8086:0126 [Toshiba Portege R830-13C] no backlight after resume from suspend

[David Gerard]

Toshiba Portege R830-13C: laptop comes back from suspend, but with no backlight.

I can slightly work around it with the script at http://www.refreshit.info/2013/03/solved-backlight-problem-after-suspend.html , but this is less than ideal (and I can't adjust the backlight after this).

uname -a output:
Linux lt14000 3.8.0-14-generic #24-Ubuntu SMP Fri Mar 22 19:45:03 UTC 2013 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

This is a regression from Quantal on the same laptop, where the backlight came back after suspend - stuck at full brightness, not adjustable (so still not 100% functional).

[Extra information for backlight bugs will be added next.]

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 13.04
Package: linux-image-3.8.0-14-generic 3.8.0-14.24
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.8.0-14.24-generic 3.8.4
Uname: Linux 3.8.0-14-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.9.2-0ubuntu2
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: fun 1687 F.... pulseaudio
Date: Mon Mar 25 12:44:31 2013
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=a2e3beff-e8bf-4e96-8086-972314e2589e
InstallationDate: Installed on 2012-09-21 (184 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Xubuntu 12.04.1 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Release amd64 (20120817.3)
MachineType: TOSHIBA PORTEGE R830
MarkForUpload: True
ProcFB:
 0 inteldrmfb
 1 VESA VGA
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.8.0-14-generic root=UUID=6331e1ea-703a-491e-8543-734c79f49ca3 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-3.8.0-14-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-3.8.0-14-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 1.104
SourcePackage: linux
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to raring on 2012-09-23 (183 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 01/24/2012
dmi.bios.vendor: TOSHIBA
dmi.bios.version: Version 3.60
dmi.board.asset.tag: 0000000000
dmi.board.name: Portable PC
dmi.board.vendor: TOSHIBA
dmi.board.version: Version A0
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: 0000000000
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: TOSHIBA
dmi.chassis.version: Version 1.0
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnTOSHIBA:bvrVersion3.60:bd01/24/2012:svnTOSHIBA:pnPORTEGER830:pvrPT321E-01E00YEN:rvnTOSHIBA:rnPortablePC:rvrVersionA0:cvnTOSHIBA:ct10:cvrVersion1.0:
dmi.product.name: PORTEGE R830
dmi.product.version: PT321E-01E00YEN
dmi.sys.vendor: TOSHIBA

[David Gerard (dgerard)]

Additional attachments per "Debugging information to provide in your bug report":

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

This change was made by a bot.

[David Gerard (dgerard)]

There must be a better interface than to add each file one at a time through a painfully slow web interface.

[David Gerard (dgerard)]

Rebooted with acpi_backlight=vendor - backlight applet and hotkeys work fine. Attaching more stuff ...

echo 8 > /sys/class/backlight/intel_backlight/brightness does change the backlight brightness, to dark or near-dark.

[David Gerard (dgerard)]

Removed the workaround script, suspended with acpi_backlight=vendor enabled - came back from suspend with backlight at dark, neither hotkeys nor applet worked to get it back.

Rebooted with video.use_bios_initial_backlight=0 and hotkeys and applet both worked just fine. Just

[David Gerard (dgerard)]

... suspended, came back and there was still no backlight.

It's taken me half an hour just to file this bug per the list of requirements. Is there anything else you need?

[Joseph Salisbury (jsalisbury)]

Would it be possible for you to test the latest upstream kernel? Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds . Please test the latest v3.9 kernel[0] (Not a kernel in the daily directory) and install both the linux-image and linux-image-extra .deb packages.

If this bug is fixed in the mainline kernel, please add the following tag 'kernel-fixed-upstream'.

If the mainline kernel does not fix this bug, please add the tag: 'kernel-bug-exists-upstream'.

If you are unable to test the mainline kernel, for example it will not boot, please add the tag: 'kernel-unable-to-test-upstream'.
Once testing of the upstream kernel is complete, please mark this bug as "Confirmed".

Thanks in advance.

[0] http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.9-rc4-raring/

[David Gerard (dgerard)]

Sadly, it does appear to exist upstream as well - tested with 3.9.0-030900rc4.201303232035 from that directory. Mainline kernel behaviour is the same: fresh from boot, both the hotkeys and the applet change the brightness OK; after suspend and resume, the laptop comes back but the backlight is off and the hotkeys can't turn it up.

Unfortunately, this makes the laptop unusable in Ubuntu for my purposes. However, I can boot back into Ubuntu if there are further tests to do to work on this one.

