i915 *ERROR* CPU pipe A FIFO underrun - graphic glitches

[Chris]

17.04 Ubuntu Gnome with default kernel. Seeing black bars flash on screen, sometimes whole screen goes black.

Easily reproduced by having the Gnome Terminal app on the lower part of the screen. Often so bad that the laptop locks up (screen goes black and shuts off without warning after a few seconds).

dmesg is full of the "CPU pipe A FIFO underrun" errors.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 17.04
Package: linux-image-4.10.0-21-generic 4.10.0-21.23
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.10.0-21.23-generic 4.10.11
Uname: Linux 4.10.0-21-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.4-0ubuntu4.1
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: chris 1632 F.... pulseaudio
CurrentDesktop: GNOME
Date: Mon Jun 5 21:16:06 2017
InstallationDate: Installed on 2017-05-03 (33 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-GNOME 17.04 "Zesty Zapus" - Release amd64 (20170412)
MachineType: Dell Inc. Latitude E4310
ProcFB: 0 inteldrmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-4.10.0-21-generic.efi.signed root=UUID=fad75c7e-4ba7-49fd-95c6-dc5d2446b31b ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-4.10.0-21-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-4.10.0-21-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 1.164.1
SourcePackage: linux
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 05/26/2011
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A07
dmi.board.name: 0T6M8G
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.board.version: A00
dmi.chassis.type: 9
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA07:bd05/26/2011:svnDellInc.:pnLatitudeE4310:pvr0001:rvnDellInc.:rn0T6M8G:rvrA00:cvnDellInc.:ct9:cvr:
dmi.product.name: Latitude E4310
dmi.product.version: 0001
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.

[Chris (chrisonbuntu)]

[drm:intel_cpu_fifo_underrun_irq_handler [i915]] *ERROR* CPU pipe A FIFO underrun

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

This change was made by a bot.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

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

In order to allow additional upstream developers to examine the issue, at your earliest convenience, could you please test the latest upstream kernel available from http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/?C=N;O=D ? Please keep in mind the following:
1) The one to test is at the very top line at the top of the page (not the daily folder).
2) The release names are irrelevant.
3) The folder time stamps aren't indicative of when the kernel actually was released upstream.
4) Install instructions are available at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/MainlineBuilds .

If testing on your main install would be inconvenient, one may:
1) Install Ubuntu to a different partition and then test this there.
2) Backup, or clone the primary install.

If the latest kernel did not allow you to test to the issue (ex. you couldn't boot into the OS) please make a comment in your report about this, and continue to test the next most recent kernel version until you can test to the issue. Once you've tested the upstream kernel, please comment on which kernel version specifically you tested. If this issue is fixed in the mainline kernel, please add the following tags by clicking on the yellow circle with a black pencil icon, next to the word Tags, located at the bottom of the report description:
kernel-fixed-upstream
kernel-fixed-upstream-X.Y-rcZ

Where X, and Y are the first two numbers of the kernel version, and Z is the release candidate number if it exists.

If the mainline kernel does not fix the issue, please add the following tags:
kernel-bug-exists-upstream
kernel-bug-exists-upstream-X.Y-rcZ

Please note, an error to install the kernel does not fit the criteria of kernel-bug-exists-upstream.

Also, you don't need to apport-collect further unless specifically requested to do so.

It is most helpful that after testing of the latest upstream kernel is complete, you mark this report Status Confirmed.

Lastly, to keep this issue relevant to upstream, please continue to test the latest mainline kernel as it becomes available.

Thank you for your help.

[Chris (chrisonbuntu)]

Hi Chris,

ok - I followed your link and installed:
linux-headers-4.12.0-041200rc4-generic_4.12.0-041200rc4.201706042031_amd64.deb
linux-image-4.12.0-041200rc4-generic_4.12.0-041200rc4.201706042031_amd64.deb

with sudo dpkg -i *.deb

will report back - fingers crossed!

[Chris (chrisonbuntu)]

Hi Chris, sorry that didnt seem to work. see attached file.

[Chris (chrisonbuntu)]

Sorry - I then also got the
 linux-headers-4.12.0-041200rc4_4.12.0-041200rc4.201706042031_all.deb
and tried again, that seemed to work. (MainlineBuilds website could be a bit more clear on what is required...)

will reboot and test now.

