[Regression] Flashing-blinking-fuzzy windows border

[Swâmi Petaramesh]

Hi,

Already seen on 3 different machines - so confirming bug immedately - 2 having Intel graphics, and one NVidia graphics, so this is probably not graphics card specific.

Symptoms : At times, especially when system is under heavy CPU load (which can be noticed by the fact that the current window becomes "dark"), windows borders and Unity top bar and/or laucher starts blinking/flashing in rectangular shape, in a very speedy and ugly way.

Usually things resume to normal after some seconds or tens of seconds, when CPU load goes back to normal.

This didn't happpen previously, so this is a regression.

As far as I can tell, I have started noticing this after the time where Mesa broke Intel graphics then was fixed again (during Beta 1), so this bug might well relate to Mesa.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.10
Package: unity 6.6.0-0ubuntu3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.5.0-16.25-generic 3.5.4
Uname: Linux 3.5.0-16-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
.proc.driver.nvidia.gpus.0: Error: [Errno 21] est un dossier: '/proc/driver/nvidia/gpus/0'
.proc.driver.nvidia.registry: Binary: ""
.proc.driver.nvidia.version:
 NVRM version: NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module 304.43 Sun Aug 19 20:14:03 PDT 2012
 GCC version: gcc version 4.7.2 (Ubuntu/Linaro 4.7.2-2ubuntu1)
.proc.driver.nvidia.warnings.fbdev:
 Your system is not currently configured to drive a VGA console
 on the primary VGA device. The NVIDIA Linux graphics driver
 requires the use of a text-mode VGA console. Use of other console
 drivers including, but not limited to, vesafb, may result in
 corruption and stability problems, and is not supported.
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.6.1-0ubuntu1
Architecture: amd64
CheckboxSubmission: 1ea6109db29b53f721a523a77b7f3abf
CheckboxSystem: d00f84de8a555815fa1c4660280da308
CompizPlugins: [core,composite,opengl,compiztoolbox,decor,vpswitch,snap,mousepoll,resize,place,move,wall,grid,regex,imgpng,session,gnomecompat,animation,fade,unitymtgrabhandles,workarounds,scale,expo,ezoom,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: compiz
Date: Thu Oct 4 11:23:44 2012
DistUpgraded: 2012-08-28 08:44:23,609 DEBUG enabling apt cron job
DistroCodename: quantal
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus:
 nvidia-current-updates, 304.43, 3.5.0-15-generic, x86_64: installed
 nvidia-current-updates, 304.43, 3.5.0-16-generic, x86_64: installed
 vboxhost, 4.1.22, 3.5.0-15-generic, x86_64: installed
 vboxhost, 4.1.22, 3.5.0-16-generic, x86_64: installed
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
GraphicsCard:
 NVIDIA Corporation Device [10de:0a7a] (rev a2) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Toshiba America Info Systems Device [1179:fcc0]
JockeyStatus:
 kmod:nvidia_experimental_304 - Experimental NVIDIA binary Xorg driver, kernel module and VDPAU library (Proprietary, Disabled, Not in use)
 kmod:nvidia_current - NVIDIA binary Xorg driver, kernel module and VDPAU library (Proprietary, Disabled, Not in use)
 kmod:nvidia_current_updates - nvidia_current_updates (Proprietary, Enabled, Not in use)
MachineType: TOSHIBA SATELLITE L735
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/UBUNTU/@boot/vmlinuz-3.5.0-16-generic root=/dev/mapper/VG1-BTR_POOL ro rootflags=subvol=UBUNTU/@ rdblacklist=nouveau nouveau.blacklist=1 acpi_osi=Linux acpi_backlight=vendor quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: unity
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to quantal on 2012-08-28 (37 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 06/26/2012
dmi.bios.vendor: INSYDE
dmi.bios.version: 2.50
dmi.board.asset.tag: Base Board Asset Tag
dmi.board.name: Base Board Product Name
dmi.board.vendor: Intel Corp.
dmi.board.version: Base Board Version
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Tag
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: OEM Chassis Manufacturer
dmi.chassis.version: OEM Chassis Version
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnINSYDE:bvr2.50:bd06/26/2012:svnTOSHIBA:pnSATELLITEL735:pvrPSK0CE-00900LFR:rvnIntelCorp.:rnBaseBoardProductName:rvrBaseBoardVersion:cvnOEMChassisManufacturer:ct10:cvrOEMChassisVersion:
dmi.product.name: SATELLITE L735
dmi.product.version: PSK0CE-00900LFR
dmi.sys.vendor: TOSHIBA
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.8.4-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.39-0ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 9.0~git20120917.7cfd42ce-0ubuntu3
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 9.0~git20120917.7cfd42ce-0ubuntu3
version.nvidia-graphics-drivers: nvidia-graphics-drivers N/A
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.13.0-0ubuntu5
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.7.3-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.99.99~git20120913.8637f772-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.20.9-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.2-0ubuntu2

