10de:1040 snd_hda_codec_hdmi (via pavucontrol or applications playing sound) freezes Ubuntu 12.04 LTS

[TEN]

Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin freezes most of the time when trying to use HDMI audio (in particular from google-talkplugin, mplayer, vdr-sxfe, vlc, xine) up to and including the current Kernel 3.2.0-49 without putting snd_hda_codec_hdmi on the /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-oss.conf (thereby losing sound over the Nvidia outputs).

Invoking pavucontrol with snd_hda_codec_hdmi loaded almost always results in a crash that makes even Ctrl-Alt-SysRq inaccessible.

Freezes also occurred with both hw and plughw devices of the Nvidia HDMIs under ALSA when pulseaudio had been uninstalled for testing.

According to https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1173769 #3 there is "a kernel issue which most likely is to happen with Nvidia graphics", this is also not fixed by using https://code.launchpad.net/~ubuntu-audio-dev/+archive/alsa-daily/+files/oem-audio-hda-daily-dkms_0.201307180553%7Eprecise1_all.deb according to https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1169984 #16.

New bug as identified by David Henningsson (diwic) to have different causes than https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu-desktop-tests/+bug/1169984 at #119 et seq.

Blacklisting is the supposed fix in https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1181616 and http://lists.debian.org/debian-kernel/2012/05/msg00110.html but not the solution if HDMI audio is needed.
---
AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.24.
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu17.3
Architecture: i386
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: user 2378 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/controlC1: user 2378 F.... pulseaudio
CRDA: Error: command ['iw', 'reg', 'get'] failed with exit code 1: nl80211 not found.
Card0.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:0 'Intel'/'HDA Intel at 0xf3120000 irq 45'
   Mixer name : 'Analog Devices AD1884'
   Components : 'HDA:11d41884,103c2819,00100100'
   Controls : 31
   Simple ctrls : 19
Card1.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:1 'SAA7134'/'saa7134[0] at 0xf3200000 irq 22'
   Mixer name : 'SAA7134 Mixer'
   Components : ''
   Controls : 6
   Simple ctrls : 3
Card2.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:2 'NVidia'/'HDA NVidia at 0xf3000000 irq 17'
   Mixer name : 'Nvidia ID 1c'
   Components : 'HDA:10de001c,14628097,00100100'
   Controls : 0
   Simple ctrls : 0
Card2.Amixer.values:

DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=b779581c-49c5-4cca-8cac-3d2b5243b6ee
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Release i386 (20120423)
IwConfig:
 lo no wireless extensions.

 eth0 no wireless extensions.
MachineType: Hewlett-Packard HP Compaq dc7800p Convertible Minitower
MarkForUpload: True
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Package: linux (not installed)
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcFB: 0 VESA VGA
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-3.2.0-48-generic-pae root=UUID=967f80d1-798e-4c04-bb4c-935f35d7397b ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-48.74-generic-pae 3.2.46
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-3.2.0-48-generic-pae N/A
 linux-backports-modules-3.2.0-48-generic-pae N/A
 linux-firmware 1.79.4
RfKill:
 0: hci0: Bluetooth
  Soft blocked: no
  Hard blocked: no
StagingDrivers: mei
Tags: precise staging
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-48-generic-pae i686
UnreportableReason: Your home partition has less than 3 MB of free space available, which leads to problems using applications and installing updates. Please free some space.
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
UserGroups: adm cdrom dip lpadmin plugdev sambashare sudo
dmi.bios.date: 07/18/2007
dmi.bios.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
dmi.bios.version: 786F1 v01.04
dmi.board.asset.tag: CZC8277VRK
dmi.board.name: 0AACh
dmi.board.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: CZC8277VRK
dmi.chassis.type: 6
dmi.chassis.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnHewlett-Packard:bvr786F1v01.04:bd07/18/2007:svnHewlett-Packard:pnHPCompaqdc7800pConvertibleMinitower:pvr:rvnHewlett-Packard:rn0AACh:rvr:cvnHewlett-Packard:ct6:cvr:
dmi.product.name: HP Compaq dc7800p Convertible Minitower
dmi.sys.vendor: Hewlett-Packard

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

This bug is missing log files that will aid in diagnosing the problem. From a terminal window please run:

apport-collect 1203520

and then change the status of the bug to 'Confirmed'.

If, due to the nature of the issue you have encountered, you are unable to run this command, please add a comment stating that fact and change the bug status to 'Confirmed'.

This change has been made by an automated script, maintained by the Ubuntu Kernel Team.

