmpipe -- Mesa's
software rasterizer -- as the vulkan ICD.
it enumerates as
$ vulkaninfo | grep -Ei "llvm|lava"
    	...
    	GPU0:
    	VkPhysicalDeviceProperties:
    	---------------------------
    			apiVersion        = 1.4.335 (4211023)
    			driverVersion     = 26.0.6 (109051910)
    			vendorID          = 0x10005
    			deviceID          = 0x0000
    			deviceType        = PHYSICAL_DEVICE_TYPE_CPU
    			deviceName        = llvmpipe (LLVM 22.1.4, 256 bits)
    	...
    	GPU id : 0 (llvmpipe (LLVM 22.1.4, 256 bits)) [VK_KHR_xcb_surface, VK_KHR_xlib_surface]:
    			vulkanMemoryModelAvailabilityVisibilityChains      = true
    			deviceName        = llvmpipe (LLVM 22.1.4, 256 bits)
    			driverID                                             = DRIVER_ID_MESA_LLVMPIPE
    			driverName                                           = llvmpipe
    			driverInfo                                           = Mesa 26.0.6 (LLVM 22.1.4)
    			vulkanMemoryModelAvailabilityVisibilityChains        = true
    	...
performance regression from using llvmpipe software render rather than hardware accel is orders of magnitude.
video decode/encode is also unavailable in the llvmpipe path.
this is the case on DG2 here; it might extend to other GPU hardware (not tested)
in order to enable vulkan *hardware* accel on the DG2 `vulkan-wsi-layer`
https://docs.vulkan.org/guide/latest/wsi.html
an optional vulkan extension
https://docs.vulkan.org/spec/latest/chapters/VK_KHR_surface/wsi.html
is needed
specifically, it's a vulkan implicit layer extension that provides the WSI
extensions not natively exposed by the standard Mesa drivers
it's a simple build; it installs two files:
$ rpm -ql vulkan-wsi-layer
    	/usr/share/vulkan/implicit_layer.d/VkLayer_window_system_integration.json
    	/usr/share/vulkan/implicit_layer.d/libVkLayer_window_system_integration.so
in to the vulkan _implicit_ layer
with llvmpipe:
deviceType = PHYSICAL_DEVICE_TYPE_CPU
   deviceName = llvmpipe (LLVM 22.1.4, 256 bits)
   driverID   = DRIVER_ID_MESA_LLVMPIPE
with vulkan-wsi-layer installed, and env config, e.g.
echo $VDPAU_DRIVER $LIBVA_DRIVER_NAME $VK_DRIVER_FILES $RUSTICL_ENABLE
    	va_gl
    	iHD
    	/usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/intel_icd.x86_64.json
    	iris
instead,
deviceType = PHYSICAL_DEVICE_TYPE_DISCRETE_GPU
    deviceName = Intel(R) Arc(tm) A380 Graphics (DG2)
    driverID   = DRIVER_ID_INTEL_OPEN_SOURCE_MESA
unlike e.g. standalone `vulkan-validation-layers` pkg which lives in explicit_layer.d/, the wsi extension lives in implicit_layer.d/
vulkan-loader pkg owns /usr/share/vulkan/implicit_layer.d/
rpm -q --whatprovides  /usr/share/vulkan/implicit_layer.d/
    	vulkan-loader-1.4.341.0-1.fc44.x86_64
vulkan-loader scans implicit_layer.d/ at startup, and loads found manifests into vulkan apps automatically.
on (at least) Intel Arc (DG2) the layer's req'd get h/w rendering at all.
otherwise, vulkan-loader falls back to llvmpipe.
no layer extension, no h/w accel.
to get out-of-the-box vulkan accel, `vulkan-wsi-layer` seems to make sense belongs as a dep of `vulkan-loader`