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Most importantly, please try to take a video of the problem so we can understand what kind of flashing/blinking/fuzziness we're dealing with.

Also, please try the workaround in bug 1042211.

[Swâmi Petaramesh (swami-petaramesh)]

@Daniel : This happens much too randomly and shortly for me to be able to take a video. I would have to live with a camcorder on hand, and I haven't got any by the way...

My phone takes much more time to shift to camcorder mode than it takes the artifact to disappear...

So the best I can is describe :

- The windows borders, usually nice and rounded, get replaced with _rectangular_ fuzzy/flashing zones ;

- The place at the limit of the Unity bar which usually looks like "shadowed" also becomes a flashing rectangle.

- Same for everything "shadowed" in the launcher...

Hope the description is enough, besides the video that I cannot make...

[Swâmi Petaramesh (swami-petaramesh)]

Rather than "shadowed", I should use the word "transparency", i.e. everything in Unity that has a transparency effect gets temporarily replaced with a rectangular zone that shows flashy/fuzzy artifacts, and this apparently happens when the system is under heavy load - not heavy graphical load, but heavy CPU/disk load...

[Swâmi Petaramesh (swami-petaramesh)]

I was finally lucky enough to hit the "Print Screen" key at the right time.

In the attached image, see the thins bars at top and at the left of the main window, between the Unity components and window.

Those bars are actually flashing and fuzzing... That's it.

It seems to me that those bars are in place of the usual transparency/shadow area...

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Excellent, thanks. Looks like the maximized window's shadow is damaging the unity panel/launcher and Unity is failing to redraw.

This is a Unity bug. However fixing Compiz bug 928807 would work around it.

[Alexander Kjeldaas (alexander-kjeldaas)]

I am not sure if this is the same bug, but when I press Alt+Tab and hold Alt down for a couple of seconds, I will see a rapidly blinking rectangle in the middle of the screen (slightly towards the top). This rectangle is covering the window list.

The blinking is really the temporary removal of the window list, which is semi-transparent.

This happens regardless of CPU load and is 100% repeatable.

$ lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 2nd Generation Core Processor Family DRAM Controller (rev 09)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 2nd Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 09)
00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family USB xHCI Host Controller (rev 04)
00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family MEI Controller #1 (rev 04)
00:1a.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller #2 (rev 04)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family High Definition Audio Controller (rev 04)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 1 (rev c4)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 2 (rev c4)
00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 3 (rev c4)
00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller #1 (rev 04)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 7 Series Chipset Family LPC Controller (rev 04)
00:1f.2 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series Chipset Family 6-port SATA Controller [AHCI mode] (rev 04)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family SMBus Controller (rev 04)
02:00.0 Network controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. Device 8723
03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8101E/RTL8102E PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller (rev 05)

[Will Cooke (willcooke)]

Sorry folks, but as part of the bug clean up ahead of 16.04 I'm marking this as invalid because it affects an Ubuntu release which is now unsupported. If you can still recreate this bug in a supported release please do open a new bug and we can triage it for consideration in the 16.04 development cycle.