[TEN (launchpad-20-ten)]

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ERROR: hook /usr/share/apport/general-hooks/cloud_archive.py crashed: [...]
No packages found matching linux.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

TEN, thank you for reporting this and helping make Ubuntu better. Could you please confirm this issue exists with the latest development release of Ubuntu? ISO images are available from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily-live/current/ . If the issue remains, could you please run the following command in the development release from a Terminal (Applications->Accessories->Terminal), as it will automatically gather and attach updated debug information to this report:

apport-collect -p linux <replace-with-bug-number>

[TEN (launchpad-20-ten)]

Christopher M. Penalver (penalvch) wrote:
> please confirm this issue exists with the latest development release of Ubuntu
> ISO images are available from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily-live/current/

As bleeding-edge as it gets I guess.
Unfortunately the USB boot falls back upon a textmode console where I see repeated error messages from mei_me (apparently on one of many systems that don't like its inclusion) as in https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1196155

> If the issue remains, could you please run [apport-collect -p linux 1203520] in the development release from a Terminal
> (Applications->Accessories->Terminal), as it will automatically gather and attach updated debug information to this report"

Not getting so far as even a text-mode root prompt is not made available after this: "The installer" (heart-skips-a-beat: wasn't this supposed to be a non-destructive Live CD?) "encountered an unrecoverable error. A desktop session will now be run so that you may investigate the problem or try installing again."
Even if it did continue to a GUI after that, I'm not sure it could help since the Nvidia driver (proprietary but needed on about half of the world's systems) cannot usually be loaded in a Live environment, but may be contributing to the causes for this bug.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

TEN, thank you for attempting to test Saucy. Did this problem not occur in a release prior to Precise?

[TEN (launchpad-20-ten)]

Never had anything but the 12.04 LTS on this machine.

Will try again once Kernel 3.10.0-2.10 or higher with the mei_me fix is in http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily-live/current/saucy-desktop-i386.manifest (3.10.0-5.14 seems to be an even newer one to me, but Monday's Ubuntu 13.10 build had symptoms like https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1196155).

If there is a way I can run an extended trace on snd_hda_codec_hdmi while making it crash, please let me know. When it freezes, it does so too hard and fast to even sync file systems though, hence logs are likely to be empty unless they immediately go to another machine over netcat or similar.

[TEN (launchpad-20-ten)]

Launching pavucontrol may still freeze the system, hence snd_hda_codec_hdmi has to be blacklisted (losing its required functionality), also under kernel 3.8.0-30 and even after a BIOS update to 1.32 (irrevocable, cf. https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1203446/+attachment/3809189/+files/HPQFlash.png).

$ sudo dmidecode -s bios-version && sudo dmidecode -s bios-release-date
786F1 v01.32
07/21/2011

[penalvch (penalvch)]

TEN, could you please test the latest upstream kernel available following https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds ? It will allow additional upstream developers to examine the issue. Please do not test the daily folder, but the one all the way at the bottom. Once you've tested the upstream kernel, please comment on which kernel version specifically you tested. If this bug is fixed in the mainline kernel, please add the following tags:
kernel-fixed-upstream
kernel-fixed-upstream-VERSION-NUMBER

where VERSION-NUMBER is the version number of the kernel you tested. For example:
kernel-fixed-upstream-v3.11

This can be done by clicking on the yellow circle with a black pencil icon next to the word Tags located at the bottom of the bug description. As well, please remove the tag:
needs-upstream-testing

If the mainline kernel does not fix this bug, please add the following tags:
kernel-bug-exists-upstream
kernel-bug-exists-upstream-VERSION-NUMBER

As well, please remove the tag:
needs-upstream-testing

Once testing of the upstream kernel is complete, please mark this bug's Status as Confirmed. Please let us know your results. Thank you for your understanding.

[TEN (launchpad-20-ten)]

To keep this at "Incomplete" is getting beyond the limits of what a user can install on the one production machine around (not everybody has an entire farm), while Ubuntu 13+ cannot currently be booted from USB either.

Please see also developments at https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1169984 (where I had been told to open a new bug) #124, 127 et seq. which do seem to indicate similar causes after all, i.e. a lot of people are now blacklisting this snd_hda_codec_hdmi because they have to, and though they'd need it.

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

ftp://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/gpu-hdmi-audio-document/gpu-hdmi-audio.html#_verify_your_eld_is_valid

do you have valid ELD ?

[TEN (launchpad-20-ten)]

# Raymond (superquad-vortex2) wrote on 2013-09-24
> ftp://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/gpu-hdmi-audio-document/gpu-hdmi-audio.html#_verify_your_eld_is_valid
> do you have valid ELD ?

