Gnome desktop freeze after kernel update

[Hans-Georg Pabst]

After a kernel update (on 2024-08-14, if I remember correctly), the Gnome desktop freezes, always.
This happens sometimes already on the login screen (mouse pointer frozen, no keyboard input accepted).
Sometimes it happens a few seconds or a few minutes after login.
No further input possible.
No change to a text console possible.
When I disconnect the USB-mouse and reconnect it, the mouse LED remains dark.
Seems that USB is frozen too.

This happens with kernel: vmlinuz-6.8.0-40-generic

When I boot the previous kernel: vmlinuz-6.5.0-45-generic, no freezes occur and all works well.

I managed to switch to a text console before the freeze happened.
The attached files were created in a text console as root and then transferred to a different computer in order to report the bug.

[Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot (crichton)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. It seems that your bug report is not filed about a specific source package though, rather it is just filed against Ubuntu in general. It is important that bug reports be filed about source packages so that people interested in the package can find the bugs about it. You can find some hints about determining what package your bug might be about at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/FindRightPackage. You might also ask for help in the #ubuntu-bugs irc channel on Libera.chat.

To change the source package that this bug is filed about visit https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/2077265/+editstatus and add the package name in the text box next to the word Package.

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[Hans-Georg Pabst (hgpabst)]

I have been asked by the Bug Bot to specify a package. I don't know which package causes the freeze. It happens in the Gnome Desktop (Wayland, not X.org). As long as I use a text console, nothing freezes. A soon as I switch to the GUI, the system freezes after a short time.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

The log looks like Wayland sessions are starting up just fine. I wonder if this might be another simpledrm issue (even though simpledrm card0 is clearly already removed before GNOME starts on Intel card1)... Please try adding kernel parameter:

  initcall_blacklist=simpledrm_platform_driver_init

[Hans-Georg Pabst (hgpabst)]

kernel parameter initcall_blacklist=simpledrm_platform_driver_init
didn't help - the freeze is still there

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Thanks. The logs say that GNOME is functioning just fine. This might be related to the fact that it's using Intel Arrandale graphics which I haven't tried in a long time.

Please try adding this to /etc/environment:

  MUTTER_DEBUG_FORCE_KMS_MODE=simple

and reboot. If that doesn't solve it then please try replacing the above with:

  MUTTER_DEBUG_KMS_THREAD_TYPE=user

and reboot again.

[Hans-Georg Pabst (hgpabst)]

Both environment settings didn't remove the GUI freeze.

[Hans-Georg Pabst (hgpabst)]

With kernel vmlinuz-6.8.0-40-generic, the initial screen resolution seems to be wrong (see attached picture). The heading line (date) is partially hidden.

The previous kernel vmlinuz-6.5.0-45-generic doesn't show this behavior.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

MUTTER_DEBUG_FORCE_KMS_MODE is not having the desired effect because I forgot GNOME 42 uses a different variable. Please try:

  MUTTER_DEBUG_ENABLE_ATOMIC_KMS=0

in /etc/environment and reboot.

Similarly, MUTTER_DEBUG_KMS_THREAD_TYPE will have no effect because that feature doesn't exist in GNOME 42. But I hope that MUTTER_DEBUG_ENABLE_ATOMIC_KMS=0 will help.

[Hans-Georg Pabst (hgpabst)]

MUTTER_DEBUG_ENABLE_ATOMIC_KMS=0 didn't help.
The GUI froze during the login process.