random 1-2s black screen

[Haug Bürger]

I have a Lenovo T450s with docking station and 2 display port monitors on it.

I experience black screens for about a second. Usually one of the external monitors only. One external display turns black and comes back after 1 or 2 seconds. This happens >10 times a day and is really annoying.

My colleague experiencing the same issue, also using Ubuntu 16.04. Same hardware.

At home I have a similar issue, also with Intel motherboard graphics. Different hardware.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: xorg 1:7.7+13ubuntu3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-22.40-generic 4.4.8
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-22-generic x86_64
.tmp.unity_support_test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.1
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: compiz
CompositorUnredirectDriverBlacklist: '(nouveau|Intel).*Mesa 8.0'
CompositorUnredirectFSW: true
Date: Wed Jun 1 09:14:00 2016
DistUpgraded: 2016-04-25 11:02:09,877 DEBUG icon theme changed, re-reading
DistroCodename: xenial
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus: virtualbox, 5.0.18, 4.4.0-22-generic, x86_64: installed
ExtraDebuggingInterest: Yes
GraphicsCard:
 Intel Corporation Broadwell-U Integrated Graphics [8086:1616] (rev 09) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Lenovo Broadwell-U Integrated Graphics [17aa:5036]
InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-11-06 (207 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 15.10 "Wily Werewolf" - Release amd64 (20151021)
MachineType: LENOVO 20BWS2YL00
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=de_DE
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=de_DE.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-4.4.0-22-generic.efi.signed root=/dev/mapper/ubuntu--vg-root ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: xorg
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to xenial on 2016-04-25 (36 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 07/08/2015
dmi.bios.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.bios.version: JBET51WW (1.16 )
dmi.board.asset.tag: Not Available
dmi.board.name: 20BWS2YL00
dmi.board.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.board.version: SDK0E50510 WIN
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Information
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: LENOVO
dmi.chassis.version: None
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnLENOVO:bvrJBET51WW(1.16):bd07/08/2015:svnLENOVO:pn20BWS2YL00:pvrThinkPadT450s:rvnLENOVO:rn20BWS2YL00:rvrSDK0E50510WIN:cvnLENOVO:ct10:cvrNone:
dmi.product.name: 20BWS2YL00
dmi.product.version: ThinkPad T450s
dmi.sys.vendor: LENOVO
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.12.2+16.04.20160415-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.67-1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 11.2.0-1ubuntu2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 11.2.0-1ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.18.3-1ubuntu2.2
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.10.1-1ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:7.7.0-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.99.917+git20160325-1ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.12-1build2
xserver.bootTime: Wed Jun 1 07:58:12 2016
xserver.configfile: default
xserver.errors:

xserver.logfile: /var/log/Xorg.0.log
xserver.outputs:
 product id 4925
 vendor AUO
xserver.version: 2:1.18.3-1ubuntu2

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[FP (8-mail-h)]

Me and a colleague also experience this exact behavior. It happens a lot more then 10 times a day here. There is a pattern with mouse movement (leaving screen) but it is not clearly reproducible.
It seems like the display port signal is completely lost rather than the image itself turning black, as the monitor is also closing the OSD if it is opened.

Our Setup here is: Lenovo x230 with two external Screens connected via Display Port under Kubuntu 16.04.

I don't know how to extract the list of software information like the reporter did...

[FP (8-mail-h)]

Switching both screens to DVI instead of DisplayPort seems to improve the problem a little bit. Instead of going black for a second or two, the screen just shows a partial image distortion.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Haug Bürger, thank you for reporting this and helping make Ubuntu better.

As per http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/products/Laptops-and-netbooks/ThinkPad-T-Series-laptops/ThinkPad-T450s?linkTrack=GPS%253ABody_Search%2BProducts&tabName=&beta=false an update to your computer's buggy, insecure, and outdated BIOS is available (1.24). When you update to this following https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BIOSUpdate how does this improve the situation?

For more on BIOS updates and linux, please see https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs#Bug_reporting_etiquette .

Please note your current BIOS is already in the Bug Description, so posting this on the old BIOS would not be helpful.

Also, you don't have to create a new bug report.

Once the BIOS is updated, if the problem is still reproducible:
1) Please provide the output of the following terminal command (not perform an apport-collect):
sudo dmidecode -s bios-version && sudo dmidecode -s bios-release-date
2) Please make a comment specifically advising on if there was an improvement or not.
3) Please mark this report Status New.

If it's not reproducible, please mark this as Invalid.

Thank you for your help.

[Haug Bürger (haug-buerger)]

Hi Christopher,

I'll check if I'm able to update, it's a business notebook where I have
limited access. I have to check what's possible there.

What I tried is the latest stable mainline kernel 4.6.3 which improves
the situation significantly. At least the NB doesn't crash any more
putting it back to the docking station.

The mainline kernel doesn't support Docker (AUFS missing) which makes it
problematic for me.

I keep you posted
  Haug

Am 03.07.2016 um 00:59 schrieb Christopher M. Penalver:
> Haug Bürger, thank you for reporting this and helping make Ubuntu
> better.
>
> As per http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/products/Laptops-and-
> netbooks/ThinkPad-T-Series-laptops/ThinkPad-
> T450s?linkTrack=GPS%253ABody_Search%2BProducts&tabName=&beta=false an
> update to your computer's buggy, insecure, and outdated BIOS is
> available (1.24). When you update to this following
> https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BIOSUpdate how does this improve the
> situation?
>
> For more on BIOS updates and linux, please see
> https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs#Bug_reporting_etiquette
> .
>
> Please note your current BIOS is already in the Bug Description, so
> posting this on the old BIOS would not be helpful.
>
> Also, you don't have to create a new bug report.
>
> Once the BIOS is updated, if the problem is still reproducible:
> 1) Please provide the output of the following terminal command (not perform an apport-collect):
> sudo dmidecode -s bios-version && sudo dmidecode -s bios-release-date
> 2) Please make a comment specifically advising on if there was an improvement or not.
> 3) Please mark this report Status New.
>
> If it's not reproducible, please mark this as Invalid.
>
> Thank you for your help.
>
> ** Tags added: bios-outdated-1.24
>
> ** Changed in: xorg (Ubuntu)
> Importance: Medium => Low
>
> ** Changed in: xorg (Ubuntu)
> Status: Confirmed => Incomplete
>

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Maarten Fonville (maarten-fonville)]

I have the same issue on Ubuntu 16.10 and 17.04, also with Intel hardware and displayport. Nothing weird in dmesg though :-/