With a nod to the immortal ABBA: I do, I do; oh well - only 2: ;-)

$ cat /proc/asound/card1/eld#0.0
monitor_present 0
eld_valid 0

$ cat /proc/asound/card1/eld#0.1
monitor_present 1
eld_valid 1
monitor_name SANYO Z4000

connection_type HDMI
eld_version [0x2] CEA-861D or below
edid_version [0x3] CEA-861-B, C or D
manufacture_id 0x2e4c
product_id 0xba0c
port_id 0x20000
support_hdcp 0
support_ai 0
audio_sync_delay 0
speakers [0xf] FL/FR LFE FC RL/RR
sad_count 4
sad0_coding_type [0x1] LPCM
sad0_channels 2
sad0_rates [0x6e0] 32000 44100 48000 88200 96000
sad0_bits [0xe0000] 16 20 24
sad1_coding_type [0x1] LPCM
sad1_channels 6
sad1_rates [0x6e0] 32000 44100 48000 88200 96000
sad1_bits [0xe0000] 16 20 24
sad2_coding_type [0x2] AC-3
sad2_channels 6
sad2_rates [0xe0] 32000 44100 48000
sad2_max_bitrate 640000
sad3_coding_type [0x7] DTS
sad3_channels 6
sad3_rates [0xe0] 32000 44100 48000
sad3_max_bitrate 1536000

For the record, this results from the combined EDID (as attached, per /etc/X11/xorg.conf) of projector and 5.1 audio system through which the HDMI to display is routed (i.e. the audio sink, forced permanently detectable lest it crashes the machine in the middle of anything important due to the snd_hda_codec_hdmi bug when turned on later while that module is loaded):

Section "Device"
    Identifier "Device0"
    Driver "nvidia"
    VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName "GeForce GT 520"
    Option "ConnectedMonitor" "DFP-1"
    Option "CustomEDID" "DFP-1:/etc/X11/SANYO_Z4000_thru_Samsung_HT-C5500.edid.bin"
EndSection

The other port is DVI.

[TEN (launchpad-20-ten)]

In response to various requests by the author of #29:

No luck with 13.04 which keeps repeating mei_me issues on a text console without even booting to the graphical desktop.

In a multi-hour effort, the http://fridge.ubuntu.com/2013/09/27/ubuntu-13-10-saucy-salamander-final-beta-released/ just out though boots from USB, albeit slowly, and then showing only Front Left&Right speakers in Unity's "Systems Settings / Sound" even when set to 5.1 for the GF119 HDMI port.

However, once figuring out the only (sub-)device that works, Saucy 13.10ß2 producing a slightly different ELD (all as attached in this and subsequent posts) can be taken through the command-line speaker-test -c6 motions in pink-noise, sine and wave without provoking the freezes that haunt 12.04 LTS.

pavucontrol is not apt-get installable though in the (USB-booted) beta.

[TEN (launchpad-20-ten)]

Anyone with the rights to it please unhide comment #35 (option not shown, contrary to http://blog.launchpad.net/general/you-can-hide-your-bug-and-question-comments) still accessible from the bottom-right side bar.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

TEN, thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. However, I am tentatively closing it because the bug has been fixed in the latest development version of Ubuntu - Saucy Salamander.

This is a significant bug in Ubuntu. If you need a fix for the bug in previous versions of Ubuntu, please perform as much as possible of the SRU Procedure [1] to bring the need to a developer's attention.

[1]: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/StableReleaseUpdates#Procedure

[TEN (launchpad-20-ten)]

Stable Release Update (SRU) & bug control nomination request:

[Impact]
Playing sound, opening pavucontrol mixer or hotplugging HDMI sink hard-freezes Ubuntu 12.04 LTS unless module snd_hda_codec_hdmi is blacklisted.
This is neither a workaround nor remedy, as additional digital sound cards would have to be installed (and fine-tuned for delay compensation) to re-establish required functionality thus removed from HDMI.
Similar issue exists in https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1169984 & duplicates, potentially making access to display or even surround amplifier a DoS vector.

[Test Case]
While running speaker-test, VLC, Xine or other sound sources, open pavucontrol or connect another monitor/amplifier combination that is a sound sink with different speaker setup.
Playing sound before and after amplifier is turned on may suffice to reproduce crash, but no 100% trigger has been found yet.

[Regression Potential]
Per https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1169984/comments/124 the bug may actually be the regression.
Current situation is to risk severe crashes (for reasons inscrutable to average users) or lack proper audio (after module blacklisting, which also not feasible for many end users).
Avenue&side effects to potential fix yet to be determined.

[Other Info]
VDR / Home Theater systems presumably have to remain on 12.04 LTS for years.
Proprietary Nvidia driver may be implicated.

[TEN (launchpad-20-ten)]

Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy Salamander beta 2 neither working well with nouveau nor with nvidia-319 per https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1203446 #36 et seq., calling the beta a "fix released" (in particular to an LTS) may be premature, even though no crashes have been detected yet on Saucy in further testing of HDMI audio with the latter proprietary driver either, and after installing pavucontrol from the Universe repository.

Neither System Settings / Sound (which will not switch back to 5.1 from a 2.0 speaker layout, and keep the 5.1 speakers silent even if shown) nor pavucontrol (which does not have HDMI audio in the left tab's drop-down at all) offer a usable selection (and testing option) for the surround output on Saucy anyway as of yet, so this is limited to command line use with speaker-test -c6 and the like at this time.