[Joseph Salisbury (jsalisbury)]

This issue appears to be an upstream bug, since you tested the latest upstream kernel. Would it be possible for you to open an upstream bug report[0]? That will allow the upstream Developers to examine the issue, and may provide a quicker resolution to the bug.

Please follow the instructions on the wiki page[0]. The first step is to email the appropriate mailing list. If no response is received, then a bug may be opened on bugzilla.kernel.org.

[0] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/Upstream/kernel

[David Gerard (dgerard)]

Right ... how do I find out what the relevant driver to this issue is?

[David Gerard (dgerard)]

Apparently it's in toshiba_acpi, which is presently ... unmaintained! Fabulous.

There's a workaround here https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=132044 which might help should anyone with this laptop find this bug report and feel like working on the problem.

[David Gerard (dgerard)]

Here's the Ubuntu workaround: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1550219 This was for the R700. If something like it can be put into Ubuntu to work around the problem that upstream have abandoned ...

[David Gerard (dgerard)]

Another bug on the same topic: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/toshset/+bug/644898

The patch for toshset to work was apparently removed by Canonical: https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/kernel-team/2010-June/011112.html - that makes this *not* an upstream problem.

[David Gerard (dgerard)]

Christopher - thanks very much for your post. You should be unsurprised to hear that I updated the BIOS and it made no difference.

I say you *should* be unsurprised, on the assumption you read the rest of the bug. Because we know for sure (a) it works with a patch (b) that Canonical used to have and (c) Canonical has since removed.

So your request was fundamentally asking me to jump through a hoop in the hope you could close a bug, knowing very well it wouldn't actually fix the (completely known) problem.

But I have jumped through your hoop and it didn't work. Next hoop?

[David Gerard (dgerard)]

I've moved it back to "confirmed" since I've jumped through the requested hoop, and it affects at least one other person.

[David Gerard (dgerard)]

I'm now upgrading to 13.10, let's see if that makes a difference.

[David Gerard (dgerard)]

In utterly amazing news, the bug is still present in 13.10.

(you watch, he'll ask me to try again with 13.04.)

[David Gerard (dgerard)]

Version 4.10
01/08/2013

So, same version number but date matching the update site (the date on the Toshiba site for 4.10-WIN(EC_KBC1.60) is 02/08/2013).

[penalvch (penalvch)]

David Gerard, could you please test the latest mainline kernel via http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.12-trusty/ and advise on the results?

[David Gerard (dgerard)]

Before I do, is there ANY EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER that this bug has been fixed upstream?

You can close the bug if you like, and I'm sure that will do wonders for management metrics - but that doesn't make this Linux-wide problem disappear.

[Jaak Simm (jaak-simm)]

I'm affected by the same bug on Toshiba Satellite laptop in Ubuntu 13.10 (kernel 3.11.0-14-generic). Tried adding acpi_backlight=vendor to grub, but backlight keys still not working after suspend.

Is there a working workaround for this problem?

[Jaak Simm (jaak-simm)]

Little-bit more details. The keys work, GUI changes and the value in /sys/class/backlight/toshiba/brightness changes from 0 to 7 when changing brightness, however there is no real effect on screen brightness. There is also /sys/class/backlight/intel_backlight/brightness file, which is not affected when changing backlight.

Data about my laptop:

sudo s2ram -n
Machine unknown
This machine can be identified by:
    sys_vendor = "TOSHIBA"
    sys_product = "Satellite R630"
    sys_version = "PT31LE-01600LG3"
    bios_version = "Version 1.50 "

There seems to be a similar bug:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/935778

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Jaak Simm, thank you for your comment. At this point, this is not considered similar to, or a duplicate of your hardware, another person's report, or vice versa.

If you have a bug in Ubuntu, please feel free to file a new report with Ubuntu by executing the following in a terminal while booted into a Ubuntu repository kernel (not a mainline one) via:
ubuntu-bug linux

For more on this, please read the official Ubuntu documentation:
Ubuntu Bug Control and Ubuntu Bug Squad: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/BestPractices#X.2BAC8-Reporting.Focus_on_One_Issue
Ubuntu Kernel Team: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelTeam/KernelTeamBugPolicies#Filing_Kernel_Bug_reports
Ubuntu Community: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs#Bug_reporting_etiquette

When opening up the new report, please feel free to subscribe me to it.

Thank you for your understanding.

Helpful bug reporting tips:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for linux (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]