[Chris (chrisonbuntu)]

@penalvch

OK. Good news - 4.12-0rc4 seems very stable (visually at least)

I have opened 3 terminal windows, have them running 'top' and other commands so the window contents get updated, dragged them so they hang half off the bottom of the screen... 10 mins so far and no crashes, no black glitches.

dmesg is free of FIFO buffer underrun messages too.

I will leave the laptop running 4.12 kernel for a couple of days to see if there are any other issues. Let me know if you want me to share any logs etc with you.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

chris, the next step is to fully reverse commit bisect from kernel 4.10 to 4.12-rc4 in order to identify the last bad commit, followed immediately by the first good one. Once this good commit has been identified, it may be reviewed for backporting. Could you please do this following https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/KernelBisection ?

Please note, finding adjacent kernel versions, or providing a commit from a kernel version bisect is not fully commit bisecting.

Also, the kernel release names are irrelevant for the purposes of bisecting.

It is most helpful that after the fix commit (not kernel version) has been identified, you then mark this report Status Confirmed.

Thank you for your help.

[Chris (chrisonbuntu)]

Hi Chris (penalvch)

Kernel 4.12rc1 and rc4 are both fine in terms of the bug and seem to run very smoothly, but the 4.11rc1, 4.11.1, 4.11.3 all show the bug (and I have seen them crash HARD, not just screen glitches).

I havent yet gone back through 4.10 yet to find the first 'bad' kernel. Can you confirm that the following Ubuntu kernels correlate to the upstream as follows?
4.10.0-22.24 is equivalent to 4.10.15 mainline
4.10.0-21.23 is equivalent to 4.10.11 mainline
4.10.0-19.21 is equivalent to 4.10.8 mainline

Ubuntu -19 kernel is the first one i saw on my 17.04 install, which did show the bug. Where would you suggest going back to?

I dont have any experience with git so am not sure I can dig deeper to find the bad commit, I'm afraid.

[Jochen Korb (schmecklecker137)]

I got this bug with kubuntu 16.04.02 hwe-update.

I've updated from 16.04.1 which worked fine, therefore I downgrade to 16.04.1

[Chris (chrisonbuntu)]

@penalvch

kernel 4.12rc4 has been working very smoothly over the past couple of months, no crashes and no FIFO errors in dmesg.

One issue is that I cant run SNAP packages (i think its apparmour not being in mainline, so they cant run in a protected sandbox).

I'm happy spending some time bisecting the kernel, if it would be backported. otherwise if Ubuntu 17.10 is going to use kernel 4.12, then i will wait and save the effort. I need guidance in the kernel bisect, as described before.

In the meantime, i will move over to 4.12.3

[Chris (chrisonbuntu)]

Nearly 3 months running kernel 4.12.3 with no issues.

Kernel 4.13 will be in Ubuntu 17.10, so I hope that will work fine. Has anyone tested the beta to confirm its ok?

[Chris (chrisonbuntu)]

4.13.2 kernel working fine for 2 days with Ubuntu Gnome 17.04, I have an old IronLake i5 intel.

[Alexander Kops (alexkops)]

I upgraded to Ubuntu 17.10 and this bug started appearing (didn't have this with the versions before).
When I lock my screen on my Lenovo T450s and the notebook sits in the dock, one of the three things happen when I come back after some time and try to unlock:
* Most of the time the computer was just shut down and I have to restart it again
* Sometimes the main screen flickers weirdly and one of the two other screens show pixel garbage
* The main screen shows the lock screen but is completely frozen.
Occasionally unlocking also works.

The last thing I find in /var/log/syslog is
[drm:intel_cpu_fifo_underrun_irq_handler [i915]] *ERROR* CPU pipe A FIFO underrun
[drm:intel_cpu_fifo_underrun_irq_handler [i915]] *ERROR* CPU pipe B FIFO underrun

Note: Ubuntu uses kernel version 4.13.0-16-lowlatency for some reason, but the issue also appears when I boot with the generic version.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Alexander Kops, the issue for the original reporter was identified as fixed in as early as 4.12-rc4.

However, given you have different hardware, and may be experiencing either a regression of said fix, or similar problem with different root cause, it is most helpful if you filed a new report via a terminal:
ubuntu-bug linux

Please feel free to subscribe me to it.

[Alexander Kops (alexkops)]

Ok, I reported a new bug:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1727662

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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